2002 Snake Eyes (BJ’s 8-pack)
There’s a lot of interesting classic sculpts I’d like to talk about on this blog. There’s a lot of interesting modern sculpts I’d consider talking about on this blog. Yet, every now and then I have to break things up and just talk about something weird and obscure, both of which accurately describe this Snake Eyes figure.
My first Snake Eyes figure was Ninja Force Snake Eyes, who was among my motley collection of 1994 figures that were truly mine as a kid. But, of characters I had back then Snake Eyes resonated with me the least. Personally I think to be a big Snake Eyes fan, you had to be someone into the comics in the early eighties, and not a GI Joe fan by other means.
BJ’s Snake Eyes is a repaint of 1989 Snake Eyes, who I already dislike quite a bit. It’s funny since overall I’m a big fan of ‘89 figures, but Snake Eyes firmly falls into the category of figures from that year that appeals to me less. The mold was reused one other time for a less interesting ARAHC repaint, and never for something that wasn’t black or Snake Eyes… Which seems like a bit of a waste.
With those things in mind, I have a lot against this figure just from the premise. However, if you want a version of this Snake Eyes sculpt, I personally think this is the best release. Compared to the other two releases, the paint applications are more detailed on this release. Besides the obvious gold and silver details, many of the mold’s pouches and grenades are painted a very subtle gray color. The sculpt also shows off it’s details better on this release which is cast in charcoal gray plastic as opposed black. The GI Joe logo on his leg is dumb and a bit distracting, but overall the figure is well decorated for one as a discount-chain’s store exclusive.
The parts with this figure are comically terrible, but he’s from the BJ’s eight-pack, so you might already have known that. Included is the three-sectioned staff from the original, Big Bear’s AK-88, and a “Sound Attack” uzi painted silver. Of all the parts from ‘89 Snake Eyes they could have kept, the three-sectioned staff is the one I liked the least. For a commando this weapon just feels silly and it’s cumbersome to pose too. The AK-88 is a totally random inclusion that Hasbro had a habit of just chucking around back then. Oddly, it seems like it would’ve been a better fit with the Firefly from the set, who included Beachhead’s gun. Maybe the parts were packed with the wrong figures?
Finding one of these can be tedious just by virtue of how many Snake Eyes figures there are to sort through, but this figure is common and easily acquired complete for $5. I forgot I owned this figure. I got him in a box of random Chinese surplus ages ago and forgot him in a corner of the house. Upon further inspection though, it’s a nice figure, just one that’s so unneeded he’s easy to overlook.
This release was so uninteresting that I’m repost my post from Forgotten Figures:
Only 3 of 68 versions of Snake-Eyes used that mold. LOL. I was never a big fan of it, maybe if they ditched the ear piece and had made the knives removable. And yes, Hasbro sticking to the black with SE made new versions of him an increasing dull.
The BJ’s set was a waste at the time since 1/2 the country couldn’t get it until Entertainment Earth got some and sold them for $50 after shipping due to the stupidly big box. I loved guys finding them unsold for $12 at BJ’s stores while my entire state didn’t have a store that sold them.
But, the set’s grown on me over the years just for how bizarre some of the figs are. In an era of green and brown, this set had some stupid figures that made it feel like a toy line instead of some adult collector’s fetish list. But, the Cobras definitely surpassed the Joes.
There’s an unproduced “green” version of this figure. It’s worth having because it’s green and solves the all black Snake Eyes dilemma you mention. But, it’s hard to find and stupidly expensive now.
This mold is probably my least favourite Snake Eyes mold. It’s got good design principals, but it’s somewhat out of proportion in my eyes. I still kind of prefer the 2000 version to this one, myself.
That BJ’s 8 Pack was a really strange set. As individuals, I don’t think any of the figures are particularly bad, aside from Roadblock. As a whole it’s pretty iffy, though. I like that they took chances with the COBRA figure, and it might have been nice if the Joes could’ve been as colourful as the Dial Tone from that set, who really seemed to be a “Sorry the ARAHC one was botched so poorly” figure