Hot Toys Snake Eyes Review

Snake Eyes is my very first G.I. Joe figure when i was a kid (him and a couple of Snow Serpents if recollection serves me right). I guess it's only fitting to have him as the very first Hot Toys figure in my collection and my very first Hot Toys review. Reflecting about it, seems like my Toy collecting has come full circle.

We've come a long way my friend...

For the record i'm not really a fan of the G.I. Joe Live Action movie but i am a huge fan of Snake Eyes and the Yang to his Yin; Storm Shadow. I really have no plans of getting into the 1/6 line but this is an opportunity that is very difficult to pass up. For one thing, i find HT a bit too expensive...damn...
As expected from a Hot Toy, Snake Eyes is a masterpiece. The arsenal alone; though not as big as some Hot Toys, packs an impressive punch already. You get a bunch of alternate pairs of hands, a couple of knives, his trademark Katana, the black-bladed sword from the movie, a pistol and an MP7. Oh, you also get some extra hand pegs.

Included in the arsenal is a really nice stand, though, sad to say there aren't no alt head for Snake Eyes. I've only seen his real face once actually - a limited edition 3.75 figure wearing combat gear years ago. He's simply meant to be that way so stop whining about it.

Snake Eyes' costume design is dead-on from his movie counterpart and of course he's wearing real clothes though some poses are hindered by the clothes and PVC body armor. His head looks big though but i guess it's justified since he's wearing a goddamn helmet, not a face hugging mask like Storm Shadow. His frame is also bulkier than i remember (based on the movie) but i believe than can be remedied. At least he looks more well balanced than the Sideshow releases some years back.

His 2 swords are made from real steel if you're wondering and they are very impressive detail-wise. Unfortunately, the 2 small knives included are made from what seems to be soft plastic. They are easily bent when placed in his knife sheaths. The MP7 is a pretty good inclusion together with the pistol (which you can assemble and dis-assemble exactly like a real gun) but as a G.I. Joe Classicist i prefer the Twin Uzis (each sold separately) he used during the final showdown with Cobra in the movie.

Modern Warfare 3: MP7, perfect mid range weapon for a MOAB

The only big issue i have with the figure is the hand pegs. To sum it up, the new hand pegs employed by Play Arts Kai kick the behind of the HT hand pegs. I guess i'm just expecting more since, well, Hot Toys are generally more expensive and highly regarded than my beloved PAKs.

Two Snakes...

I was surprised with the scale of Snake Eyes, i know they are meant to be bigger than PAKs but i never expected the difference to be that big. They are actually eating 2 shelf spaces in my current cab though i must say there is a certain feeling of contentment when seeing them displayed side by side. Hot Toys are pretty impressive indeed.

If you grew up in the same generation as i am, chances are you are a Joe fan. So do yourself a favor and grab Snake Eyes (and Storm Shadow) while their prices are still quite reasonable. I consider this purchase one of the best moves as a collector i've done in quite a while.

And, oh, i give credit to Anton for B.I.-ing me to get these two figures and probably getting into the 1/6 line also. You happy now Anton?