Every so often, Sideshow Collectibles posts a Q & A offering some information and insight on their upcoming products…well, this time around, they went one better for G.I. Joe fans, and devoted a special section of their Q & A purely to G.I. Joe related questions.  The information is below, simply click on the Read the Rest of this Entry link.  The entire Q & A can also be read on Sideshow’s site right here.  Thanks to HissCommander of The Terror Drome for the information!

Q: I love your G.I. Joe line and I wanted to know if we’ll be seeing more of Cobra Commander 1/6 or in Premium Format? And if so, will we be seeing a Helmeted version instead of hooded?
A: Most definitely, yes. Cobra Commander will next appear in the Diorama series, along with some of his elite. Yes, we will be offering a helmeted version of Cobra Commander in the future, including a new version in 1:6 scale.
Q: I love the female sculpts. Are there any immediate plans for Scarlett, Baroness or Lady Jaye for the G.I. Joe line?
A: Scarlett, Baroness, and Lady Jaye have all been designed for the 12-inch line, and we’re eager to start them too. Development for these figures isn’t in progress yet – we’re finalizing a few details regarding the base female body first.
Q: Why was the GI Joe Firefly 12-inch figure made so different from the concept artwork we were shown at SDCC? The concept art looked like a great interpretation of the character. A perfect mix of his traditional look and some modern updates. But the actual figure seem completely different. His mask doesn’t even feature the classic camo pattern, and the rest of his clothing is very different from the concept artwork as well. Can we expect any tweaks to this figure between now and production? At the very least a camo pattern to his mask? -AND- I think the upcoming GI Joe Firefly is pretty impressive. But I was wondering why the drastic change from the production art shown at SDCC 2009. Also, PLEASE PLEASE reconsider painting Firefly’s mask camo colors. Keep up the great work, YO JOE! -and- There are many of us wondering if we are going to get a camo head with your current Firefly in the GI Joe 12″ series? If not, will a classic version be issued down the line?
A: Our development team works hard to find a balance between classic Joe designs and modern practical real-world gear so that the 12-inch figures are immediately recognizable as their source characters but feature as much of the gear that a real-world operative of their type might actually use. We did read the feedback to the Firefly figure reveal and do see that many wish that the facemask could be painted in camo colors. We were hesitant to paint it in camo due to production paint limitations, but we are attempting to turn-out a sample with painted camo to see if the effect looks good enough to warrant including a third portrait in the package. Stay tuned – we’ll have an update for you before Firefly ships.
Q: I’m a life long fan of G.I.Joe toys and toon and haven’t been too pleased with the direction the 12″ line has gone. Has there been any thoughts to release core characters with a design based closer to the “real american hero” look? Some of the characters you made have gotten close but then there’s Firefly that goes way off the mark (in my opinion). Also, how hard would it be to use fabric over the sculpts to give it a more convincing appearance, like in Cobra Commander’s hood for example?
A: We’ve addressed the Firefly comment in response above, so please seek your answer regarding that figure there. With regard to your question about using fabric over the sculpts, we also prefer to use real fabric when and where we believe that the final production outcome will have the desired appearance. For instance, the Cobra Troopers feature the fabric facemask in addition to having the sculpted facemask underneath. For characters like hooded Cobra Commander, Firefly, and Beachhead, it seemed likely that their likenesses would be less effective with real fabric masks, because the fabric couldn’t be made to adhere closely enough to the faces to give enough of the anatomy or expression. In those instances, we felt that fully sculpted portraits provided a much more aesthetically desirable effect.