1986 Cobra Terror Drome review
 in diameter not including the 2 turret cannons, which stick out an extra 7 inches. Its height is 18 inches and weighs about 10 lbs unloaded. That’s a lot of shelf space volume it takes up, so be prepared.[img]http://[url=http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag141/formbx257/tdwr01a_zpsfa319105.jpg]http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag141/formbx257/tdwr01a_zpsfa319105.jpg[/url])
The exposed upper level (which can securely display 14 figures with room for plenty more) contains the dome-shaped launch silo doors and a ring of stations. These include two grey “work stations”, two grey “filler panels” and four grey radar-display “computer stations”. The work stations and filler panels each have two figure foot pegs in front of them and the computer stations each have a highly detailed seat that reclines back for no apparent reason.
The filler panels are positioned right behind the turret cannons (which swivel on their bases and barrels elevate with ratchets). Each turret cannon has a back-pegged non-swiveling seat which are curiously far from the cannon controls.
The caps on the ends of the cannon barrels (as well as those on the door gun barrels) are held on by friction and in some cases do not stay on well.
The lower level has eight divided rooms, six of which have lowering bay doors and two with swing-out gun doors enclosing the bottom. The very bottom base (of black plastic) has stairs leading to each room while the doors are closed. The photo shows the molded triangles on the edges of the base and upper level. This is used to line up the top and bottom halves during assembly, but also indicates which room the silo door launch lever is in.
All the bay doors have triangular wedges which are perfect for storing a 1984 CLAW glider. *I read this somewhere years ago, so I can’t take credit for this discovery.
Room 1: has the most foot pegs (four) and like all the other rooms has doorways leading to the next room.
Room 2: is the right-side gun station room and only has one foot peg. The gun station itself has a small platform (with a stepping rung on either side), a back-pegged seat (same as the ones on the turret cannon) and a fold-down door strut. The door strut and the clips that connect it to the door are extremely fragile! The gun can swivel up and down but is prone to becoming loose.
Rooms 3-5: basically the front of the Terror Drome, are fuel stations. Each is exactly alike, with a foot peg on the floor and another foot peg on the red slide-out fuel pump station. The three stations have connector pegs for the thick black vinyl hoses with fuel nozzles. Each fuel pump station has a clip to lock the nozzles down for storage, but it requires stressing the plastic, so I don’t recommend even trying it.
The box suggests these rooms can double as garages for small vehicles, but it’s a tight fit.
Room 6: the jail cell room has four foot pegs; two in front of the cell and two within it. The opening the sliding cell door makes is a little small for my hands, I’d suggest removing the cell wall to position prisoner figures on the pegs first.
Room 7: the left-side gun station room has three figure foot pegs, otherwise similar to room 2.
Room 8: the launch station room has only one foot peg and houses the Firebat launch lever.
Pushing the launch lever down simultaneously opens the silo dome doors and raises a platform. The platform has molded indents and clips meant for the Firebat’s wheels and tail fins, respectively. The platform is large enough for two Trubble Bubbles or even an Air Chariot.
Some Easter eggs: on the upper level there are stickers that say TADURCHRONICS (TADUR is RUDAT backwards, as in Hasbro lead designer Ron Rudat).
On the lower level, in every fuel station room the box molded to the floor is a re-use of the 1984 Machine Gun Defense Unit ammo box. The large crates molded to the floor in rooms 2 and 7 are re-used from the 1984 Mortar Defense Unit ammo box.
This is an iconic Cobra playset with both play and display value and should be part of any large GI Joe collection, vintage or modern. I would recommend a turntable for it though.
NEXT WEEK: 1986 Firebat and A.V.A.C.
