For folks following along, I’d reported on some awesome looking retro posters for Transformers and G.I. Joe that were slated to be available at NYCC. Well, NYCC has come and gone, and now the prints are available online.
Check out AcidFreeGallery.com to purchase a G.I. Joe and/or Cobra print for $45.00 apiece. Very cool looking items.
Poor Gary has been trying for over 90 episodes (including Special Editions) to try and track down Marauder John and get him on the show, and he finally made it happen. Marauder “Gun Runners” is one of those companies that has been around for a long time in Internet years, and it’s hard to remember a time before they existed, but we talk to John about what got him started down this path and some of his collecting origins.
It was a fascinating discussion with a guy who has had a huge influence on the hobby through his weapons store, and even though I’ve talked to him a number of times over the past many years, it was great to “get together” with him again and talk. Any Joe fan will gain a wealth of knowledge from him, and on your next order mention that you heard him on the Podcast! He’ll throw in a free weapon for ya! And of course we want to encourage everyone to visit the Marauder “Gun Runners” Kickstarter as well to help fund the next series of weapons. It’s an awesome project with some awesome potential results, and worth contributing to for sure. Click here to contribute.
But that’s not all…the entire show was chock full of Joe news and discussion as it always is, and I had to leave early, so you even miss the GeneralsJoes corporate influence. Click on the embedded players below and Show Notes are after the jump.
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We’ve talked about them quite a bit already, but now the relationship is official! Joining the GeneralsJoes team of fantastic sponsors is KokomoToys.com!
Specializing in G.I. Joe, Transformers, Star Wars, and Marvel, Kokomo Toys has an online store and a physical location in Kokomo, Indiana, the location for the annual Coil Con and a mecca for toy collectors all throughout the midwest.
Keep your browsers pointed to KokomoToys.com, whichever line you’re interested in… they’ll have ’em!
Huge thanks to Todd & Amber from Kokomo Toys, I’m personally thrilled to start this ongoing relationship with them.
I mentioned a few evenings ago that it looked as if Hasbro was going to reveal some new G.I. Joe product at their little shindig prior to New York ComicCon next Wednesday, October 10th. While I think most of us were waiting with baited breath for some G.I. Joe: Retaliation or other 2013 G.I. Joe action figure news, Hasbro threw us a little curve ball today with the announcement of G.I. Joe Kre-O building sets!
From the sounds of things they will be Toys “R” Us exclusives and will launch in February, 2013.
There has already been some hot debate on Twitter and in the forums about what potential success of this and whether the G.I. Joe brand can survive an evolution like this, and as most people would expect, I’m remaining cautiously optimistic. I will say this up front… the Kre-O concept does not do a lot for me, and I’m not sure I’ll be partaking of this particular branch of the Joe brand, but I know there are a lot of folks out there who love the mini-figure concept, and this might just capture their attention, which is good.
Considering Transformers Kre-O sets have started sprinkling into clearance aisles, I was a bit concerned, but Twitter follower Kevin Hurd reminded me that the Transformers Kre-O sets sort of violate the basic tenet of Transformers, which is to…well.. transform. G.I. Joe doesn’t have that same base concept, so it was his thought that this evolution might work better for a Real American Hero than it did even for Transformers. I can see that perspective.
Regardless, the idea that the G.I. Joe brand is ready for another evolution is a good one, and one that I hope pans out for Hasbro and for Kre-O. And I will say, as much as I’m not really big on the mini-figure idea, and I’ve never been a die hard Lego fan, I gotta admit I had a huge-ass smile on my face when I saw this poster image. Even I had to admit this looked pretty awesome. Check out the mirrored image below, with the paragraph explanation.
Part of me hopes there are still some actual action figure items to be shown next week, but anything that gets G.I. Joe in the public eye and on the lips of consumers is a good thing for all of us. I’ll be watching this one.
“Hello Hasbro fans!
We hope that you remain as excited as we are for Hasbro’s NYCC Preview Night Party next Wednesday. Many of you have asked what new products we will be revealing that evening, so we wanted to give you a little taste of what’s in store for you on that night….
Now you know, and knowing is half the battle. We are looking forward to seeing you next Wednesday night!
YoJoe!”
G.I. Joe has been around for three decades, and the online community has been thriving for over twelve years, so it’s amazing to think that in all that time there are still some very cool new concepts to explore in the G.I. Joe mythology.
GeneralsJoes Twitter friend Dan Uthman announces that he has launched GIJoeGraphy.com a site devoted to the history of the G.I. Joe characters we all know and love. Where did they come from? He includes a massive map outlining the birthplaces of your favorite Joe characters, and also dives into some key places that should be familiar to all of us.
Check out GIJoeGraphy.com, it’s sure to be a really fun resource for G.I. Joe intel. Big thanks to Dan for the heads up, and be sure to catch his announcement on the Flag Points podcast.
Any episode that features Chuck and Kevin talking about tasteful nudity is bound to be a legendary one, and this episode delivers. The guys talk to Jim Sorenson, author of the fantastic G.I. Joe Field Manual, and then proceed to put him through a miserable 2 hours of off topic rambling, Gangnam Style free-style rapping, and yes, tasteful nudity.
Jim took it like a champ, and the episode ends up running the gamut, talking about the New Jersey Collectors Convention, Kevin’s excellent Metalhead figure, as well as the G.I. Joe Field Manual and the latest and greatest G.I. Joe news.
Hit up our Podbean page, or listen via the embedded players below. Don’t forget to check the show notes after the jump.
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