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Author Topic: Quickie Review - Black PoC HISS!  (Read 3332 times)

olyeller01

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Quickie Review - Black PoC HISS!
« on: April 24, 2011, 11:34:40 PM »

Quickie Review:  PoC Cobra HISS, Black Version



The Highs:  Still large, still neat, body lock mechanism seems to have been fixed, cheap if you can find it, looks BAD in BLACK!

The Lows:  Treads still rub when body is lowered, stickers easily show flaws, might be a little TOO much black for some, limited availability.

The Verdict:  WHY didn’t we get THIS one first?  If you don’t have the brown version, you should track this one down.



When the Pursuit of Cobra HISS was first announced, people were excited…it looked like a pretty awesome vehicle that was a natural evolution of the original.  When Joe fans first got the toy in hand, excitement turned to disappointment…the toy was pretty cool, but there were a few physical flaws and the brown and gray colors just didn’t seem quite RIGHT.  Everyone wondered how the new HISS would look in the black color of the classic toy.  Well, now we have an answer, and the answer is FANTASTIC!  Since I’ve already reviewed the original version of the PoC HISS, I won’t go into great detail…but I will touch on the highlights (and lowlights) of the new black version.



There’s a heck of a lot that the brown and black versions of the PoC HISS have in common.  The vehicles use the exact same molds, so the features, weapons, and even the driver figure are the same.  The most obvious change between the original PoC HISS and the new version is of course the color.  Instead of a brown body with gray highlights, every part of the new version is black.  The treads, the chin gun and rear weapons, the accents…all black.  While I love it, this may be a little TOO much black for some.  I admit, a dash of red or dark gray here or there might have looked nice…but I still like the solid black. 
Sooo, Hasbro fixed the color…and apparently, they also fixed the mechanism that locks the body down when the vehicle is not in “attack” mode.  I noted in my review of the original PoC HISS that the body would snap up just when handling the vehicle.  It seems that Hasbro has fixed this (or else my brown HISS was just flawed) because I even accidentally kicked my black HISS when walking past it and it stayed locked down.  The only glaring flaw of the original toy that Hasbro didn’t fix in the black version is the treads.  The treads still rub on the fenders when the body is locked down and you try to push the HISS across the floor.  Also, the stickers glaringly show flaws on the black body.  Some of my stickers flawed just from gripping them with tweezers, so if you have to peel one back up, forget it.  A huge flawed spot will be easily visible.  Further, the large Cobra sigils don’t seem to press down smoothly.  I ended up using CobraStickers.com Cobra sigils on my HISS, because they laid down better…and the brighter red (or silver, or just about any other color you could want) looks a lot better, too. 



If you want a black HISS, you have to be lucky.  Apparently these were cancelled after production, so they ended up at Ross stores just like the Sand Serpent and the Wave 3 Target exclusives.  Eminently affordable at just $11.99, they sell for half the price of the original brown version…but you have to be lucky to find one, or hit the secondary market.  Even on the secondary market, prices are still reasonable at around $25, or the same price as the original brown version.  If you liked the PoC HISS but were put off by the color, or if you get lucky and stumble upon them in a Ross store, this is a must-have.  In my opinion, this black HISS and the PoC VAMP are two of the best vehicles in quite a while…they definitely capture the spirit and utility of the originals while updating them for the modern world.


« Last Edit: August 17, 2011, 08:46:09 PM by olyeller01 »
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OlYeller01
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formbx257

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Re: Quickie Review - Black PoC HISS!
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2011, 12:16:36 AM »

You're back!  Great review, too.  I'm glad you pointed out the locking-down mechanism is now fixed (all brown versions had the problem from what I've seen).  I think a lot of people might have passed on the black version without knowing Hasbro fixed that problem.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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olyeller01

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Re: Quickie Review - Black PoC HISS!
« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2011, 12:21:45 AM »

Quote from: "formbx257"
You're back!  Great review, too.  I'm glad you pointed out the locking-down mechanism is now fixed (all brown versions had the problem from what I've seen).  I think a lot of people might have passed on the black version without knowing Hasbro fixed that problem.

Yup, I'm back...my life's been a little crazy the past few months, as I recently got promoted to manager of my own Sherwin-Williams store.  It's in another town but close enough to my current home to commute, so I've been driving back and forth for right now.  I'm going to be moving down there in June.  But now that the promotion process is completed I've got a tad more leisure time than I had before.  Going through my computer I had several reviews written already that either lacked pictures or just lacked posting...so there'll be more content from me coming in the next few days, including my BIGGEST review ever!  Not Flagg big...but pretty big!
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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OlYeller01
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pdaat

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Re: Quickie Review - Black PoC HISS!
« Reply #3 on: April 25, 2011, 09:29:40 AM »

Congrats on the promo!

Hopefully the move yields more space.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.

bandonov

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Re: Quickie Review - Black PoC HISS!
« Reply #4 on: April 25, 2011, 10:35:01 AM »

Great Review!
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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olyeller01

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Re: Quickie Review - Black PoC HISS!
« Reply #5 on: April 25, 2011, 06:54:50 PM »

Quote from: "pdaat"
Congrats on the promo!

Hopefully the move yields more space.

Thanks, and it looks like it will!  I've got a line on a 3 BR rent house.  So, you know...my room...guest room...Joe room!  My friends are already giving me hell about the inevitable GI Joe room.  I'll just enjoy being able to display much more of my collection than I do now!
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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OlYeller01
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