Flight Pod

Trubble Bubble.

A jet-propelled one man flying vehicle, the Flight Pod is one of Cobra's most ubiquitous hi-tech vehicles! While it takes an experienced pilot to be at its most effective, the Flight Pod's machine gun, missiles, and high maneuverability make it an extremely dangerous threat in the hands of the right pilot!

While the "Trubble Bubble" with its transparent, semi-open, domed canopy is by far the most common form of Flight Pod, two variants with enclosed cockpits have been observed, one which features a pilot's seat like the standard Flight Pod and another which has the pilot straddle the vehicle instead. The exact differences and between these three versions beyond the ones already stated are unknown.

Fiction

When Snake Eyes and Mainframe began snooping around the Cobra controlled town of Springfield, Illinois, a Viper piloting an enclosed, single-seat Flight Pod was sent in to take care of the nosy enemy agents. The Viper first attempted to mow down Snake Eyes with the Pod's machine gun before firing a missile at the store Mainframe was investigating, followed by more gunfire. The Viper then disembarked to take a closer look and see if he'd gotten the job done. The Betrayers Part 3

Several Trubble Bubble style Flight Pods evacuated Cobra's Section Zero base after Cobra Commander ordered the facility's self-destruct be activated. M.A.S.S. Destruction Part 4

Slice and Dice both made their escape in Flight Pods after killing Snake Eyes' students in Bottineau County, North Dakota. Cobra Civil War #0

Cobra assassin Blacklight piloted a Flight Pod to Panama while tracking G.I. Joe team Bravo. After he was spotted by his targets, Blacklight called his Flight Pod to pilot itself to his location, it's sudden emergence from a bush startling the Joes. With them disoriented and wounded, Blacklight was able to flee in the vehicle. G.I. Joe vol. 2 #1

With the blizzard that was preventing their use clearing up, a fleet of Flight Pods exited the hangar of Vikrim Khallikhan's base within the mountain Xixabangma to attack the two Joes who were taking refuge at the top of the mountain. Snake Eyes #3 Having realized the Cobras were likely to take advantage of this improved weather, Iceburg strapped the frostbitten Alpine to his back and skied down the mountain while the Flight Pods gave him chase. After several Pods were taken out by Alpine's grenade launcher and by Iceburg luring them into collisions with rock formations, the remaining Pods were destroyed after being consumed in an avalanche caused by one of Alpine's grenades. Snake Eyes #4

Flight Pods were used for security purposes at Cobra's Section Five mining facility in Patagonia, several of the vehicles patrolling the surrounding area of the mine. When a pair of prisoners attempted to make a break for it by digging an escape tunnel out of the mine, they were quickly cut off and gunned down by a Cobra trooper in a Flight Pod. Deep Terror, Part 1 Catching a glimpse of the smoke rising from over a hill, a Viper piloted his Flight Pod over to where Mainframe was camped out. After falling for the Joe's trap and getting knocked out, Mainframe donned the Viper's uniform and attempted to fly his Flight Pod but ended up crashing almost immediately. Deep Terror, Part 2 As the Joe's imprisoned in the mine staged an uprising, the mine's warden Urso piloted a Flight Pod deep down into the mine while a team of Vipers followed him by rappelling down ropes. Scarlett would eventually get the drop on one of those Vipers and cut him loose, causing his corpse to fall onto Urso's pod and force it to crash. Deep Terror, Part 3

As Snake Eyes and Rika made their escape from Cobra Commander's mansion in Khamiristan aboard a Moray, several Vipers in Flight Pods chased after them. Though Snake Eyes managed to leap from the boat and kill one of the Flight Pod pilots, another managed to score a fatal hit on Rika. Serpent's Shadow Conclusion

Several Flight Pods patrolled the perimeter of the Palast Dessen Viirenvrost as Cobra Commander toured what was to be his organization's new headquarters. Target: Snake Eyes Part 3 Furious over Baroness' incompetence losing Cobra forty billion euros, Cobra Commander ordered several Vipers to take to the Flight Pods and kill the Baroness as she rode her motorcycle through the Tryolvian countryside. Target: Snake Eyes Part 4

A group of Flight Pods was sent to attack the B.A.T.-enhanced Urso as he rampaged through Castle Destro, eventually making short work of both the pilots and the Pods themselves. Destro Must Die, Part 4

Several years after the fall of Cobra, a new version of the Flight Pod featuring a more enclosed cockpit but left the pilot's legs exposed and had them straddling the vehicle instead of sitting down inside of it patrolled the perimeter of Dr. Verstal Bender's lab. After he was spotted sneaking around the facility Matt Trakker blasted one of the Pods with his Spectrum Mask, causing the pilot to lose control. Grabbing onto the pilot's legs, Matt eventually ended up crashing into Dr. Bender's lab with the pod. The Origin of V.E.N.O.M. Part 1

Notes

Trubble Bubble.

• In the Flight Pod's first appearance it was depicted in a more "realistic" fashion with an enclosed cockpit rather than the original "Trubble Bubble" style Flight Pod of the 80s toyline that would later become standard in the IDW universe. The sixth issue of M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand would later revisit this concept of a more realistic Flight Pod design.
• Trubble Bubble.

External links

• Cobra Flight Pod at YoJoe.com
• Flight Pod at TFWiki.net