"A Real American Hero" was brought about as a revival of the original 12 in (30 cm) G.I. Joe brand of the 1960s and '70s. After the 12" figure had been absent from toy shelves for a few years, G.I. Joe was re-introduced in a 3 3/4-inch (9.53 cm) action figure format following the success of the Star Wars and Micronauts 3 3/4" scale toylines.
This is Snake Eyes from the G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 line of military-themed action figures and toys produced by Hasbro, re-imagining the characters of the 1980s toyline, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. The Sigma 6 toy line allowed Hasbro to depart from the classic 3 ¾-inch format of the A Real American Hero series of the 1980s; most Sigma 6 action figures stand at approximately 8 inches (200 mm) and have more articulation.
You can't have Storm Shadow (see earlier posts) and not have Snake Eyes! They are as alike as two peas in a pod, having been trained under the same master and taught the same fighting styles while living under the tutelage of the same clan. Tragically they became separated through the death of their master and now fight on opposite sides, one for good and the other for evil i.e. COBRA
The packaging consists of a capsule looking rectangular box with top and bottom covers / caps which can be turned into a weapons case for storing the figure's weapons and accessories
The G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 series offered Hasbro the chance to streamline the story and characters, stripping away old continuity and "rebooting" the franchise with younger versions of the cast. Sigma 6 Ninja Commando Snake Eyes personal history was changed to him having spent his youth studying with masters of over thirty martial arts forms. He began his covert ops work in a mainstream intelligence division and was quickly spotted because of his mastery of ninja disciplines and his uncanny ability to move undetected.
Snake Eyes became the most sought after operative for missions that required someone who could infiltrate secured areas that no one else had ever been able to access. He was chosen for the SIGMA 6 team for his superior martial arts skills and knowledge of ninja organizations.
Hasbro G.I. Joe Sigma 6 Ninja Commando Snake Eyes Action Figure straight out of the box. Besides the molded outfit / costume, he has a removable webbing and dog tag with Sigma 6 insignia
What attracted me to this line was the Japanese anime style approach to the action figures. I like the angular lines and the exaggerated proportions to the physique which makes the action figures look more heroic and bada$$
Snake Eyes comes with three different masks so that you can gear up Snake Eyes for each different mission. There's the standard visor that he wears...
And then there's the visual data system with telescopic headgear...
This particular head gear / goggles look very similar to the 'trifocal goggles' Sam Fisher wears in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. All you need to do is paint the middle lens a florescent green instead of black. You can view pictures of Triad Toys Splinter Cell Sam Fisher 1:4 scale Figure HERE
Finally there's also the enviro-hazard mask (oxygen stabilizer and filtration apparatus that allows breathing in hazardous environments) with CyberCom link.
This mask makes Snake Eyes look more like Firefly (NOT Firefly from the G.I. Joe series but Batman Firefly). You can view pictures of Sideshow Collectibles COBRA Firefly 12-inch figure HERE and also Batman Firefly figure HERE :)
And here's Snake Eyes without his mask / visor. In the history of Snake Eyes as written by Marvel Comics, Snake Eyes wears a balaclava and visor to cover his face, which was disfigured in a helicopter explosion.
Snake Eyes also has a forearm communicator with flip-up screen, kind of reminds me of the Predator from the movies with their wrist computer and self-destruct device. Check out pictures of Hot Toys Scar Predator HERE
Here's Hasbro G.I. Joe Sigma 6 Ninja Commando Snake Eyes Action Figure sitting on his weapons case.
Inside Snake Eyes weapons case: Two Suction Cup Climbers aka Anti-gravity Climbing Cups (much like how Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt did it in the latest installment of Mission Impossible). Attach the cups to the figure's hands and stick him to the wall (preferably a smooth surface) and you have yourself a wall-crawling wall-climbing ninja commando warrior. There's also the whip-star and zip-line, Jinsoku Dagger and Uzi submachine gun (called the RFB System on the packaging).
Also included: Two Tonfa swords (described as hand-forged folded steel defensive swords) with sheaths. The tonfa is a stick with a handle, and is about 15-20 inches long. It was traditionally made from red oak and wielded in pairs. The tonfa can be gripped by the short perpendicular handle or by the longer main shaft. Tonfa are traditionally wielded in pairs, one in each hand. This is unlike police nightsticks, which are generally used alone.
The tonfa sword or "Blade Tonfa" is a tonfa with a blade / sword at the longer end instead of a shaft so that makes it deadlier than the regular wooden tonfa stick.
Snake Eyes is supposed to be quite good at wielding the Tonfa swords
Close-up pictures of Hasbro G.I. Joe Sigma 6 Ninja Commando Snake Eyes 8-inch (200 mm) Action Figure. Like I said before, I like the cut and style of this line. It's just too bad this line of figures never came to Singapore.
The hilts of the Tonfa swords can also be joined together to form one very long bladed weapon (just like Darth Maul's double light sabers in "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" - now back in cinemas in 3-D!)
In the movie world, Snake Eyes and Darth Maul are one and the same person i.e. the actor who plays the characters is none other than Ray Park, a Scottish actor, stuntman and martial artist, best known for playing the physical part of Darth Maul in "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace", Toad in "X-Men", Snake Eyes in "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra", and Edgar on "Heroes". We'll see him again this year as Snake Eyes in "G.I. Joe: Retaliation".
Park has been asked to become a superhero in a film about Marvel Comics character Iron Fist, but the film has been in preproduction for some years now. Iron Fist deals with an American millionaire who becomes a martial artist with the power of focusing his "life force" or chi into his fist, making it glow with energy and become "like unto a thing of iron" and able to impact with superhuman force.
SIGH! Why couldn't Marvel Studio make the Iron Fist movie instead of another Ghost Rider film? Iron Fist and Luke Cage would have been something worth watching.
NEXT: More Hasbro G.I. Joe Sigma 6 Ninja Commando Snake Eyes Action Figure goodness :)
This is the only Sigma Six figure I bought, it's really cool!
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