G.I. Joe Classified Series Baroness with Cobra C.O.I.L. deluxe figure set/vehicle review

The Target branch of Extensive Enterprises made this tricky, but I finally have the G.I. Joe Classified Series Baroness (and Cobra C.O.I.L.) in my clutches. A big component of the Real American Hero era for GI Joe was the vehicles. Baroness might not have been the most obvious choice to be the first CS figure to come with a vehicle, but a motorcycle was a smart way for Hasbro to dip its toes into this supplemental section of the Classified Series line.  Let’s see if she’s ready to roll.

Package:  While a deluxe seized box, Baroness and the COIL get the same Special Mission: Cobra Island deco with the red interior. In this case it really helps the COIL and Baroness stand out.

Baroness is No. 13 in the line. The rear package offers the best look at the Cobra Island setup and the various locations. Now that we know there’s another Cobra Island set coming in early January so that third location likely indicates another set will be coming later in 2021.

I still think Hasbro should put the bios on the actual package. The skills on the side are a nice touch, but it seems an unnecessary extra step to have to go on the website for a breakdown of her specialties and her bio.

Here’s Baroness’ bio: A brilliant master of disguise and psychological manipulation, the Baroness is in control of every situation. Her only desire is to watch the world unravel, and she will use her inherited wealth, connections and skills to make it happen, no matter where she needs to swear her allegiance.

I like that subtle nod to Baroness’ loyalties to Cobra Commander and Destro.  For her skill set, Baroness is a four in intelligence and disguise, a three in psyops and a one in light weapons.

Likeness:  Destro was a figure that really stood out as an ideal translation of the Real American Hero version to the Classified Series line. Baroness is just as good if not better.

This is a beautiful looking figure with the classic, armor chestplate, gauntlets and thigh high boots.

The Hasbro sculptors added in more details for the outfit, which has a snake-like pattern in the inner areas. The head sculpt is also fantastic with a terrific expression complete with the slightly curled evil smile. I’ve really liked the work done on the figures so far, but man did they do an awesome job on Baroness.

C.O.I.L. is a nice bulky motorcycle, the ideal kind for Cobra use to destroy roads and quickly escape the Joe’s larger vehicles. The design is very nice with just the right amount of size without taking over a smaller Classified Series display. For now.

Paint:  The main reason so many collectors want this version of Baroness is because the promotional art features some gold accents on the shoulder pads and belt along with some purple hair tips. Considering more collectors favor the pared down colors, the more traditional mostly black outfit is definitely the preferred color choice.

Still, Hasbro didn’t just paint Baroness all black and call it a day. There’s some grey elements in the scaled aspects of her outfit. This makes for a nice contrast with the flat black on the rest of her outfit, which helps make the glossy armor plating really stand out.

I always think sculpted pieces allow for an easier paintjob especially for smaller details. This holds true for Baroness’ various Cobra logos. All of them came out very clean. Maybe the most impressive part of the paintjob is the work with Baroness’ lipstick, which actually fades out in the creases of her mouth.

The colors on the C.O.I.L. aren’t as impressive. There’s no paint slop and everything looks clean with some nice details on the front and the side. If I could pinpoint one thing, it’d be that toy plastic red, which doesn’t look great.

It’s more that the line has such terrific sculpts with the figures and the paintjob on C.O.I.L. needed a better shade of red or some more details to work. Maybe some silver rims too?

Scale: Baroness should be one of the shorter Cobras. She doesn’t need to tower over anyone and the figure has her looking up to Destro and Storm Shadow.

I was a little surprised when she measured up about the same height as Storm Shadow and noticeably taller than Scarlett.

C.O.I.L. is a good size and big enough that more than one figure can sit comfortably. That’s good for Cobra as they tend to stack troops on vehicles to overwhelm the Joes.

Articulation: Like Scarlett, Baroness has some serious issues with her elbow articulation. It’s the one area that holds her back as everything else is very solid from the neck, waist, shoulders, knees and ankles.

It’s almost weird that Hasbro designed these figures with such great articulation and then decided the women didn’t need the fully functional elbow mold as their male counterparts.

Baroness has:

• head
• neck
• shoulders (butterfly)
• elbow (double-jointed)
• wrist
• wrist hinge
• mid-torso
• torso
• waist
• hips (ball-jointed)
• drop down hips
• knees (double-jointed)
• ankles

Accessories: While the C.O.I.L. could be considered enough of an accessory, Baroness also has two big blasters. They’re pretty massive and seem like good choices for the weapons bin — or at least one of them.

Baroness has two smaller gold pistol. I like this one as a secondary weapon for her. Gold just seems like the appropriate gaudy color choice for weapons for Cobra officers.

Additionally, she’s got a dagger with a cobra hilt. I’m loving the added emphasis on the snake theme with Cobra figures.

She also has a coiled mechanical snake blaster that wraps around her arm. This has a smooth metallic silver paint job along with some gold accents.

Finally to practice good driving safety, Baroness has an alternate helmet head.

It has more details than I would expect from an alternate head sculpt and the effort is appreciated.

Worth It?  Baroness would be $20 on her own and the C.O.I.L. is priced about right at $20 given the sculpting and size so paying $40 is a more than fair deal for this deluxe set.

Rating: 9 out of 10

With double jointed elbows Baroness would be in contention for early best figure in the line contention. Even then, this is a really impressive figure and well worth the headache to track down. 

Where to Get It? All Cobra Island figures are Target exclusives, but they’re not doing a great job of actually putting them on shelves. Hopefully you can find one at a Target without having to resort to eBay or LMF affiliate Amazon.

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