by generalsjoes | Mar 9, 2009 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys, G.I. Joe: The Movie
Destro from HissTank returns from a self-imposed vacation with a great gallery of the upcoming Wave 1 COBRA Viper Commando figure.
Checkout the gallery here. Thanks to Destro at HissTank for the heads up.
Like the COBRA Neo-Viper, this is another figure that I really like. It’s pretty cool how the Neo-Viper is sort of a “beefed up” version of this more standard Viper Commando, with some similar elements, yet bulkier armor, and more advanced weaponry. I think I like the Neo-Viper more than the regular Viper Commando, but there are some things about this figure that I like as well.
To see my own pictures of this figure taken during Toy Fair, check out the gallery below:
by generalsjoes | Mar 9, 2009 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary, G.I. Joe Toys
With the early years of G.I. Joe getting some serious credit with the Anniversary figures, it was only a matter of time before Hasbro started dipping into the late 80’s to find some good subject matter, and personally, I can’t think of a better subject than Shockwave. One of my long time favorites, Shockwave is a great character and a great figure, and definitely deserves to get some recognition. It was pretty obvious once the Comic Pack Firefly hit retail that Shockwave was at least on the radar, and by the looks of things, he just barely squeaked in, as it would seem the Anniversary line has petered out for the year.
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by generalsjoes | Mar 8, 2009 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys, G.I. Joe: The Movie
Overseas seller ws_toys has come through with another early Rise of COBRA action figure auction, this time for a COBRA Neo-Viper. The price stands at $14.99, and you can see the auction here, or if you’re just interested in the pictures, click on the thumbnails below.
I’m really interested to hear the fandom’s thoughts on this figure. I know, by and large, the movie stuff has been getting panned, but I think as long as you’re not tied to nostalgia there are some things to appreciate. I really love the skull-themed face mask, personally. For folks like me, not married to the red/black scarf and helmet, there are some pretty neat “future tech” elements at play here. Sure, this isn’t like your garden variety straight from the 80’s COBRA Trooper, but let’s not forget ever since 2000, G.I. Joe has been “evolving”, and as the next step in evolution, I think these troopers have at least some merit. The layered armor, the fearsome appearence, and the state-of-the-art weaponry are all pretty cool, I think, even if they’re not at all reminiscent of the tried and true COBRA Troopers or Vipers. I’m actually looking forward to seeing how these guys look on screen. But something tells me I’m in the minority…
by generalsjoes | Mar 6, 2009 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys, G.I. Joe: The Movie
According to the latest copy of the G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club newsletter, there is an actual “Street Date” in place for the debut of the G.I. Joe: The Rise of COBRA action figure line. That date is listed as July 11, 2009. Recently the Marvel figures had a similar date of March 1st, however that ended up being a pretty “fluid” date as many stores released the figures earlier than that date, and there are still many stores who have not yet stocked their shelves (such as every single store in my nearby vicinity. :/ ).
Regardless of the stedfast date, we at least now have an idea of when we should be expecting these to hit retail. One item of note, the M.A.R.S. Industries 3-Pack with the Officer and 2 Troopers are a “preview” item and will hit retail before then, most likely in May.
Thanks to madmac of the JoeBattleLines forums for this information!
by generalsjoes | Mar 5, 2009 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary, G.I. Joe Toys
While these two repaints are definitely not my cup of tea, I know there are fans out there looking for them. If you can’t find them in your local area, hit up Target.com, they’re in stock now.
Tiger Force Tiger Rat w/ Wild Bill
Python Patrol Conquest w/ COBRA Viper
Thanks to singsingjohnny and Shin Densestu of HissTank.com for the info!
by generalsjoes | Mar 5, 2009 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary, G.I. Joe Toys, G.I. Joe: The Movie
eBay seller “dreamcab” has posted several auctions for test shot vehicles with drivers that may or may not be for upcoming movie items. I would hypothesize that at least a couple of them were slated for vehicles w/ figures before they got cancelled and re-allocated as figures in the COBRA Island 7-Packs. I’m not sure I buy the listing descriptions, but we can at least take a look at what are listed:
Silver Mirage w/ ???
Listing calls this a “RAM” and doesn’t mention the figure’s name, but the vehicle itself is obviously a newly tooled and somewhat modified Silver Mirage. That being said, it’s still tough to tell what the figure is with the size of the pic in the auction. The tooling looks like the Resolute Duke that comes with the Resolute 5-Pack, though who knows in what capacity the figure would have been used.
Whirlwind w/ Recondo
This is definitely a curious one. The listing calls it a “FLAK w/ Outback” but obviously that’s the Whirlwind, not the FLAK. And also obviously, taking a close look at the figure, that looks a hell of a lot like Recondo to me. The tooling, the shoulder holster, the hat and gun. That’s who it is. It would seem this is how Recondo was supposed to come before this set may have gotten cancelled and had the figure re-allocated to the 7-Pack.
Firebat w/ ???
The Firebat itself looks to be modified with larger engine intakes, rockets, and a differently tooled tail section. The figure looks like Sgt. Airborne, so who knows if it’s just a test shot for that figure, or if it was slated to be something new. It’s certainly not A.V.A.C. as the auction indicates. Something for the movie perhaps?
Sting Raider w/ ???
The auction is labelled as “Duke w/ Jet” but I see no indication that this is even Duke, or that this is even an upcoming vehicle. This is obviously the Valor Vs. Venom Sting Raider, but who knows in what capacity this may end up getting released or what the main goal is. The figure is tiny, so it’s tough to tell what tooling was used or what weapons it comes with.
EDIT: Thanks to the keen eye on folks on HissTank, as well as DistantFred via the comments, it certainly looks as if the driver included with the above auction is the COBRA Island 7-Pack Lamprey.
COBRA Gunship w/ Firefly?
This is obviously the movie COBRA Gunship w/ Firefly, though the auction is listed as being the “Skyhawk”, which is the most glaring example of these auctions being mislabelled.
All in all, this is certainly an eclectic mixture. Possible movie stuff, possible upcoming anniversary stuff? Possibly cancelled Anniversary stuff? Regardless, these are some really interesting items that I’m fasincated with. It’ll be really interesting to see what ends up coming down the pipeline.
Thanks to The Terror Drome for pointing these auctions out!
