G.I. Joe Classified Series Crimson Alley Viper review

I’m not gonna be grabbing all of the various Crimson theme variants of the Cobra troopers. It makes the standard Crimson Guard far less special. The Crimson Alley Vipers are an exception since the AVs had so many color combinations and this is reminiscent of the 2002 version.

And I still wouldn’t mind getting the yellow and black version too. Anyway, let’s see how this color combo works for Cobra’s urban strike troopers.

Package:  The Alley Viper package art is pretty fun continuing the Dark Energon story told in the packaging of Mole Rat, Shooter and Tunnel Rat. The Crimson Alley Viper has found some Energon on the outside of the mountain and seems poised to guard it while reinforcements arrive.

Along the right corner, there’s the signature white strip showing all the accessories. Just below is the drawing of the CAV. I appreciate that while this is a repaint the artwork is new. The sides feature a larger version of the drawing and the QR Code to nowhere with the smaller skill sets.

The back showcases the accessories and another shot of the CAV. Their stats remain unchanged: They rank at two in foot soldier and shield while climbing to three for vanguard and urban combat.

Likeness: The CAV is a direct repaint of the original Alley Viper figure, which sported a fantastic sculpt if not the easiest to pose figure thanks to the bulky flak vest.

Hasbro’s CS Alley Viper design is fairly close to the original design making sure to include elements like the left breastplate sheath. The neat thing with this design is the paintjob can actually make the sculpt look like it’s using different parts.

It’s all the same though from the right forearm sheath and the waffle pattern kneepad and shin guards added onto the tall boots.

I’m still loving that sinister looking head sculpt, which gives the Crimson Alley Viper a terrific fierce expression even with just the eyes showing. Although bulky, the flak vest includes various pouches and small clips along the belt.

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Paint:  Alley Viper’s original orange and blue color scheme remains a favorite, but I like this crimson, black and light grey color scheme at play here.  The paintwork is smart as there’s no urban camo blocks set up as it’s mostly solid colors. The exception is the ‘caution’ lines at the glove tops and left thigh.

There’s some other accent colors in play like the gold for the vest buckles and brown pouches. I really like the caution lining. That’s a nice touch and further helps to distinguish the CAV from the standard Viper.

Scale:  As mostly a reuse of the Duke mold the CAV was a solid base body. It’s not too tall and definitely not too short.

Articulation: No surprise, the flak jacket really kills useful torso articulation.

CAV is still able to hit plenty of cool poses though you will miss the ability to do deep crouches and more dynamic stances.

The base Alley Vipers had a weak left ankle that was the typical suspect in them not holding a pose long-term. They’ll need some superglue or something to stiffen it up more. It’s a little weird that Hasbro didn’t fix that legacy issue with the repaint.

Crimson Alley Viper 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: Crimson Alley Vipers are stacked with accessories, which helps to make army building easier since we can work different combinations for different CAV troops.

First up is the infamous pull-down visor, which masks the eyes to make for an even more intimidating visual. I kinda like this look for the CAVs.

Additionally, he’s got a machine gun, a rifle and a pistol. My favorite is the machine gun looks like a pretty exact port of the RAH figure’s gun. The sheaths house the two knives, the grappling hook that was part of the original backpack and the big angular barricade buster shield.

I love the look and functionality of the shield.

Its jagged edges make it a larger scale weapon and I have a ton of fun aiming the machine gun on the side slots as the CAV goes on invasion mode.

 

Worth It?  I got CAV for a little under the new normal retail price of $22.99. At this quality, I’m less bothered by the price uptick since he’s loaded with accessories that add value.

Rating: 9 out of 10

The Crimson Alley Viper is a fun variant to help bolster the Cobra ranks. I probably will grab another one or two and call it a day, but this is a useful color swap figure even with the articulation limitations.

Where to get it?  Crimson Alley Viper is a Walmart exclusive with limited availability at Pulse.