Something we'll just have to get used to, is that Snake Eyes is going to get a LOT of exposure in the Sigma 6 line, just as he has in the 3 3/4" line over the past few years. Like him or not, he is the "face of the franchise" (alongside Duke) and will always be the focal point of the G.I. Joe line. To this point, Snake Eyes has actually had some decent enough figures with his original Commando version, and the Commando version with ninja armor. Both figures were very similar to each other, but had a very, VERY cool, wide range of accessories that made each figure unique and each figure pretty cool.

Well, here we have Snake Eyes' first foray into the Soldier class of figures, and for the most part, I think they do a pretty good job, especially for a lower price point. There are some shortcomings, of course, but for the most part this is a pretty fun figure and has some merits. Not as cool as Firefly, but certainly more merit than the pretty dull Long Range with Desert Gear. Read on to see more specifics.

First of all, the Snake Eyes mold here is pretty much the same deal you get with every other Snake Eyes figure that's come so far. A lean, angular physique, with an almost over-animated style you don't really see with some of the other figures. What is pretty neat is that they used Kamakura as a base, which maintains Snake Eyes' look, but gives him the bandage-wrapped legs and forearms, which at least just adds an interesting new dimension to the figure and makes him slightly different at least, even if the color scheme over these bandages doesn't really mesh with the texture. To go along with that, I actually like the Kamakura mold more than the Snake Eyes one, too...it gives the figure more bulk, and a less "buggy" appearence, in my opinion, so bonus points for that, too.

The head sculpt has the familiar visor, but is NOT removable in this case, perhaps using the head sculpt from the Ninja Battles Two-Pack. I really love the removable visor, but I can see why they'd go this route, especially on a soldier class figure. Besides, grab a cup of boiling water, and it's easy enough to do a head-swap.

I can see a lot of people possibly questioning the big deal about this figure...I mean, it's a "Night Ops" Snake Eyes, right? Well, the original version was just black and dark gray, how is this one Night Ops when that one isn't?

Well, I can't really answer that...it is a fair question, but all that matters to me is that this figure looks pretty neat, and honestly, as much as I hate to say it about a Snake Eyes figure, this one is very, VERY cool, surprisingly enough.

The paint apps here are pretty non-Sigma 6, and while he's obviously wearing a Sigma Suit, the paint doesn't match it, instead just giving you a general black paint over the entire figure with some nice swatches of gray camouflage over the entire figure. I find myself really loving the way this paint looks, even though the different layers of the uniform are not painted differently. This possibly saved Hasbro some money on paint apps, but it doesn't matter a whole lot to me, and a full-body black paint job really makes this figure look great as a "Night Ops" Snake Eyes. But we've got three Snake Eyes already, with the standard Commando, the Ninja Armor, and the Ninja Battles set, so how does this one look different, and what sets it apart? Something Sigma 6 has already become notorious for, the accessories.

I said in my Long Range review that even substandard paint apps and shameless repaints can sometimes be proven viable with a decent accessory compliment. Long Range failed in that department, in my opinion, but this Snake Eyes really, really succeeds.

While his primary weapon is a disappointing rocket launcher, the weapon design itself LOOKS very, very cool, and while the "sideways shooting" action is shamelessly gimmicky, it has some cool potential and lives up to my personal "experimental weaponry" division of Sigma 6, which is neat. Believe it or not, too, Israel is in the testing phases currently of a sideways-shooting weapon (the infamous "Corner Shot", and as funny as it sounds, Snake Eyes coming with this weapon actually makes sense. See, Snake Eyes has been notorious for using Israeli weapons, from his original Uzi, to the state of the art machine gun that the Ninja Armor version came with. So, as gimmicky as this weapon might be, it actually fits, and that really makes me like it all the more. The fact that the design allows it to be used as more than a rocket launcher is another bonus point, and to me, this will be more of a high-impact heavy machine gun or shotgun than a rocket launcher.

Of course, this is only one accessory in a pack that has a large number of pretty neat urban-themed accessories. First of all, the figure comes with some pretty basic rubber webgear that isn't elaborate at all, but suits the figure well, and the dark blue color is a great one, not to mention the fact that it's got a sword sheath built in which fits the sword near-perfectly. Speaking of the sword, he's got his typical tonfa sword (though slightly modified this time around, which I'll talk about a little later on in this paragraph). The gun, the sword, the grappling hook, the webgear all has this awesome rich blue color which adds a very nice flair, but is still dark enough to work. The tonfa sword also has a new short-bladed knife extension on the bottom of the handle that adds another cool and potentially deadly element to the weapon. This small blade adds and removes some coolness factor, though. It's activated on a "slider" mechanism, which means the "tonfa sword" here does not have one of those flip-handles, and it also cannot hook anything to the bottom of it as the others can. However, I actually find it pretty amazing that Hasbro continues to put potentially deadly additions like this on their toys and make it acceptible. It's a great thing for adult fans to get into, yet for the kids, they can just use these little blades to hack up the B.A.T.s. ;)

He also comes with a great grappling hook, very nice cylinder grenades, and...wow...those night vision goggles. The Night Vision Goggles are attached to a harness that slides right over his head and fits great over his visor and it is intricately detailed and looks terrific. The goggles are such a small part of the figure, but they are simply amazing and look flat out fantastic on Snake Eyes' head. Not to mention the mini whipstar...it's nothing amazing, but it's cool enough to work. Also, the grappling hook has the same plug recepticle as the previous tonfa swords and ninja weapons, so there is a wealth of customization options on it. As usual, check the Tech Specs section for more details.

Originally this figure was planned as an "Urban Attack Snake Eyes", and it did fit that mold pretty well, too (especially with those familiar smoke grenades), but he works well as a Night Ops figure, too. His weapons have a nice variety and some great play value, and all in all, I have no hesitation recommending this great figure. It's a nice version of Snake Eyes at a Soldier price point with cool gear and nice, improved paint apps. Yeah, he'll end up being your fourth Snake Eyes in less than a year, but just snag him, make him Shockwave, and go on ahead with your bad self. I don't think you'll regret it if you break down the positives and the negatives. In fact, in standing this figure side by side with the original Commando Snake Eyes, I actually find this version more appealing for various reasons. The camouflage color pallet, the Kamakura parts...it all just adds up to a figure that is a whole lot cooler and more "different" than the original in his standard black and dark gray. Of course, the accessories that come with the original are a lot better, but really, this is a VERY respectable Snake Eyes in the Soldier class price point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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