G.I. Joe Classified Series Retro Cobra Eel review (2024)

August 27, 2026 Jeffrey Lyles Cobra, Cobra Eel, G.I. Joe Classified Series, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, GI Joe Classified Series, Torpedo

No, I didn’t need to have the Retro Cobra Eel at any and all costs. The original Classified Series Eel is an outstanding figure and arguably the best Cobra army builder in the line. But the option to build the army up a bit more at less than $10 each thanks to a Ross sale? Yes please.

This one isn’t going to be a very elaborate review of the Retro Cobra Eel and more of a brief overview of the minor differences between the two versions of the figure. Let’s go back under the sea for a look at this more classic-skewing version of Cobra’s initial underwater experts.

Packaging: Retro Cobra Eel gets the standard retro packaging with the welcome far thicker card back compared to the initial releases. Unlike the weak sauce version for Retro Flint, this packaging at least looks more in line with the classic setup and doesn’t look churned out from the AI machine. My old school mindset still finds it weird to not have a separate smaller plastic partition for the weapons.

gi joe classified series retro cobra eel review - package front

gi joe classified series retro cobra eel review - package rear

Over on the back is the first half of the Real American Hero file card write-up in four languages. At the bottom is the cross sell with Retro Beach Head and Snow Serpent.

Likeness: The Retro Cobra Eel is the same sculpt as the initial figure. Some of the Retro figures have some significant retooling or new parts to more closely resemble its RAH counterpart.

Since the first CS Eel didn’t feature any drastic differences, there was no need to get to a more classic likeness. It’s still an amazing sculpt that just makes the Eel look like a complete menace. Most of the mold is a reuse of Torpedo, another fantastic figure in the line.

What really sets the Retro Cobra Eel apart is that straight-up intense head sculpt. Hasbro did include new pieces for the Retro Cobra Eel with the light armored harness collar piece and shoulders as well as the RAH-inspired dual belt setup and codpiece.

Hasbro didn’t fix the issue with the removable helmet not fully lining up flush with the visor so the Retro Cobra Eel’s eyes could be positioned straight up in the center of the opening.

Paint: The Retro Cobra Eel features a superb paint job. The original version had a clean paint layout so there was no need to switch much up. There’s only one difference between the Retro Cobra Eel and the original and that’s a lighter skin tone.

It’s nice to see figures with pristine paint job and there’s no issues at all even with the silver Cobra logo tampo.

Scale: The Retro Cobra Eel is the same height as the Snow Serpent and Crimson Guard. They definitely don’t need to be giants so it’s nice to see their scale hasn’t gotten out of hand.

Articulation: Naturally there’s no change to the articulation scheme for the Retro Cobra Eel. His articulation is really well executed. He can hit so many deep poses and I had so much fun trying out various swimming attack pose. The Eel had no problem hitting them making for a really fun figure to pose.

The accessories didn’t restrict any articulation. The helmet tubes have more than enough give so there’s no problem with the head movement. The neck has great range, so he can hit some dynamic swimming poses.

Retro 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: This is the one category where the Retro Cobra Eel differs from the original version.

Let’s start with everything that is the same. The flippers are a nice and snug fit on his feet. His knife has jagged edges and a serrated blade.

The Retro Cobra Eel backpack is different with a black Cobra logo replacing the eel wrapping around an anchor. This is the classic style although the modern update is pretty cool.

Another slight change is with the harpoon gun, which now has a blue cord instead of a red cord. I appreciate these changes are so minor so the Retro Cobra Eel and original look can so easily blend together as part of the same army on your shelf.

Worth It? While most of the Classified Series figures are seeing price hikes, the Retro Cobra Eel is a little cheaper at Amazon and going for $22.99 right now making for a very good value. If you can track him down at Ross, you can get an even better price at $8.99.