To many folks the Friday product reveal was fairly unexciting, and didn’t show much new information that we had not seen before. We did get confirmation that Ashiko with the motorcycle armor and the HISS Scout were still in the pipeline, only now slated to come out in early 2011.
Also, eagle eyed viewers caught a nice glimpse of the Toys “R” Us Exclusive Spirit in the Jungle Diorama that Hasbro had on the Convention floor on Friday. The awesome thing about these dioramas is that these are the actual dioramas that Hasbro used to take pictures for the package backs for the Pursuit of Cobra figures!
But, even though the true fun would be shown on Saturday, there was some very nice product on hand that made for some great images. I think in this particular case, pictures speak louder than words. Click the “Read the rest of this entry link” below to check out all the pics! (more…)
It is with heavy heart that I confirm what I’m sure everyone has heard elsewhere already… according to Brian, Lanny, Dave, and Pete of the G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club, by and large the o-ring is dead.
So why talk about this now? The roundtable was two days ago, right?
As anyone knows, I’m a fan of the G.I. Joe brand. I’m not married or tied to any particular style (or even size), if the toy has the spirit and energy that I think G.I. Joe should have, I enjoy it. But without a shadow of a doubt, the G.I. Joe that sparked this interest and stoked the flame of my fandom for so many years was the vintage Real American Hero line. Many fans have moved on…many folks that are current Joe fans have totally embraced the new modern era styling and articulation, and that’s fine. I’m actually happy about that. But for a select group, the o-ring being gone is a very sad day. It marks the end of an era and the official demise of what was the most influential action figure line in the history of boys toys.
In my own experience, the o-ring was really the foundation of all great boys toys. Nothing really compared. Three of my favorite toylines from “back in the day” were G.I. Joe, Visionaries, and COPS, and obviously they all shared the same construction and same design. Sure, I dipped into the Transformers world, I bought some He-Man stuff, and Secret Wars made an appearance here and there. But none of them moved the right way.
Now, it’s a new generation, and the movement of the o-ring can be simulated without an o-ring. For some that’s a great thing. After all, less rubber rot, and less chance of picking up your favorite figure only to have it disintegrate in your hands. In every way that matters, modern construction and articulation is better than what we had. But, there is a certain nostalgic joy to an o-ring figure, and the idea that we may never see another one again (or very rarely at any rate) does make me sad.
So now it’s time to look forward. This is a good springboard into the next generation. The sculpting, design, and articulation of the modern era figures is suddenly surging through the roof, and they are looking better and better every time Hasbro touches them. For crying out loud, look at this:
The difference is astounding.
So, no, I’m not upset about the o-ring because I think o-ring toys are superior. In many ways they are not. But they do represent a major part of my childhood and part of me still longs for a day when they might make a return. But every time I look at bad ass Pursuit of Cobra toys I’m a little less bothered.
But just a little.
Wow. You know, I thought the 2010 Pursuit of Cobra product looked pretty bad ass. Turned out I hadn’t seen anything yet. Holy crap.
The figures they showed us today are simply in SANE. Yes, it’s another Destro. Yes, it’s another Duke, and another Snake Eyes, and yes, even another Storm Shadow. But these figures absolutely ROCK.
Plus… Low Light. Awesomeness. A perfect blend of the 25th Anniversary style with the Pursuit of Cobra design aesthetic. And hell! Desert Scorpion, too. Jeez! Fantastic looking figures. Check out the image flood below. Pursuit of Cobra 2011
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Pursuit of Cobra 2010 Packaging and Filecards
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The only major down side with the Pursuit of Cobra is that it ends in Spring, 2011, to be replaced by the Renegades toyline in Fall, 2011. Still, I’m going to enjoy the ride while it lasts!
I’ve been promoting the Blu-Ray release of G.I. Joe: The Movie pretty heavily, just because I think it’ll be awesome to see some Sunbow action in high def. But now Shout! Factory has given another reason to get excited about it. They’re launching a fantastic contest where some enterprising Joe fan will get the chance to design and produce the trailer for the upcoming Blu-Ray release of G.I. Joe: The Movie!
Announced on ShoutFactory.com, the idea is that fans (or anyone, really) can submit their own trailer for G.I. Joe: The Movie, and the winning entry will be the actual, official trailer for the film. Very cool contest. I’ve messed around with trailer making before, but I’m not sure I’ll have time to do something like this. Who knows, though.
You can click the previous link for a rundown of all the rules, or simply click the “Read the rest of this entry” link, and I’ll mirror the rules right there. (more…)
Yes, Shout! did release the full series of Sunbow cartoons last year, but for many folks, this will be the first time the full compliment of Season 2 episodes is available, and release day is tomorrow, April 27th!
Released in a twin slip-cover format with plently of awesome retro Sunbow-style art, the full second season of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero will be available everywhere for the very first time.
Shout! Factory was kind enough to slip me a copy early so I had some time to shove it in my DVD player and review it…just in time for release day. Check out the review right here.
I’m absolutely not a Sunbow guy, but watching these episodes really brought me back… and yes, the purists will be pleased to know that it made me sad to realize that Hasbro had left the Anniversary behind. Yes, even I am capable of wanting a vintage style Low Light, Lifeline, Leatherneck, Sci-Fi, and even Zarana. Who would have thought I’d ever want a freaking Zarana?
Regardless, these episodes really tripped my nostalgia trigger, and it’s good timing, too, as I head down to JoeCon in just a few days. Hopefully I can satisfy my need for nostalgia at the dealer tables. 😉
TV Shows on DVD is reporting that Brian Ward, Shout! Factory producer who is working on the G.I. Joe: The Movie release has posted the following information on Shout!s official message boards:
“The Blu-ray release will be a BD/DVD combo. The BD will carry both widescreen and fullframe versions of the movie. The DVD will only have the original fullframe. Sadly, neither is captioned or subtitled.”
Am I the only one who is giddy about this? Granted, G.I. Joe: The Movie is the ultimate in Sunbow zaniness, but for some reason seeing it in widescreen Blu Ray format just has me excited. Just look at this, and imagine it in widescreen Blu Ray:
Unfortunately he did say he still couldn’t talk about bonus materials, but by the looks of things, we’ll hear something soon. Combine this with the Season 2 release on April 27th, and there’s some great class Joe goodness on the way.
