G.I. Joe Social Clash Baroness

Presenting Cobra's Baroness from the GI Joe 50th Anniversary Social Clash 2-pack.

The Baroness is actually a reissue of a figure released in 2009 in a Cobra set that included Cobra Commander, Storm Shadow, a Viper and Zartan.

We've had her for some time, but haven't really had the time to appreciate her til now.

The Baroness was born Anastasia Cisarovna, but has been known to use the alias Anastasia DeCobray. Anastasia is the daughter of wealthy aristocrats and grew up feeling privileged and was present during the Tet Offensive in Vietnam where her brother, Eugene, was apparently killed by Snake-Eyes, while Eugene was attempting to cover up the fact that International relief goods were being diverted to fund the Vietcong. She left her brother for dead and vowed revenge against America for its hypocrisy. What she failed to see later was the presence of Destro and Destro's dad who noted that Eugene was not killed by Snake-Eyes because his bullets did not penetrate the bullet proof vest that Eugene was wearing.

The rest is history.


The 50th G.I. Joe Anniv Social Clash Baroness' blister card reads that the Baroness' name is Anastasia deCobray, who has Intelligence as her primary military specialty; Fixed Wing Pilot as her Secondary Military Specialty; and hails from whereabouts unknown.

It goes on to describe her as "The spoiled offspring of wealthy European aristocrats, Baroness graduated from student radicalism into international sabotage and finally into the ranks of COBRA. She was severely burned during a COBRA night attack operation and has had extensive plastic surgery. Rumor has it that she is the only one that knows the true identity of Destro. Qualified expert: M-16; AK-47; RPG7; UZI; H.I.S.S. Tank Operator."

The 50th G.I. Joe Anniversary Baroness comes with everything you see here: A briefcase - empty, but it has the impressions to hold Destro's nanotech missiles from the G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra movie; the recovery harpoon that she used to ascend/escape into a COBRA Gunship in the early parts of the G.I. Joe ROC; two unidentified rifles - though they look to us like maxed out submachine guns; two pistols - one the pistol she used in G.I. Joe ROC; the second looks almost like the TASER used by the COBRA Shock Trooper, and; a submachine gun - but since she seems to have a proclivity to using two weapons at one time and a mastery of the UZI, we threw in Lady Jaye's UZI and silencer as well.



WHAT'S TO LIKE ABOUT THE G.I. JOE 50TH ANNIV SOCIAL CLASS BARONESS?

FIRST: Aside from the large number of accessories - which is always appreciated - SECOND: The Baroness is a real sexy thing clad in all that reinforced leather. We're particularly fond of how Hasbro fixed the reed thin legs that the Baroness action figures had in 2007 and 2008 which made her look like she was a survivor of a Nazi camp, that was really not sexy. They gave the Social Clash Baroness' legs a little meat and proper curves which we really appreciate.

THIRD: The high-articulation. Our only grip about her relatively high articulation would be the lack of the new wrist articulations that would have allowed the Baroness to bring her weapons closer to her chest and/or look down her sights.

FOURTH: The Baroness can kneel and she looks great on her knees:

WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE ABOUT THE G.I. JOE 50TH ANNIV SOCIAL CLASS BARONESS?

FIRST: Her facial paint. Kudos for the clean glasses and eye paint - she doesn't look like a dork - but whoever did her lips just dabbed on a little and didn't bother evening it all out on the rest of her lips. Nothing that can't be fixed though with a steady hand and a Gundam pen.

SECOND:  She has difficulty holding her pistols. Also, despite the fact that the pistols have mounting studs, she does not have the receptacles for these stud - like the holes that the ROC Baroness had on her thighs.



This particular GI Joe 50th Anniversary Social Class Baroness was purchased along with Lady Jaye from Kramer's Toy Warden around Christmas of 2014. The G.I. Joe Social Clash 2-pack is available on Amazon for US$  12.67 (Roughly PhP 570 plus shipping). Hmmm. Not much of an investment here. Probably because they're re-issues.