B.A.T. (Python Patrol) — G.I. Joe Classified Series #41

Overview

B.A.T. (Python Patrol) is figure #41 in the G.I. Joe Classified Series — Target exclusive, 2022 at $22.99. It’s the Python Patrol variant of the Wave 7 B.A.T. (#33), using the same tooling in the Python Patrol colour scheme: darker, with the distinctive snake-print/scale pattern that defines the Python Patrol sub-line.

It’s also the first Python Patrol figure in the Classified line, establishing the sub-line’s visual identity at 6” scale and signalling that Hasbro was committed to building out Python Patrol as a parallel Target exclusive programme alongside Tiger Force.

Python Patrol Background

The Python Patrol was a 1989 Cobra sub-team defined by a distinctive scale-pattern colour scheme applied across a range of repainted figures and vehicles. Where Tiger Force used bright stripes, Python Patrol used a darker, more complex surface pattern that referenced snake scales — fitting for Cobra’s reptilian branding. The original Python Patrol included repainted versions of several standard Cobra operatives in the scale-pattern colours.

The Classified Python Patrol follows the same logic: standard Cobra infantry designs in the Python Patrol colour treatment. For army builders, Python Patrol figures provide colour variety without requiring different characters.

The B.A.T. as First Python Patrol

The choice of the B.A.T. as the first Python Patrol figure is interesting — it’s a robotic unit rather than a human operative, which means the Python Patrol colour treatment on the B.A.T. implies a specific operational context: these are android units painted or manufactured in Python Patrol colours for deployment in Python Patrol-designated operations. The logic works within the fiction and gives army builders a visual distinction between standard B.A.T.s (#33) and Python Patrol B.A.T.s (#41).

Accessories

Same interchangeable forearm attachments as the standard B.A.T. — flamethrower and claw/grapple arm options. The tooling reuse means collectors who have #33 know exactly what they’re getting in terms of accessory function; the only variable is the colour treatment.

Building a Python Patrol Display

Python Patrol #41 is the first piece of what became a more extensive Python Patrol display programme in the Classified line. Subsequent Python Patrol releases — Cobra Viper Python Patrol (#42), Python Patrol Officer (#56), Python Patrol Cobra Copperhead (#96), Python Patrol Vypra (#88), Python Crimson Guard (#66) — built a complete Python Patrol Cobra force over 2022–2024. The B.A.T. is the heavy support unit in that display; the Vipers and Officer form the command and infantry structure.

Verdict

B.A.T. Python Patrol #41 is a solid repaint that establishes the Python Patrol sub-line’s visual identity at the Classified scale. The scale-print pattern is well-applied. For Python Patrol collectors, essential. For collectors who only want one B.A.T., the standard Wave 7 version is the better-known design; Python Patrol is the army-builder-variety option.

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Part of G.I. Joe Classified Series | Python Patrol | Target Exclusive 2022. Related: B.A.T. #33 | Cobra Viper (Python Patrol) #42 | Python Patrol Officer #56.

The Python Patrol Aesthetic

The Python Patrol colour scheme works as army builder variety for a specific reason: it’s complex enough to read as genuinely different from the standard Cobra colours at a glance, not just a simple recolour. The scale pattern requires detailed paint application that creates surface visual interest beyond what a flat colour change would deliver. Standing a Python Patrol B.A.T. alongside a standard B.A.T. creates a clear visual distinction that feels like operational differentiation rather than mere palette swapping.

The darker overall tone of the Python Patrol colour treatment also gives these figures a different display register from the brighter standard Cobra figures — Python Patrol reads as a stealth or night operations force, which is a reasonable interpretation given the scale-pattern camouflage logic.

Target Exclusives and Sub-Line Fatigue

By 2022, Hasbro was running three Target exclusive sub-lines simultaneously — Cobra Island, Tiger Force, and Python Patrol — alongside Fan Channel Alpha Commandos and standard retail waves. The volume of exclusive content created genuine fatigue for some collectors who wanted to engage with everything but found the Target drop model consistently frustrating. The Python Patrol B.A.T.’s status as first in its sub-line gave it an importance it might not have had as a later release; it was easy to prioritise as the first piece of a new visual programme rather than a fifth or sixth army builder option.

Secondary Market

Python Patrol B.A.T. #41 has traded at modest secondary market premium — the Target exclusivity and sub-line significance both sustain demand, but the figure itself is a repaint rather than a new tooling, which limits premium ceiling. Secondary prices typically run $28–40.

Android Sub-Lines

The B.A.T.’s presence in both standard retail and Python Patrol versions creates a specific army building consideration: unlike human infantry figures whose individual identities are ambiguous, the B.A.T.s have a clearly defined operational identity as Cobra android units. Having different colour scheme B.A.T.s implies different production batches or operational assignments rather than different individuals — which is exactly how androids should work in a military context.

A display that mixes standard B.A.T.s (#33), Python Patrol B.A.T.s (#41), Crimson B.A.T.s (#60), and eventually Iron Grenadier B.A.T.s (#134) suggests a factory producing multiple android variants for different Cobra operational arms — a visually interesting army builder configuration that human infantry figures can’t replicate with the same narrative logic.

Year Three Summary

B.A.T. Python Patrol #41 arrived near the end of 2022 — the Classified line’s third year. By this point the line had delivered 41 main-line figures plus exclusives across PulseCon, Fan Channel, Target, and Amazon channels. The Python Patrol B.A.T.’s arrival as both the last notable 2022 release and the first Python Patrol figure marked the point where the sub-line programme was fully operational. Year four (2023) would see the sub-line approach reach its most extensive point, with Tiger Force, Python Patrol, Night Force, and standard retail all running simultaneously.