GI Joe: Valor vs. Venom - Cobra C.L.A.W.S. (Single Pack)

Hasbro produced these single pack Valor vs. Venom figures for budget stores like Dollar General and Family Dollar. While many of the figures in this series were alternate versions of existing Valor vs. Venom figures, a few of them were older figures, such as this Cobra C.L.A.W.S.

Originally released in the GI Joe vs. Cobra series, this mold featured a square crotch. I believe this release is the first version that features o-ring construction. The small blister card is a little different than the majority of the other releases as the weapons are in their own plastic tray and packaged behind the figure. This allows a better, unobstructed view of the character artwork. The back of the card retains the new style file card, which is first time this character has a file card in this format.

I've always liked the look of this Cobra trooper. I guess it's the head sculpt that makes this figure look so menacing. The face mask looks like a gas mask of sort, the gold matches the other accents of the uniform while the lime green eyes give the figure an eerie look. I have to admit the figure itself looks much nicer with the o-ring construction. There is a gun holster molded onto his right leg, but like with other figures in this single packaged series, the included accessories don't always match up very well.

The large black cannon is a carry over from the original GI Joe vs. Cobra release. He also comes with two identical rifles and a black knife...which is bigger than it should be. Overall these aren't bad weapons and frankly are better than most of the accessories some of these single packaged figures came with.

The Cobra C.L.A.W.S. trooper is a great modern addition to any Cobra army. The upgraded figure construction takes an already good figure and makes it great. I'm not that into troop building, but if I were this is one figure or one version of this figure that I'd track down multiple copies of. Like other single packaged figures, this one also goes for more than it probably should on the secondary market so do your homework and don't overpay.