CLASS OF 1982 Code Name: VIPER

Ok, I know the title of this post is really going to confuse people. As a fan/collector from the original 1982 series, I have a special fondness for the "Blue Shirts" Cobras, especially since the "Blue Shirts" made up the bulk of the Cobra Legion for the first 4 years (1982 to 1986) of the series. In 1986, Hasbro introduced the "Viper" which I understood as an equipment and uniform upgrade to the basic "Blue Shirt" Cobra soldier. Personally, I never like the looks of the Vipers. I've preferred to have Cobra Commander be the only "chrome dome" of the Cobra Legions. However, I really like the Codename: "Viper." I like how, later on, Hasbro gave each specialty a "Viper" designation like "Tele-Viper" or "Techno-Viper" (although they did go a little overboard with some of it).

So, in my Joeverse the bulk of the Cobra Legions is made up of "Blue Shirt" uniformed soldiers who are identified by various "VIPER" codenames. For my custom "Cobra," I wanted a 50th update to the original ARAH version, which included the "Y" back strap to the web belt and other details.