Sideshow Collectibles has been holding their own personal 31 Days of San Diego ComicCon event, and day eight of this event features the first reveal of their next diorama…one that all Joe fans should be excited to see, Zartan Vs. Flint!
Featuring both venerable Real American Hero characters in their familiar garb, the two adversaries face off in an unmentioned swampland. Awesome sculpting, a very dynamic pose, and some very cool easter eggs give us our first glimpse at a Sideshow version of the Cobra Master of Disguise! Not only is this item first revealed right here, but it is also available for pre-order now!
Check out the full details at SideshowCollectibles.com.
Gyre-Viper strikes again, this time getting us some great images of a Pursuit of Cobra Shadow Tracker test shot as well as the upcoming Alpha class vehicle AWE Striker w/ Night Fox. I’m not quite so enamored with the AWE Striker itself, but hot damn if that Night Fox isn’t one sexy bitch.
The Shadow Tracker we see in the images below is an uncolored test shot, so obviously this won’t be the final deco, but in some ways that adds to the appeal. With the black and white colors, you can really pick out the detail work, and I love the focus on the wrist articulation here. Look at all that freaking gear, too. What a fantastic looking figure.
Night Fox is a bit of a surprise, as I thought it was pretty much a frankensteined mis-matched mess…updated images a month or so ago changed my mind. And Gyre-Viper’s pictures even further pushed me over the edge. What a great looking combination of parts and new webgear. A very cool looking new character.
Check out the huge gallery mirrored below.
A GeneralsJoes commentor earlier this week pointed out an awesome YouTube user who has built some amazing dioramas and is using them to make incredible stop-motion animated features with G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra figures (amongst others).
He is a YouTube user named VisorHUNgary, and his channel can be found right here. There are a few videos showcasing the dioramas themselves, but the stop motion playlist is where it’s at.
I’ve mirrored G.I. Joe: Cobra below, but definitely check out his channel to see more details! This is some very cool stuff. Wish I had the patience to do something like this. A big thanks to commentor FredPerri for the info!
After a July 4th extended weekend vacation, I’m back in the G.I. Joe news game just in time for more Pursuit of Cobra product sightings…Bravo vehicles and Mech Suits are filtering out amongst e-tailers and even some brick and mortar stores, all leading up to the inevitable full-fledged action figure launch. Can’t wait for it.
To further whet our appetites, GeneralsJoes contributor Hawkwinter sends along an array of images featuring the fan favorite Pursuit of Cobra Alley-Viper! But no, not just one Alley-Viper, but a whole squad of them! Awesomeness. Cannot wait to get my mits of a handful of these bad boys!
Also, he points out a very cool arctic-themed insert that came with his Snow Job, and I don’t believe it’s something that anyone else has revealed yet (though I could be wrong). Check that out below as well.
Some enterprising Joefans have jumped on a few eBay sales offering early releases of the Sgt. Slaughter SDCC exclusive, and some pics are starting to emerge. Over on Hisstank.com, both Bionic Commando and Gyre-Viper have posted some images, mint on card and loose both. Old friend of GeneralsJoes cmderinchief has also posted a couple of images on his Facebook page as well. I’ve mirrored the images below.
I know some folks are a bit on the fence, but I dig this figure. He looks cool, old school, but still accurate to Sarge’s physical… prowess. Sure, it would have been cool to have him stacked and jacked like he was in the cartoon, but there’s something humorous about this figure, and appropriately cheesy. Of course the mid-torso joint does disrupt some of the flow, which is an issue. But articulation must always come first, in my opinion.
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Regardless, I’ll be looking forward to at least trying to get my hands on these figures when SDCC comes around.
Scattered reports have been sent in regarding the HISS and Wolfhound being available at retail…well, SmallJoes reports that they have the entire run of Wave 1 vehicles, including Alphas, Bravos, and the Mech Suits! They also report that the figures may be arriving as quickly as week from now. WOAH!
For the full details read the newsletter below! EDIT – Apparently I read the email wrong… no Alphas are yet available, but the HISS, Wolfhound, and Mechs are all present and accounted for!
* * * * * * * * * [ SMALLJOES.COM NEWSLETTER ] * * * * * * * * * * http://smalljoes.com
Hi folks, we wanted to tell you about some new and upcoming products.
GI JOE
——
Good news! Wave 1 Pursuit of Cobra vehicles have arrived and much
earlier than originally expected. The wave 1 figures are expected to
follow in another week or so.
Pursuit of Cobra wave 1 alpha vehicle sets of 2 available at $28.99.
Pursuit of Cobra wave 1 bravo vehicle sets of 2 available at $47.99.
Pursuit of Cobra wave 1 mech vehicle set of 2 available at $38.99.
Pursuit of Cobra wave 1 figure sets of 8 are available at $62.99 and
cases at $82.99. http://smalljoes.com/cgi-bin/pgen.cgi?CatId=2&Stage=5
We now have in-package photos for the GI JOE: Resolute 7-figure sets.
These have already left China and so we’ve moved up the estimated ship
date from our warehouse to the third week of July.
Resolute 7-pack sets of 2 are available at $69.99, cases at $199.99.
We also have a special promotional offer for the Resolute sets
combined with the Extreme Conditions 7-packs for an unbeatable deal
at $99.99. http://smalljoes.com/cgi-bin/pgen.cgi?CatId=12&Stage=5
GI JOE Pursuit of Cobra wave 2 figures and vehicles are also available
for pre-order. We don’t have Hasbro-approved images for wave 2 yet
although you can visit the various GI JOE fan sites to see photos of
these items taken at the recent GI JOE convention. Wave 2 is currently
expected to arrive in August.
Pursuit of Cobra wave 2 figure sets of 6 are available at $46.99 and
cases at $82.99.
Pursuit of Cobra wave 2 alpha vehicle sets of 2 available at $28.99.
Pursuit of Cobra wave 2 bravo vehicle sets of 2 available at $47.99. http://smalljoes.com/cgi-bin/pgen.cgi?CatId=2&Stage=5
GI JOE ON SALE
————–
We’re having a sale on lots of the 25th Anniversary 3 3/4″ figures.
Great deals on army builders and more! http://smalljoes.com/cgi-bin/pgen.cgi?CatId=80&Stage=5
GI JOE COMIC BOOKS
——————
We continue to stock all of the latest IDW GI JOE comic books. IDW
really has a full stable of GI JOE titles now so we usually have
something new for you every week.
GI JOE: Cobra is now an ongoing series. This edgy and offbeat title
continues to feature the most innovative writing among the IDW GI JOE
books. Issue #5 is recently released and features Serpentor like
you’ve never seen him!
GI JOE: Hearts & Minds is new mini-series that will, similar to
Origins, focus on the motivations and contrasts between classic
characters in the GI JOE universe. The first issue spotlights Spirit
and Major Bludd. Issue #2 in this series was just released but Diamond
omitted it from our weekly shipment – we’ll have it in next week.
Also available are the latest issues in the ongoing main and Origins
series. http://smalljoes.com/cgi-bin/pgen.cgi?CatId=79&Stage=5
Remember, we have a robust back-issue stock for many GI JOE titles
including the Devil’s Due run, so if you missed any of those issues
be sure to browse through our complete inventory.
MARVEL UNIVERSE
—————
Hasbro is releasing three new assortments of figures throughout
the summer!
Wave 4 consists of Mary Jane, Iron Patriot, Skrull Soldier, Winter
Soldier, Iron Spider Man, and Wrecker. Sets are available at $57.99
and cases at $94.99. These have arrived and are nearly sold out.
Wave 5 consists of Captain Britain, Mystique, Ghost Rider, Team-X
Wolverine, and Multiple Man. Sets are available at $64.99 and cases
at $94.99
Wave 6 consists of Hawkeye (Dark Avenger), Thanos, Iron Man 2020,
Yellow Jacket (w/ mini Antman), and Constrictor. Sets are available
at $64.99 and cases at $94.99.
ELITE FORCE
———–
The popular Little Bird 1:18 scale helicopter is back in stock: http://smalljoes.com/cgi-bin/pgen.cgi?CatId=64&Stage=5
CLEARANCE
———
Remember to check our clearance aisle for low, low, low prices on items
we want to move out of the warehouse. GI JOE, Microman, Watchmen,
comic books, and much more priced to move! http://smalljoes.com/cgi-bin/pgen.cgi?CatId=8&Stage=5
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Thanks for reading, and we hope you’ll stop by and check out the site
soon.
Regards,
SMALLJOES.COM Staff http://smalljoes.com
—————————————————————————
SMALLJOES.COM doesn’t want to send you email if you don’t wish to receive
it. If this is the case, please login to your customer account and change
your email preferences. Click the link below: https://smalljoes.com/cgi-bin/customer.cgi?Stage=100
So a short while ago, GeneralsJoes contributor Hawkwinter sent me an assortment of awesome pictures of the upcoming Pursuit of Cobra figures…specifically Spirit and Alley-Viper. Included in these images are carded pics, file card, accessories, and the insert that comes in the package. Very cool stuff.
Of course it was in the middle of my busy stretch, so I didn’t get it posted until…well… right about now:
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But while on the topic of the Alley-Viper, and new Pursuit of Cobra figures in general, I gotta give some serious props to The Terror Drome, who continues to update “Scoop’s Dark Room” with some awesome images of upcoming figures. This time they gave us Alley-Viper, Snake Eyes (Desert Battle), and Storm Shadow (Desert Battle). Great images and some very revealing details that have not yet been seen. Really cool stuff.
Some images are mirrored below, but you should absolutely check the source as well.
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The day is coming… hope everyone’s ready! Once August hits we get inundated with Pursuit of Cobra, and the PoC joy should carry us right into the fall and hopefully Renegades appearing on The Hub. After a quiet first half of 2010, things are looking up. I’m psyched!
Huge thanks to the Terror Drome, and of course Hawkwinter as well for sharing my unhealthy obsession with the Pursuit of Cobra and sharing those images as well.
Well, official in my mind, anyway… I mean, come on. Sure the Great Wall of China is cool and all, but can it wear a gas mask while scuba diving? Hell no.
As anyone who reads this page was already painfully aware, I am totally infatuated with the upcoming Pursuit of Cobra line. So infatuated that I’m religiously following reports of store sightings of Bravo Vehicles at Toys “R” Us and Amazon/ToyWiz, as well as closely watching the reported August 1st “Street Date” at Target stores nationwide. Of course, even as the toys hit in other places, it generally takes awhile to trickle up here… delivering shipments by horseback and all that.
But as if I wasn’t loving Pursuit of Cobra enough, the mailman dropped off a “City Strike” Beachhead last week. Good Lord. GeneralsJoes contributor Hawkwinter already did a great review, and I really can’t add a whole lot to it, so I’ll just link it instead. The twisted anal-retentive Joefan in me, though, couldn’t help but take a couple dozen pictures, which I’ll just link in a gallery below.
This figure is insane. However, I do think he suffers just a bit from this new Pursuit of Cobra “over-detail” aesthetic. His flak vest is awesome, don’t get me wrong, but it’s pretty huge, pretty over-burdened with detail, and the figure ends up being a total mish-mash of sculpt and functionality. He’s got jungle deco with an urban name, a gas mask, a wealth of re-used weaponry (including a pulse rifle!) that doesn’t really blend with the character or the specialty. His dive flippers are tacked onto the back of his vest, except he’s supposed to be an urban trooper.
I can certainly appreciate what Hasbro is doing, and in execution, this is one hell of an amazing looking figure. But it seemed like Hasbro just had a bunch of stuff left over and slapped it on Beachhead just for the heck of it. The result is an awesome figure that has so much random stuff it’s tough to iron out exactly what they were going for. Of course, this is a pre-production version, but even production-level images have shown similar gear load outs.
Check out the pics and judge for yourself.
You can’t throw an online rock these days without hitting a retailer that sells current G.I. Joe product…but beyond eBay, finding sellers out there for vintage or out of print items is considerably more difficult.
Well, I’m happy to report one of the nets largest vintage e-tailers is now onboard at GeneralsJoes as a sponsor, and not only do I consider JoeArmory a great resource for Joe items, but he’s also a good friend. He’s been around the community for a while, so I whole-heartedly endorse his business, and I think folks will find a lot to love there. Even though he does specialize in the vintage arena, he still has plenty of Anniversary and other modern release figures as well.
Not only that, but he’s currently having a 30% off sale, offering some great items at equally great prices, including later release Anniversary items.
If you’re looking for vintage or current Joe items, hit up the JoeArmory, I think you’ll like what you find. Check out some of the direct links below, as well.
I figured a good return to the update pool would be a review of a very understated, yet fantastic read, G.I. Joe: Hearts & Minds #2. As with issue #1, written by Max Brooks with art chores shared by Howard Chaykin (Firefly half) and Antonio Fuso (Tripwire half), the lack of action and “snazz” is almost palpable. You can tell this was meant to be written from a strictly “prose” perspective, and it dives deeply into the characters that make up the G.I. Joe mythology.
Of course, it’s a bit of a double edged sword, because we’re focusing on these characters from the IDW universe, which doesn’t really tie in to the existing Real American Hero mythology, but it still provides some very cool insight “behind the mask” so to speak. To avoid spoilers, I’ve placed the actual review after the jump. (more…)
Sideshow Collectibles has been holding their own personal 31 Days of San Diego ComicCon event, and day eight of this event features the first reveal of their next diorama…one that all Joe fans should be excited to see, Zartan Vs. Flint!
