Despite severe differences in scale, GI Joe and the Transformers have been fighting side-by-side in kids’ bedrooms for decades now. They have even crossed paths in a handful of comic book series, but for the first time we’ve got our first official GI Joe-branded Transformers toy from Hasbro.
Decepticon Viper, part of the Combiner Legends third wave, is actually a re-painted version of the Legends Powerglide figure that’s already available. Both are based on the U.S. military’s tank-busting A-10 Warthog, but with that new blue paintjob, Viper looks nearly identical to the Cobra Rattler from the ’80s GI Joe toy line and cartoon.
If you look really close, the branding on Viper’s right wing and chest is clearly based on Cobra’s logo. And even the name, Viper, is a play on snakes which was a common theme for G.I. Joe’s arch enemy. Cool. If you want one, and you know you do, it looks like the Big Bad Toy Store has put them up for pre-order as part of a $US34 three-pack.
Or you can just wait until they start trickling onto store shelves, because the hunt is always half the fun. [Hasbro via Toy News International]
