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I echo Mike's statement on the cost, distribution and overall "uniqueness" issues with these sets, but with that being said, I think about my criteria for a good repaint/remake figure.
I need to see a sculpt that has not been seen in 5-10 years (or a mix of different figure parts), unique, character/figure specific accessories, new paint deco that either improves upon the original or puts the figure into a new perspective and, ideally, enhance the details in the sculpt that may have been overlooked in previous incarnations.
Looking at the MOTH sets, this is pretty hard to get everything in place on one particular set of figures. The jungle set put together a neat combo of cobra troops, but the mint and dark green really didn't do a thing to improve Night Viper and it was a slight improvement on Frag-Viper but not enough to make it better-than-the-original, but it DID get the accessories 100% right and that means something to me.
Desert set was neat, but neither figure is better than their previous versions (Flak/Nullifier from the Urban set was hands-down the best use of the Flak Viper tool, and the 2001 Rock Viper was the best use of the Range Viper). Also, the decos used were nearly identical to the Anti-Venom and Desert Patrol sets, and I think we've just had enough tan in the past 10 years.
The only Joes in the set were pretty good and I always appreciate a less Village People looking Shipwreck and I liked the use of the Cutter body along with the new weapons, it was a very "modern Navy" look figure, but Chuckles...looked like a reject from Castaway, all he needed was a volleyball. I never liked the 1991 Heavy Duty figure, it was well details but just too rag-tag and it really only works for Heavy Duty. Still, good use of accessories and tampo stamped details.
The Arctic set was and is my favorite of these sets. Tell me the last time we saw the v1 Snow Serpent? That's right, 1985. I really liked this figure as it had great little details painted like buckles, eyes, goggles, etc and a great gray camouflage added to the white-gray base color. But, accessories...Snow Serpent Commander used that heavy machine gun from the valor vs. venom line and inexplicably a mortar in the place of his rocket launcher - which might I add is an accessory we saw in 2002/2003's main-line. As for the Ice-Viper, what can I say? He's almost identical to the original 87 version, except with a blue baklava and the same printed camouflage as Snow Serpent Commander, so Ice-Viper did zero to improve upon the original but hey, still a decent figure.
Overall, the Arctic set won me over because of the Snow Serpent. It's a great figure, we haven't seen the sculpt in over 20 years and it enhanced the accomplishments of the v1, even if the accessories fell short. Ice-Viper is forgettable but hey, he makes a good second driver in your Cobra Wolf, Ice Saber or Ice Snake.
So, while my vote is for the Arctic set, not one of these figures is worth the $13.00 per-figure price tag. These are all GOOD ARAH figures, don't get me wrong, but not one of these is life-or-death essential to someone's ARAH collection.
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