1988 Storm Shadow

For me, this Storm Shadow was not a figure I had in my childhood, nor was he one that I recognized as being from any of the animation that I had seen at the time. Yet I still really appreciate what this figure is. The move of having Stormy go from a villain to a hero was a interesting move that changed the dynamics of the character for a time. Since then, in the various media and the toylines that have come since the end of ARAH, Stormy has been retconed back into the role of a Snake Eyes rival.

The figure itself is actually one of the nicer figures from the late 80’s. His camo scheme helps to give him a spiced up appearance that makes him distinct from his first figure. Likewise, lot’s of sculpted details help to really give life what might otherwise be a somewhat generic looking ninja.

 In the pictures I’ve taken of him, I haven’t used his original accessories with the exception of his backpack. This is because a) I don’t have them, and b) I just didn’t like them enough to track down a complete figure. The sword and backpack were cast in bright red, which somewhat detracts from the whole ninja aspect. His bow and claw are cast in black, but are actually pieces that I have in some color or another from various releases over the years. I prefer to give him the Uzi from Snake-Eyes, since I feel that some modern equipment would probably be fitting for Stormy in his capacity as a GI Joe team member.

Skull Buster and the Rock Vipers

The Rock Vipers and Skullbuster are both repaints of the classic Range Viper. The Range Viper, who will get his own entry later, was a pretty nice figure. Despite this, having multiple color schemes for a grunt helps to diversify a collection. I think of it in a similar way to the old beat ’em up video games from the 90’s where the same thug/bad guy sprite would be re-colored and renamed in various stages. It helps to break up the monotony. 

The Rock Vipers are in a nice grey and navy color pattern with red highlights. It’s a nice, neutral look for the mold. It also allows you to fit them into a lot of scenarios. Maybe they’re operatives who carry out assaults for the V.1 Rock Vipers? Perhaps they are urban Range Vipers who hide in trash dumpsters and scare bums? Maybe they’re just some higher ranking Range Viper? Yes, I know that they have filecards, but A) early 2000’s file cards from ARAHC were amusing for all of the wrong reasons, and B) its no fun to always adhere to what some packaging says.Also, why these guys reuse the Rock Viper name is a mystery to me that I don’t really care to figure out. Probably copyright mumbojumbo. Either way, I usually just see them as some sort of Range Viper.

As for Skullbuster, he’s an interesting figure. He’s supposed to be an individual character who leads the Range Vipers. While I said above, the filecards are something you can ignore if you wish, but I actually really like the idea. It also helps that he has practically the same colors as the V.2 Techno Viper, which is used as a Techno Viper Commander by some folks. 

Anyway, Skullbuster has a nice palate of purple with copper and baby blue highlights. He might stick out in any environment outside of an eggplant farm, but he is nice to look at. Essentially, I use him as a leader for the Range Vipers, while the Rock Vipers are just a semi-promotion for the Range Vipers. Something like that. 

 

Anyway, they are definitely nice figures and I feel that they’re a decent addition to any collection. Both can be had for cheapo on eBay if you have patience, look hard enough, and hold your mouth the right way. Chinese sellers offer them (Rock Vipers mainly, but the sell the odd Skullbuster every now and then) and since some folks are seemingly scared of buying from China, the competition isn’t there usually. Either way, don’t shell out any more than $10 for either figure; and that’s if their complete with filecard (and maybe a Major Bludd thrown in for good measure). Some people act like these were some Funpub scam…er, I mean a convention figure. But they’re not. Both were not ever hard to find at one time, and despite their age, most people are more interested in their 90’s ancestor. 

 

Anyway, most of the one’s I have are incomplete. The Rock Vipers came with some nice gear, but it’s mostly the same stuff from the first Range Viper. Honestly, I just prefer to throw some Marauders gear at them.