GI Joe:
Snake Eyes Mini Bust
If you knew someone only by the name "Snake Eyes," you might at first assume that they were a gambler, named for the the one-one combination on a pair of dice. In the case of the GI Joe: Real American Hero character named Snake Eyes, this could very well be the case. No one really knows. The man is a mystery, his real name is classified information.
From the comic books, we know a bit more: the Baroness blames him for her brother's death in Vietnam, although he was not the killer. Storm Shadow saved his life while they served together in Vietnam, and later his family taught Snake Eyes in the ways of the ninja. An uncle's murder drove them apart. Years later after a helicopter crash, Snake Eyes was pulling Scarlett from the wreckage and was himself injured, with damage to his vocal cords and many scars on his face. Scarlett and Snake Eyes had an on and off again relationship over the years.
Why was it Storm Shadow, who later joined the Cobra forces who saved his life? Why does the Baroness have a personal grudge against him? For the same reason that Darth Vader was the one who built C-3PO, because it makes for a tidy story.
For anyone worried about the modern "reimagined" GI Joe: Real American Hero action figures from Hasbro, fear not, because Palisades Toys is remaining true to the original characters in their series of resin mini busts. With Plan B Toys lending a hand to do the prototypes and paints, and Jon Matthews sculpting, Palisades won't disappoint fans of the original characters. Jon sculpted Albert Wesker and Chris Redfield for Palisades' third series of Resident Evil figures, as well as the heads for Plan B's Special Forces figures.
See the Big Picture
The Cobra-affiliated assassin Storm Shadow (covered by a separate RTMisc) was released in mini bust format at the same time as Snake Eyes, which is fitting given their intertwined histories. This mysterious pair will be followed next by the Baroness, then Destro and Road Block. (Anyone else have Janis Joplin running through their head every time they think about this line-up of busts, or are we just old?)
 For this bust of Snake Eyes, Palisades has chosen to portray him with both arms (some of the other busts have just one or even no arms), with his sword drawn and ready to do battle. The base is 1.75 inches tall, Snake Eyes is another 4.25 inches on top of that, with the sword blade also at 4.25 inches, making the bust almost nine inches tall from the bottom of the base to the tip of the sword. Snake Eyes is loaded for bear, or Cobra, as the case may be: in addition to the sword, he has darts on his right wrist, three grenades on the strap on his chest, and pouches on his belt and bicep straps.
Snake Eyes is perched atop a square base with the GI Joe logo on the front. The base is painted with a "beat up metal" deco, much like a metal footlocker that has seen much use, being dragged from one remote location to another. The look of wear gives it an authentic feel: this isn't a new recruit with a shiny new base. The paint on Snake Eyes himself is a combination of blues, blacks, and grays, with the colors highlighting his rippling muscles and the folds in the fabric of his costume. Bits of green and copper on his belt, straps, and grenades bring attention to those parts of his outfit. The paint on the bust itself has a matte finish, but the sword is a glossy black, drawing your concentration toward it and away from the man wielding it.
The packaging for Snake Eyes is a window box, so that if you aren't sure where you can safely display him, you can leave him (safely) in the box and still have him on display. The artwork on the box is by Dave Dorman, who has also done the art for Palisades' 12-inch Reservoir Dogs action figures and their Micronauts action figures. The back of the box features a file card for the character, production team credits for the bust, and pictures of other busts in the series. The sides of the boxes have more pictures of the bust.
Snake Eyes is a limited edition of 4,500 busts, with numbering on the bottom of the base and bottom of the box. Be careful when you pick your bust up to check the bottom, because the sword that Snake Eyes is holding is likely to poke you if you aren't careful. So are his elbows. He's trained for that kind of thing, remember.
More Pictures of Snake Eyes
| Where to buy Snake Eyes: This mini bust is a limited edition of 4,500 and it retails in the $35 to $45 USD price range. It is available at trend and specialty stores, as well as various online toy and collectible retailers.
Several such online stores are RTM sponsors AisleSniper.com, Big Bad Toy Store, NHAtoys.com, and The Outer Reaches. (Be sure to check the other RTM sponsors, listed on the Shop Center.) |
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