by generalsjoes | Jun 12, 2009 | G.I. Joe, Sigma 6 (8" Scale), Sigma 6 Celebration
If there was anything that the G.I. Joe purists hated more than the Sigma 6 toys or the Sigma 6 concept itself, it was the animated series. We got our first taste of the cartoon at the G.I. Joe convention, and all came away pretty impressed. With designs and animation by Gonzo studios, this seemed like a potentially great (if not somewhat “kiddified”) new super-hero type animated series, but featuring our favorite Joe characters. While at the beginning, the animation impressed, the writing was an immediate drawback, as the cartoon came across as if it were almost written for the kindergarten set. Overly emotional, wacky vocal patterns, and over-exaggerated expressions gave us the worst parts of the Japanese animation culture, but not much of the good stuff. Still, there were some things to look forward to, if you could overlook the silliness.
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by generalsjoes | Jun 11, 2009 | Sigma 6 (8" Scale), Sigma 6 Celebration
As part of the celebration of Sigma 6 and what made the line so appealing to myself and others, I had an opportunity to speak with the folks at Hasbro about Sigma 6, and they were kind enough to answer some questions. Take a peek at the Q & A below.
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by generalsjoes | Jun 11, 2009 | G.I. Joe, Sigma 6 (8" Scale)
During the heyday of Sigma 6, rumors were flying around that a variant version of the popular Lt. Stone figure was coming out, this time done up in blue armor instead of the normal black. In the end they just proved to be rumors, though, as none were ever spotted at retail or anywhere else, for that matter.
Well, that all goes straight out the window, as Sigma 6 Central forum member hktoyking has posted a photo of this mysterious blue-armor variant! Click here to check out the thread, or view the image below.
by generalsjoes | Jun 10, 2009 | G.I. Joe, Sigma 6 (8" Scale), Sigma 6 Celebration
Often a sure sign that a toyline is in trouble is the quality of the toys we’re getting near the end of the toyline’s life. Even great runs like the Real American Hero seemed to suffer from mixed signals and conflicting ideals in 1993 and 1994, bringing us some oddly colored and strangely themed toys that didn’t necessarily mesh with each other. In fact, I’d argue that most of the best known action figure lines showed clear signs of their age by the time the lines faded away. Sigma 6, though, couldn’t be farther from that, in my opinion.
Simply looking at what as still to come shows that there was a lot of life still left in the 8″ line, and it’s a damn shame that it ended when it did. There was a lot of cool stuff left to come, and for today, I’ve decided to include some hefty galleries of figures that were in the works, but didn’t make the cut. This includes concept art found online, pre-production items displayed at Joe Con, and some other little tidbits. Doing this article was tough for me, as it served to be a reminder of what we didn’t get, but I think it’s worth it in the long run, and hopefully you agree. Along with this article, I’ll also have a nice surprise at the end of this whole celebration which will tie into this article as well. 😉
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by generalsjoes | Jun 9, 2009 | G.I. Joe, Sigma 6 (8" Scale), Sigma 6 Celebration
Such a critical part of a successful toy launch and marketing blitz is the packaging style and the artwork on those packages. Ever since 1982, the G.I. Joe line has put a huge focus on the artwork that adorns their packaging, and the Sigma 6 toyline was no different. If anything, it put an even larger emphasis on package design, especially on the 2.5″ line.
For this celebration, I took some time to talk to Chris Lie. Most folks may not know his name, or may know him better from his comic work, but Chris Lie (who is probably most well-known for his amazing all-encompassing cover to G.I. Joe: America’s Elite #25) also did the artwork for the entire 6-issue Sigma 6 limited series, as well as the art for the 8″ Commando scale figures from the Sigma 6 line. Chris was nice enough to take time out of his busy schedule and talk to me, so please click the link below to read that interview:
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