Review – G.I. Joe Cobra H.I.S.S. Driver

Line: G.I. Joe * Manufacturer: Hasbro * Year: 2008 * Ages: 5+

“Cobra H.I.S.S. drivers are selected from the best and most evil of the Cobra organization’s thousands of yearly recruits. Each is chosen for his physical strength and total dedication to evil!”
— from the back of the card

I absolutely love the “retro” look of these carded figures and I’m amazed at what a great job Hasbro is doing with creating new card art that fits in well with the old style. I have to agree completely with the review at www.dockingbay97.com where the reviewer writes:

“At first glimpse this figure looks beautiful on its card back. The figure was never released carded in grand old days of 3 3/4” GI Joe but they have done a very good job recreating the look of the art as if it had been. “

Cobra H.I.S.S. Driver

Another great addition to the 25th Anniversary line, the Cobra H.I.S.S. Driver comes ready for battle, his pistol out and ready for action (and, when he’s not using it, the holster on his right side holds the weapon perfectly). Packed with a display stand, you can pose the H.I.S.S. Driver right alongside all of your other Cobra forces. At least, that is, until you grab a H.I.S.S. tank for him to drive.

Comparison Between the Driver and Commander

Almost identical to the H.I.S.S. Commander (reviewed here), the Cobra H.I.S.S. Driver is a fantastic action figure that, luckily for us, isn’t only a repaint of the H.I.S.S. Commander (technically, I suppose, the H.I.S.S. Commander would be considered the repaint since he came out after this figure, but you get the idea). A belt pouch is slightly different between the two and the helmet accents are also slightly different. Minor retooling of the mold, yes, but a nice touch considering that the change did take some effort and does help the two figures look a little different.

For the record, and because it isn’t at all important, I set both of them up on my shelf with the Commander in the H.I.S.S. turret and the Driver in the cockpit.

Closing Thoughts

There’s really not much I can say about the Cobra H.I.S.S. Driver except that if you own a H.I.S.S. then you need to spend a little extra on this guy. Without a H.I.S.S. tank, though, he’s not exactly a must own toy. Sure, he is neat and all, but if you’re just after a single, carded figure buy one that has a lot more in the way of accessories and give this guy a pass.

Philip Reed refuses to “army build,” even if he does have two H.I.S.S. drivers, a H.I.S.S. commander, and two H.I.S.S. tanks. Yep, absolutely no army building for Phil.