1991 Cobra Commander - uses?

['86 Digital Fire]

I originally crafted this as a reply in the 1990-1991 Top Ten Figures thread, but it got a bit off-topic and I think it merits its own discussion.

1991 Cobra Commander. How do you utilize him? There are many nice versions of CC and there can only be so many of him running around at once. This is a decent enough figure for the most part, but I can't see him as a definitive version, not with that clear red facemask. So he is easily relegated to a do-nothing status.

I've never liked having figures I can't use alongside the others, so something had to be done. I took the mask off mine, and was met of course with inhumanly colorless eyes and eyebrows. I'd already found him to have an oddly squat and inhuman physique, so I went outside the box for this one and cast him as Golobulus' brother, Seraticus.

Seraticus has less biological modifications than Golobulus underwent, and he's more interested in furthering Cobra-La's goals through militarizing the resources of Cobra. He sees his brother and Serpentor as lacking in imagination, and is stepping in to save them from themselves. Seraticus is craftier than Golobulus and much more practical, willing to dirty himself in the trenches of inorganic matter to win the war against it. His outfit is chosen to inspire the allegience of the many Cobra soldiers who have rightfully found Cobra-La unnerving, and to outshine Cobra Commander without directly challenging him and squandering resources on a civil war. The red chitinous mask is the one piece of Cobra-La biotech he has chosen to keep openly on his person. It protects his face and can adjust its opacity based on his wishes. The helmet is actually biological too, but well-disguised and with certain emergency offensive capabilities. If the mask is removed without his consent, the attachment holes in the helmet will spray a toxic gas which his physiology is immune to. He admires Cobra Commander's deviousness, and has no qualms about borrowing his better ideas-- though he wouldn't use explosives in his helmet because he doesn't have a death wish. He claims to be a moderate Cobra-La with designs only on conquering humanity instead of destroying it, but he plans to lead Cobra to global victory and then to use his position of power to dismantle and systematically eliminate humanity from within.

['86 Digital Fire]

On a related note, I utilize Talking Battle Commanders CC and Battle Corps CC as lookalike bodyguards. 1984 Hooded CC is the real McCoy. 1983 battle helmet CC is the real one too, I just have to use him separately. The bodyguards accompany the Commander whenever he makes an appearance in the open, to confuse any potential snipers. CC never takes his safety for granted. They may look just like him, but they are bodybuilders and they travel armed to the teeth. They wear concealed kevlar and helmets. Battle Corps CC keeps his silver Rock Viper gun onhand for distance shooting. Talking Battle Commander CC's handheld twin missile launcher is well suited to seeking out and ending a faraway sniper. A cunning rifleman like Low-Light could still infer which CC was the real one, but this is CC's best attempt to stymie someone's efforts.

[Pit Viper]

I tend to think of this version as what Cobra Commander wears when he is piloting a jet . . . which isn't very often.

[Labyrinth]

I army built the hooded cobra commander. They look great all lined up as an army for what it's worth.

The 1982-1982/83 Cobra Commander is the actual.

The 1987 Cobra Commander is what he wears in combat.

The 1991 Cobra Commander was a throw in ( and a horrible figure ).

[spiderpumpkin]

I have three and use them as troopers.

[samluvsjoes]

My friend and I made up a post-COBRA conquers the world scenarion in which each version of CC was a Commander of a different world region. I think the 91 controlled Australia.

Sam

[consectari]

I'm probably in the minority, but I like the 91 CC. I see the 82/83 as leading the troops, 87 for when he wants to do the job himself, the hood for formal occassions, and the 91 for informal occassions, like when CoCo entertains the Night Stalkers

I've got a couple of extras I've thought about repainting as Coil Royal Guards.

[wask]

I have to say that 91 cobra commander IMHO is one of the worst figures around, def not worthy to be CC.

That being said, the creativity of the OP makes it better - if you can stomach Globulous. WHich is a whole nother issue... lol.

[Pit Viper]

I like the gold helmet and the red face mask. The facemask is sort of like a homage to the original silver mask. Also take note that the previous year we got the Sonic Fighters Viper which also had a red mask. So for those who liken the original silver masked Vipers to Cobra Commander's look it's as if they did the same thing again here.

The gold helmet reminds me a bit of Serpentor but it's as if Cobra Commander is saying, "No, I'm the true King of Cobra!"

With that said the body is sort of bloated looking. It's like he can't put his arms down at his sides properly which is why it seems more like he is wearing a sort of flight suit rather than a normal military uniform that we are familiar with. Maybe this head would look better on the Talking Commander version body?

['86 Digital Fire]

I have to say that 91 cobra commander IMHO is one of the worst figures around, def not worthy to be CC.

That being said, the creativity of the OP makes it better - if you can stomach Globulous. WHich is a whole nother issue... lol.

Hahahaha. Yes, that is indeed another issue. In my universe I wanted to use every figure I had, which meant Cobra-La was in. My universe (read: backyard) also had a realm full of dinosaurs and an island that was populated with a sophisticated society of Monster in my Pocket figurines, so I wasn't so committed to realism. I just liked for the military part to stay military-- Joes in jeeps and tanks dealing with all this crazy stuff. I disavowed the movie's explanation of CC's origins, and that made Cobra-La easier to deal with. CC remained a mysterious former used-car salesman, and he didn't take Cobra-La very seriously, he saw them more as a resource to exploit-- though he was too wily to tell them that.

I never did quite sort out the origins of Cobra though. I like to think of it all as CC's brainchild, but this million-year-old Cobra-La sect would seem to contradict that. I didn't put too much stock on the name. Just saw them as crazy bug-loving ancients.