Whoever laid down cash that Repulsor was going to be a Sludge-Viper, please proceed to window #4 to pick up your winnings!
Yes, G.I. Joe fans, we officially do have a Sludge-Viper has part of the 2014 G.I. Joe Convention Set, and its “Director of Security” Repulsor! As many folks guessed, the Repulsor name referenced some early artwork for the Sludge Viper character that used that name instead of the final approved version.
Surprisingly, there are no new parts to this figure, using a Zombie Viper helmet and pretty much a full blown 30th Anniversary Techno-Viper from the neck down. It’s an interesting choice, and does tie him in somewhat with Cesspool, Zombie Viper, and the Toxo-Viper, as the former uses the Techno-Viper vest, and the latter uses the Techno Viper legs (with the Zombie Viper reference sandwiched between). There’s a cool sense of cohesion here. I do wonder who’s head is underneath there… guess we’ll find out at some point! Check out GIJoeCon.com and the image is mirrored below.
My first reaction? Ewww… but I think that’s probably supposed to be the first reaction. Ever since Resident Evil thrilled video gamers with the cut scene of zombie dogs hurling themselves through windows, the idea of these brain-eating beasts has floated around through many different properties.
Now the G.I. Joe Collectors Club is doing their own version of a zombie dog, going the pit bull route. Obviously infused with some kind of Compound Z formula, DAWG has seen some better days. What I find most interesting about this reveal is that the identify Repulsor as a “director of security for Cobra Industries”…
The last time we heard about Cobra Industries was G.I. Joe: Renegades… and I gotta admit, I get an ear-to-ear grin just thinking about that series. It does make me a bit more interested to see just what Repulsor might end up being. There have been rumors that he’s a variation of a Sludge Viper (early concepts for Sludge Viper indeed identified him as “Repulsor”) but I will admit, I have no idea what to expect here. He’s the last reveal, and hopefully we’ll be seeing him this week. Meanwhile, hit up GIJoeCon.com for the full details, and DAWG can also be seen below.
For any fans who have been complaining about Hasbro leaving the 12″ fan in the dust when designing the 50th Anniversary product, you cannot accuse the Collectors’ Club of the same thing. They’ve designed a really nice 50th Anniversary homage to the original Green Beret, and included a great Adventure Team figure in the set to boot. Some really nice gear, and of course, that pesky 4″ Joe Colton in there stirring up trouble.
Check out all the details of the 12″ Convention Set right here, and I’ve mirrored an image below. Now, fingers crossed we get a peek at Repulsor and DAWG today to help round off the Real American Hero set!
Straight from the floor at Toy Fair, 2014, Bloomberg Television sat down with Vice President and G.I. Joe historian Derryl DePriest to talk about G.I. Joe’s history and it’s present incarnation.
I’ll be honest, it’s not a softball interview. The host asks some hard questions about G.I. Joe’s military ties, about the role model it sets for boys, and about what the brand is doing to innovate, and to his credit, DePriest answers those questions, but quite artfully.
I find a lot of these interviews to be somewhat “more of the same” but this one stood out…it’s a good five minute watch, check it out.
G.I. Joe fans everywhere had been jumping up and down waiting for the reveal of the 2014 G.I. Joe Convention Toxo-Zombie, and now that they have it, we’re getting a second helping of detail in the form of an awesome control drawing by the designers Boss Fight Studio.
I suspect yesterday’s image was a Photoshop mock up, and I cannot wait to see this head sculpt live and in person. Until then, check out the amazing art below. If you like what you see, make sure you hit up Boss Fight on Facebook and give ’em a Like.
