Loved the list. No Cobra list is complete without the first Destro figure. Taller than most of the early waves because of the metal helmet, pistol that fit into the backpack and great details on the figure. Very unique.
Destro in my opinion had A LOT of cool action figures. Even his 90s action figure was good. I believe I liked his Original figure and the one in the 90s the best bc those are the ones I remember having as a child.
I've got to say that it surprised me when the Eel was number 2, which meant either Destro or Firefly wasn't gonna be in the TOP 10???? I don't disagree with Firefly as number 1 at all. But, Destro was just captivating to look at as a kid. He's an intriguing character, but that silver facemask made him look fascinating.
I don't know why but I LOVED Alley Viper. His garish blue and orange uniform, the visor that could open, his dumb shield. He was my favorite at the end of toy playing days. Iron Grenadier Destro was also neat.
I loved him too. As a kid I didn’t really consider such color combinations to be bad, and I still have lots of nostalgia for him. I thought the color was cool and I liked all the accessories.
Your list has some GREATS on it!! 1st editions of Zartan, Firefly, & Destro. It's a toss up w/ 1st edition face-sheld Cobra Commander and hooded, both were great, and the ones after, I didn't like. The 1st and 2nd edition Copperhead's were cool, but the 1st is THE CLASSIC!! Crimson Guard was cool, although I prefer the 2nd edition over the 1st. Serpentor was unique. The colors and the snake-head helmet was cool. Big Boa was AWESOME!! Originally supposed to be Rocky Balboa. No complaints on what the figure actually became. I think I remember the 2nd Major Blood figure more than the 1st, but looking back, the original was better and looked more like a graduated Cobra Officer, while still keeping the theme. And Nemesis Enforcer, can't forget him. My ONLY complaint was that the figure was short and stocky, almost chubby. I would've preferred the figure being more slim and taller to match how he looked in the movie. I believe him being taller and slim would've also made him look more intimidating. His action figure height should've been as tall or taller than Sgt. Slaughter's action figure. Awesome list!!
I liked the look of Croc Master as well. If I started naming the G.I.Joes and Cobra figures I liked, I'd be here all night LOL These action figures were my childhood. It was these action figures, the cartoon and Pro-Wrestling on TV that best represented my childhood and escape from family issues. To the point where my Joes & Cobra figures blended w/ wrestling to create my own wrestling promotion ran using them. The GWF (before there was ever a GWF in real life) and GWA, were the #1 wrestling promotion in the U.S. LOL Snake-Eyes was my Hulk Hogan, or Ric Flair, The Franchise Player
I loved the Zartan figure! It was fun taking out in the sunlight,but always by late afternoon the sunlight wasn't good enough to make him change color.
Zartan was the Master of Disguise, and his vehicle was called The Chameleon. Meanwhile, on Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, one of Spider-Man’s enemies was a master of disguise, and his name was The Chameleon!
I'm very surprised Destro didn't make this list, with his chrome-vac'ed head, wrist-darts, and opening backpack (that could hold his pistol), he was so powerful looking (the cartoon helped bolster that for sure). I gotta agree with your placement of Firefly on the list though; in my adventures he was always sneaking and sabotaging GI Joe, and if caught, always fought his way out against all odds. It also helped that he wasn't particularly loyal to Cobra Commander and would go where the money was, but then, that kinda applied to a lot of Cobra special operatives...
That 1st Destro and 1st Firefly are CLASSICS!! 💯% !! I owned the 1st Destro later, but I had that Firefly when I was much younger. I honestly wish I discovered G.I.Joe at 4-5yrs old, instead of 5-6yrs old, so I could've had MORE time w/ them LOL
How did Destro not even make the list?! Madness....and to take a bit further as a child I used to run around everywhere with those two cobra twin brothers. For some reason I loved them. They would have made my list also.
When I started collecting them as a child, it was 86 I believe. God I wished I discovered them in 85 instead. I would've loved an extra year or 2, just to enjoy them for a little longer. I wrestled them LOL They were SO MUCH BETTER to wrestle than the Pro-Wrestling action figures of the time.
I'm 44, on my night stand I have hooded cobra commandor & Zartan 😊 even got his lil bike💯....I had the drednorcs & their vehicle but not sure what happened to it.
@@onlyplayaseattacoswiththei9433those Dreadnok figures were awesome. Even to the 1st Road Pig. I loved that they were all British, Australian etc They were like the Mad Max/Road Warriors R.I.P. of the G.I.Joe/Cobra collection. I wish when I ran my G.I.Joe Wrestling promotion (LOL) that I used them more as anti-heroes that fought both sides.
I looked for firefly for years my grandma used to buy me a gi joe figure every week when I was on summer vacation, finally one day at toys r us I found him and of course I was with my friend and his mom, needless to say I took it and hid it behind the last my little pony in the girls section, finally over a month later I got to go back, I remember running to the aisle and sure enough he was still there, and finally got my firefly. God I miss the 80s being a kid, I remember it like it was yesterday, thanks for the trip down memory lane.
GREAT HIDE!! 👍🏽 You had to do what you had to do LOL Firefly V1 was a classic. Also, one of the rare figure where I liked both V1 & V2. The V1 Firefly was TOUGH!! I guess technically, I could say the same about Alley Viper, only difference being I preferred V2 AV over V1. Same w/ The Crimson Guard.
Awesome story bro I have one I would like to share with you storm shadow was my most coveted possession on this earth as a five year-old boy many a battle in the backyard he would single-handedly eliminate a dozen or so Joe’s and end up being the battle soul Survivor. One of these battles taking place in my mother‘s garden ended abruptly as I was summoned for Saturday night church service in my heist to collect my toys somehow storm shadow end up being AWOL. I was a broken heart. A little boy must’ve spent hundreds of hours scouring the property and digging holes in my mom‘s garden, retracing my steps no stone unturned but for all my effort was in vain I scoured toy Isles and garage sales and friends collections in hopes of a trade no one had him, not the first edition anyway. My uncle‘s grandparents, mom and dad all did their due diligence two to find a replacement and came up empty ended. Years went by my childhood faded, but even as a grown man returning to my childhood home sometime, I could still catch myself wondering if somehow my shadow would turn up when I was mowing the lawn doing some landscaping in that area. I even caught myself sharing the story with my wife on evening, I didn’t think she was paying attention to me writing me off as rambling. six months later on Christmas morning, the small box under the tree to me from my wife. I opened it there he was the first edition used well played with storm. Shadow finally found him brought me to tears. I was very embarrassed by the overwhelming emotion I realize that was me, finally let go stop searching after 35 years. I have given storm shadow to my little boy now who is also five after telling him the story thought you might get a kick out of this tale from vintage Joe fan to another
@jeremyjones3692 lol ohh ya storm shadow was definitely another prized possession, I lost his bow, and that was bad enough. I can't imagine losing the whole figure, lol. Your wife sounds like a keeper, cheers 🍻.
For me, the Crimson Guard, Tomax and Xamot, Mindbender, Serpentor and the black Iron Grenadier also deserved a mention. And I kinda liked Road Pig as well, for his size and his weapon. Loved to see the Viper in the list, one of my all time favourites.
V2 Crimson Guard was good. The Crimson Twins were AWESOME!! I hadn't made the connection that the Crimson Guards were basically the Crimson Twins security team etc. Stupid me SMH. Had I made the connection, my Crimson Guard action figure would've been the body guard/enforcer/henchman to Xamot & Tomax in my now defunct G.I.Joe Wrestling Promotion LOL Dr. Victor Mindbender was a cool figure. I liked that he figure was thin. Wasn't like he was on the front-line fighting. Serpentor was cool. I liked the colors. He was a good action figure. V1 Road Pig was f****n great!! He was taller than the other Joes/Cobra & more massive. V1 Iron Grenadier was cool too. I saw another version of I.G. years later, but I was too old to play w/ the action figures LOL There were a lot of cool Viper action figures too. Ice Viper, Frag Viper, Night Viper, Alley Viper V1 & V2, Techno Viper, Tele Viper V1, Saw Viper, Cobra Viper.
Blood for the Baron! I am glad you included the Baron on your list. I remember reading the issue when he changed to Cobra Commander. Battle Action Force had great stories and action. As for the Marvel U.K. Action Force comic - I had a picture printed in the first Action Art section. Great memories. Great video once again. Thanks.
I had many solo adventures with my Firefly. He seemed to be my go to Cobra figure to take on long outings to family functions or long drives. It’s good to see the love for such an awesome figure!
Firefly V1 was definitely tippy-top as far as the Joe/Cobra collection. He was also one of my rare figures that defeated Snake-Eyes in my now defunct G.I.Joe Wrestling promotion. LOL Snake-Eyes was the Hulk Hogan/Ric Flair of the company, The Franchise if you will. Snake-Eyes V3 I believe from 1989 had a great run w/ The World Belt Haha These videos and any discussion I could have in these threads brings back a lot of Nostalgia for me. It was a great set of action figures to have as a boy, being a kid. Especially bc I had home strife. They were an awesome escape, and getting away to The GWP helped get me through sometimes. Sorry for my novel. All that said, Firefly V1 is for sure on the Joe/Cobra all-time list.
I'm glad the Hydro Viper made the list and I couldn't believe he mentioned how it looked like The Predator' s helmet. That's exactly what I thought when I was a kid and playing with it. I used to put the Astro Viper' s backpack on him as a shoulder canon and play that GI Joe was being hunted by the Predator.
Cobra The Enemy (Viper Pilot also) and Red Shadow figures are outstanding and truly iconic. Honourable mention for me would be 1989's TARGAT, but Firefly 1984 is undeniably the GOAT, great to see him getting his deserved recognition :)
I will always have a fond memory of my Zartan, my mom made a deal with me that if I learned how to tie my shoes by myself she would order it for me, lol I don't think I ever learned a skill faster in my life
I always preferred the Cobra figures. The first two G.I. Joe figures I bought, were Destro and Baroness. The next was Firefly. He had the best action figure gun I'd ever seen. And I was way too old to be buying these - 21 in 1984, but they were so weird and cool, that I couldn't resist.
Yeah I remember my first it was spirit my brother got to go with our grandma at the time he got storm shadow I remember thinking he was a mummy or something.
@@noodleschalepah5934shout out to Spirit Iron Knife!! The original Spirit action figure and the Slaughter's Marauders Spirit were very cool. I preferred the original. 1st Storm shadow was cool, 2nd edition was GOAT.
Great list. I agree with most of it but personally would have put Zartan higher on the list and selected Destro or Scrap Iron instead of the Hydro Viper.
I had 7 of the 10 selected as a child but the crimson Guard was always my favorite closely followed by Destro and Storm Shadow, FireFly was 1 that i didn't have as a child but did finally pick him up last year and it became obvious why so many rate him so highly, definitely worthy of a number 1 spot even if he's not my personal choice.
I still remember my first GI Joe (Action Force here in Europe) figure i ever got, it was Eels. I had never seen such realistic and detailed toys, considering the size. I was hooked. From your list, i also had B.A.T. ; Viper (one of my favourites) ; Storm Shadow and Snow Serpent. When i got older i gave away most of those toys to friends of mine. In my mother's house i still have the Cobra Hydrofoil and the Skystriker, missing the pilots and some pieces/missiles.
Great list. I still remember having my snow serpent and snake eyes with timber wolf figures stolen when I brought them to kindergarten. I also lost my Eels when I took him swimming in the river. Still pains me to this day.
Yeah he should take that baron ironblood figures place! That’s not even a real gi joe! The brits put action force in our Americans gi joe line. The only thing that kinda fit in with gi joe was action man but I am still kinda wary about that. If you look at British joe comic books then compare them with our books the story is different. Same thing happened with transformers and even captain Britain being brought in to American comic books. Those stories are all different. In fact there are British joes that have different names than our own joes. In fact in the UK one of the more sought after joes is storm shadow version 1 because he wasn’t released as much in the uk as he was in the USA.
Thank you for doing your videos with such attention to detail. I must say as humble as possible I did have every figure minus the red faced Cobra commander, that is on your list. The snow serpent was a personal favorite of mine. He had a lot of great gear. But yeah fireflys weapon needed to match the backpack. I didn't see it right away but once I did I couldn't unsee it way. I was so lucky to find Storm Shadow at Woolworths for $2 plus tax. He was the only gijoe figure on the rack which I am still baffled about to this day. Keep up the great work sir.
Not sure if Cobra-La is eligible for the list but I loved Nemesis Enforcer. During my childhood battles someone always had to take down Nemesis Enforcer in hand to hand combat, just like Slaughter did in the animated movie.
Nemesis Enforcer was a good one. My only gripe was he was short & chubby. I wish he was taller and slimmer like he was in the movie. I also had The Royal Guard.
Good choices Tony 👍I had the same problem trying to find Storm Shadow when I was a kid but I remember my brother bringing him home from a shopping trip for me and needles to say I was a very happy little brother 😁
My favorite figure, Joe or Cobra, is the second Cobra B.A.T. from 1991. While I did love the original B.A.T., the second one just had a design the looked more sleek and spoke to me better than the first. Alot of others from 91 are also high up for me. The CG Immortal, Desert Scorpion, General Hawk, Dusty, and Heavy Duty all stuck out for me.
I Love that t shirt, it’s been my emblem when I play Battlefield for the last six years, I have just started collecting all my old action force toys again, I managed to get Stormshadow/Baroness/Snakeyes/Flint. My favourites are the Cobra viper and Mercer, Great video!
Glad to see Zartan is in the list. He was the only G.I. Joe figure I had as a kid. It took me weeks of jumble sales to get the money to buy him from a local family run toy shop where I lived. Fond memories of playing in my back garden in the sun with his chameleon swamp skier. The box art for this figure takes me right back to the mid 80s although mine was the Palitoy Action Force release.
I was a spoiled only child during the 80's. I literally had ALL this. And so much more. EVERY awesome thing...I had. I gave most if the figures to a good friend when I was in high school. His boys then grew up playing with them. And I had the opportunity to connect with his kids though them. Truly timeless magic for the imagination. Also I was always a COBRA fan 1st!
Ha ha, that's awesome! I did the same thing you did to get the mail in hooded Cobra commander. I was 9. I begged and begged my ma to get it. It was my birthday gift, probably the best one I ever had. I still have it to
Can't argue with the No. 1 Figure. It was literally the first G.I. Joe figure I owned (second hand. No accesories) but next to my Star Wars figures this was a piece of art like none I had own before.
Also, the only 2 Cobra Commander action figures that were cool were the original CCs. Face shield and hooded. The Rise of Cobra CC looks cool but it's just too busy for me LOL
Firefly.... my favorite action figure across all toy lines ever. Followed closely by....you guessed it... the Cobra EEL V1. The playability in just those two figures alone was incredible. As always great content Tony!
@@noodleschalepah5934WILD WEASEL!! People don't always mention him!! 1st Edition Firefly was awesome, one of the rare Joes that I liked the 1st and 2nd edition of. But I preferred the 1st edition. Crimson Guard was a rare one, where I liked the 2nd edition better than the 1st. That said you named some greats!!
I'm stealing your "V1" etc. Tired of typing the word edition LOL V1 Firefly and Especially V1 Cobra Eel were awesome!! Would've been a fitting Tag-Team in my G.I.Joe wrestling promotion. Man, these action figures were my childhood. Great memories
Thank you for this. Brought back so many memories that I´ve gone and gotten all my figures out again and placed them on my shelf along with my UK Action Force comic collection.
How Crystal Ball isn't the hands down most ridiculous toy, not only in the GI Joe line, but perhaps in all 80s toys this side of MUSCLES is sheer wonder!
This is an excellent list and contribution to Cobra Convergence IV. I also remember collecting Flag points to pick up figures or those accessory packs.
Storm Shadow, Hydro Viper and Zartan were my most played Cobra figures as a child. I took time playing each one by themselves. My other faves not on the list: Croc Master, Big Boa, Crystal Ball.
Croc Master and Big Boa were very cool. I liked Crystal Ball but he seems to be unpopular. All 3 made great heels in my G.I.Joe Wrestling Promotion LOL
i was mean to firefly when i was a kid. i took a match and burnt out his eyes. then i put a helmet on him with one of those solid green visors from one of the accessory packs. my reasoning for this was that he was accidentily too close to one of his "jobs" when it exploded and it blinded him. i now know i didnt have to burn out his eyes and couldve just used the helmet, but i was little and didnt know better
Wild Weasel! Damn. I forgot about him. I didn't get him. For Christmas my older brother got the A-10 (cant remember what Hasbro called it now) with Wild Weasel and I got the helicopter with Wild Bill who I thought looked like a character from the Village People.
I was never able to find Stormshadow when I was a kid either.I had one ordered on presale,but the day I went to pick it up at my local retail store,they had accidentally put it out for sale with the other figures.I was suitably upset about the situation as I had my heart set on going home and having him fight Snake Eyes,but I ended up finding and getting Firefly that day instead.
Great video and list.. I always love hearing people's choices of 'best' or 'favourite' figures as we are all unique in what we want and need from a figure...and with so many choices it can be hard to pick. Great choices!!
Dude. I ordered the hooded cobra commander through the mail. I sent them my money and the little points and they actually mailed him to me. Damn, good times.
I remember becoming obsessed as a kid with the idea of collecting all the different Viper troopers. I think right around 87 or 88 id managed to snag all of the ones available, including the vehicle pilots (bought several vehicles i didnt even like just for the figures lol) Good times
Fire Fly was always my guy!!!!! Ill never forget sitting in the Den with my Mom as she read me his profile. It was are spacial bonding time when she would read me the GI-Joe and Transformer profiles. His profile was so dope, we both got a big kick out of reading it. LOVE and Miss You Mom, thank you and thank you Hasbro for making the dope'est toys ever.
Absolutely loved the Firefly figure and character. Seeing Ray Stevenson bring him to life in the big screen was, to me, the best part of the otherwise lackluster GI Joe:Retaliation movie.
Only complaint I had about that, is that he kept on taking off the mask. You'd never see Firefly pull that move on the cartoon LOL nor was the mask removable on the figures I had
I loved GIJoe figures but I was always more fond of the Cobra figures over the Joe figures. They just looked cooler. I like how you had the B.A.T and Viper Troopers on your list.
Great list, and I'm very happy to see you included the Hydro Viper! The Hydro Viper is hands down my favorite G.I.Joe figure, it just has such a unique design and they seem like they would be better off aligned with Cobra La.
One of the coolest figures in my opinion - and one who I would easily consider in my own top ten list - is the Cobra WORMS Officer. That figure had a great uniform and totally sweet helmet. I also think the Crimson Guard trooper needs to be in any top ten list. Lastly, Scrap Iron deserves an honorable mention. He is a great character that is vastly underrated.
After hooded Cobra Commander, I hated his action figure. V1 & V2 were definitely the best. I also liked Destro V1 & V3. I preferred Storm Shadow V2 over Storm Shadow V1. It's probably bc I owned V2 1st.
Awesome list. I was the happiest kid in the world when I was lucky enough to get a Stormshadow figure being they were always sold out. I also liked the twins, Destro and Serpentor.
Hi Tony, another great video. I agree with most of your selections. However, I would have included the Crimson Guard figure as well as the Crimson Guard Commander figure. I know it wasn't an easy task to assemble this list because of all the great figures in this toy line. Keep up the great work and I'm looking forward to your next upload.
Very enjoyable video again. Your channel is the only one like it with the level of preparation and research that goes into to it. I myself am more of a GI JOE & Mego enthusiast but only because those are the ones I played with so much as a child. I do appreciate many of the other toys you've introduced us to though.
Outstanding vid and list, Tony! The Snow Serpent & Firefly are definitely my top 2 Cobra figs.. so great choice there. Top notch production with this vid, the effects & collaboration were excellent. Appreciate your efforts. COBRA!
We need a proper ongoing GI Joe animated series that showcases all these characters like the way Larry Hama did in the Marvel run before it started to go down hill with the toy line.
I'm a dork, I have all of those figures. Too bad the rubber band that holds them together have all broken. I still remember when I finally found firefly at the store. And when I found stormshadow, I bought 3 of them. Good memories....
One of my friends lost the walkie-talkie from my Firefly figure. It cost me a buttload to replace it decades later. Otherwise, I have all the figures on your list except for the Action Force figure and the worst figure. They’re all complete with file cards, too. I’m just in the middle of replacing some of the O-rings.
Storm Shadow was a symbol of the ninja craze of the 80’s. About that same time, “American Ninja” appeared in the movie theaters, starting Michael Dudikoff.
I had a Storm Shadow toy, but i removed the Cobra logo to made him a G.I. Joe by the name "White Hawk." I got the inspiration for the white ninja in "Rambo: The Force of Freedom."
