That was kind of my reaction when this news floated across the Internet this morning, courtesy of HissTank member Master Chief. His eagle eyes dug into some SKU listings of G.I. Joe product, which I am mirroring below:
786245 Movie 3.75″ figures $9.99
788551 Movie Delta Vehicle $21.99
786216 Ninja Showdown Set $24.99
786253 Ninja Mask $9.99
786274 Movie Alpha Vehicle $13.99
788535 Blade of Justice $16.99
788640 10″ Kata Battler $21.99
788713 Movie Bravo Vehicle $15.99
788772 Snake Eyes Ninja Set $27.99
788802 Battle Kata Weapon $15.99
863851 Ninja Chucks $9.99
867591 Ninja Command Blaster $29.99
828516 Micro Force Blind Bag $3.99
828613 Micro Force Starter Set $7.99
Now for the interesting items (all are Hasbro items):
655875 Ninja Army Special Ops $3.99
913370 Special Ops Starter Pack $4.99
835442 Special Ops Vehicles $24.99
913230 Special Ops Tomahawk $42.99
As Master Chief says, a lot of this is stuff that we already know, but what is this “Special Ops” stuff? Sure, it’s the name of the online Facebook game, but I’m not sure that particular corner of the G.I. Joe marketing bracket has really been lucrative enough to garner it’s own branch of toys.
Based on price point above it almost seems like some of these pieces are gaming related. They don’t appear to be Micro Force, since there’s a separate listing above for Micro Force already. A low price point on the Ninja Army and the Starter Pack is very interesting… although perhaps the Starter Pack and the Starter Set could be considered different?
Of course what’s drawing the most attention (as it should) is that listing for a Special Ops Tomahawk. That certainly sent the G.I. Joe world on its ear today, understandably so. The Joe design team has mentioned a few times that another classic vehicle was being planned for this year, similarly to the Skystriker, but I’m not sure anyone would have guessed the Tomahawk was a possible subject. I know I wouldn’t have. The tooling and expense required for a vehicle like that doesn’t seem feasible under a reasonable MSRP. But, really, we’ve seen G.I. Joe reuse names a ton over the years…this could be something entirely unrelated.
Regardless of what it is, things are certainly looking a little more exciting for Toy Fair next week. You can bet I’ll be in attendance to get all of the pics and information that I can!
Whatever you think about the state of G.I. Joe throughout 2012, I don’t think anyone can argue that it was a slow year for news. Quite the opposite! Going from nearly daily reports of movie updates, to the downward spiral of G.I. Joe: Retaliation confidence, and finally finding some middle ground with the great regional gatherings of Joe fans and the countless great independent projects.
It was quite the interesting year for G.I. Joe, and in celebration of 2012, I’m picking the top 12 news stories for the year. They may be good, they may be bad, but the end result is a collection of events throughout 2012 that paints a pretty cool picture when we look back on it. Click the Read the Rest of the Story link below for the run down.
I’m not 100% sure if it’s totally Facebook-free, but the SyFy game, G.I. Joe: Special Ops is now being hosted on SyFyGames.com. It is still the Open BETA, but the game has been updated and upgraded, and you no longer have to hit up Facebook to get at it.
Check it out over on SyFyGames.com and let’s hope they’ve fixed some of the lag and bugginess of previous versions of the Beta.
During the Hasbro presentation at GIJoeCon this past weekend we were treated to a special trailer for the upcoming online game G.I. Joe: Special Ops! Over on their Facebook page, SyFy Games did the same thing so the rest of you guys can check it out as well.
Granted I haven’t been paying a lot of attention online over the past 24 hours, but to my knowledge these further details about Convention seminars haven’t really been discussed. Starting on Friday and running through Sunday, the various seminars and panels have been a destination for Convention goers every year. Looks like this year is no different. In fact, it looks like we have some VERY exciting news coming up for the Hasbro panels with two special announcements and reveals! Excellent.
Be sure to stay tuned to GeneralsJoes.com for the latest and greatest.
Here are some details on the seminars we’ll be seeing, according to the write up in the 2012 Convention Comic:
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of G.I. Joe: Retaliation! Hasbro GI Joe designer, Logan Lubera, will share his experience of being embedded directly on the set of the new movie! Find the inside scoop on how Logan and Hasbro partnered with Paramount Pictures, director Jon Chu, and actors Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis to bring an authentic GI Joe experience to life on the big screen. From script development to costume, vehicle, and weapon design, Logan will share his ultimate G.I. Joe adventure and answer your questions about the making of the movie!
Insider’s Guide t0 the G.I. Joe 2013 Product Line…including a special SNEAK PEEK! – Hasbro (Saturday 11:00am – 11:50am)
Join Hasbro’s lead G.I. Joe designer John Warden and Global Marketing Leader Derryl DePriest in a roundtable discussion where they will answer your questions about the 2013 line and give first hand insight into what is going on with the brand both present and future. Be the first to hear not one, but TWO exciting new announcements for the G.I. Joe product line. You won’t want to miss this exciting reveal!
G.I. Joe Collectors Club (Saturday 3:00pm – 3:50pm)
Join the Club staff as they answer your burning questions about the club, figure creation, manufacturing and the announcement of future exclusives! Panel hosts – Brian Savage, Lanny Lathem, David S. Lane, and Pete Sinclair.
IDW’s G.I. Joe: Real American Heroes (Saturday 4:00pm – 4:50pm)
What’s coming up on IDW’s G.I. Joe, and G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero titles? Editor Carlos Guzman will discuss new storylines in store for the G.I. Joe books and the return of fan-favorite characters. There’ll be some new surprises as well…after all, Oktober is Coming!
GIJCC Magazine and Comic Q & A (Friday 12:00pm – 12:50pm)
For the latest scoop on the GIJCC Magazine and an inside look at this year’s Convention comic “G.I. Joe VS Cobra Issue 5: Operation Bear Trap”, be sure to check out this panel hosted by David S. Lane.
G.I. Joe: Special Ops – Bringing the battle between G.I. JOE and COBRA Online (SyFy Games/Hasbro) (Saturday 1:00pm – 1:50pm)
Get an inside look at the conception, creation and development of the G.I. JOE: Special Ops game. Learn about how the SyFy Games (publisher), Artplant (developer) and Hasbro teams joined forces to create the first-ever multiplayer online game for G.I. JOE. Hear how the characters were selected and created for a 3D digital world as well as which characters will be added to the game next!
Of course, there are also many other great seminars being shown, like the 1982 panel from Kirk Bozigian, the Costume Play panel from Cobra’s Finest, Operation: Shooting Star! which showcases how some of the awesome 90’s era themed brands came about. There are also the voice actor panels, Mark Bellomo’s informative presentation, and the Art of G.I. Joe with Rod Whigham and Larry Selman. The full schedule of events for the Convention weekend and the seminars can be found at GIJoeCon.com right here.
We’re within a week of the kick off for the 2012 G.I. Joe Collectors’ Convention, and the Collectors’ Club has posted the full schedule of events right here. This helpful document breaks down when various folks can pick up their convention packages, and also gives a lowdown for the seminars, of which there are many!
Below are some of the highlights:
Friday 12:00pm – 12:50pm: GIJCC Magazine Comic Panel – David S. Lane, Pete Sinclair
I really think that the GIJCC Newsletter comic has been making some terrific strides lately, and I’m looking forward to hearing what Dave and Pete have to say about it. From the obvious Pursuit of Cobra influences and the great GIJCC character tie-ins, it’s an enjoyable read every month. I’d love it if they collected them into a singular volume.
Saturday 10:00am – 10:50am: Behind the Scenes of G.I. Joe: Retaliation – Hasbro
This sounds like it could be very interesting as well. I would imagine, since this is a Hasbro seminar, we’d be looking at Retaliation mostly from the toy design perspective, but any sorts of “behind the scenes” stuff is all good with me. I will definitely not be missing this one.
Hmmm… so we have a “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” themed panel as well as a “G.I. Joe 2013” panel? Veeerrry interesting… does this mean we might see some potential 2013 product that isn’t G.I. Joe: Retaliation related? A peek at the future beyond the movie? That would certainly be awesome. This is a BIG one to look forward to. Plan your weekend around this.
Saturday 1:00pm – 1:50pm: Syfy Games presents G.I. JOE: Special Ops
I will admit I never would have suspected we’d see a panel devoted purely to Special Ops, but I’m looking forward to checking it out! Been hacking away at the Beta a bit, and it will be cool to see what else might be planned down the road and I’d love to hear about when the final release is expected.
Saturday 3:00pm – 3:50pm: G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club Roundtable
Always a very informative panel, getting some sit down time with Brian, Lanny, Dave, Pete and the GIJCC gives us some great insight into the design of the convention set, the reasons some decisions were made, and sometimes we even get a little peek at the future. With the Figure Subscription Service looming on the horizon I suspect this will be a destination for many fans.
Saturday 4:00pm – 4:50pm: IDW’s G.I. Joe: Real American Heroes
Comic fans, mark your calendars. IDW will be in attendance and ready to talk about the future of their G.I. Joe comic universe for 2012 and beyond. Hoping to hear some info here about future plans for G.I. Joe, Cobra, Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, and G.I. Joe: Real American Hero here.
There are a number of other panels of course, with great discussions with Kirk Bozigian, package artwork talk, some insight with the voice actors as well as the always enlightening Mark Bellomo discussion Sunday at 1:00pm. All in all, it looks like a fantastic weekend of G.I. Joe nirvana, and I cannot wait to hit New Orleans! Again, find the full schedule of events right here!
