G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra: Skydive

G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Skydive is one of the few G.I. Joe POC characters that were released locally c/o Toy Kingdom and sold at a more reasonable rate of PhP 499.75. If he looks familiar, it's because G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Skydive is a repaint/re-issue of a - supposedly - never officially released G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra Ripcord. We reviewed the G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra Ripcord earlier this year. The review can be seen here. "Batman" commented on that review that Hasbro either was unable to secure the rights of the original G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra actor's facial features or saw them as unprofitable, which resulted in the re-tooling of the figures back to their cartoons/comic-book looks which is why Hasbro did not officially release Ripcord wearing this, but came up with a new G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Skydive instead. 

G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Skydive's real name is Master Sergeant Lynton M. Felix. The info card says that "Skydive is an airborne combat specialist on the G.I. Joe Team. He is experienced in HALO (High-Altitude Low Opening) and HAHO (High-Altitude, High Opening) jumps." We'll get to the rest of what it says on G.I Joe Pursuit of Cobra Skydive's card later. 

Now of course G.I Joe Pursuit of Cobra Skydive's novelty lies in his equipment - finally we have a name to call it: When we did the review of Ripcord, there was no literature about the rocket pack. G.I Joe Pursuit of Cobra Skydive uses a Zeta Rocket Pack with a Turbojet Engine and Aerosonic Wings. 

Simply pushing that big button on the his back activates the wings. Personally I think jumping out of an airplane with that on your back will send you into a head-spin. I suppose that risk is lowered if you jump off head first and keep streamlined. If that works, deploying the wings will definitely send you into a head-spin.

Here's where it starts to get really weird.  G.I Joe Pursuit of Cobra Skydive uses a Zeta Rocket Pack with a Turbojet Engine and Aerosonic Wings. In essence you need an intake, air and a fuel mixture that is burned and expelled out with force.  G.I Joe Pursuit of Cobra Skydive has an intake - those silver thingees on the back of his shoulders - I suppose it doesn't matter which way they face since he's not a jet-fighter. Surprisingly  G.I Joe Pursuit of Cobra Skydive's intakes go into his harness - okay, fine, plausible - from here it has to travel back into the pack and out the "rockets". I assume the fuel is in the pack and the ignition happens  G.I Joe Pursuit of Cobra Skydive's rockets. But there's no way that he is carrying a lot of fuel. At best the Zeta Rocket Pack with a Turbojet Engine and Aerosonic Wings will allow him directional thrust - forward, maybe left and right if he fires them individually - let's assume the controls are in his gloves or sight activated. But no way will this provide sustained flight. And he'd light up the sky. 

I sincerely hope the US Government isn't developing a Zeta Rocket Pack with a Turbojet Engine and Aerosonic Wings. I see a lot of dead airborne troopers in this device's future. No literature provided by the way explains the meaning of the markings on the wings of the Zeta Rocket Pack with a Turbojet Engine and Aerosonic Wings - where the initials JPU81GP appear. 

Now let's bring in the G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra Ripcord:

The most glaring difference between the two (other than the paint) is that the G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra Ripcord has an assault rifle. Hooray! Something someone forgot to give G.I Joe Pursuit of Cobra Skydive. Why is this important you ask. Here's the rest of G.I Joe Pursuit of Cobra Skydive's info card: It reads "Using an advanced rocket pack, he flies to a mysterious Cobra base under construction in the jungle. On the ground, he heads for the building. Unaware that Shadow Tracker is following him and preparing an attack." He's really expected to drop down into a dense jungle and take on a Cobra Stronghold with nothing more than a pistol? Then why bother with all the ammo and equipment pouches on his suit?

Aside from the cosmetic differences - and the lack of an assault rifle - G.I Joe Pursuit of Cobra Skydive also differs from G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra Ripcord in terms of assembly. Most of Ripcord's pouches and suit accessories are loose, never having been cemented into place. I know that this is true for at least two G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra Ripcords - mine and another one reviewed in another blog. Another glaring difference is the G.I. Joe movie Eagle insignia painted over G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra Ripcord's wings versus the new Pursuit of Cobra logo on Skydive's wings.

Here is G.I Joe Pursuit of Cobra Skydive without his Zeta Rocket Pack with a Turbojet Engine and Aerosonic Wings. He sports the same armor plating that has become common in the G.I. Joes of this particular series and a balaclava.

G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Skydive definitely is NOT one of my favorite figures. I have serious questions about the character's equipment and over-all lifespan (Whether he be on the ground or in the air). But there's always room for improvement (Someone hand him a rifle, quick!)