How’s that for a mouthful!
After a somewhat long hiatus from the review game, I’m more than happy to jump back into things with a review for Frankie The Unicorn, the first Mighty Steeds offering from Boss Fight Studio that I’ve gotten my grubby hands on.
As one might expect from the toy wizards at Boss Fight, it’s pretty amazing.
Check out the review here, and you can find it on BossFightShop.com right now!
Available now from BossfightShop.com.
I’m not sure who was looking forward to these more– me or my ten year old daughter.
Thankfully I convinced her to let me play— err… review this one even though it’s been mostly living in her bedroom.
Along with their shipment of the Mighty Steeds Kickstarter figures, Boss Fight Studio also unveiled a surprise Steed – Frankie the Unicorn! I was thrilled to see this, because I realize the Boss Fight crew has several thousand items to gather together and ship from the Kickstarter and any opportunity to get my greedy hands on one of these Mighty Steeds is a good one in my book!
Many folks have been asking about Frankie and how he differs from Sara Francis, which was a Kickstarter exclusive.
Sara Francis and Frankie look very similar on the surface, but Frankie has silver hooves and horn (where Sara Francis has gold) and Frankie has a teal shine over his white coat where Sara Francis is more purple.
But forget all that — how is this Mighty Steed?
Pretty fun, all things considered. Granted I don’t have any tack or any creature kits yet so I can’t speak to some of the cool stuff I’ve been looking forward to like wings, armor, and saddles, and just focus mainly on the base horse itself. To put it simply, this thing is a marvel of engineering.
The sculpting of the horse is simply magnificant with the intricate muscles, veins and even visible underlying skeleture throughout the magestic looking creature. The articulation is subtle, yet exceptionally functional, providing a wealth of posing options that look great standing still or in motion, without the visible joints totally disrupting the flow of the horse’s sculpt.
Even the spot where the lower torso connects to the neck (which is removable so the piece can be added to provide recepticles for wings, etc…) is sculpted almost flush to the rest of the body, providing very little disruption in the look or feel of the creature.
The mane and head all work really well, too, and in the unicorn’s case, the layered horn looks really awesome in either gold or silver.
In Frankie’s case, the paint work is truly exceptional. There’s the immediately evident stuff like the vibrant rainbow mane and tail and more understated silver hooves and horn. But where this creature really shines is the subtle teal overspray which adds some excellent color to an otherwise plain white horse that truly gives the unicorn a more magical look and feel.
Frankie the Unicorn is a spectacular introduction to the Mighty Steeds line from Boss Fight Studio. I find myself even more excited and eager to get my hands on the rest, and I think once I get the tack and creature kits, my love for this new segment will only increase.
Frankie the Unicorn is now on sale on BossFightShop.com and the rest of the Mighty Steeds should be coming along soon. As usual Boss Fight has absolutely knocked this out of the park and I can’t wait to get my hands on more.
Well, technically he’s always been on the roster, but not until you reach Tier 5, which is a veeerrry steep hill to climb (I’m on 3 currently).
Coming to the next event in the G.I. Joe: War on COBRA mobile game is Gung Ho! With Gung Ho on the COBRA side of the fence are the Shrike drones.
I’ve gotta be honest here– I am LOVING this game so far, even though I missed my shot at COBRA Commander a few events back… beyond that small frustration, the events are fun, the character models are great, and it really feels like you’re playing in the G.I. Joe sandbox. I hope to provide a more in depth review some point soon.
If you like what you see, go download the game now!
COMING THIS WEEK TO G.I. JOE: WAR ON COBRA
Don’t miss the Explosive Personality or Shrike Strike events for a chance at Gung Ho or the ALL-NEW Shrike Drones! Complete challenges for even more War on Cobra content like Diamonds, Credits, Cargo Boxes and more!
Events Start: February 28, 2020 @ 2:00 AM UTC
Events End: March 5, 2020 @ 11:59 PM UTC
As I write this, the majority of G.I. Joe related news out of Toy Fair has been reported, with the latest updates from both Jada Toys and Jazwares just pushed through this morning.
G.I. Joe: Classified
Most of us are aware that from the G.I. Joe: Classified 6″ perspective, the only figures we saw were Snake Eyes (Pulse Exclusive), Duke, Roadblock and Scarlett. This was disappointing for most of us, though keep in mind the reveals of Snake Eyes and Duke were both leaked by fan sites, so the Hasbro presentation could have had a lot more oomph if not for that. Below is a gallery of great images courtesy of Chris from The Full Force who was in attendance at Toy Fair reporting on behalf of GeneralsJoes.
You can see some various apparel in the images above, too, which is a cool touch.
Speaking of leaks, while only three figures were revealed from Wave 1 of the G.I. Joe: Classified line, thanks to some enterprising online retailers, we do know that Wave 1 should also have Destro and another Snake Eyes in it, so we should expect to see those figures revealed at some point. Because the tentative release date is June (which is before SDCC) I’d expect to see those revealed hopefully within the next 4 – 6 weeks, though that’s complete conjecture on my part. I know I’m pretty interested to see how the Wave 1 Snake Eyes will differ from the Pulse Exclusive version, and I’m absolutely dying to see what Destro looks like.
The cool thing about a lack of items revealed at Toy Fair is that there’s still a lot to look forward to over the coming months.
Jada Toys
We also learned that Jada Toys has acquired the license to produce die cast vehicles based on the G.I. Joe universe, and in fact the first two vehicles were revealed in the form of a 1:32 scale VAMP and HISS, along with some potential sneak peeks at a VAMP Mark II, Snow Cat and even stuff like a Night Raven, Dragonfly and MOBAT. Craaaaazy.
Thanks to John G. over on the GIJoe Discussion Facebook group for the reveal as well as Chris from The Full Force and website Figures.com.
I just got a lot more excited…
Jazwares
This has been a source of much back-and-forth among the fan community ever since it was first revealed. Chris and I were of the opinion that there was no way Jazwares would be making action figures, but a HISSTank report from the Nuremberg Toy Fair seemed to dispute that.
However, the word from Toy Fair is that Jazwares is indeed making– figures. Sort of.
According to a few reports, Jazwares will be making G.I. Joe “Domez” figures, which are static collectibles encased in transparent plastic domes. See the image of Jonesy below, which is from the Fortnite line, but should give some indication of what we might see on the G.I. Joe side.
I believe that about covers the high points.
Meanwhile, Chris and I jumped on a call first thing this morning to go through the Toy Fair recap, and you can find that News Burst on YouTube and also embedded below.
Thanks as always for following along, Toy Fair is always an exciting time and it certainly looks like there will be no shortage of G.I. Joe toys and licensing news going forward.
None of this is anything we haven’t seen already this weekend, but Hasbro has sent along the official press images and details for the revealed G.I. Joe: Classified figures. You can view them below.
G.I. JOE Classified Series Snake Eyes Deluxe Action Figure (Hasbro Pulse Exclusive)
(Ages 4 and Up/ Approx. Retail Price: $39.99)
The triumphant return of G.I. JOE begins on Hasbro Pulse with exclusive collector’s edition Snake Eyes Deluxe Action Figure, the first time the iconic character has been depicted in 6-inch scale. Snake Eyes is a total mystery, but his unique combination of skill, stealth, Arashikage training, and strength of character make him one of the most elite operatives among the members of G.I. JOE. This Snake Eyes figure features design and accessories inspired by the original 3.75-inch figure released in 1982, nodding to the epic history of Snake Eyes figures that came before while providing exciting updates that bring the G.I. JOE ninja into the modern era. In addition to multiple points of articulation that make it highly poseable, the figure comes with an exclusive Arashikage Ninja Clan-inspired gear storage rack that features premium detailing and can be loaded up with included accessories such as the character’s signature katana, sheath, and multiple other pieces of ninja gear. This Snake Eyes figure also comes in exclusive packaging for Hasbro Pulse, featuring foil effects and original artwork from Tracie Ching and Miq Willmott. Available for pre-order on HasbroPulse.com on February 21, 2020 at 8AM EST.
G.I. JOE Classified Series Duke Action Figure
(Ages 4 and Up / Approx. Retail Price: $19.99 / Available: June 1, 2020)
YO JOE! G.I. JOE explodes into a larger-than-life era with brand new 6-inch scale figures, evolving classic characters fans know and love into a highly articulated 6-inch scale with premium deco and details. The G.I. JOE Classified Series Duke Action Figure features a classic design updated to bring the decorated G.I. JOE operative, a go-to squad leader capable of commanding any type of situation, into the modern era. The figure comes ready for action, with multiple points of articulation making it highly poseable and accessories inspired by the character’s rich history, including Duke’s signature blaster rifle. The G.I. JOE Classified Series Duke collectible package will also make a mark on shelves, featuring display-worthy custom artwork from Francesco Francavilla. For G.I. JOE fans new and old, the G.I. JOE Classified Series line of actions figures captures the pulse-pounding excitement of G.I. JOE in a 6-inch scale. Available at most major toy retailers and for pre-order on HasbroPulse.com on February 22, 2020 at 4PM EST.
G.I. JOE Classified Series Roadblock Action Figure
(Ages 4 and Up / Approx. Retail Price: $19.99 / Available: June 1, 2020)
YO JOE! G.I. JOE explodes into a larger-than-life era with brand new 6-inch scale figures, evolving classic characters fans know and love into a highly articulated 6-inch scale with premium deco and details. The G.I. JOE Classified Series Roadblock Action Figure features a classic design updated to bring the iconic G.I. JOE one-man wrecking crew, a gentle giant with exceptional strength and the courage to face any threat, into the modern era. The figure comes ready for action, with multiple points of articulation making it highly poseable and accessories inspired by the character’s rich history, including a heavy artillery blaster. The G.I. JOE Classified Series Roadblock collectible package will also make a mark on shelves, featuring display-worthy custom artwork from Mike Thompson and Ken Lashley. For G.I. JOE fans new and old, the G.I. JOE Classified Series line of actions figures captures the pulse-pounding excitement of G.I. JOE in a 6-inch scale. Available at most major toy retailers and for pre-order on HasbroPulse.com on February 22, 2020 at 4PM EST.
G.I. JOE Classified Series Scarlett Action Figure
(Ages 4 and Up / Approx. Retail Price: $19.99 / Available: June 1, 2020)
YO JOE! G.I. JOE explodes into a larger-than-life era with brand new 6-inch scale figures, evolving classic characters fans know and love into a highly articulated 6-inch scale with premium deco and details. The G.I. JOE Classified Series Scarlett Action Figure features a classic design updated to bring the iconic G.I. JOE field operative, a competitive martial artist with intelligence levels that are off the charts and a self-styled warrior of justice who’s not afraid to bend the rules to do what’s right, into the modern era. The figure comes ready for action, with multiple points of articulation making it highly poseable and accessories inspired by the character’s rich history, including Scarlett’s signature crossbow. The G.I. JOE Classified Series Scarlett collectible package will also make a mark on shelves, featuring display-worthy custom artwork from Phil Noto. For G.I. JOE fans new and old, the G.I. JOE Classified Series line of actions figures captures the pulse-pounding excitement of G.I. JOE in a 6-inch scale. Available at most major toy retailers and for pre-order on HasbroPulse.com on February 22, 2020 at 4PM EST.