H.I.S.S. tank
- HISS tanks are Cobra vehicles from the G.I. Joe portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
The Cobra HISS tank is a type of tank. "HISS" stands for "High Speed Sentry".
Fiction
S.T.A.R.S. continuity
Overdrive offered the HISS tank along with various G.I. Joe vehicles and weaponry to members of S.T.A.R.S. for use in their battles against Cobra, oddly enough. Earthlings: THE S.T.A.R.S. need your help now!
Marvel Generation 2 comic
Some of the HISS tanks at Silent Castle were equipped with a new type of rail gun designed by Sidney Biggles-Jones. When Megatron attacked the castle, Sidney Biggles-Jones fetched a tank and blew a hole through Megatron. Impressed with the rail gun's power, Megatron agreed to a deal with Cobra Commander that would get him a new body. Once Megatron was rebuilt, Cobra Commander provided him with three radio-controlled HISS tanks to test the new body's abilities. Megatron destroyed them all in one fell swoop. Realignments
Cobra Commander apparently had brought a few HISS tanks with him when he travelled to Milleville, as they were part of the convoy that would bring the Cybertronian technology acquired from Megatron to a safer location. Hot Spot destroyed them all long before they reached their destination. All or Nothing!
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers
When Cobra unearthed a number of deactivated Transformers, they reprogrammed them and gave them new vehicle modes. Optimus Prime, Ironhide and Ratchet were modified into HISS tanks and utilized during Cobra's first Transformer-aided act of terrorism. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #1 Cobra wasn't satisfied with the way Optimus Prime, HISS-14, functioned and had Doctor Mindbender take a look at it. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2 Thanks to Wheeljack and Bumblebee, the three and all other Transformers were freed from their servitude to Cobra not much later. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4
San Diego Comic Con tech specs
Shockwave cut a deal with Destro and was given a new HISS tank alternate mode, with his astroblaster integrated into it! [1]
Toys
G.I. Joe and the Transformers
- Shockwave H.I.S.S. Tank with two figures & Energon (2012)
- Accessories: Soundwave cassette deck, three "MiniCon Deployers," and energon cubes
- An exclusive release for San Diego Comic-Con 2012, this is a redeco of the 2012 new-mold G.I. Joe: Retaliation HISS tank meant to represent Shockwave, with an additional cannon piece meant to emulate Generation 1 Shockwave's gun barrel. It includes the Cobras James McCullen Destro XXIV and a Battle Android Trooper with a trolley for carrying Energon cubes. Destro's accessories include Soundwave in the form of a non-transforming tape deck, various guns, a suitcase of money, and three micro-casettes capable of being placed within the Soundwave toy. The toy's press release identifies the tapes as Laserbeak, Ravage, and Ratbat, but since all three sport the sculpted details of the original Laserbeak toy and are colored red, gold, and orange they visually appear to be Laserbeak and his redecos Buzzsaw and Sundor, respectively.
- Scarlet vs Zartan & Autobot Powerglide vs Soundwave (Box set, 2016)
- Exclusive to the Hasbro Toy Shop booth at San Diego Comic-Con 2016 and the Hasbro Toy Shop website, Soundwave is a recolor of a 2005 version of the Cobra HISS tank vehicle done up in traditional a Soundwave motif. Exclusive to this release of the vehicle are missile launchers that resemble G1 Soundwave's iconic battery-weapons.
- The set also includes a redeco of an equally non-transforming Cobra Rattler colored as Powerglide and figures of G.I. Joe characters Scarlett and Zartan.
Notes
- Design sketches for the Energon Omnicon Signal Flare show that an early plan was to give him a HISS tank alternate mode.
