For starters, the green Viper figures look so much more realistic than previous incarnations of the Viper figure. Sure this figure doesn't use the original mold for the waist and legs, but since they 'lost' that, I don't really mind the BAT lower body. The green and grey colors work wonderfully with the figure itself. It's almost as if this guy was made to have these colors, in my eyes. While they aren't your traditional Cobra blue and red, they make him look more like a reallife soldier then the traditional threads do.
Like I said before, he isn't without his faults, though. The figure does, I'll admit, look unfinished. If were Hasbro, I would have gone in and painted the ribbing on the shoulders and the side of the stomach black as well as the top of the boots black. It just makes him look even more like a real soldier. Another problem with this figure is the weapon they gave him. (What is with the weapons Hasbro has been choosing for some of these figures? Sheesh) It looks like the infamous Hasbro team of drunken monkeys spun their famed 'random accessory wheel' to pair these Vipers with the hidious, not mention awful, Baroness rifle. What the hell is this thing? The Viper can't even hold it to save his life, it just falls out of his grasp. It's like the weak magnet Hasbro put on the arm of the Arena Duel Anakin Skywalker AOTC figure (or whatever it's called). It's just not practical.
One more problem with these figures is the head ball joint. When Hasbro reintroduced this mold for the (awesome) Cobra Infantry Team they reinforced the ball with an extra strip of plastic. This, I'm sure, was to help hold the figure better together or something. However, it detracts from his movement. All of these Vipers, unless you modify them with a exacto knife, knife, or other object of the sort, stare at their feet. How is a soldier supposed fight in combat if he can't hold his rifle and he's staring at the ground? Again, just not practical.
Don't get me wrong, no matter how many bad things I can say about the '02 green Viper, I still like the figure very much. All of the now famous parts of the Viper are there, minus of course his waist and legs. The trademark forearm pads, the flack vest with the two grenades, and the, seemingly, oversized helmet with the don't-serve-a-purpose goggles are all on this figure. The color scheme is very nice, like I said. The swirls of gray and green just add so much. Even if I'm alone on this one, I'm happy...I really like the 2002 green Viper....
