As seen in my
previous review, RIA Duke and Agent Helix have been joined by the Paris Pursuit Snake Eyes, who'll be the subject of this post.
Paris Pursuit Snake Eyes is a rather mysterious figure. His title suggests that this is how the character appears during the Paris sequence in
Rise of Cobra, in which various G.I. Joes pursue various Cobras by means of powered armour and somersaulting mini-vans through the streets of
la Ville-Lumière while the Eiffel Tower is devoured by weaponized nanites, but curiously, what little we've seen of Snake Eyes in this sequence seems to suggest that he goes through it clad in the more widely-publicized rubber "elastic band" top (as Ray Park has described it) and cargo pants ensemble, yet this action figure sports a different costume entirely which seems to differ from the "normal" one even where most seems to resemble it, with a blank, flat mask from which the controversial sculpted mouth is notably absent (which would seem to rule out the costume appearing during the actual "Paris Pursuit" sequence, unless Snake Eyes has mastered the Ninja art of quick-change clothing...).
That isn't to say that the costume is any way
bad however. In fact, this "Paris Pursuit" outfit is probably one of the most aesthetically appealing costumes Snake Eyes has ever had.
In a nice bit of contrast with Helix's lovingly intricate "Perky Goth Gunslinger" look, PP Snake Eyes's design is simple, but effective, going more or less the same way as the design of
Resolute Snake Eyes in drawing on the character's two most distinctive costumes; the 1982 "Commando" and the 1985 "Ninja", but interestingly, taking the various elements in different order, with a sweater like the 1982 version where
Resolute had a skin-tight top harking back to the 1985 version, and a visored face-mask like the 1985 version where
Resolute had a 1982-style vented mask with goggles.
Articulation is quite good, as I've come to expect from this line, though not quite perfect.
The amount of movement you can get out of the head is somwhat limited, and the torso doesn't bend quite as far forward as I'd like, but side-to-side movement is very good, the arms can bend slightly further than 90 degrees and the legs can be raised higher than any other Joe I can think of, allowing some very effective kneeling and crouching poses.
Other than that, the remaining costume elements are baggy trousers gathered at the ankles, under which are short, ankle-high combat boots fastened with straps over bootlaces and some nicely-detailed treads, a small pouch strapped to the left leg, the oddly out-of-date web belt Snake Eyes seems to favour in RoC with its old-fashioned hook buckle, which appears to have a small coil of rope hanging off of the right side, glossy black gloves...
...and, of course, the hooded trenchcoat, which I really don't think I can effectively express in mere words how much I like.
Given how many different, often decidedly bizarre sartorial permutations Snake Eyes has gone through over the years, it seems strange to me that something so simple as this trenchcoat could come as such a surprise, but it really is the last thing I would have ever expected Snake Eyes to show up wearing, and yet it just seems to fit in some way I can't really explain.
It hampers his movement somewhat, of course, and you may find the peg holding the baldric strap in place across the chest popping out on occasion depending on how you attempt to move the figure, but that's only to be expected with this sort of plastic costume element at this scale.
Now, weapons and equipment.
Like most of the figures in this line save a few (Desert Ambush Duke for example) PP Snake Eyes comes with the standard dog tag/display stand. More personalized gear includes a removable visor which at first glance appears blank and opaque but which actually has slats sculpted into the back of it which become visible when held up to a light. The manner in which it's attached to his head allows to be actually be raised up like the visor of a helmet, exposing Snake Eyes' unpainted eyes and the bridge of his nose. It's a cool feature, but bearing in mind that the figure is intended to be purchased and played with by children, not merely nostalgic adults like myself, I can't but feel it would have been better if the visor had been secured to the figure's face so as to prevent it being lost.
Of course, no post-1982 Snake Eyes would be complete without his trusty sword...
...and there's also a handgun, which in the movie is an FN FiveseveN the filmmakers seem to have settled on as Snake Eyes' signature sidearm, but which is here substituted with the same HK USP that RIA Duke comes with...
Unfortunately, the range of motion of his arms isn't quite as great as RIA Duke's, and the trenchcoat adds a further bit of obstruction, ruling out two-handed shooting stances...
...but he gets by...
...and when a handgun would be too noisy and a sword too cumbersome, there's always the combat knife...
Next, and perhaps most oddly, is a HK G36K ("K" standing for "Kurz" or "Short") with skeleton stock, Picatinny rails and Aimpoint optic sight.
Somewhat problematically for me, as a right-hander who has trouble getting figures to pose to my satisfaction in left-handed shooting stances, the increased bulk on the right side of the trenchcoat from the sculpted-on sword baldric prevents him from gripping the rifle right-handed very well, but RoC Snake Eyes seems to shoot left-handed anyway.
Like the trenchcoat, a full-sized (well,
almost full-sized) assault rifle probably isn't the first firearm that springs to mind when thinking of the G.I. Joe universe's foremost SMG enthusiast, but it seems to work somehow, and in any event, in the Marvel comics he apparently spent most of his time in Vietnam hauling around an M60, and in more practical terms, it means that even those of us who'd prefer to confine Snake Eyes to more low-profile firearms are still getting a nifty new assault rifle for the armoury.
Finally, there's the wolf.
Is it supposed to be Timber? Is Timber black in the movie? Does Timber
appear in the movie? Does Snake Eyes have some random encounter with a black wolf in the streets of Paris? Like the G36 and the "Paris Pursuit" costume in general, this is one more thing about this figure that raises more questions than it answers, but again, like the G36 and the costume, it's cool in its own right, and that's really as much as anyone could ask for.
All together now...
Strike a pose!
So what is "Paris Pursuit" Snake Eyes, exactly? A representation of an actual costume worn by the character in the film? A discarded costume concept? Something the Hasbro design team worked up on their own, ala the never-ending "Batman in Not-Appearing-In-This-Movie Armour" than Kenner used to trot out?
Whatever the answer may be, one thing's for certain: This is one heck of a cool toy, and a worthy succesor to the very best designs that have gone before it.
