Vintage Review – Cobra Terror Drome
The Highs:
1. Massive, MASSIVE playset
2. Room for tons of figures
3. The awesome Firebat launch dome
The Lows:
1. Massive playset…takes up massive room and could mean massive cost
2. Some fragile parts
3. Are Cobra vehicles ALL gas hogs or something?
The Verdict:
An iconic part of the original line, and one of the best Joe playsets out there despite a few flaws.
I’ve done big reviews before. I’ve reviewed some of the most iconic vehicles in the entire GI Joe line before. I’ve reviewed items just a few weeks removed from their molds, and some that were never released. But THIS, my friends, is the biggest OlYeller review EVER, on one of the biggest Joe playsets EVER. Today, I’m reviewing the mighty Cobra Terror Drome!
The Terror Drome can best be described as a giant plastic layer cake. There’s a large black, circular base on the bottom of it, with a cylindrical stack in the middle of the base. The Terror Drome’s upper level slides over the cylinder and twists to lock into place. Sliding in bulkheads gives the Terror Drome its interior rooms, and snapping panels either onto the base or the outer walls gives the ‘Drome its outer walls. Blue ramparts with the Cobra logo embossed onto them snap around the upper outer ring for fortification, and two large gun platforms snap onto opposite sides of one end of the circle.
There’s plenty of detail built into the playset. The black, circular base level has steps, stairs, weaponry, and other details molded into it. The outer walls and inner bulkheads are molded to look like armored metal. The upper level features nicely detailed chairs and workstations, and several of the ramparts have embossed Cobra sigils on them. Considering this set’s massive size, the fact that the designers took time to add detail to every level helps make this a great set.
This huge playset has features galore. The lower level is divided into 8 sections. 6 of the sections feature fold-down outer walls, and two of them feature swing-out walls. The two swing-out sections have double-barreled guns that protrude through the wall, with operators’ seats attached to the other side and a fold-out leg for stability. As for the other sections, three of the sections have gas pumps on platforms that slide out for easier access. They work well enough, but be aware that the little nipples the hoses connect to are easy to break off. One of the sections contains a small jail cell with a slide-open door (for some reason, the box image of Dial-Tone in there is stuck forever in my mind). The last section contains the lever to raise and lower the Firebat.
The upper level continues the octagonal theme, with 8 separate computer/work stations ringing the inside of the upper wall. Four of the workstations have large, almost recliner-style chairs so Cobras can work in comfort. Two of the ramparts as mentioned previously have gun stations on top of them. These aren’t just any gun stations, either; these are huge, double-barreled blow-the-crap-out-of-everything gun stations that can elevate, depress, and rotate in a full 360 degree arc…though the guns wouldn’t be able to do much turned around backwards but shoot at the sky. The upper gun stations feature their own seats for their operators.
The upper level also contains the Terror Drome’s main reason for existence. A blue, 8-paneled dome sits right in the center of the upper level (with a giant Cobra logo on it). Sliding the red lever that takes up one of the sections in the lower part of the Terror Drome separates the panels, slides them down, and raises the Firebat vehicle on a platform, readying it for launch (the Firebat rises with its nose pointed at the sky, like a rocket). The Firebat is a neat vehicle all its own, and its presence here just adds to the awesomeness of the ‘Drome. I will also note, from experience, that a 25th Anniversary Firebat WILL fit easily in the Terror Drome. For that matter Joe Canuck and CanJoeCon fans, a Hailstorm should fit easily, too!
The Terror Drome is a huge playset with a ton of features, but it’s far from the perfect playset. There are various flaws and frailties throughout the ‘Drome that prevent it from being a home run. The first problem with it is also something that makes it such a great set: its sheer size. This thing takes up a LOT of room. It’s so big, that if you move it from one room to another you have to be very careful so you don’t bang it on the doorframe. Another problem are all the various frailties inherent to the design. The clips that hold the door panels to the base, the clips that lock the lower wall sections closed, the clips that hold the large guns at elevation, and the clips that hold the upper rampart gun platforms are all fragile and need to be handled with care. I accidentally brushed against one of the gun ramparts walking past my Terror Drome one night and broke the whole thing off…luckily, Krazy Glue and some fortunate clean breaks led to a not-too-difficult repair. Also, it’s very easy for the panels that cover the Firebat when it is lowered to become misshapen, which makes the dome that is formed when the panels are closed look all goofy. Plus, Cobra vehicles must be pretty thirsty fuel hogs, because man…THREE gas platforms? That almost seems like a give-up by the designers. “We’re running out of ideas for that lower level, guys. What say we just put three gas platforms down there instead of just one and go for a beer?” Further, four total guns to protect an installation the size of the Terror Drome seems inadequate, though I bet the Terror Drome’s weapons are considered a last line of defense, as both the Firebat and the Cobra forces based there would be used for most protection. Finally, I will tell you from experience that the Terror Drome is a PAIN to keep clean, particularly the black lower level. It gathers and shows dust easily, and has plenty of nooks and crannies for dust to hide in.
Despite the few flaws, the Terror Drome is still a fantastic playset. Honestly, if you want a big, awesome Cobra playset, the Terror Drome is pretty much your only option. The “Conquest of Cobra Mountain” set from the SpyTroops line is pretty disappointing, and not nearly large enough to accommodate all your Cobra figures. The Sears Cobra Missile Command is small, extremely rare and expensive…and hey, it’s friggin’ cardboard!
Apparently, it turns out that you can blame the TerrorDrome for the dearth of big Cobra playsets. Just about every year, the Joes got some new massive vehicle or playset…the original and ’92 HQs, the Flagg, the Mobile Command Center, and so on. Cobra got the Terror Drome…and not much else. The Terror Drome is part of the old “30th Salute” GI Joe trading card set. The back of the ‘Drome’s card says it was “meant to be the first in a line of Cobra playsets” and that failure to meet expected sales led Hasbro to cancel a planned “Cobra Island” set among others.
If you want a Terror Drome, be prepared to drop some dough. The Terror Drome is easily one of the most expensive Joe items on the market, following of course the Flagg and the Defiant shuttle playset. Good condition, incomplete Terror Dromes usually run at LEAST $100-150, with complete, near mint ‘Dromes hitting as high as $400-500. The Terror Drome is another example of a Joe item you would probably be better served to buy restorable but incomplete, and slowly amass parts for along the way. Also be aware that if you buy it online you’re looking at at LEAST $70 to ship it. I was lucky enough to get a fantastic deal (I won mine on eBay for $65…and it cost me another $60 to ship) where, counting all the parts I bought to make it ALMOST complete (still missing the small gun caps but not too worried about them) I have a total investment in my TerrorDrome of around $160. Not too bad for one of the biggest, baddest, most expensive GI Joe (and really the only Cobra) playsets around.
