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Author Topic: Vehicle Review - TRU Exclusive "Jungle Assault" Sting Raider  (Read 3042 times)

olyeller01

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Vehicle Review - TRU Exclusive "Jungle Assault" Sting Raider
« on: February 22, 2010, 02:30:39 AM »

Other than the planes, some of my favorite Joe vehicles are the boats.  And there have been some great ones: the Moray, the Devilfish, and the Piranha.   But like all Joe vehicles, they had to start somewhere.  One of the first Joe boats was the 1984 Water Moccasin.  With its driver, Copperhead, the Water Moccasin was one of the more memorable Joe vehicles, and was obviously commercially successful, which paved the way for the rest of the Joe boats that have been released over the years.

The Water Moccasin was re-released as part of the 25th Anniversary line, renamed the Sting Raider.  It wasn’t exactly like the original Water Moccasin, either-mostly detail changes to the cockpit, upper hull, and running boards-but it was plenty close.  It was released right before the 25th line was temporarily cancelled, and was pretty hard to find at retail…so now you get another chance.  Toys R Us has received an exclusive re-release of the Sting Raider, now repainted and packaged as part of the Rise of Cobra line.  It is dubbed the “Jungle Assault” Sting Raider and includes two figures, Copperhead and the Swamp Viper.

The Water Moccasin/Sting Raider has a design very similar to an airboat, with a very shallow draft and almost flat bottom.  Also like an airboat, a very large propeller at the rear provides propulsion instead of the more traditional submerged propeller design.  This design would allow the Sting Raider to easily traverse very shallow water, such as that found in a swamp or jungle.  There’s a fairly large, roomy cockpit in the front center of the vehicle.  The driver sits very low down in the hull.  Removing the large “glass” portion at the top rear accesses the cockpit.  Just above and behind the cockpit is a rotating turret that is equipped with a double-barreled machine gun.  One figure can easily fit inside, and the machine gun has two large handles on top for easy gripping.  Large cannons sit to either side of the cockpit.  Behind the turret on top is a small wheel that, when spun, turns the propeller.  Removing the panel the wheel sits in reveals the engine, which is painted silver.  There are panels on either side of the engine that can be removed to reveal storage compartments.  Also on either side at the rear, located at the split between the upper and lower hulls, are running boards.  The running boards are finished on top with a diamond-plate style finish, and are also painted silver.  At the very rear is a large shroud with the propeller fan in it.  There are large, dual rudders on either side of the fan that are linked together at the bottom.  On the 25th Sting Raider, the link bar is black; on the “Jungle Assault” Sting Raider, it’s painted silver.  There’s one more feature: underneath the Sting Raider, at the very rear, is a recessed slot that houses…well, I don’t really know what it is.  A torpedo or bomb on skis?  A drone?  The blueprints say it’s a torpedo, but it’s not like any torpedo I’ve ever seen.

Whereas the 25th Sting Raider was painted in a predominantly teal blue scheme, the Jungle Assault Sting Raider has a black lower hull, cockpit cover, engine shroud, compartment covers, cannons, and rear fan, with an alternating green-and-red camo pattern on the upper hull.  Though the red may be slightly garish, it would probably work pretty well in the jungle.

I really like this vehicle.  It’s one of those “just the right size” vehicles, not too big and not too small.  I really like the paint apps, such as the silver on the engine, and all the neat little details like the storage compartments and the diamond plate on the running boards.  My only complaints would be that there are no control surface stickers in the cockpit…not a big deal, but just a little bit of detail goes a long way.  The other complaint is the somewhat odd torpedo, and even then only because it damn well better launch at a downward angle, or else Copperhead’s gonna have a hard time steering.  If it launched straight back, the torpedo would quickly take out the link bar on the rudders.

As for the figures, Copperhead is the same one we’ve seen three times already.  He uses 25th Roadblock’s upper body with a unique head and legs.  This time he has on a black muscle shirt with a red Cobra sigil on the chest, along with black boots, facemask, gloves, and armbands.  His helmet and pants are done in a mauve color, and his inner pant legs and belt are an odd olive-gray.  He comes armed with a fairly large knife on his right leg, and also comes with a large silver gun…this gun is the same one that came with the MARS troopers in the movie preview pack…and it actually works with Copperhead, because he’s large enough to hold it and large enough so it doesn’t look goofy with him.

The other figure is Swamp Viper.  Swamp Viper is almost a simple repaint of the 25th AVAC that was included with the Firebat.  I say almost because he still uses 25th Tripwire’s upper torso and Zartan’s lower legs with a unique head, but now he uses the same arms as the Resolute Cobra Trooper.  Instead of red and silver, Swamp Viper’s done in the same mauve and nasty olive-gray colors as Copperhead, but with a golden-orange visor.  Swamp Viper comes armed with a small knife in a sheath on his ankle, and with the same assault rifle included with the RoC Neo-Viper Commando.  

I know Copperhead is the Water Moccasin/Sting Raider’s driver, but I still have to complain about his inclusion here…mainly because this is the fourth friggin’ time we’ve gotten him, and he’s a rather unremarkable figure despite his size.  And I hate the mauve/olive gray color scheme too, though it does look significantly swampy and nasty.  But I really think that the Python Patrol Copperhead that was included with the first Sting Raider would be a better fit in this vehicle.

As for Swamp Viper, the subtle changes to the arms really do a lot for the figure.  I wish AVAC had these same arms; the shoulder pads and different gloves look really nice.  Again, the color scheme isn’t much to write home about, but it looks better on this figure than it does on Swamp Viper.  Also working in Swamp Viper’s favor is that we haven’t gotten a ton of AVAC repaints or reissues already.  

I really like the Sting Raider, and even the crazy color scheme looks good on it.  This is a great vehicle, and a very worthy addition to the Cobra fleet, even if you already have both the original Water Moccasin and the 25th Sting Raider.  I can’t say I’m too fond of getting yet another Copperhead, but Swamp Viper’s not too bad.   So for $19.99 US, I have to say that I’m pretty fond of this set.  It’s a good value, made even better if you somehow missed out on the earlier Copperheads…because it’s a great vehicle with two figures for a reasonable price.

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« Last Edit: February 22, 2010, 03:31:15 AM by olyeller01 »
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OlYeller01
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Re: Vehicle Review - TRU Exclusive "Jungle Assault" Sting Raider
« Reply #1 on: February 22, 2010, 09:17:26 AM »

The more I see the Jungle Assault Sting Raider, the more I like it. I think I am going to have to track this one down.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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Jay

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Re: Vehicle Review - TRU Exclusive "Jungle Assault" Sting Raider
« Reply #2 on: February 23, 2010, 02:54:24 AM »

I absolutely adore the deco on this vehicle and the drivers. Really angers me that it won't be sold over here.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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latinjoe22

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Re: Vehicle Review - TRU Exclusive "Jungle Assault" Sting Raider
« Reply #3 on: February 23, 2010, 12:48:27 PM »

Quote from: "olyeller01"
The other complaint is the somewhat odd torpedo, and even then only because it damn well better launch at a downward angle, or else Copperhead’s gonna have a hard time steering.  If it launched straight back, the torpedo would quickly take out the link bar on the rudders.

LOL, so Hasbro never bothered to revise this feature and make it more accurate? Despite this big little flaw, agreed, it's still an amazing vehicle. 
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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akpayne

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Re: Vehicle Review - TRU Exclusive "Jungle Assault" Sting Raider
« Reply #4 on: February 23, 2010, 12:57:32 PM »

This was one of my favourite vehicles when I was a kid.  I wish I could find these locally.  I missed the chance to buy this vehicle that last time around, and if I can't find it on a trip to the states, I will probably miss it this time as well.
The colour pattern doesn't bother me, in fact the more I look at it, the more it has grown on me.
My biggest complaint on the original was the driver area was way to small to easily get a figure in without removing paint.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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Pete The Greek

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Re: Vehicle Review - TRU Exclusive "Jungle Assault" Sting Raider
« Reply #5 on: February 23, 2010, 02:59:18 PM »

Great review.  I am sold on it. 

But I don't think the Sting Raider floats from what I have read online.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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bandonov

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Re: Vehicle Review - TRU Exclusive "Jungle Assault" Sting Raider
« Reply #6 on: March 27, 2010, 09:48:20 PM »

Did anyone try to see if it floats at all? Now that is has arrived in Canada, I will be buying it.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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