G.I. Joe Classified Series Cobra Eel review (2023)

Hasbro was on a roll by 1985 crafting one iconic G.I. Joe figure after another. Not just with my favorite Joe lineup, but the Cobras in 85 were awesome. From the Crimson Twins and Dreadnoks to stellar army builders like the Tele-Viper, Crimson Guards, Snow Serpents and the Cobra Eels.

The Eels had such a cool design befitting Cobra’s first dedicated undersea trooper. As 2023 nears a close, it’s clear this has been a banger of a year for the G.I. Joe Classified Series team. And in no small part due to releasing many of Cobra’s 85 crew. We’ve gotten the Snow Serpents, Tele Vipers, two-thirds of the Dreadnoks and the Eels, who might be my favorite army builder of the year.

Let’s see if these Cobra frogmen blow me away or if they need to get buried in the deep.

Package:  I’m loving the story/Joe lore with this fantastic artwork. This time we’ve got an Eel atop a Cobra submarine just as the giant tubeworms are emerging from their pillars. That’s such a cool Easter Egg.

The right corner features the signature white strip with the accessories. Below that is the portrait of the Eel sans his helmet. I like the drawing, but there’s enough masked characters that it doesn’t make it as obvious from the side panel that this is the Eel.

As usual, the sides feature a larger version of the drawing and the QR Code leading nowhere useful in addition to the skill sets.

The back showcases the accessories and another look at the Cobra Eel with none of his gear on. They rank a 1 in explosives and arrow weapons as well as a 2 in environmental specialist: water and underwater combat.

Here’s the bio courtesy of Pulse: More than 70 percent of the Earth is covered by water, and Cobra Eels serve as the frontline aquatic infantry troopers of the Cobra forces. Emerging from the murky depths they spread terror and wreak havoc.

Likeness: The Cobra Eel looks straight up menacing and bad a$$. He’s utilizing a significant amount of the Torpedo mold, which makes sense. That body is nice and sleek as you’d expect for someone underwater a lot of the time.

The head sculpt is fantastic giving off a true sinister vibe. Eels probably are some of the more clique-ish members of the Cobra army although not as elitist as I’m sure is the case with the Crimson Guard.

Hasbro didn’t cheap out of course and added the appropriate new pieces for the Eel like the light armored harness collar piece and shoulders. The Eels waist section is also different to more closely resemble the dual belt setup of the original figure and the codpiece.

This is an accessory, but since it’s an essential part of the look I’m mentioning it here as well. The Cobra Eel has a removable helmet. It’s got that octagon shaped setup and unlike Torpedo, has a translucent visor section. I couldn’t get some of the helmets to position as flush as I’d like to line up the eyes better, but I really dig it. The helmet has the gold vent section for the lamp and the side antenna for communications.  Maybe to the Tele-Viper?

On the left ankle there’s a sheath for the knife to complete that undersea warrior look.

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Paint: I’ve always dug the grey with red and black accent color scheme of the Cobra Eel. The CS figure has a near perfect paintjob. I had to look very hard to find some of the red in the chest piece clasp missing some paint apps. The black lining on the helmet had a little sloppiness, but this is from me trying to find issues.

The grey is a nice, consistent hue allowing the accent colors to pop. I like the shade of red, which puts a nice emphasis on the silver Cobra logo.

His right arm device readout is sharply applied as well.

Scale:  The Cobra Eels are the same height as your standard Joe. Again, I appreciate that the Eel isn’t as bulky as say the Viper or BAT.

Articulation: I was amazed with how fluid Hasbro engineered the Eel’s articulation. It is really well executed.  He can hit so many deep poses and I had so much fun trying out various swimming attack pose. The Cobra Eel had no problem hitting them making for a really fun figure to pose.

I also appreciate that the accessories didn’t restrict any articulation for the Cobra Eel. The helmet tubes have more than enough give so there’s no problem with the head movement. The neck has great range, so I was able to do any reasonable swimming pose.

Cobra Eel has:

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

Accessories: Cobra Eel is packed to the gills (sorry) with accessories.

He’s got his flippers to aid in his undersea maneuvers. They fit snugly over the foot sorta like slippers and the soft plastic band in the heel section ensures they stay in place. Best of all they don’t impair the Eels’ ability to stand.

Next is a knife, which features some jagged edges and a serrated blade. This looks like the kind of knife that would be helpful in cutting up sharks while battling a ninja. It fits snugly into the ankle sheath and the grip handle makes for a tight fit in his hands.

Next up is a backpack that includes some small turbines to help propel the Eels undersea. It’s got a great tampo design of an eel encircling an anchor as if to suggest Cobra Eels choke out any underwater nemesis.

The Cobra Eels’ main weapon is their harpoon gun. It’s well executed with a coil of string around the barrel and a red strap so the Eel can attach it to his gear. The softer plastic makes it easier to place in his hands.

As always you can use the included storage locker to hold all his gear.

Worth It?   With all the gear, he’s worth $24.99 although I wish he were close to $20 to make army building easier.

Rating: 10 out of 10

With an excellent articulated base and all of the essential accessories this is a tremendous figure. The only issue is the lack of availability so everyone who wants them can amass an Eel army.

Where to get it?  Cobra Eel is an exclusive to Amazon, which currently has him sold out. This is too good an army builder to be limited. Hasbro is making a Retro version of the Eel so hopefully they’ve got enough to meet the demand for this awesome figure.

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