by generalsjoes | Oct 13, 2009 | 12" Scale, Customs, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe: Resolute, Kick Ass Custom
I’m a little ashamed to admit that I’ve been a monstrous fan of G.I. Joe in pretty much any characterization or scale out there… except for the one that started it all. For whatever reason, I just find it hard to get into the whole 12″ figure scene, but that’s not because I don’t like it or have a certain appreciation for it. Usually it comes down to price or what you get for your buck, and it’s very rare that the 12″ scene gives me a good “go between” there. The figures are either simplistic, non-detailed, and dull, or they are overly exagerrated, insanely detailed, yet priced way out of my affordable range. There doesn’t seem to be anything in between. Some of the Spy Troops and Valor Vs. Venom stuff gave us the best of both worlds, in my opinion…a reasonable price range, yet still enough bang for the buck, but recent releases have just been dull and uninspired, especially for the recently elevated price tags, even on basic retail shelves.
The Sideshow Collectibles stuff is out of this world, of course. It’s simply fantastic. However, the $100 – $120 price tag per figure doesn’t fit my somewhat limited Joe budget. So, it always amazes me when I run across 12″ enthusiasts who actually accumulate enough fodder to do some crazy customs. And I’ll tell you, the customs don’t get much crazier than a member of the One Sixth Warrior forum, gaiagear. I’ve seen my fair share of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero themed 12″ customs, but gaiagear tackles something near and dear to my heart, G.I. Joe: Resolute. There aren’t really enough words I can type in this post that express just how insane these customs are. They are truly works of art and things of beauty. In fact, pretty much every custom that gaiagear has done affiliated with the G.I. Joe universe really blows me away…but it’s really just the tip of the iceberg. Check out a small sampling of gaiagear’s incredible work below, all found on the One Sixth Warrior Forums. The gallery below features incredible versions of the following characters:
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Crazy stuff. But the craziest thing is this is just the beginning. There are a wealth of insanely talented 12″ customizers on the One Sixth Warrior forums, and there is some equally insane Real American Hero styled customs over there. Check out this thread for some of them. While I don’t have the budget or the real incentive to dive headlong into the 12″ scale, I can certainly appreciate the work that goes into these customs. Some awesome stuff here, I think fans of any scale will really dig ’em.
by generalsjoes | Oct 9, 2009 | 12" Scale, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary, G.I. Joe Toys, G.I. Joe: The Movie
If the Rise of Cobra did nothing else, it at least served to thrust the G.I. Joe brand back into America’s consciousness, which, in this fan’s opinion, is a very good thing. A couple of years ago seeing a G.I. Joe themed article at the Chicago Tribune would have been something I would have been shocked to see, but today, ChicagoTribune.com has a pretty neat flash-based retrospective on G.I. Joe’s history.
Check it out here.
There isn’t anything revolutionary or especially new to most long time Joe fans, but still cool to see some mainstream media coverage of our favorite fighting man.
by generalsjoes | Oct 7, 2009 | 12" Scale, G.I. Joe, Sideshow
That’s right, you read it right… October is the month of Halloween, and this year, GeneralsJoes readers are getting the treat!
I am working with Sideshow Collectibles during their Spooktacular event, and am happy to say that one lucky GeneralsJoes reader will win a 12″ Sideshow Collectibles Cobra Commander figure for FREE. Beginning October 10th, I’m running a custom contest in conjunction with JoeCustoms.com in the spirit of Halloween.
Click here for the full details, and good luck to all!
by generalsjoes | Oct 5, 2009 | 12" Scale, G.I. Joe, Sideshow
A huge thanks to Mysterious Stranger, who received his Sideshow Collectibles COBRA Trooper very recently, and took some time this weekend to snap some pictures and write up a GREAT review of this figure.
Sideshow is sure making it hard for us armybuilders. Their first nameless soldier out of the chute is the infamous blueshirt Cobra Trooper and man would I like to have a few more of this guy. From the scowling face to the detailed boots, this figure is literally head to toe awesome. He is lacking very slightly in the accessory department but I’ll get to that in a minute. Overall though he’s a great figure and I’ll tell you why.
I didn’t take any pictures of the packaging. If you’ve seen a Sideshow 12″ figure in the last couple of years and the G.I. Joe figures specifically you know what you’re getting. Magnetic flap opening. Tray for the gear and tray for the figure. Awesome ARAH inspired box art with filecard on the back. Collector friendly and display worthy for you MIBers. Same old same old and it works incredibly well…
Click the “Read the rest of this entry” link below to read the full review and see a bunch of great images.
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by generalsjoes | Sep 30, 2009 | 12" Scale, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys, Sideshow
I’ve been a bit behind posting some news updates as I had to go through a marathon 25 hour laptop upgrade project for work over the past two days, but hopefully I’ll start catching up. First order of business is that for longtime Joe fans who are in love with the vintage look, Sideshow Collectibles continues to put out exceedingly impressive product. In the past two weeks, reports have come of the COBRA Trooper shipping to folks who ordered it, and just yesterday a poster at HissTank reported that Storm Shadow arrived!
These items are pricey, but they are fantastic, in my humble opinion. I’ve only had a chance to pick up Snake Eyes so far, but if he is any indication of the quality of these items, vintage fans are going to have a pretty sweet display shelf of 12″ greatness coming forward. In a recent Q & A, Sideshow even confirmed that they have a Battle Helmet version of COBRA’s notorious Commander in the works! Anyway, if you’ve missed out on any of this stuff, you haven’t necessarily missed the boat. Both items are currently sold out, but Sideshow’s wait list has given collectors some great second chances in the past. Click the banners below to get on the list for the COBRA Trooper and the Storm Shadow!
by generalsjoes | Sep 1, 2009 | 12" Scale, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary, G.I. Joe Collectors Club, G.I. Joe Toys, Sideshow
Over on JoeBattleLines, Mysterious Stranger has posted a great image featuring two of the excellent JoeCon Exclusive Crimson Guard paratroopers as well as the ever elusive San Diego ComicCon Sideshow Collectibles COBRA Commander. The end result is a whole lotta red that also set him back a whole lotta green. But the picture is absolutely bad ass.
Check it out below!