by generalsjoes | Dec 31, 2015 | 50th Anniversary, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Collectors Club, G.I. Joe Kre-O, G.I. Joe Toys
The last couple of years as I sat down to write this up, I think ‘oh, this will be easy this year…there was barely any product’!
Then I go through all of my reviews over the past 12 months and realize that for a line that is supposedly on prolonged life support, we still got some GREAT stuff in 2015. Really great stuff.
Now, I migrated to a new review system in 2015, one that makes calculating review scores a bit more granular. But, I’ll be honest… I still went by the seat of my pants on this rundown, and looked at these figures from the perspective of a 100 mile view. It can be tough to write up a review “hot off the presses” right when I get a figure in hand, because honestly, that’s often when I’m in love the most. It can be tough to be impartial that close to the newness of that toy for the first time.
So I whittled down the list and ultimately looked at figures that I could step away from for a little while and gauge my appreciation.
The results are after the break.
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by generalsjoes | Dec 31, 2015 | G.I. Joe, Podcasts
It’s a Christmas miracle! Those fine British folks celebrate the holidays with a Christmas themed episode covering all the latest end of year G.I. Joe and Action Force news and notes!
Also starting in this episode, the news will be brought to you by GeneralsJoes.com. Hear my dulcet tones as I reveal the latest news from the world of G.I. Joe and hand it off to the Full Force guys for discussion.
There’s a LOT to talk about with this episode, so make sure you head over to the Podbean site to check it out. The latest episode is also embedded below.
Keep your eyes on the Full Force Facebook Page for contest information and for the latest show notes.
FUULLL FOOOOOOORRRRRCE!

by generalsjoes | Dec 29, 2015 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe 3, G.I. Joe Collectors Club, G.I. Joe Comics, G.I. Joe Toys, G.I. Joe Video Game, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, G.I. Joe: The Movie, IDW, Kindle Worlds
At any given time throughout 2015 it felt like a pretty slow news year for G.I. Joe, but as always, when you stop and look back, suddenly things don’t look quite so small.
Granted G.I. Joe product at retail was pretty much focused to a singular burst in late summer as the 50th Anniversary exploded, then faded, even though we got Convention product and FSS figures earlier in the year. With all that being said, it still feels like there were plenty of “banner moments” in G.I. Joe news for the year that was.
News was breaking right up until the last moment, and I’m actually a bit worried that if I post this prior to December 31st I might end up missing something!
Click the “read more” link below to check out the full list!
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by generalsjoes | Dec 25, 2015 | Life
From everyone here at GeneralsJoes I just want to wish you all a very happy holiday season. Whatever you celebrate, I hope you have some time to rest, reflect, and spend quality time with the people you love.
Stay safe and happy holidays!

by generalsjoes | Dec 22, 2015 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Collectors Club
A few months ago word emerged that Hasbro had signed a deal with an International convention holder focused on developing a worldwide “Transformers Experience” and many folks feared what that meant for an annual Botcon. I’ll be honest, I kind of glossed over it myself, thinking that it was probably an entirely separate type of thing.
I might have been wrong.
According to AllSpark, word has emerged that the G.I. Joe and Transformers Collectors Club may be ending their agreement with Hasbro by the end of 2016.
There is no official word on this, so take it with a huge grain of salt right now, but a look at the Terms and Conditions on the Collectors Club membership renewals reveals the following:
Please note that at this time we are only accepting memberships and renewals for the 2016 calendar year. All memberships will end with the December 2016 issue. For example: if your membership renewal has a February start date, you will receive the FREE membership figure in the late spring along with 11 monthly issues. If your membership renewal has a March start date, you will receive the FREE membership figure in the late spring and 10 monthly issues.
You read that right, all memberships, regardless of when they were signed, are destined to expire at the end of 2016. That certainly seems to indicate 2016 as some cut off date for the joint agreement between Fun Publications and Hasbro.
As I said, there is NO official word on this yet and likely won’t be for a little while, but some puzzle pieces are starting to fit together, and the picture they’re painting isn’t a great one.
I know what a lot of people will think. A lot of people will think that this is great news, they’re tired of Fun Pub, it’s time to move on. But I think those same people need to stop and think ‘what are we moving on to?’
Whether you like them or not, Fun Publications was reponsible for over 30 G.I. Joe items in 2015, more than doubling Hasbro’s own Toys “R” Us exclusive product. Once that agreement ends (if it indeed does) what does that mean for future product?
I don’t think it means anything good.
Stay tuned for more on this developing story.

by generalsjoes | Dec 22, 2015 | 5 Page Previews, Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comics, IDW
Two new G.I. Joe issues from IDW Publishing hit comic shops tomorrow as the COBRA World Order continues in A Real American Hero #222 and the capers of the Transformers and G.I. Joe dive further into strangeness in Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #10. Check out the previews below!
G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #222: COBRA WORLD ORDER Part 4
Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a) • Phil Jimenez (c)
Cobra finally insinuates itself into the highest positions in the US government, while G.I. Joe approaches the highest powers in the pentagon for aid in the fight. But help comes from an unexpected ally that reveals the true nature of the COBRA WORLD ORDER!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
- COBRA WORLD ORDER comes to a head—COBRA’S true plan is finally revealed!
Transformers vs G.I. JOE #10
Tom Scioli, John Barber (w) • Scioli (a & c)
REMEMBER US?! The most titanic tale of the twenty-first century takes an unexpected twist—BUT WHEN HAS TRANSFORMERS VS. G.I. JOE DONE ANY LESS?! Expect the unexpected—then throw your expectations out the window!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
by generalsjoes | Dec 16, 2015 | Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comics, IDW
We’re neck deep in COBRA World Order, but still looking ahead to March to see where G.I. Joe might be next! Check out all of the latest G.I. Joe oriented solicitation info from IDW below!

G.I. JOE Deviations One-Shot—GEM OF THE MONTH
Paul Allor (w) • Corey Lewis (a & c)
In a world… where COBRA rules the planet! COBRA COMMANDER’s forces have won, the entire planet Earth now submits to COBRA rule… but the burdens of ruling over billions of people make COBRA COMMANDER anxious to the good old days. And he decides there’s just one group that can bring chaos back to this totalitarian order: G.I. JOE!
FC • 40 pages • $4.99

G.I. JOE Deviations One-Shot—Subscription Variant
Paul Allor (w) • Corey Lewis (a) • Brian Shearer (c)
FC • 40 pages • $4.99
Bullet points:
- Extra-length one-shot!
- Find out what happens in a world… where COBRA turns the table on G.I. JOE… but they can’t wait to bring them back!
- Part of IDW’s Deviations 5-week event!

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #226: Cobra Nation, Part 1
Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a & c)
G.I. Joe believes it can rest easy after stopping the COBRA WORLD ORDER… but they must now face a war at home as Cobra Commander amasses followers and maneuvers his hidden agents in order to turn the US into a COBRA NATION!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #226: Cobra Nation, Part 1—Subscription Variant
Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a) • Adam Riches (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
- A new storyline will see G.I. JOE fighting on their home turf!
- THE COBRA NATION WILL RISE UP!

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero, Vol. 14
Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a) • Paul Pope (c)
G.I. JOE has been fighting the evil forces of COBRA for decades, but now COBRA is ready to unleash its master plan on an unsuspecting G.I. JOE, in “Cobra World Order!” Collects the prelude issue #0 and issues #219–221.
TPB • FC • $17.99 • 100 pages • ISBN: 978-1-63140-554-9
Bullet points:
- The beginning of a new G.I. JOE epic tale!

Street Fighter X G.I. JOE #2 (of 6)
Aubrey Sitterson (w) • Emilio Laiso (a) • Kagan McLeod (c)
The second day of the tournament pitting Street Fighter vs. G.I. JOE begins! Destro and M. Bison team up to provide Cobra with the ultimate weapon… but Guile, Snake Eyes, Ryu and Storm Shadow have a plan of their own to stop the Shadaloo tyrant. The World Warrior tournament heats up for the Street Fighter team and G.I. JOE alike!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Street Fighter X G.I. JOE #2 (of 6)—Subscription Variant
Aubrey Sitterson (w) • Emilio Laiso (a) • Nick Pitarra (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
- Your favorite Street Fighter characters face off against G.I. JOE for the first time ever!
- Variant cover by Matthew Waite!

by generalsjoes | Dec 15, 2015 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe 3, G.I. Joe: The Movie
On the surface this sounds like a very cool, very fun idea. Underneath the surface, I can’t help but wonder exactly how this is going to work.
The Hollywood Reporter posted an article today revealing a Hasbro and Paramount joint venture to unify the universes of G.I. Joe, MASK, Visionaries, Micronauts, and ROM into one connective cinematic universe.
My first reaction, of course, is JOY. I absolutely love Joe, MASK, and Visionaries, and the mere fact that discussion of these three properties is occurring fills me with immense pleasure.
Of course my next reaction is how the heck is Hasbro going to tell a story featuring a modern military team and Knights of the Magical light and have it make any modicum of sense? Add that to Rom the Space Knight and the Micronauts, and even more confusion comes into play.
It’s funny, I could definitely see MASK and G.I. Joe co-existing on screen in a great way. I could see Visionaries, Rom, and Micronauts even existing in some strange pseudo magic-science cosmic universe. But somehow joining all five together? Very weird, although certainly not without precedence. One might point to Marvel’s success with Guardians of the Galaxy to point out how well a company can synergize more “real world” events with a more cosmic story arc, but Marvel spent half a decade building their universe around their characters. Will Hasbro and Paramount’s vision work the same way?
I guess it will be interesting to find out.
Meanwhile, I’m just ecstatic that there are two more Hasbro properties I’m enthusiastic about potentially getting a stronger focus in the coming years.
Check out the Hollywood Reporter’s article for more details.
(Visionaries image courtesy of the immensely talented stratosmacca on DeviantArt)
by generalsjoes | Dec 9, 2015 | Boss Fight Studio, Zica Captain Action
We’ve been following the progress of Zica Toys‘ Captain Action Kickstarter preparation ever since they first announced it a while ago, and this latest update has us pretty excited!
Over on their Facebook page, Zica has revealed the first resin versions of Captain Action, Captain Evil, and Action Jackson, a recently revealed part of their upcoming Kickstarter!
With figures designed by Boss Fight Studio, these Captain Action toys look like a great blend between modern stylings and vintage aesthetic. I’m digging what I’m seeing so far.
Keep watching the Zica Toys Facebook Page for updates, and believe me, we’ll be letting you know when the Kickstarter is up and running.
by generalsjoes | Dec 8, 2015 | Boss Fight Studio
I’ve been sharing this throughout social media, but figured not all GeneralsJoes readers are on the Facebooks or Twitters.
Exciting news as the pre-order for the first run of Vitruvian HACKS action figures are up and rolling! For anyone who missed the Kickstarter or just wants to beef up their pledge, jump on BossFightShop.com and pre-order your little hearts out!
Pricing is unexpectedly great with Skeletons for $12,99, blanks for $14.99 and regular figures for $19.99. Own an army of 1:18 scale skeletons for a very good price.
There are even some blanks that weren’t available in the Kickstarter. I’ve copied and pasted a Boss Fight FAQ update below which outlines all of the minor differences between what was shown in the Kickstarter and what’s available here.
Now, go hit BossFightShop.com and pick some of this great stuff up! GO!

Hey Boss Fighters!!
We just wanted to drop a line to clear up some confusion on our product names and additional Blanks as they appear on our Web Store.
There are many Blank Males and Females that were not part of the Kickstarter (and therefore are not included in the All-In package).
- Shadow Grey Female
- Transparent Orange Female
- Python Purple Male
- Champagne Beige Male
- Brown Female
- Walnut Male
- Orange Male
- Bio Blue Female
- Pink Male
- Wheat Female
As our production process moved forward we renamed many of the characters from the original names that were used for the Kickstarter. Here is a list of those changes.
Figures
- Coral Snake is now Coral Gorgon
- Immortal Warrior is now Talos
- Green Snake is now Green Mamba
- Milk Snake is now Colubrida Guard
- Underworld Queen is now Tartarus Guard
Accessory Sets
- Ghost Light Armor is now Glow In The Dark
Unearthly Green is now Green
Blanks
- Fire Orange is now Transparent Orange
- Obsidian Black is now Black
- Lipstick Red is now Red
- Walnut Brown is now Walnut
- Tree Bark is now Brown
- Sunset Orange is now Orange
- Sunny Wheat is now Wheat
I hope that makes sense and will help you in your collecting. Sorry for the confusion but things evolve throughout the design/production process and trust us…these are all changes that benefit the future of our brand.