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It’s probably a bit early to go over this already, considering several sites still haven’t posted their responses, but I did update my Q & A page with all of the replies so far…and as I said with my own answers, Hasbro’s candor was refreshing this time around.  Sure, there was a healthy dose of market-talk and beating around the bush, but we actually found some good stuff out as well!  These are the highlights that I’ve found on my quick perusal on a Friday night…  hit the “Read the Rest of this Entry” link below to get my thoughts on some of the more relevant information from this round…

  • Figures.com :  “As we move into The Pursuit of Cobra theme we will have new non-actor head sculpts.”

Wow.  That’s…  surprising and a pretty big development.  Obviously the early samples we’ve seen so far of the Pursuit of Cobra toys have clearly had the actor head sculpts on them, so it sounds like final release items will look at least somewhat different.  That would certainly explain the delays in production, and would also tie into the idea that perhaps they are trying to separate themselves a bit from the Rise of Cobra universe.  Be interesting to see what comes up at Toy Fair…regardless, it sounds like at least the heads will look quite a bit different.

  • YoJoe.com: (In reply to a question about vintage era Joe designs)…  “We think you’ll like what you see at Toy Fair…”

What that says to me?  Look for more potential classic look tie ins throughout 2010 releases.  Maybe I’m looking too deep into it, but I would be shocked if we didn’t see some stuff that reminded us more of the “good old days” sprinkled throughout the 2010 offerings.  Let’s all admit it, the Rise of Cobra had a distinctive style that didn’t always lend itself to vintage homages, but as we grow further from the film, perhaps more of that stuff can be expected?

  • ToyNewsI: “We have a new Storm Rider and Doom Cycle vehicle coming up in the Pursuit of Cobra line.”

Well, hot damn.  Sounds like we now have an answer and a name for the mystery bike and rider.  Sweet!

  • JoeReloaded.com: “…we are currently taking the brand in a direction that does not take the Devil’s Due story into account.”

Interesting…  sounds like with issue #155 1/2 they’re letting IDW take the reigns and separate the continuity from where Devils’ Due took over.  A decision that may elate some fans, but drive other fans even battier.  Not sure where I stand on it.  As time has gone on, I’ve grown less and less faithfully attached to one particular continuity.  I hold a strong love for the original Marvel universe, and consider that canon, but at this point, with the new sculpt CGI films, the Rise of Cobra movie, G.I. Joe: Resolute, and the IDW titles, it’s obvious that there is no longer one cohesive G.I. Joe universe, and fans will have to get creative to unify them in their head, or simply pick and choose the one they want.  Certain to tick folks off (understandably) but I’m not really sure any other way around it at this point in time.

  • Kastor’s Korner: “We will not be releasing any new exclusive ‘Then and Now’ packs for 2010”

As much as I’d love to see o-ring figures back on shelves, from the looks of the early samples, there wasn’t much to love there, so I think I’ll get over it.  In fact, I’m almost happy, because I don’t think they would have sold, and honestly I think the vintage stuff deserves better.

  • HissTank.com: “Operation H.I.S.S. is the name of a web based/online animation series launching on www.GIJOE.COM early this year. We are planning between 5-10 episodes for 2010 and each are several minutes long.”

Wait… what?  Damn!  This is news…and cool news (I think).  I’m pretty sure everyone has heard about IDW’s “Operation HISS” that is supposedly based on the Rise of Cobra universe, but I don’t think anyone had heard about a web-based animated series for it.  Especially not EARLY in the year for 2010.  Rock on.  One must wonder if this is going to be something purely done for kids, or if we dare hope for a series a bit more mature and “Resolute” like in nature?  Most likely somewhere in between.  Regardless, I get all giddy when it comes to seeing G.I. Joe in action, whether it’s a movie or cartoon, so this is rocking my world.  Love these little surprises.
Of course, Hasbro confirmed numerous times that the Pursuit of Cobra would indeed get pushed back until late 2010, and that a line of exclusives would take some space in the beginning of the year (you heard it here first…  😉 ).  They also made confirmation of a packaging change, and mentioned that would be revealed shortly as well.
All in all, a much better, more thorough Q & A session.   Maybe this marks a slight change in philosophy for 2010.  If so, I welcome it, and look forward to Toy Fair in less than a month.  Bring it on!