by generalsjoes | Mar 29, 2010 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary, G.I. Joe Toys
This is something I’ve been thinking about for a little while…with rumors persisting that a lot of the o-ring product is probably too damaged to use, I can see the Club quickly running out of options for parts for the classic style figures. As such, they’ll need to (by necessity) move on to the Anniversary construction. No idea what the time frame on this might be (if it’s even the case) but I would imagine soon enough, we’ll see the migration over to the new style construction for GIJCC related product.
So, now the question is… if the G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club wanted to get some mileage out of the 25th Anniversary tooling, would you have any issues with them producing vintage homage figures like Dial Tone, Low Light, or Airtight as convention exclusives or membership incentive figures?
Considering the fact that Hasbro seems adamant that they’re not interested in fully revisiting the 25th Anniversary, so the Club may be our only chance of getting the critical holes filled in the cast for 25th Anniversary figures. Yet, I still remember the furor that the Transformers Collectors’ Club endured when they produced the remaining Seekers as part of their Botcon exclusives a few years ago.
So, the question remains… would you be willing to spend more money on convention or membership incentive figures to get the remaining figures in the 1986 – 1994 line up? Would that be better than not getting them at all? Or would that just be a slap in the face?
From my own perspective, I typically purchase the convention and membership incentive figures anyway, so I’d welcome getting these figures any chance we get. It’s obvious Hasbro isn’t going to go out of their way to do it themselves, so isn’t a more expensive option better than nothing?
Thoughts?
by generalsjoes | Mar 25, 2010 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys, Pursuit of COBRA
In spite of how much “venom” (no pun intended) is thrown towards the updated Cobra Commander design for the Rise of Cobra, fandom praise on the Pursuit of Cobra mailaway version was surprisingly excessive. With a slightly retooled head, some fancy vac-metalized parts and an array of kick ass accessories, many fans seemed ready to jump on the Rise of Cobra Cobra Commander bandwagon.
Then, during Toy Fair, it was revealed that Cobra Commander would no longer be a mail away, it was now going to be a “chase figure” in somewhat limited capacity. Thankfully Hasbro did announce at the latest Q & A, that the figure would not be extremely hard to find, but it’s a retail figure, nonetheless. And while the bulk of the figure remains the same, from the great Cobra themed packaging, to the chrome accents on the figure, there are some changes. For instance, since the figure is no longer a mail away version, the shipping box obviously is no longer needed, the very cool letter from General Hawk is a thing of the past, and the most disappointing difference is that the HISS drone that was initially slated to come with the figure couldn’t make it through to the retail price point.
So, the mad dash has begun… initial mail away Cobra Commanders have been available through illicit means for a short while, and now they’re at extremely high demand. Luckily for me, I was able to get my hands on one, and my gain is your gain. I have to, of course, give a huge thanks to an old buddy of mine for hooking me up with this item, too. He gave me a great deal on something that’s very tough to come by, and it made my month!
While I can’t bring myself to open the figure, I took a bunch of pictures, trying to get as much possible detail as I could, even through the haze of plastic clamshell. I’ve posted the extensive gallery below… enjoy!
no images were found
by generalsjoes | Mar 22, 2010 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys, Pursuit of COBRA
I know this figure has been out there for a while now, but I wasn’t really content to review it as a whole without the jacket that makes it so much of a more imposing and cool looking arctic figure.
Well, thankfully, long time friend of the site notpicard came through in a big way, and we’ve got the one and only review on the ‘net for the “Arctic Threat” Duke including his evasive arctic jacket!
I’ve got him uploaded to the Pursuit of Cobra Review Page, and you can check out the review directly right here!
Notpicard is also a regular contributor to excellent G.I. Joe resource site JoeIntel.com, so make sure you put them in your favorites and visit early and often. I can guarantee you, no matter how long you’ve been collecting you’ll find some damn cool stuff there that you never knew existed.
by generalsjoes | Mar 19, 2010 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys, G.I. Joe: The Movie
Now, normally I try to avoid promoting the Chinese gray-market sellers too much on the site (even though I regularly partake in their wares, since I’m all about being a hypocrite). But in the case of the Wave 3 Alpha product, since it’s cancelled state side, I can make an exception, I suppose.
The Terror Drome reports that Black Sheep Toy Store (also known as ws_toys) has Volcano Vipers up for grabs! Woop! Beyond the Polar Shark Sub, this was one figure that I was really looking forward to, and I’m psyched that he will at least be available in some regard. Now all we need is the sub itself and Ice Storm. Leatherneck wouldn’t be bad, but I still think Hasbro might have a better version up their sleeves somewhere down the line. He would fit the Pursuit of Cobra perfectly.
Check out the auctions below and the mirrored images directly underneath:
no images were found
by generalsjoes | Mar 18, 2010 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys, G.I. Joe: The Movie
Or… if an assortment gets cancelled, and no one was going to buy it, does it really matter?
Okay, that’s a bit harsh. To be honest, I was looking forward to the Volcano Viper, and the Polar Shark Sub was pretty bad ass all around, but I do think most fans have moved on past the third wave of Alpha vehicles, haven’t they? I hope so, because according to The Terror Drome, the assortment has been officially cancelled, per an email from BigBadToyStore.
Seems to me, that even the most ardent fans of The Rise of Cobra (myself included) are now perched and ready for the Pursuit of Cobra, and don’t have a burning desire to revisit the Paramount universe at this point. There are so many cool G.I. Joe items on the horizon that appear to have been birthed from the film, but have evolved past the film, that I’m not sure I can bring myself to care a whole lot about this last assortment. Dusty did look pretty sweet. The Polar Shark and Ice Storm are something that my collection will miss. But the half-hearted Leatherneck was no great shakes, the repaint Rockslide and Molepod definitely don’t hurt my feelings. I dunno. Just nothing I was really clamoring for.
Bring on the Red Shadows at this point.
My biggest bitch is that I used a question in the last Q & A asking about this third wave…hopefully that’s not the magic one that Hasbro picks!
by generalsjoes | Mar 8, 2010 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys, G.I. Joe: The Movie
Now that we’re moving towards the Pursuit of Cobra, if you feel like stocking up on Rise of Cobra product from 2009, now is your chance! YoJoe.com is offering a great contest that’s easy as heck to participate in.
Simply hop on over to this thread and make a post, and you’re entered in a contest to win a nice little prize pack featuring the following:
Cobra Gunship w/ Firefly
Snake Trax A.T.V. w/ Scrap-Iron
Combat Heroes Cover Girl vs. Destro
The Gunship itself is worth the trouble! An awesome chance to get some neat product that you might have missed the first time around. Big thanks to YoJoe and Hasbro for sponsoring the contest!
