All right, folks, it’s time. We’re getting down to the wire – only eight days left to fund some stretch goals for the exceptional Vitruvian HACKS Mighty Steeds Kickstarter!
Yes, the good news is this bad boy is FUNDED.
The bad news is I don’t have any centaurs yet! Come on, everyone, let’s make one final eight day push and get some of these terrific stretch goals under our belts. I needs me Kawiki the elk, I needs me some Knight tack, and some Knight of Asperity tack and I NEEDS ME SOME CENTAURS.
Well, and this.
Who doesn’t need their own Rainbow Unicorn?
Seriously, between me and my eight year old, we are fired up about this Kickstarter, and I’m hoping everyone else is getting that way, too. So much cool potential not just now but in the future for more creature sets if the interest is there for this one.
Please hit up the Kickstarter and throw some support its way there’s a ton of awesome stuff still to be unlocked.
An unexpected Friday surprise! The G.I. Joe Collectors Club has revealed the line up for the upcoming Figure Subscription Service 8.0! This is expected to be the final FSS as the contract for the Club is expiring, and by the looks of this line up, they’re going out with a bang.
This is a pretty impressive line up, I have to be honest. I love the choices of most of these characters (with the exception of tan Clutch which feels pretty unnecessary, even if he is filling the lone “1984” slot still open).
Recoil? YES.
Capt. Grid-Iron? Love it.
Fast Draw? WOOO!
Blizzard and Bullet-Proof are great choices as well, though it feels a bit late in the game to start revisiting DEF.
My GeneralsJoes cohort Josh has some perspective as well…
Josh: This is a bittersweet day for a lot of collectors. On one hand, we get to see some additional amazing figures from the club, but on the other hand this will be the final reveals that we will see. With the lack of Joe coming from Hasbro the Collectors Club FSS has provided us with a steady stream of figures and I for one am going to miss the reveals and the figures arriving in the mail. The first figure reveal for FSS 8.0 is Captain Grid-Iron. I have to admit I have always been a huge Captain Grid-Iron fan. Originally released in 1990 Grid-Iron spoke to my two greatest loves at the time, GI Joe and Football. The figure is based on the original figure and will sport (no pun intended) a new helmet and re-tooled officer’s pistol. The helmet will be removable and he will also include his signature football.
Good stuff to close out the G.I. Joe licensing contract… check out the full list below as well as an image of Captain Grid-Iron to kick things off!
The cost of FSS 8.0 will be $384 + shipping and can be broken up into installments. As always you will be charged an additional $6 for each installment payment. The deadline for signup is May 2, 2018 so hurry up and sign up today.
G.I. JOE INFANTRY OFFICER Code Name: CAPTAIN GRID-IRON
(Inspired by the 1990 action figure.)
Features NEW helmet & re-tooled officer’s pistol!
Includes: removable helmet, armored vest, holster with pistol,
officer’s suppressor pistol, football “grenade” and figure stand.G.I. JOE MOBILE MISSILE SPECIALIST Code Name: FAST DRAW
(Inspired by the 1987 action figure.)
Includes: removable helmet, face mask, revolver pistol,
backpack missile system with 8 projectiles, remote controls x 2,
connection hoses x 2, and figure stand.RED SHADOWS WEAPONS TECHNICIAN Code Name: RED LASER
(Inspired by the European exclusive action figure.)
Includes: removable helmet, advanced combat rifle,
laser pistol, Red Shadows flag, and figure stand.
G.I. JOE BATTLE CORPS COMMANDER Code Name: BULLET-PROOF
(Inspired by the 1992 action figure.)
Includes: removable grenade bandolier, pistol, knife,
rifle, rocket launcher with projectile, and figure stand.
COBRA SHOCK TROOPS COMMANDER Code Name: LT. CLAY MOORE
(Inspired by the Sunbow cartoon & 2007 GIJCC design.)
Includes: removable helmet, grenade bandolier, pistol, knife,
assault rifle, bazooka, backpack with shells x 4, and figure stand.
G.I. JOE V.A.M.P. DRIVER Code Name: LANCE “CLUTCH” STEINBERG
(Inspired by the 1984 version 2 action figure.)
Includes: removable helmet, vest, assault rifle,
pistol, work cones x 2, and figure stand.
G.I. JOE ARCTIC ATTACK SOLDIER Code Name: GREG “BLIZZARD” NATALE
(Inspired by the 1988 action figure.)
Includes: removable arctic coat, sniper rifle, backpack,
skis x 2, ski poles x 2, boot cleats x 2, and figure stand.
G.I. JOE DEFIANT SHUTTLE PILOT Code Name: PAYLOAD
(Inspired by the 1987 action figure.)
Includes: removable helmet, MMU backpack,
control arms x 2, and figure stand.
COBRA B.A.T. LEADER Code Name: OVER KILL
(Inspired by the 2003 version 2 action figure.)
Includes: removable helmet, harness, “human” face mask,
neckerchief, gauntlet, claw hands x 2, rivet gun,
hand-held assault weapon, and figure stand.
G.I. JOE L.R.R.P. TROOPER Code Name: RECOIL
(Inspired by the 1989 action figure.)
Features re-tooled mine case & dual weapon!
Includes: removable helmet, tactical harness, pistol,
assault rifle, mine case, dual tactical weapon,
backpack, combat knife, radio, and figure stand.
G.I. JOE NINJA COMMANDO Code Name: BUSHIDO
(Inspired by the 1993 action figure.)
Features NEW samurai face mask!
Includes: removable samurai helmet with face mask,
tactical harness, double sheath with swords x 2,
Kusarigama weapon, and figure stand.
COBRA MERCENARY Code Name: MUNITIA
(Inspired by the 2008 DTC: GIJCC action figure.)
Features NEW head sculpt!
Includes: bladed pistol, assault rifle, radio, and figure stand.
NOTE: These modern era club exclusive action figures will not be exact replicas of their vintage counterparts.All images are Photoshop mock-up representations, final product, accessories and/or colors will vary!
The cost of the twelve-figure subscription service is $384.00 (+ shipping for 6 shipments). You can pay all at once or in three installments of $128.00 (billed to your credit card). When you subscribe and choose to pay by Installment, you will be billed for the first two month’s shipments. Then in October 2018, you will be billed for the 3rd and 4th months’ shipments and finally in December 2018, you will be billed for the final two months’ shipments. Upon subscription completion, you will receive a bonus carded 13th mystery figure with the last shipment.
Please note that for the installment payment option, there is a $6 service charge per billing while the pay in full option has one $6 service charge. Please also note that for installment buyers, there is an additional charge each time a billing is attempted if your card is not approved. If your card has been declined and we have to re-bill, we will only be able to retry your billing three (3) times before your subscription is cancelled. Each retry has an additional fee added to your total charge (please see the Terms and Conditions.)
This Figure Subscription Service is a “build to order process” so you can order as many as you like, until the order period closes. At that time, we will not process any more subscriptions and we may/may not have additional figures in the club store at a higher per figure price.
Please note that the figure previews are Photoshop mock-ups and the final product may vary. Also, the colors are approximate as some may look more glossy or metallic on your monitor screen and everyone’s computer has a different color calibration.
Final figures colors/names/accessories will vary from the descriptions and preview pictures.
It is a word that you don’t hear used a lot any more. That is because they just don’t happen too much any more. Our lives today are fast, We don’t follow Ferris Bueller’s advice to stop and look around. We also don’t put our hair in a mohawk in the shower. What I mean is, life is even faster and we can only take things in chunks. Anything long lasting is intimidating. G.I.Joe from day one continues to be something that was built to last. An exception.
It all began in 1982 when Hasbro visited the Marvel Offices and sought out a creator to bring their re-envisioned version of G.I.Joe to life. Chosen by elimination, Larry Hama took what could have been a side project and infused it with real storytelling.
The late Herb Trimpe, a veteran at Marvel comics, brought his art to the table. Jim Shooter, Todd McFarlane, Rod Whigham, Ron Wagner, Andrew Wildman, Michael Goldman, Mike Zeck, Mike Vosburg and most recently S.L. Gallant, Brian Shearer, J. Brown and Netho Diaz among countless others all contributed to the success and look of G.I.Joe.
250 issues. It has run from 1982 to 1994 and then again in 2010 picking up exactly where they left off in 1994. There were a few half issues in there expanding the stories from the sidelines, but the official 250th issue comes out today.
We have seen new characters, beloved comic only characters, the deaths of characters, the rebirths of characters, minds reprogrammed, cat fights, towns taken over, civil war, alien robots, disguises, close calls, patriotism, imposters, flashbacks, characters seeing the light, ninjas, detailed locales based on reality, a little bit of advice, military jargon, comical moments, and even one issue used as the basis for a movie about a giant asteroid hurtling toward Earth. It is the golden boy and Mom’s apple pie vs Orson Welles in a hood. It is the many faces of diversity both physical and of character.
The characters as Larry has admitted in several interviews are based on the people he knows so he can keep track of them. This provides a wonderful consistency and is the main reason no one can ever really nail down the character’s essences like he can. It would be like you trying to write about someone else’s uncle. You could get some things right but there would be something missing. I would love to meet the practical joker Airtight is based on he/she must be a wild one.
G.I.Joe is centered around the life of a stand out main character, who cannot talk. Imagine creating this tragic tale of a man who expresses himself in other ways besides speech. It is indeed a tragic tale. G.I. Joe, says Hama, is Junior woodchucks with guns. G.I. Joe takes us all around the world and back in time. G.I.Joe is different things to different people. Hama himself says it best however.
“They don’t understand the intrinsic fantasy. G.I.Joe isn’t a military fantasy, it’s not a war book, it’s a fantasy about loyalty and camaraderie. Which to a ten year old kid is an extremely powerful fantasy because every ten year old kid has been betrayed. Obviously. The idea of best friends that never let you down and will stand up for you; if you are in trouble they will come and get you. That’s a powerful fantasy and its also a fantasy of doing the right thing and having integrity without looking for the reward and about duty, and old fashioned things like that… that to a kid represents order and it’s very comforting.” (Larry Hama YoutubeInterview by Roy Turner 2018)
To center a comic around that theme, and not just make it a toy comic, pushed it into the pantheon of comics that last into the hundreds of issues. Iconic comics.
This spring’s New Jersey Collectors’ Con has come and gone, and there were a ton of great reveals from the folks at Boss Fight Studio. While we’ve already seen some sporadic images from the show floor itself, over on ToyArk they’ve posted some insane galleries featuring all of the new figures that were shown. I’ve mirrored a small selection of their images below, but you can hit up ToyArk directly to see over 100 images of these great looking items!
This includes figures tentatively scheduled for Series 02, Waves 04 and 05:
Naga Serpent
Barbarian
Gargoyle
Dragon Harvester
Half Orc Mage
Psionic Warrior
Along with this, several great images of Bucky O’Hare figures were shown as well, including the previously unknown Stealth Deadeye Duck and Aniverse Bucky O’Hare releases!
Some more details were shown about the upcoming Mighty Steed Kickstarter, scheduled to hit this month, including the apparent inclusion of Aspen’s Elk!
Finally, we got a nice look at the Hellhounds, an upcoming product release from Dream Concept Studios, the folks who brought us the Zombie Lab Kickstarter not so long ago.
Man, I’m really digging the looks of those Hellhounds!
Lots of cool stuff revealed at the show, and if this is what the independent toy scene is looking like these days, I’m cool with G.I. Joe being off retail shelves for a little while. Check out ToyArk.com for even more images than what I’ve shared above.
New Jersey Collectors Con is going this weekend, and as usual the folks from Boss Fight Studio are in attendance and have revealed some paint masters for upcoming Vitruvian HACKS product!
Thanks to Matt McGrath over at the Boss Fighters Facebook Group, we’ve got some awesome first looks at Wave 4 and potentially Wave 5 product of Series 02 Vitruvian HACKS.
Wave 4 is rumored to include the following:
Gargoyle
Barbarian
Naga Serpent
And according to last year’s NJCC it was also supposed to include Twylla the Faerie, but it’s unknown if that’s still the plan.
We also got a look at the Dragon Harvester (who has appeared in concept art, but her specific assortment has not been announced), Orc Mage and the Psionic Warrior.
Keep posted, I’m sure there will be some more reveals throughout the weekend, especially with the Horse Kickstarter happening this month!
