G.I. Joe Classified Series Snake Eyes & Timber: Alpha Commandos

By Hervé St-Louis
February 6, 2022 - 23:21

The G.I. Joe Classified Snake Eyes alpha commando action figure comes with his wolf Timber. Snake Eyes is the original G.I. Joe commando. The combo of Snake Eyes and Timber as represented by the figures in the set is something that can be found in G.I. Joe #31. In that issue Snake Eyes sought refuge in his cabin in the northern mountains with his wolf and was confronted by Destro, Firefly, and one Fred Crimson guard. The suit he wore was based on the original 1982 design and Timber in that comic, was you know, a generic grey wolf!

Likeness

Snake Eyes is a new sculpt that seeks to mimic his first appearance in 1982 but in a contemporary suit. The simulated fabric has ridges and other textures. I like the sculpt used here because it is not a straight recreation and adaptation of the original 1982 Snake Eyes action figure. It reimagines the character for a new generation. Unlike the movie Snake Eyes, it is not a generic leather-clad uniform but something much more practical for a commando. The face mask is like the 1982 version. The scar on Timber’s face is new.

The 1982 version of Snake Eyes never came with Timber. Logically, Timber should have come with the first Snake Eyes released in 2020. Timber is a new reimagining of a wolf that is neither like the one from the 1985 toy where he was as big as a mid-size dog or a coyote. He looks a bit like his cartoon version but much more realistic. This is an improvement over any previous Timber toy.

Sculpt

Commando Snake Eyes’s sculpt is a complete reutilization of Beach Head’s body from the neck down to the boots. Now, other Classified action figures have used parts from Beach Head, but none has used everything. It saves Hasbro a lot of money to cast Beach Head in black and give him a new head! I’m not complaining because it is a great sculpt. Snake Eyes’s silhouette looks great. The vest is what changes Snake Eyes from another Beach Head clone to being himself. It has intricate details. I like the patterns on his belt.

Timber is a feat of sculpting and engineering to produce an articulated action figure of a four-legged animal. My main criticism ends at the connection between the torso and the belly. The belly goes inside the torso. It works for the articulation but not for a seamless sculpt. Now, the sculpt of the fur, Timber’s face, and even his paws are quite realistic. You can see all the padding below his toes. The tail can be flipped to show the wolf's different moods.

Paint

There is no paint application on Snake Eyes, except for the G.I. Joe logo on the grenade on his chest, much like the first 1982 action figure for whom there was no more budget, so Hasbro at the time made it all black. The colour is on Timber who has great paint wash throughout his body with red, brown, and light grey variations on his fur. His belly is much lighter, and I like that. The paint wash helps highlight the beautiful fur sculpt, as if it were real.

Scale

Commando Snake Eyes is taller than the first Classified Snake Eyes but slightly shorter than other figures such as Flint and Duke. He is the same height as Beach Head as they share the same body. Snake Eyes looks great with other Classified figures, being in the middle range in height. Now Timber is a large wolf. He is much bigger than the one I got from Micheals’ to go with the first Classified Snake Eyes. If he were standing up, Timber would be taller than Snake Eyes and much larger than female action figures such as Lady Jaye and Scarlett. He is not a small wolf!

Stability

Timber is quite stable, but you need to find the right balance for his paws so that he rests equally on all four of them and not three or two of them at once. Nature has proven time over that having four paws is better than having two legs, so yes, Timber stands solidly unlike Snake Eyes!

Snake Eyes is a faller. It’s a bit odd as he has the same sculpt as Beach Head who is not a faller. Snake Eyes can stand, but not solidly. He has flat feet that can balance his weight and he is not top heavy. But his ankles are weak and may need some floor polish inserted in the joints to stabilize them a bit. If you can fix his weak ankle articulations, you might find that he can stand solidly. It’s a bummer that the figure is unstable as he does not even have a backpack that weigh him down.

Articulations

Articulations for Timber are incredible. If he is the example for how animals will be articulated in this line, then I am very happy. His articulations seem to be based on the Dungeon and Dragons’ Guenhwyvar panther action figure. Both have several articulations in their legs and torso. However, Timber appears to have even more. His head is on a double ball joint that can rotate 360 degrees, allowing him to look down, up, and sideways. This is great if you want to give the wolf a listening stance, although Snake Eyes does not really speak to him!

Timber has articulations at the base of his neck, but the swivel is limited. His neck can bend up and up slightly. Timber’s hips are an innovation. It has a swivel that cannot rotate much because his body is not circular. However, his hips have a ball joint allowing him to crunch left or right in a way that is quite pleasing as it looks like the way a dog curls.

His hind quarters can move forward and backward, but also open up. Thus, you can separate the legs a bit which helps with his stability. He has curls on his back hind quarters, which correspond to a thigh swivel for a human action figure. However, they can mostly bend backwards. Then, he has bending heels, which are the equivalent of knees articulations. He can bend them up and down. That means that Timber can sit down on his hind legs. Finally, he has paw articulations in his back legs which are like ankle articulations, although they correspond to toes for a human. They can bend up, down, and pivot. This is great.

Timber’s front legs have shoulder articulations that can move up and down but also open up, as if they were butterflies. His elbows bend but also rotate. He has bending paws and toes that can bend up and down, but also pivot from their base. Timber’s open mouth is not articulated. If it were, he could bite Cobras!

Snake Eyes has more standard articulations at the neck. It’s a double joint allowing his neck to pivot and swivel. His abdominal cannot bend much because of his vest. His waist has a swivel, but it’s limited by his vest. Like all G.I. Joe Classified action figures, Snake Eyes has drop down hips. I used to like them but now wonder if they are necessary. He can lift his legs at 90 degrees but his articulations are too tight to let him perform a full split.

Snake Eyes has thigh swivels just above his sheath and gun holster. He has double knees articulations shin swivels, bending ankles that can also pivot sideways. Snake Eyes’ shoulders have butterflies that are quite stiff and thus not very useful. His arms can rotate 360 degrees and raise up at about 85 degrees. He has double elbow articulations which bend well enough. His wrists have swivels. His left hand has a up or down articulations which is useful for holding a weapon. His right hand bends at the palm, inside and outside.

Plastic

The plastic on Snake Eyes is black but not all the same stock. If you look closely and under the lights, you can notice a slight colour variation in places such as the crotch and the upper thighs. Some parts have clear finish, others are either textured or matte.

I don’t know what kind of plastic Timber is made of, but he is solid. He is probably in PVC, like Snake Eyes. The base plastic is light grey with some paint on it. His tail is a darker shade of grey.

Props

Timber is not a prop. He’s a pet. However, he has two faces. One snarling attack face and his regular one. Alpha commando Snake Eyes comes with four weapons. Two of them are sub-machine guns, one of which looks much like a Uzi. He has an extra gun and a smaller pistol. The weapons cannot be stored on him. I gave the oddly shaped gun to Breaker who came with nothing.

The pistol can be stored on the holster on his right thigh. The holster also has an opening for a silencer. The silencer fits on the Uzi and the pistol. He also has a small knife that fits in a sheath on his left thigh. Not having a place to store all of his weapons is a bummer and unlike other Classified figures which can often store their gear on their own person.

Packaging

The package for Snake Eyes and Timber is a huge box that contains and display both with all the props being visible. The box features art by Wylie Beckert.

Cost

The Commando Snake Eyes and Timber set costs about $41.99 USD. In the United Kingdom, the set retails for £49.99. In Canada the set has prices all over the place. I purchased this set at $46.99 CAD. The same retailer now sells this set for $54.99 CAD. Other retailers sell the same set for $47.99 CAD and $49.99 CAD. I have seen this set retail as high as $59.99 CAD. Canadians beware and shop carefully for this set. It is not rare and should come by easily. Even though Hasbro increased the price of figures in January 2022, retailers should have older stock around and have no excuses to sell this set for more than $46.99 CAD.

Availability

Snake Eyes and Timber can be found at many retail stores and online, although they are popular items. I have seen them many times at local stores peg warming. Getting the set should not be a problem, although the cost may be pre-emptive for many collectors. The set has been available for close to six months now and is still plentiful. It can also be found on the secondary market and auction sites, but be wary of resellers pretending that Snake Eyes and Timber are rare. They are not. The set was not an exclusive release for Hasbro.

At first, I was going to pass on the Commando Snake Eyes and Timber, seeing as I was quite happy with the first Classified Snake Eyes, and I was also getting the movie Snake Eyes. Okay, so buying the movie Snake Eyes was an error. I should have passed on all the movie figures. They are not as good as the regular Classified figures. The Alpha Commando version is a great figure that renders Snake Eyes into a classic look with his wolf. I don’t like having two of the same character on a shelf, but I guess that I’m making an exception with the Commando Snake Eyes!

Rating: 8.5 /10

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Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12

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