by generalsjoes | May 23, 2015 | review-no-frontpage
It can be interesting doing these G.I. Joe Convention Set reviews, because you really do need to take them in chunks. First and foremost, you have to evaluate each individual figure, because there’s intrinsic value in each part of a Convention Set. You may have one or two figures who are the best figures you’ve ever seen that get very high marks, but depending on the rest of the set, it could be seen as a “miss” overall.
I’ll say right up front that I am not, nor have I ever been, a fan of Tiger Force. Even as a kid I couldn’t really get my head around it. I know everyone says that I love bright colors, but that’s not necessarily true. I love stuff like the Mega Marines and Battle Corps IN SPITE OF their bright colors. The tooling and sculpting and characters are just so awesome that I am drawn to them and can ignore the bright hues that detract other folks from loving them.
With Tiger Force, you get the older tooling that’s been seen before combined with bright colors, and the two aspects have left me a bit cold since they first appeared in 1988.
That being said, I know there is a segment of the fandom who loves them, so I don’t fault the Club for going that route. Heaven knows I’ve heard plenty of folks clamoring for more Tiger Force. The Collectors Club also elected to dip back into the Iron Grenadier well for the villains, a decision that some folks deride, and I’ll admit, it disappointed me just a bit as well, as much as I love the Iron Grenadiers. To the Club’s credit, however, they were able to produce some pretty amazing looking figures, even if they did go back to that well for a third time in Convention set history.
Speaking of the Iron Grenadiers, the free attendee vehicle this year, an Iron Grenadier themed Mantis sub from the new sculpt era is a really great vehicle. It’s very reminiscent of Destro’s Despoiler, and I think was a really inspired choice for the attendee freebie. A great item that compliments the set well.
From the Tiger Force side of things, there are items I loved and items that left me a bit cold. Wreckage, Stalker, Lifeline, and to a degree Big Brawler, were all figures that brought smiles to my face, some more than others. Dial Tone was pretty disappointing, however. On the Iron Grenadier side, I found myself loving General Mayhem and the Iron Anvils, but was a bit chilly on the Undertow and Metalhead. I think there are elements of Metalhead that are spectacular, but the entire package could have been explored a bit better, in my opinion.
As for the vehicles, the Tiger Shark and Tiger Sting are both very well executed, but remain very similar to their vintage inspirations, something that many fans are ecstatic for, but I’m not entirely certain they’re worth the Convention prices.
The Tigerhawk was a considerably pleasant surprise, being an item I wasn’t all that invested in emotionally, but once I had it in hand, it was a pretty impressive exclusive vehicle.
There are times when the total of the Convention set ends up greater than the sum of it’s parts. That certainly happened last year, but I’m not sure the same thing exists with this set. Definitely everything looks better once it’s all on display together, and there are individual figures I really enjoy, but I don’t feel the same whole-hearted punch from this set that I felt last year. Doesn’t mean it’s bad by any means, it just doesn’t feel quite as cohesive and story-driven. I felt like the Club managed to pull some great disparate characters together into a very fun story-driven Convention set last year. This year it just seems more tied together with team affiliations and homages. But there are a lot of folks out there who like that.
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by generalsjoes | Dec 31, 2014 | 50th Anniversary, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe 3, G.I. Joe Battleground, G.I. Joe Collectors Club, G.I. Joe Toys, G.I. Joe: The Movie, Gentle Giant, Kindle Worlds, Sideshow
I set out to write this article, and was immediately surprised by the fact that there was actually some stuff happening with the G.I. Joe brand in 2014. I know the fandom is eager to jump and say that G.I. Joe was high and dry in this momentous year, and from a practical perspective, it was, but even so, there were lots of things happening this year worth exploring. Not on any grand scale, however.
I suppose that’s a commentary on the state of G.I. Joe these days, where it remains somewhat relevant, but just barely. And one is forced to ask what’s worse? Being totally irrelevant, or being just relevant enough to cling around, but not relevant enough to try and push harder. It’s like the brand is stuck in this murky middle ground where it’s got the slightest hint of popularity enough for Hasbro to keep it hanging on, but not enough to get a real push. Yet, until it fades away completely, it likely won’t get a full rejuvination either.
All that being said, there were still some discussion points throughout 2014, and here are my top 10. I’m going to try very hard to maintain a sense of positivity and optimism, because dammit I still love G.I. Joe, even if the rest of the world currently couldn’t give a crap. 🙂
Check out the list after the break.
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by generalsjoes | Dec 25, 2014 | G.I. Joe
The folks here at GeneralsJoes would like to take a moment to wish you and yours a very Happy Holiday season. Whatever you celebrate, and however you choose to enjoy this time of year, I want to thank you all for making the site a regular place to visit.
For many people, 2014 was a tough year, and please join me as we put it in the rear view mirror and look ahead to a hopefully better 2015.
Have a safe and happy holiday season.
by generalsjoes | Dec 24, 2014 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys
Being a G.I. Joe fan during the 2002 – 2005 era was an exercise in enthusiasm, excitement, and on occasion bitter disappointment. Those formative years of the new era of G.I. Joe were surrounded by an extremely vibrant fandom who latched onto G.I. Joe’s new retail presence and celebrated through Devils’ Due comics, the G.I. Joe convention, which now catered more to the 3 3/4″ fans, and a lot of folks embracing the excitement and wacky nature of G.I. Joe for the first time since the 80’s.
From a conceptual standpoint, Hasbro was developing an impressive resume of characters from the old days as well as new characters, establishing almost a perfect formula of vintage and modern. The only problem was, back then, the toy design process was a bit hit or miss, and the actual product wasn’t measuring up to the concepts. Seems we’re at an opposite place now, where we have this process to develop fantastic figures, but conceptually there seems to be a struggle. If only we could get the JvC enthusiasm and marketing muscle with the modern design technology…
But I digress.
Over at their new podcast, Nerdrahtio, Sam Sears and Tom Mathias spent some time speaking with Sam Wells, formerly of Devils’ Due Publications, who shares some magnificent concept art from the Joe Vs. Cobra, Spy Troops, Valor Vs. Venom, and even DTC days. Back then, Draxhall Jump was doing amazing work building these terrific character designs, which unfortunately ended up somewhat limited in execution. But looking back at these spectacular concepts, it can’t help but make G.I. Joe fans wish for “what might have been”. Not only that, but there is a wealth of unreleased characters featured in the artwork as well. Amazing looking stuff, truly.
Still, kudos to both Sams and Tom for sharing the information. I’ve mirrored a couple of images below, but you should check out Nerdrahtio.com for the rest. You will NOT regret it. While you’re there, listen to that first episode as well, a great interview with Mr. Wells along with discussion about the concept art shown.
by generalsjoes | Dec 21, 2014 | 50th Anniversary, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys
Alongside the stalwart cohorts at YoJoe.com, we’ve put out our list of Top 10 G.I. Joe toys from 2014.
I know to many Joefans, 2014 felt like a lost year, but looking back on it, there were some great things to enjoy, and the crew at YoJoe runs them down.
If I did my own list it would be pretty different from this, but that’s the cool thing about bringing different opinions to the table…
Check it out at YoJoe.com!
