Marauder “Gun Runners” just got back from their factory trip and while they have some unfortunate news about the timing of distribution of their Valkyrie Kickstarter figures, they did bring back some fantastic new images of some of the test shots, which make us even more excited to see the finished product!
Check out the great images below, as well as the update on the timeline for production and distribution. Keep watching the Marauder “Gun Runners” Facebook Page for updates.
Hope your summer is going well! Your “Gun-Runners” spent several weeks at the factory in China reviewing the MTF Valkyries project. 15 hour plane flights and 98 degree temperatures with 90% humidity…JOY was had by all! When not dealing with weather, unique food and cultural & language differences; we spent all of our time working on the project. We reviewed EVERY part, EVERY feature and EVERY version. Our driving goal was and is for the figures & accessories to not only meet your expectations, but possibly surpass them!
Here are images of some of the production samples. We hope you agree that the head sculpts, new accessories and paint decos are looking pretty good! Again, SEVERAL changes were made on the items in the images and final versions might vary slightly from those shown (lip color missing, incorrect colors, several color versions NOT shown, etc). There are several color changes, corrections and adjustments being made to the items shown, so please don’t get concerned if something isn’t an exact match to a previously mentioned and/or shown item…THESE ARE NOT FINAL.
We had to make a huge number of paint/deco adjustments, change the hardness/softness on many of the items and correct the fit/function on several body parts & accessories. The good news is the vast majority of the parts & working features were correct. The bad news is some of the seemingly relatively minor issues with “fit/function” require NEW production tools. These new tools take some time to complete & test. Couple the new tool need with the factory requirement that the massive order be split into 2 (TWO) separate production runs and our revised end of August ship is now not possible. We are so sorry about the delay and AGGRESSIVELY pursued every option to avoid disappointing our supporters, but there is no other choice. A temporary inconvenience for a long term gain is the only answer in this situation. We don’t have a definite avail date, but we’re working to get everything complete & shipped out as soon as possible. As we get updated production info, we will let you know the revised shipping timeline. Rest assured, we will add some NEW “bonus” items (NEW items NOT available in the Kickstarter event) to every MTF Valkyries Kickstarter order to help make amends for unforeseen delay.
Thanks again for your support and we are quietly optimistic that you will really like the new Val items.
It’s been teased for months, and we’ve all been bracing ourselves for it, but now it’s official… IDW Publishing’s Revolution series is officially HERE.
Along with that over on YoJoe.com G.I. Joe comics mastermind antarctica is already putting the foundation in place for an entire section of their comics archive focused on the Revolution series! Exciting stuff.
Meanwhile, over on the G.I. Joe Discussion Group on Facebook, new G.I. Joe writer Aubrey Sitterson and artist Giannis Milonogiannis have joined up and are sharing some really great info and intel about the upcoming series! Revolution is looking to start off on a very strong footing, and as a G.I. Joe fan I’m excited, but as a G.I. Joe, Transformers, MASK (and heck Visionaries, too) fan, I’m REALLY excited. This is looking like a pretty fun, intertwined storyline. Be sure to bookmark all of those places and keep checking back here, because I’m loving what I’m seeing so far, and I think Revolution will give us all something to talk about!
As the son of the original General Flagg made famous in the early days of the Marvel Comics, I always enjoyed the dynamic of what Flagg might do with the team in conjunction with General Hawk. In fact, in my dio-stories, I sort of retired Hawk and moved him towards my “Renegades” offshoot team and had Flagg take over leadership of the team proper.
Once again I really love how my own vision of G.I. Joe and the Collectors Club vision dovetails, as Flagg was a pretty important player in my stories, even if his motives weren’t always on the up and up. And I gotta say, I’m really loving this version of the figure. I might even say it’s one of my favorite FSS 5.0 reveals to date, which is amazing, considering the relative simplicity of the design. It’s good stuff. Check out the review on GIJoeClub.com and I’ve also mirrored the image below.
Continuing on with their Figure Subscription Service 5.0 reveals, the G.I. Joe Collectors Club has shown their first Photoshop mock up of Darklon tonight. A somewhat more faithful vintage homage than the G.I. Joe Convention version from a few years back, I’m a bit iffy on the Photoshop work here, but generally the end product ends up looking better.
I do like that they’ve gotten the trademark weapon back in circulation, though. Very cool.
Following up on their image of Charbroil yesterday, the G.I. Joe Collectors Club has previewed their first Photoshop mock up for Ambush today. With what looks to be General Mayhem’s head sculpt and some old school parts choices, the deco really brings this figure to life.
The G.I. Joe Collectors Club has posted their first reveal from the upcoming Figure Subscription Service 5.0 and it’s one great looking figure! Charbroil has appeared on GIJoeClub.com and anyone who has the Night Force version will find some similarities in the build here, but the Club looks to have included a removable helmet that is much more 80’s inspired.
Check out the first preview below and get excited, because I’m sure there’s more to come!
Whew. Is everyone as sick of reading these as I am of writing them??
With today’s update, I am officially finished with my written reviews for the 2016 G.I. Joe Convention Set. While more videos may still be to come, my reviews today of the Sky Sweeper, Skystriker, COBRA Hydra, and JUMP Jet Packs constitutes my last gasp at the written word for Sky Patrol and the G.I. Joe Collectors Club.
Check out these last reviews at the G.I. Joe Collectors Club Review Page or the link below.
Today I dip my toes into the pool outside of the standard Convention boxed set and cover the attendee exclusive figure-based items! This includes Cloudburst, Skymate, Air Raid, Free Fall, and the Heli-Vipers!
