According to the latest copy of the G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club newsletter, there is an actual “Street Date” in place for the debut of the G.I. Joe: The Rise of COBRA action figure line. That date is listed as July 11, 2009. Recently the Marvel figures had a similar date of March 1st, however that ended up being a pretty “fluid” date as many stores released the figures earlier than that date, and there are still many stores who have not yet stocked their shelves (such as every single store in my nearby vicinity. :/ ).
Regardless of the stedfast date, we at least now have an idea of when we should be expecting these to hit retail. One item of note, the M.A.R.S. Industries 3-Pack with the Officer and 2 Troopers are a “preview” item and will hit retail before then, most likely in May.
Thanks to madmac of the JoeBattleLines forums for this information!