Well, lookee here. I think most of us assumed that the Ninja Combat Cruiser was a Wave 2 vehicle and as such wouldn’t appear at retail until 2013. Well, it looks like either some of them got into the distribution chain early, or perhaps our assumptions were incorrect about their assortment.
HissTank poster JediJones stumbled upon a Ninja Combat Cruiser at his local Target, and has supplied photographic evidence.
The hunt resumes!
The best laid plans…
It’s been a while since I posted an update on this project, mostly because life has been really busy. We had the whole G.I. Joe: Retaliation movie change fiasco, which prompted a lot of podcast recordings, which then spiraled into preparation for JoeCon as well as preparing to move. As I write this, I am currently in the new house, however the toy room is still in its infancy.
I’m approaching Part Three with the perspective that sometimes things don’t always go as planned, and sometimes roadblocks get thrown in your way (no pun intended) but it is important to look on the bright side of things and not get upset over the little speed bumps that come your way. As we got closer and closer to the house finishing construction, it became evident that the final result of my toy room wasn’t going to match what I had pictured in my head. The real issue was how could I adapt to the changes that were coming.
Click the Read the Rest of the Story link below for the full details.
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.
no images were found
It’s only preview night, but already we’re getting some G.I. Joe related intel hot off the presses!
Sideshow Collectibles has their booth rolling, and contained within are an incredible looking Baroness and Major Bludd! The head sculpt and robotic arm on Bludd are especially bad ass, but Baroness is certainly no slouch either. Both figures look amazing and are currently on display at booth #1929.
The folks over at HissTank.com have already begun posting images, and I’ve mirrored a few images from Sideshow on Twitter below as well. I’ve got someone on site in San Diego who will be reporting back with his own share of intel and images as the weekend goes on. You can check out HissTank’s images right here, and if anyone wants to send some others along, I’m listening!
no images were found
Talk about your turn around time! Good friend of GeneralsJoes Mysterious Stranger only got his Sideshow SDCC Exclusive Falcon a day or two ago, and he’s already turned around another great review of the figure!
While I’ve been sitting at my desk drooling over this figure, Stranger put his money where his mouth was and we continue SDCC week with another look at a great looking SDCC exclusive. Check out the latest review in the Sideshow Collectibles category, or by hitting the link below:
Enjoy!
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.
no images were found