#98: G.I. Joe Cobra Rattler and Wild Weasel

I think the 25th anniversary line really hit its stride when Hasbro started releasing vehicles. For me, a big part of what was so cool about the A Real American Hero line of Joes from my childhood was the selection of crazy, and some not so crazy, vehicles. I can remember having two planes. One was the Joes' Sky Striker, which I still have at my parents' house, although with most of its detachable pieces missing. I understand that the molds to this have been damaged, so Hasbro won't be re-releasing it. The other was Cobra's Rattler, based loosely on the A-10 Warthog. I think the main reason I didn't get one while they were in stores is because of space. The HISS is relatively small, but this is about a foot and a half wide and long. Now that I have one, I'm glad I got it.

The Rattler is kind of a goofy looking little plane partly because it is scaled down to be an affordable toy. But overall, I really dig it. It's got VTOL capabilities, so it has rotating wings. There are a bunch of bombs and missiles. There's even room for a gunner. The original had a couple of removable panels that could be replaced with bullet-ridden panels to suggest battle damage. This version doesn't have those, one of the panels is still removable, but the other one seems stuck in place. One thing I really like about the Rattler is that (scale aside) it's a good size for running around making flying sounds with (unlike the Millennium Falcon which is too big to hold with one hand and fly around). I think that's one way of playing with toys that will never get old. The Rattler has a lot of stickers. A lot. It took me almost an hour to put all of them on.

Wild Weasel is a nice update of the original figure. Oddly enough, he shares a body with Snow Job. Even though the modern figures are a bit taller than the originals, he fits in the cockpit well. I think he's the only figure that hasn't come with a stand. Even the HISS driver has one! He's sticking in the cockpit, so he doesn't need one.