Bugg

Okay, time to take a look at a piece that some may regard as obscure, but certainly less than the Sea Ray I looked at a little time ago. And it's one of my buddy's faves, so Paul, this one's for you.

Pack shot with the European box. Bought this baby at a CNA in '93. R199.98.

Yes, the Cobra Bugg. Mr Ultimate Guide, Mark Bellomo says on page 119 of his initial Joe book that '[t]he Cobra Bugg is a fascinating vehicle, and one of my favorite Cobra toys.' It appears you are not alone, Paul.

I've seen it said of this vehicle (and I'm quoting from memory as these reviews can no longer be found on the 'net for love or money) 'The Bugg looks like something half finished and facing the wrong direction.' This statement has some truth. When I first started putting mine together (yes kids, vehicles used to be sold unassembled) I thought the front was the back and vice versa. But I was eight years-old and I was building in the dark at five am on Christmas morning, some slack, please. I was also discovered and told to go back to sleep which was impossible at that point. I had been fantasizing about this vehicle all week leading up to the big day. And having now even put a bit of it together, there was no chance in hell I was going to crack a few more hours of sleep. But  after an agonising wait, I was able to complete my Bugg construction and apply the decals (which I got almost right but I refuse to correct them out of nostalgia.)

So, now that you've indulged me on my trip down memory lane, lets talk about the Bugg. What the hell is it? Why is it called 'Bugg'? What is up with the colour scheme?

• The hard sell on the box proclaims that '[t]he swamp around Cobra Island heats up with battle action as the Cobra Bugg repels a G.I. Joe commando raid!'.
• The pilot, Secto Viper's filecard tells us that they are experts in amphibious operations, marine surveillance, shoreline topology and the strengths and weaknesses of all other amphibious landing craft currently used by the armed forces of the world. 

 So it's an amphibious craft, designed for the defence of Cobra Island from amphibious landing and assault. And for this purpose it is quite adequately designed and armed. I assume it's typical operation would be to drive around patrolling the beach or get sneaky by ducking under the surf. It would also be able to operate in shallower, landward waters like rivers and lakes. It can operate like a submarine to a degree thanks to its two gas turbine underwater propulsion units which drive it though the water at a decent pace. One can only assume that they are responsible for steering the craft by applying thrust on the right turbine for a left turn and vice versa. Descent and ascent are handled by the air tank purge ventilators on the hull behind the turbines. 

It is armed with a total of no less than eight .50 calibre machine guns - two single guns on top of the bow, a double gun atop the stern and two double guns underneath the bow. Between them, the craft has excellent coverage of all angles of fire, though I have some question about how they are coordinated which I will get to later. It carries two 'Strike' VT-60 torpedoes and four 'Forked-Tongue' surface-to-air missiles, though the European box confuses the two. I'm gonna go with the blueprints. The Bugg houses two jet-skis beneath the central yellow hatches and those have a pair of projectiles each that are ignored by the box and blueprints. I used to think they were rockets, but given the proximity to the water, I'm going to change my answer to torpedoes. I don't think it likely a rocket would fly straight and true through choppy seas.

Turbine nacelle with a torpedo on the bottom, SAM on side and an Eel on top. Deadly. Suicidal. Cobra! Purge valve is likely behind the slats below the yellow hatch. 

Door mounted SAMs, the hatch storage for the jet/hoverski, and an Eel  riding the other one.

So it's armed to attack ships, landing craft, infantry and even aircraft from a shore or waterborne position. As a surveillance craft it also has a few options. It has a detachable 'hovercraft/submarine pod' which is depicted as being able to fly in the commercial, though I can't figure out how. I guess like the Trubble Bubble, it's best to just accept that it can. More fun that way. And if it was just a submersible its only armament -the dual 'short-throw' .50 calibre machine guns, would have zero use.

Secto Viper. A bootlicking shit who scores points with superiors by busting Cobra personnel who hang out and tan on the beach. And also a sharp dresser with a distinct bumblebee theme and a... goldfish bowl helmet.

Wheeee!

The jetskis would also be able to increase the area being surveilled, but not by much as I doubt they have a great deal of range. Also they are rather small and would topple easily in rougher seas. They too however have been depicted on the box and European catalogue picture as being able to hover on land, so maybe they hover over the surface of the water like Marty's hoverboard in Back To The Future Part II. Interesting to note that a figure can wear the jetski like a backpack, perhaps it was designed to be submersible and power a diver through the water? One may also reason it is like a jetpack, if so, this is one fantastically multi-purpose piece, and also a strain on plausibility.

Most opinions of the Bugg I have encountered find the colour choice odd. I my opinion it works. Neon yellow is an odd choice for a jet intake (see the Phantom X-19, also released in 1988), but for a submersible it works. I think of those expeditionary civilian subs, all decked out in a bright yellow, which also have bulbous canopies for optimal vision. While it might not be the wisest choice for concealment, I doubt there are many who could get the jump on a Bugg given it's abilities. You'd have to be airborne with very good daylight visibility to see a submerged Bugg in the first place. And if you can see a Bugg from the sky in good vis, you better believe the guy sitting in weapons control can see you and is tracking you with a 'Forked Tongue' SAM. Tickets. Also, this is Cobra. There is something undeniably ostentatious about their vehicle designs and colourings. Purple helicopters, white battle armour, ...Trubble Bubbles, need I say more? Armies of the world are sensible and drab, Cobra craft are decked out like First World War fighter aces.

Now for a few criticisms... Starting with something that confuses me. The dual .50 in the rear is clearly operated by the guy standing in the turret. The guns at the bottom of the detachable hovercraft/submarine pod are controlled by the pod co-pilot. One can assume the driver controls the other lower dual guns. Who coordinates the two single top turrets? If it's the guy in the turret, he has some serious blindspots to deal with, including zero degrees forward. Perhaps target acquisition is handled by a central computer that can recognise friend or foe. One can only assume this is the case as to share control of these weapons with the guys up front with the better view can't be a good idea. Sharing who gets to control a big gun is never a good idea. So one guy controls the linked and independent operation of three weapons. Stress!

Next, the SAMs. They are all oriented facing zero forward, which would be fine if this were a fighter jet and could line up the shot along the target's six o'clock. But she is a terrestrial craft, and these missiles need elevation to fire effectively. Maybe I'll mod my Bugg to do this someday. I assume you can launch the missiles from a submerged position, akin to submarine launched ballistic missiles. I do wish she had more than two torpedoes, but if you deploy a Bugg and Hammerhead together, the Hammerhead will have that covered with her 14 (!) torpedoes. Even better when you bring some amphibious air support in the form of the Sea Ray along for the ride.

The Bugg is an amphibious assault craft, but it would have so easily been converted to an amphibious personnel carrier. I really could have done away with the jetski/hoverski/jetpack things. After all, they are basically single stamp, two pieces of maroon plastic and feel a bit cheap. Four troops could have easily occupied that space, and when combined with the two men in the back behind the gunner, you have the same troop compliment as a Warthog but with far more firepower. Sad missed opportunity there.

The troop compliment of the Bugg. In the background: the hardest working weapon control officer  in the Cobra navy.

The front bottom guns at first always seemed odd and useless to me. But the more I think about it, the more I like the idea that the driver and the folks in the detachable sub to be able to squirt some rounds off at closer targets. Even if you hit the dirt, the Bugg will weed you out of cover. The problem is that they reduce the clearance of the Bugg hopelessly so that they snag on anything but the most level terrain. Those weapons would become jammed immediately and would require constant maintenance. In all areas I prefer this toy to the Hammerhead, except in this regard. The Hammerhead has excellent clearance with big tyres that love bumps and jumps; the Bugg will bury its low-slung nose in the smallest sand dune.

Yeah, better stay on the road with that kind of clearance. And keep it under 20km/h. Absurd.

 Last question to answer and then I can take some pictures: why is it called Bugg. Oops, I mean BUGG, tho it's not an acronym for anything, actually. The cool feature of vehicle-specific Cobra sigil designs is absent here. But one doesn't have to look too hard to see the bug imagery. The sloped back end resembles a bug's sloped carapace, folded over the abdomen. Egh, whatever, it's late, I've had a hell of a day, I'm gonna go and mess with my Bugg. Later.