This is a great figure to be sure. I agree with you that it just does not give off a familiar COBRA Commander vibe. You really have to turn everything that you know about G.I. Joe on it’s head to get this figure to fill that role. Now, if they’d have stuck this action figure with the name “The Interrogator”, then we’d have a game everybody could understand a little better.

I may be in the minority here, but as far as I am concerned, this may be the best thing Hasbro has done with Cobra Commander since releasing the first hooded figure. He’s a brilliant contrast to the movie version and a far better concept than the 38 or so rehashes of the same 2 designs we’ve seen over the years.

My major gripe with the movie depiction and figure adaptation was that his humanity was too exposed, both from a story aspect and a visual one. There was no mystery to him. The POC version’s metallic crimson chest strikes me as a mockery of human flesh and tissue. Replacing the translucent life support mask with a vac metal one conceals the frail, scarred humanity with a death mask. He’s gone from wimpy human victim to technological grim reaper.

What’s more, I like that he is not explicitly stated as being the movie character. In fact, the packaging seems to imply a complete reboot to Cobra, not only in regards to the movie, but also to the idea of Cobra as an organization by referring to the HISS as something new and including an invitation to join a new organization called Cobra. Because Pursuit is not tied in to a comic or cartoon continuity and is no longer directly tied to the movie, and with the new cartoon toy line reboot around the corner, it makes this character a blank slate that may never be saddled with an official story.

It’s a radical departure all around, and will not please everyone. However, I started getting sick of the same basic figure getting released every 2-6 months during the 25th Anniversary line, and I think it has the potential to reinvigorate the idea of the character.

Complete sidenote, but Jungle Duke totally deserved the 5 stars that you gave it. Sculpt, accessories, paint, articulation, everything about it is just a fantastic figure. I’m actually happy it’s so abundant on the shelves, hopefully that’ll get some people to pick it up and try it out, it rocks.

I love this figure; the new head makes all the difference (though I liked the previous version as well.) I’m not using him as Cobra Commander, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t make a good CC to me. It’s too bad the mask doesn’t come off, though, ’cause if I remember correctly, there is a full face under there (from proto pics).