But, it was more important to get 6 versions of Firefly instead. It would have been cool to see the Ice Cobra character revisited through an amalgamated figure mold during the 2000's. (Even if you don't agree, you'd be hard pressed to make any argument that doesn't have him in the top three.) As such, seeing it in colors close to vintage automatically associates the release with the Stormshadow character. It's likely that the V1 Stormshadow mold is the most iconic figure from the vintage Joe line. Beyond that, though, this figure offers nothing that I didn't get in October of 1984 when the first Stormshadow figure entered my collection.
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And, when paired with the full set of swivel arm Plastirama figures, Cobra De Hielo fits right in. It's fun to have a slightly different take on Stormshadow as part of displays. The silver swords and gear offer a visual break from the more often seen, black, American accessories. But, since the full range of silver weapons are out there, that is the perfect figure should you have a choice.įor me, the value of this figure is just that: his accessories. In the end, each collector will need to determine if a figure is acceptably complete based on their own criteria. These versions might include the long sword, short sword, bow and nunchuks or two short swords, bow and nunchucks or a single short sword, bow and nunchuks. However, it is also common to find the figure packaged with no backpack. Many Cobra De Hielo's include the full complement of Stormshadow gear: including the backpack, long sword, short sword, nunchucks and bow. How much of that gear is required for the figure to be complete, though, varies by carded sample. In general, the figure seems to always include silver versions of the V1 Stormshaow's gear. Like most Plastirama figures of his era, the Cobra De Hielo has a few accessory variants. This alone makes the figure useful to collectors who otherwise have a high quality, V1 Stormshadow figure since they can use De Hielo as a the classic ninja without worrying about discoloration if the figure is left out on display. So, even after sitting a South American warehouse for over a decade, the Cobra De Hielo figures retain their white hue. The main attraction of this figure, though, is that the white plastic of the Cobra De Hielo figure doesn't yellow like the plastic used on the American Stormshadow tends to. So, the paint wear was from the factory rather than use. The figure in the photos below was taken straight off the card. The overall paint mask quality, though, is substantially poorer than the Hasbro made figure. The main difference is that the Cobra De Hielo has brown eyes and eyebrows as opposed to the black versions on the American figure.
He features the same paint masks as Stormshadow and the same color applications. It is likely that the Brazilian version came first and that Estrela toys actually created the character who was then adopted for the Argentine market.Īs a figure, Cobra De Hielo is almost identical to the American Stormshadow figure. Do Gelo's filecard, when translated from Portuguese, is basically the same as the Plastirama version. What is equally interesting, though, is that the Brazilian version of Stormshadow (The Cobra Do Gelo) is a similar, Ice Cobra, character. So, this is not Stormshadow, but a winter espionage character who blends into the ice and snow to wreak havoc on unsuspecting Joes. Thanks to the Ninja's clothes, he is easily confused with the white landscape and it is almost impossible for the Comandos to discover his movements.
To fulfill his sinister task of destroying Comado, he will cross Antarctica. Equipped with incredible strength, he overcomes the toughest weather conditions without flinching. Here is a filecard translation:Ī martial arts expert, Ninja is a super expert in scaling huge ice walls with equipment. However, a quick read of the filecard shows that this is a completely new character. Initially, this figure appears to simply be an international version of Stormshadow. But, the Cobra De Hielo, or Ice Cobra, is equally as interesting as the more popular variants and is a figure well worth examining. It has become the largely forgotten member of the Argentine ninja family. There is a third repaint of the Stormshadow mold, though, that is less popular than these more striking variants.
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Ninja-Ku is repainted in all black, and given an African skin tone to boot. Satan is a blood red repaint of the iconic 1984 Stormshadow mold. The first two members of this highly desired group of figures are the famous Satan and Ninja-Ku characters. At some point in the mid to late 1980's, the Plastirama toy company in Argentina released a triumvirate of exclusive Cobra Ninjas in their native country.