Interest in GI Joe has certainly had a resurgence with the 25th Anniversary line of figures. Snake Eyes is by far the most well known Joe and Kyle Robinson created this Custom Marvel Legends Snake Eyes. Wanting more of Ninja style for Snake Eyes, he played down the commando look. He explains in more detail, “I always wanted a Snake Eyes made from a Deadpool base but never had the yarbles to scrap a Deadpool for it. BUT when I got my 3rd DeadPool figure striped/incomplete, I said what the heck. I was going for a more sleek and not too cluttered ninja type snake eyes (not commando style). RECIPE:~ ML Deadpool base figure ~ snake eyes head casted by Black Arachnis and originally sculpted by ME~ Sword and gun also from deadpool ~ Belt from ML cable ~ gun holster from retooled face off punisher and taskmaster strap ~ scabbord is retooled april oneil form TMNT”What is cool about this figure is the prominent Arashikage on his right arm. The Arashikage is the Clan of Ninjas that were part of The G.I. Joe comic book story line. The clan was founded many centuries ago by the Emperor of Japan in order to protect the Jewel of Amaterasu. The jewel allows its owner to control the chi surrounding him. The “map” to the jewel is a kata that only members of the Arashikage ninja clan have access to. Members of the Arashikage clan wore a tattoo on their right forearm, representing the 63rd hexagram of the I Ching. Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow were first shown to have this tattoo in their first battle at the Silent Castle. The weathering on the weapons and armor adds much depth to the figure. The face is also spot on and pays a nice homage to the 1985 version and the comic (as shown above). The darkened grooves on the mask also creates a nice shadowing effect. Deadpool was an excellent choice for the base mold of this Snake Eyes. Often I will see Snake Eyes done in a more skinier base using other Marvel Legends figures but Deadpool compliments the figure nicely as Snake Eyes and the muscles and head look very proportional to each other. the ninja weapons add a nice touch to figure as often he is couched as a Commando with uzi’s and grenades.

Snake Eyes has always been a favorite of the GI Joe line. In every version of the story, Snake Eyes is quiet in his movements and is a swift and deadly master of multiple martial arts. He is an expert in the use of the ninjato, which he usually carries in a pair of sheaths strapped to his back (but often uses only one). He is equally qualified with and willing to use standard weapons like firearms and explosives. Making him even more dangerous is that he has never relied on one set of weapons to the exclusion of others. In keeping with his personality, Snake Eyes usually wears what could perhaps best be described as a black “military ninja” bodysuit, along with a balaclava and visor to cover his face, which was disfigured in a combat-related accident.  Kyle also does commission work so hit him up on his website! To see more picture of Snake Eyes, check out his dedicated page on Kyle’s site!