I’ve been a bit behind the eight ball in the past 24 hours, trying to recuperate from the Toy Fair rush, but a few G.I. Joe related stories have leaked out in that time that I figured I should talk a little bit about.
- Much Maligned Wave 3 Alpha vehicles from the Rise of Cobra have appeared as US Retail. That tail end wave of Alpha vehicles (the Lava Pod, Tiger Claw, Rockslide, and Polar Shark Sub) has appeared sporadically overseas, but has not, to this point, been found at a normal brick and mortar location. The real question at this point, though, is does anyone actually care? Sure, the Polar Shark Sub is pretty neat, but the Volcano Pod is just another cruddy Mole Pod, we’re getting a bad ass new Dusty this fall, and don’t really need a desert themed Rockslide, and many folks have lamented the Leatherneck that comes with the Tiger Claw. When it all comes down to it, I think the time for the Wave 3 Alpha’s has come and gone, and now that we know what’s in the wings, these already seem very “been there, done that, let’s move on”. Still, it must be noted that one was found at Wal-Mart. Take that for what it’s worth.
- The GIJoeClub debuted Flint late night before I left for New York. Kudo’s to Gary for getting the story posted, but being the myopic fanboy that I am, I feel the need to throw my .02 in. My thoughts? I dig it. I’m kind of wondering if the flash is washing out the picture a little bit, because it’s coming across a bit on the bright side, but I’m betting once we see it in person, the colors will be very “Z-Force” like. It’s obvious they made effort to make Flint a tribute to the Z-Force Commander “Skip”, and I’ve got no issues with that whatsoever. I do wish they’d used the Comic Pack head if it were available, though. I’m not quite as giddy about Flint as I was about Black Major and even the Red Torch, but he still looks really cool and stands out amongst other figures. Check out the images right here.
- Though Sideshow Collectibles has become famous in the G.I. Joe community for their fantastic work with the 12″ figures, they are well known around the world for their work in statuary and other high format collectibles, too. And now Sideshow is proud to unveil their latest statue in the world of G.I. Joe, Snake Eyes vs. The Red Ninjas. The pre-order will launch with the newsletter on February 25th, so be prepared!
That covers much of the news while I was on the road. There’s still more to talk about, which I will do in further posts, specifically about G.I. Joe: Cobra II, as well as Toy Fair coverage from other sites that you have to see. Thanks for bearing with me as I was traveling, and hopefully the news and images reached you early and often!