Store exclusives are not typically shown at Toy Fair, so it wasn’t really a surprise that we didn’t see much there, but there were questions asked, and by the sounds of the answers, vintage fans may have something to really look forward to throughout 2010.
First and foremost, the SDCC Exclusive Sgt. Slaughter!  No images were shown, but comments from the Hasbro rep confirmed that he would contain all new tooling, and the mail away deco (with the USA on his shirt and plain green outfit) would be the primary release, while the version that piloted the TTT (with the black tank top and camouflage pants) would be the “variant”.  It was not specifically stated how rare it would be, but they did assure us that we shouldn’t be worried about another Gold-Headed Destro.
But that’s not all for the vintage fans…  according to Hasbro reps, a lot of the store exclusives through 2010 will call back to the past, and will have some strong 25^th Anniversary influences.  They understand and appreciate the rich history and culture of G.I. Joe, and plan to pay tribute to that by giving us some great vintage homages sprinkled throughout some store exclusives in 2010.  In fact, I mentioned two names specifically, Low Light and Dial Tone, and while the Hasbro rep would not confirm anything, he did smirk in a way that makes me think that they know what many collectors are looking for, and are hoping to take advantage of a non-movie year to deliver something in several different styles from several different eras, if you catch my drift.
Now it’s a non movie year, so of course, we won’t see a ton of product exclusive on store shelves, but it sounds like what we do see will make the old schoolers pretty happy.  More information at JoeCon, I’m sure.