G.I. Joe Classified Python Patrol Tele-Viper – Trubble Bubble review

Python Patrol Tele-Viper and Trubble Bubble are finally in the house. It’s wild how I went from swearing I wasn’t getting any Python Patrol figures to now essentially having a full set.

This set was the one I was the most excited about. I’d gotten two of the regular color scheme Tele-Viper and Trubble Bubble. This set allowed me to use the third alternate head sculpt so all of my Tele-Vipers look unique. And my Python Patrol crew has at least one vehicle.

I’d been patiently waiting this set out for a sale. The original price wasn’t terrible, but Target sales all but dictated I hold off for the right time. That was this week with a major sale. That was all the incentive I needed to pounce on it.

Let’s see if this Python Patrol Trubble Bubble and Tele-Viper were worth the wait.

Package:  I appreciate that Hasbro took the time to doctor up new main artwork for the packaging. It’s not just simply the same setup with Python Patrol colors.

This image features the Python Patrol Trubble Bubbles and Tele-Vipers swooping in from the left. The original had them swarming from the right.  The Tele-Viper is positioned differently as the Trubble Bubbles launch near a stone temple.

For the newly designed artwork, the PP Tele-Viper is now raising his sonic blaster. This one showcases the black Tele-Viper, so it looks different from the original packaging. The sides and rear are the same with everything now laid out in Python Patrol colors.

Python Patrol Tele-Viper’s stats are unchanged. He ranks a 1 in electrical engineering and cryptography and a 2 in communication and telecommunications device.

Likeness: In what will be a common theme here, there’s no changes from the original Classified Series Tele-Viper. For a more detailed break down of the figure itself, check out that review.

It’s a fantastic upgrade of The Real American Hero design. Hasbro used the black head sculpt as the default Python Patrol Tele-Viper. That’s a nice touch since the original used the white portrait. The helmet detail is terrific and the color changes allows some of the tech bits to stand out stronger than the default Tele-Viper colors.

Other sculpted elements that just look a bit more interesting in the brighter colors are the tech gloves, the padded vest and the loaded-out belt.

The visor on the third portrait has raised red light buttons. It’s a very cool looking portrait.

Paint:  Ok, here’s the meat of this release. The Python Patrol colors, baby! Ugh, I’m slightly embarrassed that the Classified Series got me so excited about these figures in their absolutely insane color scheme.

The Tele-Viper might be the biggest offender with the most attention seeking and getting color palette of the entire PP crew. He’s rocking a bright yellow shirt. This makes the black undershirt look a little weird. Maybe this would have been an ideal spot for some of the Python Patrol maroon?

His vest is grey with splashes of red on the right arm tech device and inner section of the belt. The visor has the biggest touch of red, which would make it look more sinister if it wasn’t for the McDonalds’ yellow. Still, I’m loving it.  Most of the yellow had enough coverage that there wasn’t much bleed through of the black underneath, which was nice.

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Python Patrol Tele-Viper’s pants feature the pythonization process with a lighter grey crisscrossing against the darker grey. It’s hard to miss. Another shade of grey rounds out the boot tops. This guy truly loves grey.

He’s sporting the Python Patrol logo on his left shoulder.

Unlike some of the others it doesn’t feature a full paint job and is just done in black.

Scale:  The Python Patrol Tele-Viper is your standard size figure that looks eye to eye with other normal height characters.

Articulation: Naturally there’s no changes to the articulation. Like my previous two, the Python Patrol Tele-Viper has nice and tight joints allowing him to hit all kinds of poses without any issues.

You’ll have an easy time handling simple Tele-Viper duties like radioing in for support, firing away at the Joes and sitting at imaginary Cobra HQ desks.

As you know from other figures using vests, it’s a little restrictive and limits some of the torso’s back and forth range. The Tele-Viper’s torso is not nearly as limited though since the vest stops at the mid-torso joint and doesn’t go beyond it.

Mine had a fused right bicep joint. I was able to wiggle a little bit more movement out of it, but I didn’t want to keep messing around and potentially breaking it. That’s gonna cost this set some points on the back end.

Python Patrol Tele-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: Hasbro didn’t shortchange any of the accessories for this Python Patrol set. Some previous PP releases had missing accessories from their base original rollout. That’s very helpful in this case for folks who want to have a wider, varied Python Patrol crew.

There are two additional portraits: a white head sculpt and a fully enclosed one. That portrait features a really creepy looking visor with raised red light buttons and a mouth plate. Is it a person or a drone created by M.A.R.S. or Dr. Mindbender?

Tele-Viper still has his signature sonic blaster weapon, that connects to a now red tube leading to his beehive shaped backpack. The blaster can also be tabbed to the side of the backpack.

Time to talk Python Patrol Trubble Bubble!

The PP Tele-Viper’s repaint is pretty simple and just gets gaudy. With the Python Patrol Trubble Bubble, the repaint actually makes it look more insidious and threatening.

It starts with the bubble portion. The dome is now tinted so the pilot is less wide open and exposed. Of course, with the PP Tele-Viper’s outfit that still might not matter much. The bubble readout is now lit up in a light blue like a standard LED port.

The steering column is yellow with black accent points. This matches the yellow harness. For the main portion of the Python Patrol Trubble Bubble, Hasbro went with a maroon base. The pythonization effects are along both exterior sides with more of a silver coating. That pops on the Trubble Bubble nicely.

All of the interior readouts, radar and buttons are immaculately done. Over on the back with the engine ports, they’ve got some changes. The base is now black with yellow missiles peeking out. Instead of bragging about the downed Skystriker count, this one just has the Python Patrol logo on either side. The sidewinder missiles are yellow to help break up the maroon exterior.

 

Finally, we get the aerial mine. It’s basically all black now besides the caution warning in red. I wish there were an easy way to store it on the Trubble Bubble.

Worth It?  The Trubble Bubble was $55 as a Pulse exclusive. When the Python Patrol version came to Target, it was $10 cheaper at $44. Target had a sale this week knocking it down for $26, which made the both the Trubble Bubble and Tele-Viper $13. Hard to beat that price.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

I loved the original set and to get a figure and Trubble Bubble for $26, I can’t complain about this one besides the fused bicep joint.

Where to Get it? The Python Patrol Trubble Bubble set is a Target exclusive, which is still available at Target now.

As a Target affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.