by generalsjoes | Aug 24, 2016 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Collectors Club
Now this is cool.
I loved G.I. Joe: Extreme conceptually, but the figures released in the mid 90s were not up to par with the earlier efforts. Victims of the 1990s style of toy design, with dramatic sculpted poses and super hero proportions the Extreme figures weren’t necessarily bad for what they were, they just in no way dove-tailed with what had existed in the Real American Hero leading up to that point.
Considering the Kindle Worlds project I’m currently working on, I’m ecstatic to see some movement towards further integration of SKAR into G.I. Joe mythology, and Steel Raven is a great next step after the Iron Klaw we received a few years back. My hope is that perhaps these are the first few steps towards an expanded SKAR in a convention set, maybe? Time will tell.
Regardless, this figure looks really fun, and any time we get a character that has never been in toy form before it’s something to celebrate. Check it out on GIJoeClub.com or mirrored below.
The bad news? Only one reveal left…well unless you count a revamped Salvo… can’t wait to see the next entry tomorrow!
by generalsjoes | Aug 22, 2016 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Collectors Club
Hot on the heels of the great news about the Figure Subscription Service Salvo update, we also get a brand new reveal in the form of Sneak Peek!
Using the same basic build as the Tiger Force version from FSS 4 (only with a different vest, this classic Sneak Peek looks pretty good, straight out of the pages of IDW’s Real American Hero comic. Check out the reveal on GIJoeClub.com or mirrored below.
by generalsjoes | Aug 22, 2016 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Collectors Club
Great news from the G.I. Joe Collectors Club today!
Apparently our comments have been heard, and they are indeed rethinking the build for Salvo!
This appeared in a comment thread on Facebook:
This is great news and I’m thrilled to hear it! Kudos to everyone who shared their (hopefully respectful) opinion on the subject and enacted some change. Look forward to seeing what they come up with.
Don’t forget you can pre-order FSS V on GIJoeClub.com now!
by generalsjoes | Aug 19, 2016 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Collectors Club
After the bru-ha-ha from yesterday’s Salvo reveal, the G.I. Joe Collectors Club comes back strong today with the reveal of their excellent rendition of Scoop from the fifth Figure Subscription Service.
The figure looks excellent, re-using Airborne’s helmeted head and coming with some great 25th Anniversary accessories. The addition of the submachine gun is a great touch as well. I’ve never been particularly attached to Scoop, but his representation in the DiC mini-series Operation: Dragonfire has put him at the top of many fans’ character lists.
Scoop looks really awesome and is a great way to end the week. Check out the reveal at GIJoeClub.com or the image mirrored below.
Underneath Scoop I’ve posted images of all the reveals to date as well. Nine figures shown so far!
The entire nine figure line up!
by generalsjoes | Aug 19, 2016 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Collectors Club
Ever since his name was first uttered at JoeCon 2016 as being a part of FSS 5, Salvo was a figure I was greatly looking forward to. Not just because he was one of my favorite 1990 characters, but because I could immediately picture some pretty straight forward builds that would represent the character perfectly in the modern format.
Today, I quickly got a flurry of messages from several friends when the reveal went live, and when I heard it was Salvo, I was excited… his look original look was remarkably plain, but equally distinctive. Bald head, muscular build in a t-shirt, he was a front line missile launching bad ass that didn’t need any sissy armor, and was happy to tell his enemies that the might was indeed right.
As I eagerly navigated to GIJoeClub.com my excitement quickly turned to disappointment.
I try to temper my opinions based on early Photoshop mock ups, because they are just digital images and not always true to the finished product, but when it comes to the FSS Salvo… there’s quite simply nothing right about this figure.
Well, maybe I’m being overly harsh. The helmet isn’t bad.
I can’t comment about the head, because you can’t see it underneath the helmet, but if it’s Serpentor’s head, then there’s no redeeming that either.
What kills me is that the perfect recipe for an updated Salvo is RIGHT THERE. All they really needed to do was slap some better paint over the Retaliation Roadblock figure they’ve used countless times, but instead they’re using the Law torso and arms, which are great body parts, but are not nearly beefy or muscular enough for Salvo. As if trying to accommodate that, they give the figure the large-thighed Resolute legs, but all that does is accentuate the scrawny torso and arms. Layered on top of this is the strangely colored legs which are monochromatic green and an attempt to mimic the color of the machine gun belts with odd gold straps.
Simply put, this figure is a mess. As I said, I hesitate to make snap judgments on most of these reveals, because I understand they are digital mock ups, but in Salvo’s case there isn’t a single thing I can find to explain away here. Perhaps there’s something about the tooling library we don’t know…there would almost have to be, because I can’t think of a logical reason why the figure build would be done this way rather than several other ways. Even the font on the shirt is off.
I don’t think anyone would claim that Salvo is a critical element to any G.I. Joe roster, after all, this is the first version of the figure we’ve seen since the Direct to Consumer line eight years ago. But one would think, at the premium price that the FSS garners, we should be getting premium effort, and I’m sorry, but Salvo doesn’t meet those expectations.
Go check out the reveal at GIJoeClub.com and make sure you log into their forums and make your voice heard if you like it (or don’t). It may be too late to change anything at this point, but if we’re getting two more years of exclusive product, make sure as the consumer, we speak intelligently and respectfully.
Salvo was destined to be one of the highlights of FSS 5, and sadly, this figure doesn’t pass muster, especially not for a figure with an MSRP of over $30. I’ve been buying product from the Club for nearly 20 years, I know they can do better. They should do better.
