After the Rise of Cobra movie/theme for G.I. Joe, it was decided that the next theme, Pursuit of Cobra, would be broken into different geographic settings. Figures were placed into either Desert, Artic, Jungle or urban or City-based themes. Unfortunately, there’s a few figures that were slated early on for the Pursuit of Cobra that didn’t make it to the public. One of which is Jungle Strike Storm Shadow. Let’s take a look at the ninja now…
The Pursuit of Cobra was the theme for G.I. Joe immediately following The Rise of Cobra movie and theme. The Pursuit of Cobra walked a fine line between giving new looks to familiar names, as well as updating the looks of classic Joes. Not only was the Pursuit of Cobra an upgrade in action figures, but these figures were loaded down for accessories. Everything from a plethora of guns to a frying pan to a single bullet, Hasbro loaded down these figures were weapons and pieces. Unfortunately, there was a small group of figures that were cancelled in between the Rise of Cobra and Pursuit, for various reasons. One of which was Jungle Strike Storm Shadow.
Never would I have thought that Hasbro would have missed a chance to get a Storm Shadow out on shelves, but that was exactly the case for Jungle Strike Storm Shadow. From a combination of two Storm Shadows, Resolute Storm Shadow and Artic Assault Stormy from the Rise of Cobra line, you get a solid ninja. The head definitely sticks out due to the fact that it’s wrapped, yet his upper body is bare. If you put the oversized hood on it, it kind of hides it a bit, but the issue is that the hood doesn’t sit right, and is gray, as opposed to the white mask. Nevertheless, the head is well sculpted and the eyes and face that’s showing is cleanly painted. The torso is scarred and scratched like the Artic Assault Storm shadow, with the scratched area lined with a light pink. Storm Shadow has light reddish gauntlets that are heavily detailed with straps and lines. Kind of confused why they went with the reddish gauntlets, because his hands have white gloves. You would have thought he would have had white gauntlets. The thing that really sticks out is his paints. Gone are the bright white paints, and replaced with a white base with pink and gray “camo” paint job that looks like it came straight out of the late 80′s/early 90′s. Definitely a strange paint decision. The lower legs are a white and detailed with gray wash.
The articulation is that of what you would expect on a modern G.I. Joe figure. A ball joint head, ball joint shoulder and elbows that allow swiveling, a torso that allows full motion, ball hips, double pin knees and ball joints on the ankles. The only hinderence in movement is if you put on the harness, which restricts the torso and hips. Otherwise, you have full range of motion.
As with accessories, this guy is loaded for bear, wolverine, elephant or honey badger. In his arsenal: a long sword, short sword, backpack that can hold the two swords, a claw, two double swordy-pointy things, a pair of uzis, and a glider-backpack device, in addition to a harness carrying three non-functional knives and (again, nonfunctional) two throwing stars. The harness is heavily detailed with various straps that wrap around the body and thighs. A great feature on the harness is that it has two buckles that allow for storage of the uzis. With all the gear that he came with, the fact that there’s some storage available is definitely a nice treat. The double-sword-pointy things (does ANYONE know if these things have an actual name??) have handles and can brace against the arm. In addition, the claw fits securely around the wrist. The most interesting piece was the spring-loaded glider pack, that, at the press of a button, would open and allow for the cloth ‘wing’ to expand. The pack had clasps that attached to the wrists and calves. This pack was later used for Resolute Snake Eyes and the GI Joe Club will be using it for Grunt. Unfortunately, with all his gear, he’s unable to hold all of it. You’re left with the option of either the sword backpack or glider pack for his back, and the double pointed thing or swords/uzis/claw for his hands.
As a figure as it is, it’s not a terrible thing that this got canned. Those pink-gray-white pants are a bit much, If it were a different color or character, it would have been far more interesting. A solid red or black outfit could have made it more appealing. They should have given him an unmasked head or given him some type of molded piece around the neck to make the transition from mask to bare chest a little easier. The oversized and odd fiting hood doesn’t do the trick. The glider pack is a favorite of mine, the double pointed weapons are interesting, and the detailed harness is very cool. Good luck finding one of these figures now, for the longest time, they were well stocked on various other avenues.
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