Review – Pursuit of Cobra VAMP
The Highs:
1. Vintage cues mixed into modern design
2. Multiple configurations for accessories
3. Can haul a ton of figures
The Lows:
1. Those cursed red axles
2. Ammo belt on Gatling gun limits turret rotation
3. Thumbwheel for winch in the middle of the hood
The Verdict:
One of the best new GI Joe vehicles in almost 30 years.
The original VAMP is one of just about everybody’s favorite Joe vehicles. The VAMP was one of those “just right” sized vehicles a Joe fan could take with him or her anywhere. The large wheels and obvious off-road capability made it versatile enough for use in everything from an urban environment to the desert to the jungle. It held two figures, and had some neat features like the removable gas tanks stored in a rack on the vehicle’s rear. Hasbro has tried many times to recapture the magic of that original VAMP, some more successful than others. There have been multiple variations of the original, from the Mark II to the Tiger Sting to the Desert Striker. Even Cobra got its own version, the Stinger. In the early 2000s, Hasbro tried to replace the VAMP in the Valor vs Venom and SpyTroops lines with versions of the very real Humvee. Though neat (and a welcome change) the Hummers just didn’t seem “Joe” enough, though the DTC Night Ops Humvee came very close. The 25th Anniversary line in 2008 gave us an updated version of the original. Now, in 2010 we get an all-new VAMP as part of the Pursuit of Cobra line, and THIS, my friends, is the best VAMP ever, and in my opinion one of the best GI Joe vehicles in the past 25 years.
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The PoC VAMP is a large, four-seat, four wheel drive vehicle. It is primarily tan in color, with large black tires and a large black brush guard and winch on the front. Like the original, the new VAMP has a turret mounted in the rear. Further details include smoke grenade launchers mounted over the rear fenders, an antenna that can be moved to several locations, a rack on the rear with two removable, modern gas cans, and in a new addition, a spare tire mounted on the driver’s side of the rear. There’s even an original-style tow hook on the back, a feature that I just LOVE.
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Anybody can make a 4x4 with a turret in the back and call it a VAMP, but the designers threw in a lot of little cues that combine elements of all the original’s variations into a successful package that shows its heritage while still being ultra-modern. First, the large brush guard on the front is reminiscent of both the Desert Striker and the Night Ops Hummer. The slanted, boxy hood (with two oblong vents in the leading edge), the winch in the front, the square headlights, the rear turret, and the dual removable gas cans on the back are all direct nods to the original VAMP. The roll cage’s shape (and the way it extends all the way to the rear) and the mounting points for weapons on the hood are further homages to the Desert Striker. Finally, included are two black scorpion stickers that are dead ringers for the stickers on the sides of the Mark II.
All the nostalgic design cues in the world won’t make a vehicle a hit if the rest of the design is just so-so. Well, that’s most definitely not the case here. First, whoever designed the VAMP really knew 4-wheel drive vehicles. The wheels are pushed out to the very corners of the body, which means the VAMP will be able to climb over obstacles more easily. On the underside of the vehicle are front and rear skidplates that are attached near the middle of the body. The skidplates serve as mounting points for the wheels and as a sort of independent suspension. There’s even a 4x4 transfer case molded into the center of the underside! Also, every 4x4er knows that the best way to ensure you can get out of just about any situation is to have a winch. Well, the VAMP definitely has a big winch, and it has a HUGE claw on the front. It could easily grab onto a Joe-scaled tree…or even another figure. This claw is so huge it looks like it could latch on to a freaking redwood! It’s perhaps a bit much…but it definitely works! A thumbwheel in the middle of the hood reels the winch’s string back in.
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This vehicle has oodles and oodles of detail throughout. The brush guard on the front has mirrors on the outside, little tow hooks down low, and KC-style off-road lights mounted just above the winch. Moving back, the cockpit contains padding molded into the seatbacks, a moveable oblong steering wheel (that REALLY reminds me of the steering wheel in the old Super Powers Batmobile), grab handles to the outboard sides of the front seats to help the driver and passenger get in and out, and even a bunch of gauges molded into the dashboard to give it detail. Taking internal detail to an insane level, there’s a shifter with a large, textured handle, a tray between the front and back seats that will hold the “demo” pouches included with several figures, and a cupholder! The steps on the outside of the cockpit are diamond-plated, as is the floor in the turret area. There are two, small steps on either side of the rear bumper to help with ingress and egress to the turret area. One side of the turret area has a fuel filler on its edge, and the other side has a tie-down. A removable sledgehammer and shovel fit into racks in front of the turret. As for the turret itself, it’s tall and narrow, and attached to its own rotating circular platform. A large ammo canister is attached to the driver’s side of the turret.
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The PoC VAMP is plenty well-armed. First, there’s a weapon that I can best describe as a Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifle (minus a stock) mounted on a gyroscopic style mount. While the rifle can be mounted in a number of places, it seems to make the most sense mounted in front of the passenger side, on the hood. Next, is a minigun style weapon that can be mounted either on the turret or on one of the mounting points on the roof in front of the rear seats. The minigun has an ammo belt that can be attached to the ammo canister, and the silver barrel can be rotated via a yellow knob between the grab handles on the rear. Both the style of the gun, its mounting, and the style of the shield on the front are very reminiscent of the weapon on the back of HALO’s Warthog vehicle. There is also a missile launcher that can be mounted either on the turret or the roof mounting points. The missile launcher has one yellow missile that can be fired by pressing a button just in front of the shield. Finally, though armed with a mounted .50 sniper rifle, a minigun, and a missile launcher, there’s plenty of opportunity for further VAMP armament by using the passenger spaces. The open cockpit and easy roof access (due to the openings over the rear seats) mean that geared-up figures could easily stand or hang out all over the VAMP and pour out loads of punishment to either pursuers or the pursued.
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The new VAMP comes with a new version of Clutch, renamed Double-Clutch. Built using 25th Snow-Job’s arms and legs and topped with 25th Clutch’s head, he comes outfitted with a .45 pistol, a satchel, a black removable vest, and a helmet that is a repaint of 25th Bazooka’s. Double Clutch looks ok, but he’s kind of generic. Honestly, I’m not going to spend a lot of time on the figure, because he’s pretty meh, in my opinion. I’d rather throw 25th Clutch behind the driver’s seat than this guy.
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The PoC VAMP seems like a “just-right” sized vehicle, and it is, but it makes the original VAMP look small by comparison. Honestly, a better comparison would be the Rise of Cobra Steel Crusher. They are similar in size and configuration, and seem like natural adversaries. The Steel Crusher might be a little better in an urban environment, but the VAMP would definitely have the advantage off-road (even though the Crusher is still a Hummer).
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I love the PoC VAMP so much that I picked up a couple of them. While I do army build Cobra vehicles, I usually don’t do so with Joe vehicles (though I may have many variations of the same vehicle, like I do with the original VAMP). This is both because Joe vehicles are more numerous, and because I like to think of Joe vehicles as being unique and/or prototypes. This particular vehicle pays homage to its past by combining styling cues from all its previous variations, and a few other vehicles like the Night Ops Hummer and the HALO Warthog. Me buying multiples of the PoC VAMP was a rare thing for a Joe vehicle, but I like it that much. Plus, I’ll be buying another one or two when the green one revealed at the 2011 JoeCon becomes available!
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