COBRA Rattler
Encyclopedia
The Cobra Rattler is a fictional VTOL
attack aircraft from the universe of G.I. Joe
.
, it originally appeared in 1984 as the primary attack plane of the terrorist Cobra Organization
. The toy came with a mercenary Cobra pilot codenamed "Wild Weasel
" and was intended as Cobra's answer to the "G.I. Joe Skystriker
," which had been added to the toyline a year earlier (which was itself a virtual copy of the USN F-14 Tomcat
-- the Skystriker was designated as an "XP-14F").
As mentioned, the Cobra Rattler was clearly based on the A-10 Thunderbolt II. Primary modifications included moving the A-10's fuselage-mounted engines to the wings (in order to facilitate a VTOL system in which the Rattler's wings pivoted on their axis to redirect engine exhaust downwards), the addition of a third engine, mounted on the back of the plane between the vertical tail stabilizers, and the addition of a dorsal-mounted, manned gun turret.
Although ostensibly remaining a ground-attack aircraft like the A-10, in both the cartoon and comic book the Rattler was often depicted more as a fighter. This was undoubtedly due in part to the lack of a more appropriate Cobra fighter being produced by Hasbro
early on in the toyline; however, it was also likely due to the rivalry, depicted in both the comic book and cartoons, between the Rattler pilot "Wild Weasel" and the Skystriker pilot "Ace". Regardless, the plane would become Cobra's primary aircraft throughout most of the original cartoons and comic books, and indeed perhaps one of the most iconic and well-remembered models from the toyline.
The original toy version of the Cobra Rattler came armed with dorsal-mounted dual machine guns turret, a nose-mounted anti-tank gatling gun
, four air-to-air missiles, two large anti-tank bombs, two anti-tank bombs with detachable warheads, and two bomb racks with three bombs each.
" and "General Hawk
"), and once again in 2002 as the "Cobra Rattler" with pilot "Wild Weasel". Each new version has included a new paint job and new pilots. The 2002 model also included slight modifications to include electronic sound.
Also, the "Rattler" name has also been used for a 1998 repaint of the Cobra "Stinger" Jeep.
. It is shot down by Duke
and Roadblock
before anyone is hurt. The pilot is killed; the plane crashes into an open field.
The rivalry between Wild Weasel
and Ace began with one of the Rattler's earliest appearances in the Marvel Comics
series, issue #34 ("Shake Down!"), when Wild Weasel ambushes Ace, initiating a dog fight over suburban New Jersey.
Wild Weasel and a Techno-Viper fly patrol in a Rattler during the conflict surrounding the fictional country of Benzheen. They attempt to shoot down the Joe pilot Ghostrider but are themselves shot down by Rampart and Backblast. Both pilots survive.
ship Ark was discovered by the terrorist Cobra organization. All the Transformers inside were formatted into Cobra vehicles and were to be remotely controlled by the Televipers, Cobra soldiers proficient in communication systems. The Decepticons Skywarp
and Thundercracker
were given the alternate modes of Rattler
jets.
In 'An Eye For An Eye', the crash of a Rattler directly results in a civilian's rampage against Cobra.
'Excalibur'; a damaged Rattler, being piloted by Storm Shadow
, sinks and lands several feet away from King Arthur's legendary sword.
VTOL
A vertical take-off and landing aircraft is one that can hover, take off and land vertically. This classification includes fixed-wing aircraft as well as helicopters and other aircraft with powered rotors, such as cyclogyros/cyclocopters and tiltrotors...
attack aircraft from the universe of G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...
.
Original version
Inspired by the USAF A-10 Thunderbolt IIA-10 Thunderbolt II
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
, it originally appeared in 1984 as the primary attack plane of the terrorist Cobra Organization
Cobra Organization
Cobra Command, commonly referred to as Cobra, is the fictional nemesis of the G.I. Joe team in the Hasbro action figure toylines G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and G.I. Joe: Sigma 6, as well as their related media....
. The toy came with a mercenary Cobra pilot codenamed "Wild Weasel
Wild Weasel (G.I. Joe)
Wild Weasel is a fictional character appearing in the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series and comic-books. He is a member of Cobra and pilot of the Cobra Rattler...
" and was intended as Cobra's answer to the "G.I. Joe Skystriker
Skystriker
In the fictional world of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Skystriker refers to two things: a jet fighter and a character.-Toys:The Skystriker XP-14F is a variable wing fighter aircraft, which first appeared in the 1983 edition of the hit cartoon series and toyline...
," which had been added to the toyline a year earlier (which was itself a virtual copy of the USN F-14 Tomcat
F-14 Tomcat
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental program following the collapse of the F-111B project...
-- the Skystriker was designated as an "XP-14F").
As mentioned, the Cobra Rattler was clearly based on the A-10 Thunderbolt II. Primary modifications included moving the A-10's fuselage-mounted engines to the wings (in order to facilitate a VTOL system in which the Rattler's wings pivoted on their axis to redirect engine exhaust downwards), the addition of a third engine, mounted on the back of the plane between the vertical tail stabilizers, and the addition of a dorsal-mounted, manned gun turret.
Although ostensibly remaining a ground-attack aircraft like the A-10, in both the cartoon and comic book the Rattler was often depicted more as a fighter. This was undoubtedly due in part to the lack of a more appropriate Cobra fighter being produced by Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
early on in the toyline; however, it was also likely due to the rivalry, depicted in both the comic book and cartoons, between the Rattler pilot "Wild Weasel" and the Skystriker pilot "Ace". Regardless, the plane would become Cobra's primary aircraft throughout most of the original cartoons and comic books, and indeed perhaps one of the most iconic and well-remembered models from the toyline.
The original toy version of the Cobra Rattler came armed with dorsal-mounted dual machine guns turret, a nose-mounted anti-tank gatling gun
Gatling gun
The Gatling gun is one of the best known early rapid-fire weapons and a forerunner of the modern machine gun. It is well known for its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s, which was the first time it was employed in combat...
, four air-to-air missiles, two large anti-tank bombs, two anti-tank bombs with detachable warheads, and two bomb racks with three bombs each.
Other versions
The mold used for the Cobra Rattler was reused in 1988 to make the "Tiger Rat" as part of the G.I. Joe special missions force "Tiger Force" (with pilot "Skystriker"). In 1997, it was released again as the "A-10 Thunderbolt" (with pilots "AceAce (G.I. Joe)
Ace is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's original fighter pilot and debuted in 1983.-Profile:...
" and "General Hawk
Hawk (G.I. Joe)
Hawk is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line of military-themed toys. He appears in the animated series, comic books, toyline, and movie.-Profile:...
"), and once again in 2002 as the "Cobra Rattler" with pilot "Wild Weasel". Each new version has included a new paint job and new pilots. The 2002 model also included slight modifications to include electronic sound.
Also, the "Rattler" name has also been used for a 1998 repaint of the Cobra "Stinger" Jeep.
Marvel Comics
A Rattler is used to attack the funeral of General FlaggGeneral Flagg
General Flagg is the code name as well as the rank and surname of two fictional characters from the toyline, cartoon and comic series, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero....
. It is shot down by Duke
Duke (G.I. Joe)
Duke is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 lines of military-themed toys. The character is featured in both the animated series and comic books. Duke is portrayed by actor Channing Tatum in the 2009 live-action film, G.I. Joe: The Rise of...
and Roadblock
Roadblock (G.I. Joe)
Roadblock is a character from Hasbro's G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series of toys, comics and cartoons. He is one of the most prominent African-Americans in the series. His primary function in G.I. Joe is as a heavy machine gunner and a secondary function as a cook.-Fictional character...
before anyone is hurt. The pilot is killed; the plane crashes into an open field.
The rivalry between Wild Weasel
Wild Weasel (G.I. Joe)
Wild Weasel is a fictional character appearing in the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series and comic-books. He is a member of Cobra and pilot of the Cobra Rattler...
and Ace began with one of the Rattler's earliest appearances in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
series, issue #34 ("Shake Down!"), when Wild Weasel ambushes Ace, initiating a dog fight over suburban New Jersey.
Wild Weasel and a Techno-Viper fly patrol in a Rattler during the conflict surrounding the fictional country of Benzheen. They attempt to shoot down the Joe pilot Ghostrider but are themselves shot down by Rampart and Backblast. Both pilots survive.
Devil's Due Publishing
In a re-imagining of the Transformers: Generation One story published by Devil's Due, the AutobotAutobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...
ship Ark was discovered by the terrorist Cobra organization. All the Transformers inside were formatted into Cobra vehicles and were to be remotely controlled by the Televipers, Cobra soldiers proficient in communication systems. The Decepticons Skywarp
Skywarp
Skywarp is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers toy line. He is usually depicted as a black or purple Decepticon jet with teleportation powers.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
and Thundercracker
Thundercracker
Thundercracker is the name given to multiple fictional characters in the Transformers universes. Thundercracker is almost always depicted as a blue color Decepticon who turns into a jet fighter.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
were given the alternate modes of Rattler
Rattler
Rattler may refer to:* Any member of the genus Crotalus, a.k.a. rattlesnakes, a group of venomous snakes found throughout the Americas.* Agkistrodon piscivorus, a.k.a. the cottonmouth, a venomous snake also found in North America....
jets.
Cartoon
The Joes' use of a Rattler helps save the fictional Keystone City in 'Cobra Claws Are Coming To Town'.In 'An Eye For An Eye', the crash of a Rattler directly results in a civilian's rampage against Cobra.
'Excalibur'; a damaged Rattler, being piloted by Storm Shadow
Storm Shadow (G.I. Joe)
Storm Shadow is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic book series and television shows. The character is best known for his history with fellow ninja Snake Eyes...
, sinks and lands several feet away from King Arthur's legendary sword.
External links
- Rattler at YOJOE.com