by generalsjoes | Jul 19, 2012 | 30th Anniversary, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary, G.I. Joe Collectors Club, G.I. Joe Toys, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
Getting down to the nitty gritty, which is where you’ll find this particular figure on most people’s want lists. To be honest, if I had been asked a month ago what my most wanted figure would be, this guy would be pretty much have hit the top of the list without any competition.
Well, when Hasbro unveiled the Concept Case at this year’s G.I. Joe Convention suddenly there was a LOT of competition. Vehicles, figures, ideas… it almost relegated this guy to the “been there, done that” pile. But not quite.
One close up look at this figure will tell you that even for folks who don’t really care for the character are still getting a very good G.I. Joe toy.
3 – G.I. Joe: 30th Anniversary Kwinn
Of course one might ask, among a team of heavily armored, heavily equipped, future tech sporting super-soldiers, where does an Eskimo with shorts, a khaki shirt, and a weasel skull necklace fit in? That question has obviously been asked a lot, especially by Hasbro themselves as this poor guy (who is a fully tooled and ready for release figure) still has not gotten an opportunity to be released yet.
I think Hasbro pushed fans near the breaking point when they actually displayed him in a case full of unused (and perhaps never-to-be-used) concepts, but based on conversations with Hasbro at JoeCon, I think chances of Kwinn being released are probably around 85 – 90%. This is not a guy you need to worry about never getting your hands on. Regardless, he still stands proud pretty close to the top of my Top Ten list. Admittedly, though, based on responses I’m seeing from the Concept Case survey, I am in the minority for putting him this far back, which should be good news for all of you Kwinn fans out there.
Check out the images from JoeCon below.
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by generalsjoes | Jul 18, 2012 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Collectors Club, G.I. Joe Toys, G.I. Joe: Renegades
I’ve always been much more of an action figure and character guy than a vehicle guy, but even the cynical “vehicles take up too much damn space!” part of me fell in love with some of the vehicle concepts we saw at the G.I. Joe convention. As someone fully in love with G.I. Joe: Renegades, the minute I saw the Coyote and the Jeep in that case, my rational mind was completely overwhelmed by my drooling fanboy mind.
Combine that with the fact that Hasbro designers cited MASK as an inspiration for these vehicles? Sign me up.
4 – Flint’s Jeep from G.I. Joe: Renegades
I think most of us probably figured that the Coyote was in some form of production based on how heavily it was utilized throughout the G.I. Joe: Renegades animated series. Heck, the massive transport truck was practically a character in the show. But I’m fairly certain that the surprise I had at seeing Flint’s military Jeep in there was not only mine. Deco’ed in pretty straight up military greens, with a small light on top, the jeep bares only a passing resemblance to the one used on the show, but more importantly looks like a nicely sized, exceedingly fun play toy.
Combine that with the fact that there is a great button-key system that flips the Jeep from mere transport to gun-toting vehicle of awesomeness, and you have a can’t miss proposition. All I can do is think about what Major Bludd’s car from the animated series could possibly look at in toy form, and all I get all weepy inside.
It is a delicate balancing act between vehicle design, media accuracy, and play features, and by the looks of things, Hasbro hit every single right note with this one, and for that reason, it deserves one of the top spots on my list.
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by generalsjoes | Jul 17, 2012 | 30th Anniversary, Avengers, Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary, G.I. Joe Collectors Club, G.I. Joe Comics, G.I. Joe Convention, G.I. Joe Retaliation Toys, G.I. Joe Toys, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, IDW, JoeCon 2012, Marvel Media, Other Toys, Podcasts, SDCC, SHIELD Helicarrier, Show and Convention Coverage, Sideshow, What's on Joe Mind
From one Convention right into another. Fresh off of our return to normal broadcasting schedule from the 2012 G.I. Joe Convention, the crew from What’s on Joe Mind immediately jumps to the next convention, this time the familiar ComicCon in San Diego.
With not much G.I. Joe news likely there, we bring in Arune Singh to talk about Marvel’s presence there and what we might expect from the House of Ideas. We also bring in Moira Hunger to talk in more detail about the IDW seminar at JoeCon and comic nerdery in general.
But it’s not all about Comics, there is a healthy helping of G.I. Joe talk as well. Check out our latest episode on our Podbean Page, or via the embedded players below. Show notes as always are after the jump.
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by generalsjoes | Jul 13, 2012 | 30th Anniversary, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Collectors Club, G.I. Joe Toys
I can already sense the rage coming… What?!? Number six?! How dare you!
Many folks might wonder why this guy got pushed so far back in my list, even though cracking the Top Ten is a great thing in the first place…and honestly, I can’t really explain it, other than to say that a lot of this figure’s tooling is appearing elsewhere in the line already, and even though this is a very cool new concept, I have found other things in the case that I feel like I want (or need) to see more.
That’s not to say I don’t like this figure, and I’m dying to see this guy released. Of course I am. He’s obviously very high on my list. But there are other figures that are higher. Judging by the responses I’ve been getting in the Concept Case Survey, I would say many of you would disagree with me, however. As a list designed to spark discussion, though, that works for me.
6 – G.I. Joe: 30th Anniversary Data-Viper
Ahhh, yes, the Data-Viper. Anyone who says this new concept figure is amazing, I would not disagree. He has a very unique and captivating design with a perfectly sculpted uniform, a very interesting new concept, and some incredibly cool accessories. I love this head sculpt, I really like the helmet, and the Predator-launching backpack with control gauntlets are a work of brilliance.
So, why #6 and not cracking my top 3? Mostly because as we’ve seen with the Wave 2 3-Packs, much of the Data-Viper tooling is going to be used for the G.I. Joe: Retaliation Sgt. Airborne, and the Predator drone is coming with the Wave 3 Ultimate Duke. That still leaves a lot of cool elements to bring to the Data-Viper, like the helmet, backpack, and gauntlets, but I still can’t help but want to see a few other things more.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a hell of a figure, and I will rejoice with the rest of you when he is released, but if nothing else, the concept case convinced me there are even better things out there that I’m also eagerly awaiting. Check out the images from JoeCon below.
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by generalsjoes | Jul 12, 2012 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Collectors Club, G.I. Joe Toys, Pursuit of COBRA
I’ve said throughout my reviews time and time again that I’m really not a fan of G.I. Joe army builders. In my little corner of the universe, Cobra attacks with the legions of troopers while the G.I. Joe team should be a tightly woven, highly trained operations team without the “nameless” and the “faceless”. Nothing bugged me more in the Sunbow cartoons than those generic Green Shirts mixing it up right alongside the regular Joes.
But over the past 12 – 18 months Hasbro keeps on releasing awesome G.I. Joe army builders, forcing me to totally rethink my ideas of the G.I. Joe team. The Steel Brigade and Steel Brigade Delta were the straws that broke the camels back, and now with this figure in the Concept Case it would seem as if I have totally broken my “no troop builder” for the G.I. Joe team vow. The funny thing is, this figure isn’t necessarily stunning or ground breaking, it just speaks to me. It seems like an awesome concept, and suddenly this is something I really want to see first hand and really want to supplement my G.I. Joe team with. I can’t explain it any different than that.
7 – G.I. Joe: The Pursuit of Cobra Raven’s Wing
Yeah, it’s the Raven’s Wing. I cannot properly explain or express why I’m drawn to this figure. Don’t get me wrong, it looks very cool, borrowing elements from the very fun Pursuit of Cobra Duke, and also injecting some nice Pursuit of Cobra Beachhead arms which provides a really cool armored suit combination.
The idea of a team of “Stealth Operatives” is pretty neat, with the Raven’s Wing working in complete silence and obscurity, and most importantly I’m loving the ideas of new concepts to bring to the G.I. Joe table. Is this figure as visually stunning as some of the others in the case? No, not necessarily, but I love the concept, love the design, and I think G.I. Joe needs to bring new things to the table every once in a while. Yes, the filecard does give these guys a bit of the “I’m the best there is at what I do” feel, but I still feel like there’s a lot of potential here to work with.
Check out the images below.
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by generalsjoes | Jul 11, 2012 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Collectors Club, G.I. Joe Toys, Pursuit of COBRA
This great looking figure first hit our radar courtesy of Mat Brouillard who posted an image of the sculpt for Clutch on his Facebook page. Everyone kind of wondered whether it was a canceled concept, or merely something still to come.
I had an opportunity to speak with John Warden at the G.I. Joe Convention, and he confirmed to me that this version of Clutch was initially slated to come with the Pursuit of Cobra VAMP, while the updated HISS Driver was going to come packaged with the HISS in the same assortment. Unfortunately, due to cost reasons, the new figures were dropped, and kit-bashes were put in their place.
If you don’t know which figure I’m talking about by now… here’s the official run down:
8 – G.I. Joe: The Pursuit of Cobra Clutch
Clutch was always a tough character for me to get my head around. He had such a great personality in the comic books, and seemed to be one of those guys that you love to hate. He smooth talks you, and goes out for beers with you, then waits until your passed out drunk and hits on your girlfriend. He’s a guys guy, a grease monkey, and seems to be one of the more popular characters in the G.I. Joe mythos.
What is so great about this figure is they take a guy like Clutch and really turn him into something unique and interesting. He has the familiar bearded head sculpt, but the whole rest of the figure is something dramatically new. The armored vest with pouches are awesome, the bulky gauntlets look great, and he’s got all sorts of that terrific Pursuit of Cobra pseudo-futuristic design from head to toe. I would have loved to have seen him behind the wheel of the VAMP, but alas it was not to be.
Perhaps all is not lost, though. If enough fans clamor for him, perhaps his appearance in the Concept Case will get him a second life. If you want to see this guy at retail, don’t forget to vote!
For now, just take a peek at the images below.
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