by generalsjoes | Feb 8, 2017 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys
Package artist/colorist of the 2016 G.I. Joe line Ross Hughes has posted some images on his DeviantArt Page of artwork he has produced for recent G.I. Joe releases found at Toys “R” Us.
Interestingly, some of those images feature artwork for characters that were NOT released. Those characters include Action Man (in two different versions), Stinger Driver (in three different versions), a Snow Serpent, Wild Weasel and Rock n Roll (resembling his look from the concept case).
Considering some of these characters (specifically Stinger Driver and Wild Weasel) it certainly seems possible that some planned vehicle releases might have included these figures, but as we know, Toys “R” Us was not on board with vehicle releases for 2016. Whether or not these will make it out in some other format remains to be seen.
Check out Ross Hughes DeviantArt page here, and some mirrored images below.
by generalsjoes | Feb 4, 2017 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Collectors Club, JoeCon 2017
I’ve had my nose buried in other projects this week and the G.I. Joe Collectors Club has unleased two more BattleForce: 2000 reveals: Dodger and Blaster.
Like they’ve been doing from the start, they seem to be sticking really close to the vintage aesthetic, and the designs are, for the most part, really solid. I am a bit concerned about the Photoshop mock up head sculpts, especially the ones with the non-removable helmets, as I fear they may suffer from Static Line syndrome.
While many folks complained about Static Line’s permanently attached helmet, I wasn’t all that distraught about that component, but more about how the attached helmet almost looked like it was a part of his head. Whoever is sculpting these heads doesn’t appear to be accommodating for the actual shape and size of the head underneath the helmet and the result is an almost “squished” look where the helmets are far too small and way too tight.
Time will tell what the actual finished product will look like, I hate to make judgments based purely on a Photoshop mock up, but that’s all we have to go on at this point.
One question I really do have though – WHERE’S BLASTER’S MASK???? Seriously that was a really awesome element to the original figure. Very disappointed that they couldn’t find some way financially to include that, choosing instead to retool exact replicas of vintage accessories. Curious choice on that one, I have to admit.
The builds for these two figures are pretty decent, though as I mentioned above I’m a little confused as to why money would be invested in retooling exactly replicas of the classic weapons when a 30 second trip to eBay will find any replacement you want for pennies on the dollar.
Regardless… we’re now a good chunk of the way through the reveals and so far I’m liking the majority of the BattleForce: 2000 stuff, but am still really questioning the choice to include 9 Battle Android Troopers. Let’s see what the rest look like.
Keep watching GIJoeCon.com for updates and see the previews below!
by generalsjoes | Feb 3, 2017 | G.I. Joe, Kindle Worlds
Big news this morning as my latest G.I. Joe action novella Nerves of Stone is available right now on Amazon.com!
Featuring the exciting 2016 cast of characters I try to write a story bringing all of these different personalities together…you’ll have to let me know if I succeeded.
It’s only $1.99 and is available right now on Amazon. Check it out!
by generalsjoes | Jan 31, 2017 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Collectors Club, JoeCon 2017
Do not pass go, do not collect $200! Registration for the 2017 G.I. Joe Convention is now LIVE.
Go git it!
by generalsjoes | Jan 30, 2017 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Collectors Club, G.I. Joe Toys, JoeCon 2017
The next exclusive for the upcoming G.I. Joe Convention boxed set has been revealed and it’s looking pretty awesome!
Maverick and Knockdown were okay, but Avalanche is pretty spectacular. Great build, great paint, and a new head sculpt. Nice! Keep checking GIJoeCon.com for the latest info, and you can see the image mirrored below.
by generalsjoes | Jan 27, 2017 | Boss Fight Studio
Seems like perfect timing! With the blockbuster reveal yesterday of the upcoming Vitruvian HACKS Knight of Accord, it seems only appropriate to follow that up with a review of their latest wave of product, the Wave 5.5 series.
Wave 5.5 was conceived of as a way to continue offering a few core characters who had been selling through on the site, so that new fans could continue buying these characters, but also so existing fans and collectors could further supplement their armies. I’m happy to say this series does both exceedingly well.
Check out my Vitruvian HACKS Review Page or click the links below to see these great new figures!
by generalsjoes | Jan 27, 2017 | Other Toys
Hooooly wow.
For the past ten months (give or take), collectors and fanboys have been enjoying their Vitruvian HACKS figures, recreating ancient Sparta’s battle against the nefarious Gorgon Horde. Well, Boss Fight Studio is poised to take this timeless battle to the next level with their debut of the Knight of Accord, one of their first official reveals for their upcoming fantasy action figure line!
Yes, we did see some test shot reveals at GraniteCon last year, but this figure looks to be much more polished and in a finished state and WOW. Spectacular.
Expected to launch in the fall of 2017, this Series 02 of the already super popular Vitruvian HACKS line is going to another level. The detail in the sculpting, the expertly crafted paint applications…this is one fantastic looking early sample, and if we’ve learned anything from previous reveals, unlike the mass market toylines, in many cases the final version is a pretty close match to what we see up front.
It looks incredible. Definitely keep watching Boss Fight Studio on Facebook and support their work on the fantasy series by hitting up BossFightShop.com and snagging some Series 01 gear! Heck, pre-orders are rolling for Wave 6 as well. Lots of good stuff happening, and that means GREAT stuff for collectors.
by generalsjoes | Jan 27, 2017 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Collectors Club, G.I. Joe Toys, JoeCon 2017
I could have sworn I posted this a couple of days ago, but I’ll be damned if I can find it. My bad.
This week the G.I. Joe Collectors Club has revealed two more 2017 G.I. Joe Convention Exclusive figures. A couple of days ago we got our first look at the B.A.T. Squad Leader, apparently inspired by the ’91 version of the Battle Android Trooper. He’s got a newly tooled head, but is pretty much just B.A.T. v1 from the neck down. The choice is a bit curious, as one would assume that folks might want to army build this version, and as a squad leader, I figure he’s the only one of this type in the boxed set.
Which of course begs the question… what will the standard troopers look like? The 2003 repaint? Hopefully we’ll find out soon.
Along with the B.A.T. Squad Leader, today we also got a look at Knockdown, who appears to come with General Mayhem’s helmet and a newly retooled version of his crazy anti-aircraft pistol. Not sure I’d consider that a worthy investment in tooling dollars, but there you go.
More to come, keep checking GIJoeCon.com for the latest intel!
by generalsjoes | Jan 21, 2017 | 12" Scale, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Collectors Club, JoeCon 2017
Happy Friday! Earlier this week the G.I. Joe Collectors Club promised the first reveals from the 2017 G.I. Joe Convention, and today they delivered!
Ladies and gentlemen, the 2017 G.I. Joe Convention theme includes BattleForce: 2000 and B.A.T.S.!
Interesting choices. I’m all in for BF:2000, but do we really need more B.A.T.S.? Ehhh… yeah. Not sure about that, especially at convention set prices. But we’ll wait for some figure previews to make final judgments.
Until then, the Collectors Club has revealed Battleforce: 2000 Maverick!
Keep watching GIJoeCon.com for the latest updates!
FORCE OF BATTLE 2000!
We’re celebrating the 30th anniversary of the G.I. JOE BF 2000 team with this untold
tale of the original team members from a recently declassified special mission.
The G.I. JOE BF 2000 team is the walking, breathing proving grounds for tomorrow’s battlefield technology today!
These highly trained specialists are entrusted with one-of-a-kind, state-of-the-art prototype weapons. Their mission
is to field-test experimental equipment under battlefield conditions.
COBRA has developed a new laser weapon system so dangerous that it threatens the safety of the entire planet!
The G.I. JOE: BF 2000 team is called into action and must travel through the Pacific Northwest into British Columbia to dismantle the operation.
What they don’t know is that COBRA is ready for them with a battalion of their upgraded B.A.T. (Battle Android Troopers) guarding their base.
This G.I. JOE team will be fighting against insurmountable odds, and must pull their individual specialties together to battle these deadly threats.
Will the cold and calculated programming of the COBRA B.A.T. SQUAD LEADER be the end of this G.I. JOE team?
Meanwhile, on the 12″ side we have what looks like a combination Adventure Team/G.I. Joe Jungle Fighter collection! Check out the first image below.
Back in in the war G.I. Joe was a specialist serving as a Marine Jungle Fighter. During an undocumented mission in and undocumented area,
something went terribly wrong and they were being over run. As he was evacuating due to an impending air strike, he fell into some sort of ancient
buried temple that appeared to have something to do with the worship of snakes. Using his flamethrower for illumination, he realized that…
the snakes were still there! As he was fighting his way out through the snakes something caught his eye, a golden cobra shaped staff.
There was no time to get to it out. The airstrike was inbound and he had to evac!
For years this memory haunted Joe and led him to his current career in the Adventure Team as their Jungle Explorer.
Where was the old temple? Was that golden staff still there? Did it really happen, or was it just a hallucination?
He spent years researching and searching for this lost temple. Now he thinks he has finally found the answers!
This year’s 12” Convention Set is based on the vintage Marine Jungle Fighter and the Adventure Team, Jungle Survival accessory set.
It comes with: Painted Head Figure; Marine Jungle Uniform; Belt; Canteen and Cover; .45 and Holster; Boonie Hat; Vinyl Shoulder Radio;
Flame Thrower; Tall Brown Boots; M-16 Rifle; Machete and Scabbard and Dog tag; Flocked Head Figure; Jungle Survival Uniform;
Tall Black Boots; Belt with Canteen; two Snake Anti-Venom Pouches; Pith Helmet; Yellow Short Radio; First Aid Kit; Compass;
Machete and Scabbard; Tranquillizer Rifle; Equipment Storage Crate; Dog Tag and Golden Cobra Staff.
It also comes with a Mini-Comic with a surprise ending!
by generalsjoes | Jan 16, 2017 | Boss Fight Studio, Marauder "Gun Runners"
Ever since getting my first few figures as part of the Kickstarter shipment a couple of weeks back, I’ve been feeding for more and starving to get a review posted. Well, this past week I got both accomplished!
As soon as I got my grubby mitts on the first few Valkyries figures, I immediately needed more and made a purchase from MarauderInc.com within a few days. Once I received that shipment, any love I had for this new generation of Task Force figures and accessories only sky-rocketed.
I feel like I’ve only just scratched the surface with how cool these figures are, and I’ve spent hours swapping parts, gluing gear down and just mixing and matching. It’s pretty astounding just how incredible these toys are. Designed to near perfection by Boss Fight Studio, with the folks at Marauder developing a spectacular concept, these truly are the best of all worlds.
Check out my review at the Marauder Task Force Review page, or the direct link below. Spoiler Warning – I’m pretty much in love.
