Laser Viper began his career in Cobra as their chief civilian laser technology contractor. It was only when one of G.I.Joe's missions brought them into Seattle Washington, his home town. The bomb they detonated there destroyed four city blocks, including the block he was raised on, and the home he grew up in. It was that day he sent out a request form asking for acceptance into the Army Officer's training program, which was accepted. Cobra Commander was stunned when the orders were sent to him for Laser Viper to be transferred to West Point, and he immediately requested the transfer of his prize researcher back into Cobra upon his graduation. When Laser Viper graduated from Officer School, he was placed back into the Cobra labs.

It was then that he made a deal with Cobra Commander. He would continue his work in the lab, but only if he could field test his own designs in combat situations. Cobra Commander agreed, so long as he would accept further training from the other Cobra members. They shook on it, and that was that. Since then, he has excelled in his studies from specialists such as Firefly and Destro. While Laser Viper is the least field-tested of the Cobra ranks, he works twice as hard in his duties on and off the field. He chose the code name Laser Viper, and redecorated his new uniform in patriotic American red and blue and began joining Cobra on missions against the Joes. Since then, Cobra Commander hasn't had the opportunity to regret his decision, as he's been a model soldier who can dish out as much on the field as he can solve problems in the research lab.

"Laser Viper is the greenest Cobra operative I have ever witnessed in this unit. That said, he's also one of the most patriotic, smartest, and picks up on everything the rest of my men teach him as if it were his first instinct. If that were all I could say about him, I would be pleased. However, his research is second only to M.A.R.S. labs, which makes him a valuable asset of Cobra." From Cobra Commander's personal logs.

Laser Viper was a test of my skills, to be sure. My Dremel was put to the test, as was my ability to hold my hands steady. Overall, I think it came out looking pretty good. I had to widen the shoulder joints on the torso, and add plastic card to the interior of them in order to have a good fit for the clone upper arms. I also had to carve out and Dremel a notch in the chest for the armor plate to fit into more naturally. This also led to me having to fill in some holes made by that process with scrap plastic from a spare JvC neckball. The finished product is sturdy and strong.

The clone arms were separated at the elbows using the boil and pop method. Then, I used the same method on a set of VvV Gung Ho arms. I did this and combined the parts I wanted because I thought the Clone lower arms were too scrawny for the uppers, and the Gung Ho lowers made them look more uniform in size.

On the lower legs, I felt that the feet were too small to support the beefier upper body of the figure, so I cut them off. I then used a round bit in my Dremel in order to hollow out the ankles enough to fit the clone feet in. This also allowed for some extra articulation and a more armored look to the boots. The best thing, though, is the fact that the figure will now stand on its own, which was the original goal. The rest was just a bonus.

I wanted to create a nod to the Laser Viper v2 somehow, since that is my favorite version of it. The removable mask was made by hollowing out a Croc Master head, then cutting the mask section out and using part of the head in order to create a strap around the back to hold it in position. I thought the mask was the best part of the v2 Laser Viper so it was a MUST for my version. A nod to the v1 was also needed. I think I achieved that by adding a mine from a Gundam figure to the chest plate. The mine, on this figure, represents one half of the two stage battery for its laser components. Another of the mines has been located on the back of the figure, and the wire runs from the first battery to the second, then to whichever device the Laser Viper is using.

Since I am so enamored by the v2, I decided to go with a crimson and blue paint scheme, with a little silver to mix it up. Since I didn't want him to show up on the battlefield like a Christmas tree, I muted both colors by washing them with black. All pretty simple, and it evens out the paint and makes it appear smother than originally applied.

I also decided that he would need a traditional sidearm in case of battery failure during a combat situation. I took the Lady Jaye belt and holsters, cut one off, and used it attached to the Overkill waist. The wire leading from the batteries to the laser equipment was nothing more than a tie from the Jungle Strike Humvee package. I must say, I am quite pleased with the final product, Laser Viper.