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2003 Characters, Page 5

Click-to-Reveal Profiles for Switch Gears, Heavy Water, Pit Viper, and Agent Faces

Click a code name to show the character's profile.

+ Switch Gears

SWITCH GEARS - equipment for making electrical connections in a system

Char. #350, 187th Joe Team member

Jerome T. Jivoin (American with French or Spanish surname) of Bogota, Colombia.
Bogota is Colombia's capital and largest city (pop. 7,033,914), centrally located in the South American country. Switch Gears is the only character known to be from South America, although the filecard for Python Copperhead (89) speculated that he might be native to the Amazon basin.
Note: The filecards misspell the country Columbia. Jerry Jivoin is Hasbro's Brand Manager.

Grades: E-5: 2003-2004

SNs: 856-44-JT23; 846-44-JT23

1. 2003 (Spy Troops Wave 8)

2. 2004 (VvV Wave 5)

Version 1: 2003 Spy Troops Wave 8 two-pack assortment
Fig. #0774: G. I. JOE Tank Driver	MOS 1: Armored Vehicle Driver [19K] MOS 2: Intelligence Field Operative
	head: Switch Gears (03, 04) arms: Switch Gears (03, 04), Cannonball (05), Copperhead (07, 09) torso: Switch Gears (03, 04) waist: Switch Gears (03, 04) legs: Switch Gears (03, 04)
	Accessories: green helmet (new, with loose chinstrap); red helmet (new, "Over Kill" diguise with grey face mask); dark red breastplate (03 Tunnel Rat's); black fake cannon arm (new, fits over right hand); black carbine/shotgun (02 Ripper's M4)
	SWITCH GEARS can handle anything that has tracks and bogie wheels, especially if it comes equipped with reactive armor and lots of offensive hardware. Although armored vehicles are his main thing, he has no reservations about slipping out of the escape hatch in his COBRA disguise to find out what the opposition is up to. His favorite trick is to stroll into a fortified COBRA position posing as a courier with forged orders to retreat. Although he is a qualified expert with assault rifle and heavy machine gun, SWITCH GEARS would just as soon go one-on-one with any COBRA with his bare knuckles. Solidly built, immensely strong, and blessed with an extremely high pain tolerance (he always refuses Novocaine at the dentist), SWITCH GEARS makes a formidable opponent no matter what the choice of weaponry is. The concept of giving up is totally alien to him. "That karate stuff is too complicated for me. I just keep punching with one hand until it gets tired. Then I switch to the other."
Toy Notes: Carded in a two-pack with Cobra Commander (03/II). Item #55424.

Version 2: 2004 Valor vs. Venom Wave 5 two-pack assortment (Desert Patrol Squad)
Fig. #0934: G. I. JOE Tank Driver	MOS 1: Armored Vehicle Driver MOS 2: Intelligence Field Operative
	head: Switch Gears (03, 04) arms: Switch Gears (03, 04), Cannonball (05), Copperhead (07, 09) torso: Switch Gears (03, 04) waist: Switch Gears (03, 04) legs: Switch Gears (03, 04)
	Accessories: tan helmet (03 Switch Gears's); black battle rifle (03 Flint's XM-29 OICW); black carbine/shotgun (02 Ripper's M4); black communications gauntlet (common for VvV Joes)
	SWITCH GEARS can handle anything that has tracks and bogie wheels. Although armored vehicles are his main thing, he has no reservations about disguising himself in COBRA colors and slipping into the enemy base to find out what the opposition is doing. His favorite trick is to stroll into a fortified COBRA position posing as a courier with forged orders to retreat. Although he is a qualified expert with assault rifle and heavy machine gun, SWITCH GEARS would just as soon go one-on-one with any COBRA with his bare knuckles. Solidly built and immensely strong, SWITCH GEARS makes a formidable opponent no matter what weapon he has. The concept of giving up is totally alien to him. "That karate stuff is too complicated for me. I just keep punching with one hand until it gets tired. Then I switch to the other."
Toy Notes: Carded in a two-pack with Scarlett (04/III). Item #03540.

HEAVY WATER - water with an excess of the isotope deuterium, used as a neutron moderator in nuclear reactors. (Deuterium itself is not radioactive.)

Char. #351, 72nd Cobra troop type

1. 2003 (Spy Troops Wave 8)

2. 2004 (GIJCC)

Version 1: 2003 Spy Troops Wave 8 two-pack assortment
Fig. #0777: COBRA Radiological Weapons Specialists
	head: Heavy Water (03, 04) arms: Heavy Water (03, 04) torso: Heavy Water (03, 04) waist: Heavy Water (03, 04) legs: Heavy Water (03, 04)
	Accessories: grey tubing with blue trim (new, soft plastic attaching to belt); black backpack (new, with six clear green air tubes); black pistol (90 Ambush's grenade launcher); black multi-shot speargun (03 Depth Charge's)
	If it fogs photographic film and makes your shorts glow in the dark, the COBRA HEAVY WATER troopers know what to do with it. The most feared division of the TOXO-VIPER troopers (a.k.a. the "leaky suit brigade"), most of these guys trained at secret facilities in the former Soviet Union. It was there that they worked as repair technicians at power plants and weapons labs of renegade and outlaw states, which were desperate for anyone who seemed to know what he was doing, to come and deal with their leaking reactors and unstable munitions stockpiles. In other words, they were the best at working with the worst. HEAVY WATER suits are composed of lead foil and ultra-dense composites in multiple laminations, with self-contained cooling systems that also serve to theoretically wash away dangerous accumulations of radioactive materials. They slosh when they walk and sound as if they're gargling when they speak, but COBRA troops know enough to step out of their way when they come down the corridor. "Radiation is our friend. Carelessness with shielding is our enemy."—Sign above the HEAVY WATER troopers locker room.
Toy Notes: Carded in a two-pack with Heavy Duty (03). Item #55442.

Version 2: 2004 Collector's Club annual exclusive
Fig. #0845: COBRA Radiological Weapons Specialists
	head: Heavy Water (03, 04) arms: Heavy Water (03, 04) torso: Heavy Water (03, 04) waist: Heavy Water (03, 04) legs: Heavy Water (03, 04)
	Accessories: clear green tubing with black trim (03 Heavy Water's); black backpack (03 Heavy Water's, with clear green air tubes); black multi-shot speargun (03 Depth Charge's); fluorescent yellow-green figure stand
	The COBRA HEAVY WATER troopers are the most feared division of the TOXO-VIPER troopers (a.k.a. the "leaky suit brigade"). These guys were originally trained as repair technicians for power plants and secret weapons labs in the former Soviet Union. However, COBRA COMMANDER is now using their unique radioactive glow to break into government facilities without interference. No soldier would dare confront these troops and risk glowing in the dark themselves! "By the time you see us, it's already too late..."
Toy Notes: Free to paid club members who joined before spring 2004.

PIT VIPER - a subfamily of venomous snakes with heat-sensing pit organs on the sides of their heads.

Char. #352, 73rd Cobra troop type

1. 2003 (Spy Troops Wave 8)

Version 1: 2003 Spy Troops Wave 8 two-pack assortment
Fig. #0779: COBRA Infiltration Trooper
	head: Pit Viper (03, 05) arms: Pit Viper (03, 05) torso: Pit Viper (03, 05) waist: Pit Viper (03, 05) legs: Pit Viper (03, 05)
	Accessories: black belt (new, V-shaped when folded over); two grey machine guns (03 Torpedo's)
	Intensely trained under the most grueling conditions to be sneaky, ruthless, and persistent, PIT VIPER troops are the stealth evasion and infiltration specialists of the COBRA ground forces. Their radar-resistant, magnetically shielded padded uniforms allow them to move silently and undetected even through mine fields and are also efficient in defeating passive thermal detectors. Their helmets contain infrared sensors and fourth generation image intensifiers that provide clear night vision and warnings against trip beams. Their weapons are all suppressed and silenced, firing sub-sonic ammunition. Each weapon is made up mostly of non-metallic parts and is shielded against other means of detection. The PIT VIPER trooper is conditioned to avoid contact for as long as possible to gain the deepest penetration into G.I. JOE defenses, but is capable of fierce and efficient response when fired upon. "Did you ever stare into a dark field at night and imagine that things were moving out there? Well, we PIT VIPER troops are really out there, and we're moving towards you."
Toy Notes: Carded in a two-pack with Night Force Duke (03/II). Item #55452.
Re-releases: Also boxed in 2004 with the Costco-exclusive Battle-in-a-Box.

Version 2: 2005 Valor vs. Venom Wave 7 boxed HISS vehicle
Fig. #1031: COBRA Infiltration Trooper
	head: Pit Viper (03, 05) arms: Pit Viper (03, 05) torso: Pit Viper (03, 05) waist: Pit Viper (03, 05) legs: Pit Viper (03, 05)
	Accessories: silver belt (03 Pit Viper's)
	Intensely trained under the most grueling conditions to be sneaky, ruthless, and persistent, PIT VIPER troops are the stealth, evasion, and infiltration specialists of the COBRA ground forces. Their radar-resistant, magnetically shielded and padded uniforms allow them to move silently and undetected even through mine fields and can also defeat passive thermal detectors. Their helmets contain infrared sensors and fourth generation image intensifiers that provide clear night vision and warnings against trip beams. Their weapons are all suppressed and silenced, firing sub-sonic ammunition. Each weapon is made up mostly of non-metallic parts and is shielded against other means of detection. The PIT VIPER trooper is conditioned to avoid contact for as long as possible to gain the deepest penetration into G.I. JOE defenses, but is capable of fierce and efficient response when fired upon. "Did you ever stare into a dark field at night and imagine that things were moving out there? Well, we PIT VIPER troops are really out there, and we're moving towards you."
Toy Notes: Item #02408.

AGENT FACES - front part of the head from chin to forehead and hair; an identity.

Char. 353, 188th Joe Team member

Michelino J. Paolino (American with Italian surname) of Parma, OH.
Parma, on I-71, is Cleveland's largest suburb (pop. 80,009). Known as one of the safest mid-sized cities in the US, it housed Nike misiles during the Cold War.
Note Michelino Paolino is one of Hasbro's design directors for G. I. Joe.

Grades: E-4: 2003

SNs: 783-78-MJ41

1. 2003/I (Spy Troops Wave 8)

2. 2003/II (Mail)

Version 1: 2003 Spy Troops Wave 8 two-pack assortment (03/I)
Fig. #0784: Infiltrator	MOS 1: Intelligence MOS 2: Language Instructor
	head: Agent Faces (03/I) arms: Agent Faces (03/I) torso: Agent Faces (03/I) waist: Agent Faces (03/I) legs: Agent Faces (03/I)
	Accessories: face mask (new, "Tomax" disguise); face mask (new, "Dr. Mindbender" diguise); black duffelbag (shared with Zartan, large with silver buckles) and detachable strap; black pistol (03 Black Out's Desert Eagle); black personal defense weapon (03 CLAWS Commander's CBJ-MS)
	Born with a natural talent for mimicry, AGENT FACES amused his fellow recruits during basic training with his uncanny imitations of the drill sergeants and company cadre. He was doing a brutally accurate impression of the First Sergeant, when that self-same top-kick caught him in the act. Instead of drawing punishment duty, AGENT FACES found himself before an evaluation board and was summarily whisked off to a top-secret intelligence school where they taught him how to sculpt life-like masks, apply make-up, and generally transform himself into whoever he wanted to be. Other infiltrators need a long time to study their subject before they can assume their identities. AGENT FACES needs only a few minutes to become the subject. Being a qualified expert with pistol and commando knife comes in handy if COBRA sees through his deception, but that is rarely the case. His many impersonations have gained the team much valuable information on the enemy—as well as extra leave time when he has impersonated DUKE and signed his own leave request form. "I'm only successful if I'm undetected. Even if I do get caught out, I can still remain undercover as long as I beat the Cobra who caught me to the draw—and that's a given."
Toy Notes: Carded in a two-pack with Zartan (03/II). Item #55455.

Version 2: 2003 special mail-order (03/II)
Fig. #0790: Infiltrator	MOS 1: Intelligence MOS 2: Language Instructor
	head: Duke (92, 01), Agent Faces (03/II, modified) arms: Agent Faces (03/II), Crimson Guard (04/I, 04/II, 04/III, 05/I), Crimson Shadow Guard (05); upper arms only: Duke (92, 01), Leatherneck (01), Sgt. Stalker (04/III); lower arms only: Shockwave (92), Sure Fire (01, 02), Bullhorn (08) torso: Crimson Guard (85, 89, 04/I, 04/II, 04/III, 05/I), Agent Faces (03/II), Crimson Shadow Guard (05) waist: Crimson Guard (85, 89, 04/I, 04/II, 04/III, 05/I), Agent Faces (03/II), Crimson Shadow Guard (05) legs: Crimson Guard (85, 89, 04/I, 04/II, 04/III, 05/I), Agent Faces (03/II), Crimson Shadow Guard (05)
	Accessories: red helmet (new, "Crimson Guard" disguise with black faceplate); black shotgun (03 Destro's SPAS-12)
	Born with a natural talent for mimicry, AGENT FACES amused his fellow recruits during basic training with his uncanny imitations of the drill sergeants and company cadre. He was doing a brutally accurate impression of the first sergeant, when that self-same top-kick caught him in the act. Instead of drawing punishment duty, AGENT FACES found himself before an evaluation board and was whisked off to a top-secret intelligence school where they taught him to sculpt masks, apply makeup, and change himself into whoever he wanted to be. Disguised as a COBRA CRIMSON GUARD, he infiltrated Cobra Mountain as part of a daring mission, working with SHIPWRECK to open the mountain's hangar doors and allow the rest of the G.I. JOE team to storm the stronghold. "I'm only successful if I'm undetected. Even if I do get caught out, I can still remain undercover as long as I beat the COBRA who caught me to the draw—and that's a given."
Toy Notes: Available from Hasbro Direct.

Character Contributions

Switch Gears

G.I. Joe Tank Driver
Armored Vehicle Driver: operates armored vehicles in combat and training exercises. Has special knowledge of tank-launched and tank-mounted weapons.
Intelligence Field Operative

Heavy Water

Cobra Radiological Weapons Specialists

Cobra Infiltration Trooper

Agent Faces

Infiltrator
Intelligence
Language Instructor

Continue to 2004 Characters, Page 1 (Hi-Tech, Sand Scorpion, Razorclaw, and Alley Viper II)

Go back to 2003 Characters, Page 4 (Red Spot, Kamakura, Wide Scope, Rampage, and Hollow Point)

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