by generalsjoes | Sep 10, 2009 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys
#2 – It’s about more than just the pictures.
While I raved yesterday about the level of detail in the new images from the second edition of the Ultimate Guide to G.I. Joe, today I’m going to talk about how much more there is in this book besides the images. Each and every figure and vehicle has a paragraph written about it, and some of them offer some terrific little details from military history, and even from the Godfather himself, Larry Hama. Duke especially offers some nice insight, explaining that his initial character was slated to be an officer, older than Hawk and perhaps even more distinguished. Quite a difference between that and the final result.
That’s only a small sample of the amazing level of great detail included in the Ultimate Guide, and just one small reason why it’s worth a purchase. Order a copy at Amazon today, or see if you can win a copy free from GeneralsJoes!
by generalsjoes | Sep 9, 2009 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe: The Movie
With much thanks to Dave Thornton for the link, The CGSociety has posted an absolutely exhaustive look at the myriad of special effects and CGI work that went into G.I. Joe: The Rise of COBRA, and posted their feature right here. Granted a lot of the information is based on the various different pieces of software and technical expertise required for such an endeavor, but there are some pretty cool images and details mixed in that are quite interesting to those of us out of the CGI “loop”.
Once again, check out the article here.
by generalsjoes | Sep 9, 2009 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys, G.I. Joe: The Movie
With thanks to kennywr22 on HissTank.com, apparently Wal-Mart’s online site now has the following Alpha Class Rise of COBRA vehicles available for order:
While the Snarler Cycle utilizes new tooling, both the Mantis and the Skysweeper use existing molds (though the Skysweeper at least modified the Firebat somewhat), and all figures are repaints of previous releases. Ironically, Rollbar uses the parts from the 25th Anniversary Airborne, yet doesn’t use his name, and the “Air Raid” figure that comes with the Skysweeper uses Airborne’s filecard information (including his file name) but has a different code name. For a quick peek at these vehicles, check out the gallery below, and of course, for all release information, hit up the Rise of COBRA SuperPage.
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by generalsjoes | Sep 9, 2009 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary
#3 – The pictures.
What good is a reference guide and price guide without decent pictures? While the images in the first edition of the Ultimate G.I. Joe Guide were certainly servicable, there were a number that had some lighting issues, layout issues, or other minor composition issues that just limited how effective the pictures were.
Well, the second edition changes all of that in a big way. Unhappy with images in the previous volume himself, Mr. Bellomo enlisted the aid of a professional photographer to go through every single one of his G.I. Joe toys and shoot with the proper lighting and arrangement to really bring the pictures to the next level. The end result is a book that is infinitely more functional and feature-filled than the previous edition. There is an absolute world of difference between volume one and this second edition, and you’ll see it on every page.
Order the book now from Amazon.com or see how you can win one for free here.
by generalsjoes | Sep 9, 2009 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Reviews, Marauder "Gun Runners", Miscellaneous Reviews
A scant few years ago, Marauder “Gun Runners” redefined the accessory world for 1:18th scale action figures. Weapons, distribution of M & C diorama accessories, and reaching out to the fans for ideas are things that other companies just hadn’t grasped. I would even argue that Marauder’s excellent weapon alternatives has pushed Hasbro harder to reinvent their own concepts for accesorization and has made the toy world better as a whole.
Now, a few years later, Marauder has done it again, this time with Battle Stands. Hasbro obviously understands the appeal of these items, including them with nearly every single Anniversary figure and Rise of COBRA figure out there, but it took Marauder to do them right. With an absolutely amazingly simple, yet effective design scheme, and some real world collector sensibility behind it, the IDS Battle Stands were born.
Read the review right here!
by generalsjoes | Sep 8, 2009 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary
#4 – Support the collector!
Yesterday I mentioned the exclusive GeneralsJoes contest that was running where you can win one of two copies of the Ultimate Guide to G.I. Joe (2nd Edition) by Mark Bellomo. The full details are right here.
Well, I continue to talk about 5 reasons why every Joe fan needs to own this book…and #4 should resonate with all of us. Even though he’s turned it into a business, above and beyond all else, Mark Bellomo is a collector. This work has been a labor of love for him, and was born from his collector and fanboy nature. He’s proud to proclaim that he owns every single piece featured in his books, which is a mammoth accomplishment, to say the least. Mr. Bellomo doesn’t just write about this stuff…he LOVES it.
Any G.I. Joe fan needs to own this book. I’m sorry, it’s just essential. If you don’t want to wait for the contest to run its course, hit Amazon.com to pick up your copy. You will definitely not regret it.
