The old fang, new-old rockets

A completely surprising and rare-for-me find on a random stop, some old '83 Cobra FANG rockets.  Unfortunately, these specimens all have the stressed plastic from likely being put on too hard on another FANG long ago.

This will work for me just fine, though, as my old '83 FANG (my very first GIJOE vehicle ever) has been long absent all of its removable parts (and the figures seat back peg... and one horizontal rear fin).  For the condition of my old FANG, these work well, my FANG being more of a sentimental piece than anything else.  The worn and stressed rockets actually look they belong to my old 'copter!

Cobra Transport Helicopter

These are scans from the Marvel GIJOE comic I did a few years back.

I might be wrong, but I would think a majority of Joe fans would like this in toy form.
I know I would!!!

It would only be a little bit bigger than the N.A.C., I would guess, but imagine the fun possibilities of having interchangeable equipment, such as a big clamp for carrying a HISS or Paralyzer. Or even an armored troop-carrying deployment compartment. OR......????

Other Types of craft:

 

 

Cobra FANG 2

My first GIJOE vehicle was a Cobra FANG. That picture in the link is THE FANG from the very beginning!! Except for the missile, that's all I've added back on the rebuild of it. So far.

But that is old-school. In the new school, at least as far as I am concerned, the Fang II is where it is at.

This small one-man tilt-rotor gives Cobra a sneaky sized little package that can unleash 6 devastating missiles and pound GIJOE with the nose cannon! It needs no airfield, and can fly at fast speeds for lightning quick strikes!

Well, I may be getting dramatic, but really, the FANG II has been my Cobra forces best aerial weapon platform for years!


It is part helicopter, part airplane, and all Cobra. Unlike a larger real-life Osprey, or the expensive and large Cobra Rattler, the FANG II provides air support like no other.

Two powerful engines drive this craft, mounted out on the wing tips. In toy form, I think these are proportioned out very well. And the FANG II has plenty of wing (lift) surfaces for stable flight!
In the toy, the "thumb wheel" really does work nice, and the tail makes a nice hand hold, leaving the front business end to making its attack. I've read where some FANG II's don't seem to hold their "tilt axle" well, or at all. I have two and they have worked well for me. It's one of those old-school things where the designers really put some fine work into things, where if one tab snaps, or wears down, or is not lined-up, .... things don't work as well as one would want them to.


I think the nose cannon is one of my favorite features. It has a full range of motion, and just enough detail where I can believe that there is an ammo feed in there somewhere. This thing is also the only thing really keeping that nose end from coming apart any more at the parting line.
If I have any one real complaint about my FANG II, it is that not-quite completely tight nose area.... it's just enough of a split where I really notice it. I kind of wish it was together tight, and maybe it is just mine? Anyone else have this issue, or figured out how to fix it up?


It's not a helicopter, but it's not an airplane. It does have enough wing surface on it to convince me that it would fly. I also think it is very cool that the landing skids were blended into the bottom wing. It's very simple, but that says to me that this thing is about delivering its load of firepower with the most efficient package as possible (skids? we don't need no stinkin' skids!!).

Although, at times, I would like to have that bomb in the middle on the bottom. Just like the original FANG, with its "negator" bomb. Or even a fuel drop tank to extend the mission. It seems like an area that could be added to as I see it.

Being that this is not a helicopter, nor a plane, who better to fly this thing than a Gyro-Viper?
The Gyro-vipers have the flight suit and helmet on that I think would allow a person to survive flying the FANG II.
Just take a look at the padding around his head, then put on that blast helmet.... no top-wing mounted missiles will harm this pilot. Much, hopefully.


But really, I think it works. The Gyro Viper even matches just enough to make me think he could have come with the FANG II all along. His suit really seems more like something that is meant for a pilot that is pulling G's, and that is what this pilot would have been doing in his original vehicle, the MAMBA. Putting a MAMBA and a FANG II side by side, I think Cobra has some really advanced vertical flying platforms! Where the Gyro Viper was inside a high-tech cockpit in the MAMBA, in the FANG II, this guy rides in the wind on the edge of his seat!



The Cobra Logo on the front is kind of nice, too. The "aerial Cobra" really separates out that the air power is a threat in itself!


For the size of the FANG II, I think it fits for what I would like to build for my Cobra forces. I would like to get some more FANG I's to add in to my collection, too, but they are a little more expensive. I would just as much like to add more FANG II's to my collection, so if you have either/ or, let me know!

As of this post, I still have just my two FANG II's.
My first one, I bought around 1992 or 1993 at a Ben Franklin store. At that store, there were still a lot of older toys on their shelves, I thought it was a cool find. (I also got a Revell VAMP model kit at the same store!)

My 2nd FANG is a Chinese version, I traded my AH-74 Sonic Apache for it from a fellow in Texas around 2004 or so. Had I known the value of the AH-74 as it sits now, I might not have made the trade. But really, past the "value" on the collector market, for whatever reason it is, I think the FANG II has more value to it than that undersized AH-74. (guys arms hung out the cockpit frame...)
Either way, the Chinese FANG II is just a little more bright in its red color, the picture sort of shows that. (left Chinese...)


When it comes to the red, though, it doesn't bother me much. It's like the Stinger missiles are very similar in the shade of red. Although, I have seriously considered giving the red parts a paint-makeover. Perhaps some weathering to make the FANG II seem more realistic, perhaps putty in that split in the nose.



All-in-all, it is a very useful, shelf-able, craft. What do you think about it? It doesn't seem to have much of a huge fan-base, at least from what I've gathered after a few years of online activity.

If I add anything new to my vehicles this fall, I think it is a strong possibility that I may add the Cobra Renegade Black Dragon. It looks really good I think, and it looks like an armored/ updated FANG II in many ways. Here's the direct picture at GeneralsJoes.com.

Heck, if the Black Dragon is really similar in size, and is really well-detailed and priced right, I might just replace my FANG II's. Really, why not? I only have two hands to fly and drive all this stuff, so if the Black Dragon proves "effective" for my Cobra forces, well....UPGRADE!!

FANG series

The FANG series of choppers is as big a staple to me as the HISS is when it comes to Cobra. Much like the real world, air power for any force is simply a modern idea, and gives greater strike capability.

The 1983 F.A.N.G. is actually my very first GIJOE anything, that's what is pictured above, and that's why it looks so rough. This first F.A.N.G. got it done, simply put. Four good sized rockets, an very simply ball-mounted nose gun, and one rather good sized bomb. It could even carry two extra troops with all that under a VERY small frame with small engine. This toy is a work horse! Even in my imagination, though, more as an adult, too, is that I don't see this F.A.N.G. being super-agile in the sky. I does one thing in my mind, get the ordnance up with very little effort on a short distance in support of ground forces. The small size helps a lot of these swarm together for effect, and also for easy transportation and hiding; not to mention inexpensive.

The next hop into the sky was either in the Rattler, the Flight Pod, the CLAW, and even the MAMBA. Or even the Jet Pack. So, small things or big things.

FANG II came out in 1989. I found this one at a Ben Franklin in about 1993, though. I think it is a great little chopper, er, airplane,...er... tilt-rotor. An advanced idea in helicopter, the tilt-rotor. I think it is great. 6 rockets, much more stylized than the rather straight tubes off the F.A.N.G. and a much longer cannon on a rather interesting chin mount.
The tilt-rotor is where it's at for me, combining vertical helicopter capability with the speed and agility of a twin-rotor fighter plane! But, they kept it simple, too. Skids replaced with a landing wing, which adds to performance. Also, no need for a tail-rotor. The overall length compares similar to the F.A.N.G., too, as does the open weight and cost saving feature of NO CANOPY. In actual construction, I think the absence or the "control stick" really worked against the toy, as did no "figure clip," or at least a back peg, to keep the figure steady. The actual front fuselage is great in that any figure will fit, but I think it could have been more narrow than is really is.
The FANG II is my favorite small air vehicle, too. It really works for my covert Cobra forces with small size, but unlike the F.A.N.G., I would put this one up against a Dragonfly.

With the FANG III, I don't think "year" matters when the themed years started. It was full of a lot of stuff, and repaints followed closely behind. It's GvC if I remember that the III came out. Unlike the Strike HISS, I don't think this one got much forum chat. I think both staple incarnations equally weren't popular, though. Although, one should admit, this one came WITH A PILOT. T-Crotch or not, that was nice, even though the pilot isn't super-memorable to me, I did hang on to two of them, un-used though.
I think the FANG III was a step back in the FANG series. Sure, it was heavily snake-looking, but really it was just a blobby-bodied mini-copter with sort of less than the 18-year-old original. I totally appreciate the handles for control, and the rather nice snake head on the front, but from there it is kind of down hill for me. The one missile on the belly was nice, but the small skids that balanced back on the tail felt cheap. The twin mini-guns, while possible more useful than the previous models cannons, didn't blend into the body design-wise, and the switchable sound attack weapons also lacked design refinement that made them look cheap. The rotor head was thick, too. As a toy, pretty decent little helicopter. I don't like the sound attack ported weapons, and really felt let-down by this FANG incarnation.


I missed the 25th Anniversary F.A.N.G. I saw one box with it at a time when I was not as well-employed, so I passed, and didn't get one.... now I would kind of like a couple, rather than eventually finding some old '83 models. Anyone have one or more to spare? No pilot required!

On pilots, I dig the Gyro-Vipers for my FANG II's. I had one MAMBA that I found used, but it had a cracked wing at the back. The MAMBA is kind of neat, too. Inter-meshing rotor blades is another neat advanced helicopter design on top of tilt-rotor. Cobra was really on top of things when it came to vertical deployment back in the day (don't forget the Rattler and Hurricane VTOL!!). With the large size, my MAMBA left years ago. The Gyro vipers are suited up well for open cockpit flight, though, and the helmets and purple-ish should pads help them visually fit into the FANG II for me. I think the name fits, too, unlike a simple helicopter, the Gyro Viper would have to be a very skilled pilot to fly any non-standard craft. Especially one that will have blades spinning just a short ways from their pilots body, not to mention four close rocket launches!

I was hoping to see some kind of new FANG coming out at some point, but what would be the "next thing?"

I was thinking an inter-meshing single-seater, myself.

That one isn't too bad, this one is more mechanical looking.