Well, it’s still a mystery, for the most part. Folks are still suspecting that Fun Publications’ license with Hasbro will expire (and not be renewed) at the end of 2016. So far we have neither seen nor heard anything to contradict this.
Over on the GIJoeClub Message Board, a thread has opened up with an inquiry into this, but still no information is imminent.
At this point the most succinct reply is to “Check the January newsletter” for more information on their membership plans. This does continue to sound ominous, however, there is also a post on the forum there that mentions 2016 Club members being eligible to purchase FSS 5.0. That, of course, begs the question… will there be an FSS 5.0 if the license expires in 2016?
Perhaps Fun Publications will just not be able to hold a convention, yet can still produce product? Or if they launch FSS 5.0 within the 2016 calendar year, does that still fall within their license period?
Still many more questions than answers, though it sounds like once the January newsletter hits, we should get at least some information and some idea of what’s to come.
One thing is clear, and it was especially evident as I ran down my list of Top 10 figures for 2015, from a product standpoint, the Club going away would be unfortunate. There was some great figures released through the FSS and Convention in 2015, and with the G.I. Joe fandom especially grasping for any crumbs, this seems like a bad time to take away whatever morsels we might get.
Stay tuned.
I think we need to remember the club gets all thirteen figures at once from china when they do an fss. So they may only have to get them produced by year end and just ship them all at once. Sounds good to me!
It kind of makes sense now with the clearancing of all the Club’s back-stock over the past 2 years. My feeling is that is not a coincidence.
This may have been a dream I had but I thought I read not more than a year ago that the Club was going to produce ARAH figures exclusively. I took that to mean we would continue getting our vintage rehashes through the FSS and any Hasbro offering would be new-ish figures. I don’t know why the FSS would just cease to exist so soon after such an announcement. I could have misread, misinterpreted, or dreamed the whole thing. Or maybe I just don’t understand how the licensing works between the Club and Hasbro. Somebody shed some light.
I say good riddance. Any figure they make and sell for $25 or more is one we’re not going to get at retail for $10.
Except if Hasbro has plans to make a figure, they will not let the Club make it. Hasbro also has the right to make a figure after the Club any way, since Hasbro has the rights.
Most every figure the Club makes was never going to be sold at retail, because Hasbro did not think they had a big enough market.
Not necessarily. Hasbro let the club produce 2 different version of Hit & Run, and still put out their own version as part of the 50th Anniversary line. In many ways the Club has been a crutch for Hasbro for the last few years. Letting them take the infinitive with the line while it died a slow death at retail.
I did write that Hasbro can still produce a figure even after they allow the Club to produce one.
At any rate, the Club making a figure does not in any way prevent Hasbro from making the same (or a version) of that figure, and in most instances the Club producing a figure is a clear sign that Hasbro did not plan on making that figure.
Hasbro might not have had any immediate plans to make this or that figure in the FSS for one reason or another, but plans to do and have changed over the years. Hit & Run was the example I offered of this.
In fact most of the 50th Anniversary toys were action figures Hasbro “did not plan on making” after they were shelved with the early cancellation of the 30th Anniversary line, and might have been relegated to becoming SDCC or Club exclusives if Hasbro didn’t later decide to use those molds for the 50th Anniversary.
I’m not saying that there honestly haven’t been club figures that Hasbro would have been unlikely to make for retail release. But for every Cesspool or Big Bear, there have been figures like Cover Girl or Night Force Falcon who the the Club only got because Hasbro didn’t want to make them at that moment.
Maybe people at the Fun Pub. just want to retire?
January newsletter didn’t really provide any info we didn’t already know.