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G.I. Joe: Retaliation Action Figures FIRST LOOK – Roadblock and Beachhead

Again with thanks to Gyre-Viper and his desire to provide discussion points and better detail for community analysis, we have the last two figures in the first G.I. Joe: Retaliation Ninja Showdown 3-Pack!

I will warn everyone up front…  brace yourselves for Roadblock.  Folks who are excited for the figure may went to temper their feelings a bit before checking out the review.  And also please keep in mind that these are early samples.  Things could very well change for final release.  I tried to cover both of those bases in my review, but also had to give the figure it’s analysis based on how I received it.

Now if that didn’t scare you too much…  check out my G.I. Joe: Retaliation Review Page or hit up the links below.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation Kamakura Review Addendum

So I posted the review for the upcoming Ninja Showdown 3-Pack Kamakura yesterday, and received a few questions from HissTank.com members.  Questions that I thought should be addressed here as well, because I had to tweak the review a bit and add some images.

There was some concern about the hood, and as I thought about it, I really couldn’t understand why the hood didn’t fit better.  Kamakura does have Resolute Storm Shadow’s head, after all.  Well, I experimented a bit last night, and it looks like the initial hood issue was probably temperature related.  For folks who aren’t aware, my review station is in my garage, which is unheated.  Trying to fit the hood on Kamakura was a fruitless endeavor, and the material was very stiff.

Well, I brought everything into the house, and once the hood softened up, it fit MUCH better, so I felt obligated to update some images in the review, and also post some more pictures here. Also, when considering homages to Kamakura, I focused a lot on the Devils’ Due look and his original uniform, but as Shin Densetsu pointed out…  Kamakura’s Valor Vs. Venom look is actually not too far removed from what we got.  So I tossed a comparison of that up there, too.

Check out the review for some added text and images, and I’ve also mirrored those new images below.  Sorry for any confusion!

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JoeDeclassified Spec Ops Podcast reveals Cobra Island Playset

I’ve been talking to the guys involved with the SpecOps podcast for a while, and I’ve made several promises to be on the show, but I just haven’t been able to make it happen yet.  Shame on me, and I’m especially disappointed that I missed this inaugural episode.

A lot of their conversation focused around the awesome Cobra Island Playset, a concept from the 80’s that unfortunately never came to pass.  But the podcast goes way above and beyond that.  Tons of great conversation about design with a whole cast full of informed and “in the know” Joe fans.  The podcast is a must listen.  You can check it out at the JDSO Podbean page, and also the embedded player below.

Make sure you hit up JoeDeclassified.com for the awesome Cobra Island design sketches, too.  I’ve mirrored a few of them below, but the rest of there.  Awesome stuff.

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G.I. Joe: Retaliation movie image from Hasbro Investor Day

Over at HissTank, BCYOJOE mentions the Hasbro Investor Event, which was held pretty close to Toy Fair this year, and as such, not a whole lot of news emerged.  Well, apparently one bit of news did emerge in the form of a new image from G.I. Joe: Retaliation!

This great looking pseudo poster features Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Roadblock.  Check it out here, or mirrored below.

EDIT – Source of the image is the Hasbro Investor Day presentation, which can be found at Hasbro.com.

 

A first in hand look at G.I. Joe: Retaliation figures launches today with Kamakura!

Over the span of the next few days, GeneralsJoes will be bringing you an exclusive look at some upcoming G.I. Joe: Retaliation figures, courtesy of Gyre Viper.

Both Gyre Viper and I thought long and hard about showcasing these images, considering product isn’t due on store shelves for a little while yet, but ultimately a desire to inform the community won out.  The G.I. Joe online community has been extremely divisive in regards to Retaliation toys ever since information began leaking out.  Concerns about articulation, marketing strategy, and overall figure quality was brought to the forefront.

With an ultimate goal of informing the community and giving these toys closer scrutiny, Gyre Viper decided to bring these figures to light.

There is so much great information that can be gathered here…figure construction, figure quality, articulation enhancements (as well as subtractions) and it just seemed with so much community based indecision over the past month or so, this was a great time to do something for the community.  I strongly believe a closer look at these figures shows that even with the disagreement among the fandom, Hasbro has done some terrific things design-wise and execution-wise, and I think Gyre Viper’s decision to showcase these figures for the G.I. Joe community as a whole was a good one.  Shifting the discussion from missed articulation to a focus on fantastic new designs and sculpting is a good plan, and I’m hoping these images showcase that.  It’s not all peaches and cream, and there are some concerns to be voiced here, but the important thing is being educated and well informed, which is what we are hoping to accomplish here.

Once again, thanks to Gyre Viper for getting these out in the open and giving back to the community.  Hopefully these images spurn some good, healthy discussion and discourse and prepare us for more of what’s to come.

I’m starting off slow, with just Kamakura right now, but will ramp up over the next few days, bringing you guys all six figures in the two upcoming 3-Packs.  Of course this also means the launch of the G.I. Joe: Retaliation Review Page.  Click there, or just click the link directly below to check out this exciting first look!

Five Page Previews for IDW G.I. Joe releases for February 29th

No, not just one…not just two…  but three IDW G.I. Joe books are hitting this Wednesday!  Granted, one of them is a reprint of the classic Yearbooks, but hell yeah.  Still awesome.  Check out the various 5-Page Previews below!

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G.I. Joe 2: Movie Prequel #2

John Barber (w) • Salvador Navarro (a & c)

The origin of Roadblock! While Roadblock is in a deadly race against time to rescue a childhood friend from the clutches of the enemy, we learn the secrets that shaped the Joe’s heavy ordinance officer. Meanwhile—Snake Eyes is in hot pursuit, and he’s not taking any prisoners.

*Retailers: See your order form for incentive information.

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

*Variant covers:

Variant black & white Salvador Navarro cover!

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G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Annual #1

Larry Hama (w) • Ron Frenz, Ron Wagner, Herb Trimpe, Sal Buscema (a) • Ron Frenz & Sal Buscema, Larry Hama (c)

In this special 40-page story, G.I. Joe is on the trail of a rogue unit of Crimson Guardsmen. But the Joes aren’t the only ones hunting down the renegade threat: Zartan and his Dreadnoks have been sent by COBRA to handle the situation. This could get ugly for the Joes! Written by Larry Hama, drawn by three classic artists, and inked by the legendary Sal Buscema, this is a G.I. Joe story you can’t miss!

*Retailers: See your order form for incentive information.

FC • 48 pages • $7.99

*Variant covers:

Black & white Ron Frenz & Sal Buscema cover!

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G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Yearbook Collection

I’ve misplaced the solicitation information, but IDW will be reprinting all of the old school Marvel series Yearbooks, which is awesome.  There were four them in total, and they were all pretty impressive stories and had some terrific art, to boot.  The Michael Golden Oktober Guard from Yearbook #2 pretty much redefined those characters.  Good stuff.

GIJCC Membership PDF Order Form is now online

With their credit card systems shut down while they investigate security problems, the G.I. Joe and Transformers Collectors’ Club have uploaded a PDF form to renew or sign up for memberships via check or money order.

The following email comes from Pete Sinclair.

“Hello!

We wanted to give you the latest update on the current procedure for membership renewals and NEW memberships. As we continue to work to resolve the online store issues, we have put up a PDF that members can download and print out. These will need to be mailed in with a check or money order.  We will process your membership as soon as they arrive. Just click the “Join Now” button in the top right corner at www.gijoeclub.com

Please note that the March 16th deadline is still a hard deadline (in house), so please make sure any mail is in the postal system by March 9th. If we could move the date we would, but that is not an option as these have to be processed due to existing schedules.

If you want to receive either the 3 3/4-inch Footloose OR the 12-inch “Man of Evil” action figures your membership must be active as of March 16th. If your club expiration date is after March 16th you are good to go for this years figure.

Thanks as always and we do apologize for any inconvenience!”

This is obviously a frustrating event for all those involved.  Here’s hoping they get the situation ironed out quickly and go back to business as usual.

Kick Ass Customs – Oreobuilder’s Dino Hunters!

Ohhh wow.  Too often I feel like G.I. Joe fans do not fully embrace the almost ridiculous nature of the G.I. Joe universe.  I love the real world military element as much as the next guy, but there were some far out concepts in the Joe universe that I thought really gave is some of that kid-based charm.  As collectors many of us shrug that stuff off, which is why I was really excited when I saw the latest JoeCustoms Group Project was for the Dino-Hunters.

With only two figures a part of this Hasbro theme, I loved the idea of expanding the whole Dino-Hunters concept.  Well, last week, JoeCustoms unveiled the Dino-Hunters, and it was good.  Unfortunately there wasn’t a huge turn out this time around, but quality rules over quantity in my mind.  Chief among this idea was the masterful work of Oreobuilder.

He took the whole Dino-Hunter concept and ran with it.  Sooooo cool!

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Link Talbot for the win.  And look at that Dino-Viper!  Love it!

Awesome work by Oreobuilder, and by everyone who submitted to this Group Project.  If you’re ever in the need of a custom fix, definitely check out the JoeCustoms Group Projects.  Some very impressive stuff there, and if you go back far enough, you can even see some of my work.  😉

Deadline for GIJCC Membership Footloose still March 16th

There have been folks out there questioning whether the Collectors’ Club might extend the deadline for renewing memberships in order to accommodate folks who are concerned about using the current credit card system for renewals.

Last night, Brian Savage from Fun Publications sent out the following email:

“This update is going out to all members:

Due to the issue with processing credit cards we have currently suspended your ability to renew and join the club online. The deadline is coming March 16th for you to be eligible to receive the 2012 free club exclusives. 

On Monday, we will have a pdf online on the club site for membership renewals and new memberships that you can mail in with a check or money order.  We will process your membership as soon as they arrive.  

Please note that the March 16th deadline is a hard deadline (in house) so please make sure any mail is in the postal system by March 9th.  

If you want to receive the free club exclusive Footloose or Man of Evil, your membership must be active as of March 16th.  At the bottom of this email you will find your expiration date.  If it is after March 16, 2012, you are good to go for the 2012 figure.  

Also, please log into the club club site <https://www.gijoeclub.com/club/> and ensure you have the figure selected you want to receive for this year, either 3 3/4″ or 12″.   

Thanks for your support and patience during this difficult time.

Brian”

So the membership deadline remains the same if you want your Footloose, but they will have PDF forms available today so a check or money order can be used.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation Daytona 500 TV Spot Screencap Gallery

It’s a tradition unlike any other!  No, not the Daytona 500 itself, the dissection of the latest G.I. Joe: Retaliation trailer or TV spot via screencap gallery!

Like all the other trailers and TV spots, I ran this one through the ole software and pulled apart lots of great screen grabs, so big thanks to HissTank.com for uploading in HD!  Not a whole lot of new stuff.  Some clearer images (compared to yesterday’s TV spot) and a few new details.  Love the shot of the Ripsaw jumping into the air.  Also love the little touch like what appears to be a Cobra logo lapel pin on the Secret Service Agent who Colton is whipping the ass of.  Little attentions to detail like that are very cool.

Also a scene with Zartan as The President possibly talking to…the REAL president?  Tough to tell, but almost seems like it.  Good stuff.  Check out the images below, and as always, these will be mirrored on the G.I. Joe: Retaliation SuperPage.

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