G.I. Joe: Building a Real H.I.S.S. Tank

The Cobra H.I.S.S. Tank is one of the most iconic pieces of gear from the ‘80s G.I. Joe universe and the filmmakers wanted to create a real-life version for the G.I. Joe: Retaliation movie. In this clip from the upcoming Blu-ray release, director Jon M. Chu and Hasbro’s Brian Goldner talk about designing and building the High Speed Sentry vehicle.


The movie got an early digital release: you can download it now from iTunesAmazon Instant Video, Google Play, Vudu or directly from Paramount. The DVD and Blu-ray are out July 30th. Come back next week for a full review.



  1. psywar7 says:

    I kind of like the idea of an elevating turret. It eliminates the need to expose the hull when firing from a hide/down position. You could also fire over buildings.

    • Pete says:

      If you arent with the turret it would need to automatically reload. This function could still then break. That makes the idea a little ineffective in true combat unless they get it really simple, sturdy, and reliable.

      • Zephyr Rayne says:

        The current British tank “Justice” has an auto reload, and though it has been fielded for at least 12 years there is not a single reported breakdown of the loading or firing mechanism. Aside from that, as the turret can lower it would be easy to nest it and load a repair tech into it should a problem arise in battle, as the would do if the turret didn’t rise.

      • JasonBourne says:

        With the congress and white house we have right now…never happen!!

      • guest says:

        with the president we have right now…

      • Guest says:

        Better have Russia build it then.

      • ThePhantomCritic says:

        Fuck that… I say rip-off Syria with a “Loan” then build it, then invade their asses with it… XD!!!

    • TankCommander says:

      That is what Hull defilade is for.….

  2. mysticvirgo67 says:

    Like the idea of the raised turret as well, for same reasons as Psywar7 .. ultimate in hull down double as sentry towers and such. Would not be surprised if Pentagon does’t come looking at the concept

  3. Caleb says:

    They need my help. I could improve that to be even more useful. Let me start thinking.

  4. phil messina says:

    Great idea but highly impractical. For starters the main gun rounds, coax and .50 cal ammo are in the hull behind the gunner/loader. How do you load the main gun, coax or .50 cal mg with the turret elevated, with ammo still in the hull. The other pertinent and deadly probably is once the turret is elevated how do you protect the crew of 4 from attack since now there is a huge opening in the hull where the turret should be! Cool for Hollywood…bad for us tankers!

    • Lewis says:

      The guns are operated from the base through a wired/wireless connection to the turrets, quite simple actually. And as for loading the MG’s the ammo can be loaded through the supports of the turret.

    • Tery says:

      lol But it looks good on paper!!!! lmao

    • Komitadjie says:

      Concur, ammunition supply will become a large issue, as well as having a significantly larger number of systems to be serviced and break down under combat conditions. Could see ammunition stowage being entirely contained within the “box” structure below the elevated turret, but that still leaves the issue of resupplying the ammunition once it’s depleted, unless the entire box is removed and replaced as a unit… Plus, no chance of blow-off panels if it’s buried inside the vehicle like that. A mine that penetrates the ventral armour would likely detonate the stowage, and with no blast doors and blow-off panels to throw the overpressure out of the turret…

      Cool on paper, and looks neat as hell… but probably not all that great an idea for a MBT. Now, perhaps, as an IFV or something like that where the elevating turret would provide a much better line of sight, and the primary weapon could be a Bushmaster or something like that with ammunition that is already well-suited for remote feed, that could be a different story.

  5. roland says:

    I will not be surprise if this becomes the army’s future project.

  6. @BruceAWel says:

    One advantage to elevation, it could articulate to 90 and be an effective AAA system

  7. Mike F says:

    With modern anti tank systems armor has become more of a secondary concern to mobility and firepower. This sytem could work well if it used rail gun tech for the main gun, then ammo stowage for the 30mm Cannon. This way it could use smaller flechette’s moving at high velocity wich SHOULD reduce the size of auto loading equipment, the power source would be in the hull of the tank and the power sent up through flex conduit in the “arms”.

    • Komitadjie says:

      Recoil from the primary armament would become a significant issue with this kind of design. Making it a KEW at absurd velocities would make that a LOT worse.

  8. Ptolemy says:

    with the turret raised, munitions would hit the turret from above, ie a javelin that would allow the hull to beat a hasty retreat to refit. i see a modular configuration to be useful here. That is where it is all going right? modular?

  9. topofthechain says:

    With the turret firing from that elevated position, the recoil would act on the support arms and cause the tank to flip over.

  10. capdoc6869 says:

    Why not make it an auto side loading recoilless rifle with HE, Fleshette, and long range super RPGs with quad 30mm cannons firing depleated u?

  11. Hipshot says:

    Would likely be used almost exclusively in the nested configuration but the ability to rise over cover could be a game-changer in urban fighting. If it were able to articulate fully forward, it could look around corners before exposing the hull. Main gun would have to be something special with a low recoil.

  12. JJB says:

    any one making an RC verison?