I know most of the attention at JoeCon focuses on the Hasbro booth and Club exclusives, but the truth is there is a ton of stuff that goes on at JoeCon beyond just the fancy new toys.
Phil from YoJoe.com went above and beyond this year as he always does taking images, organizing them and posting them in the always awesome YoJoe Photo Galleries. Custom and Diorama contest photos, Cosplay, and yes plenty of images of new toys, too.
Check out the YoJoe Photo Gallery, there’s some awesome stuff to look at there.
With the 2016 G.I. Joe Convention now over, Hasbro has released some official press images for upcoming product, which provides a nice clear look at how these figures are expected to look once we get them in our greedy little mitts in November.
Like the Black Vulture, the COBRA Flying Scorpion was based off a Brazil only Sky Patrol release, and like the Vulture, it’s a match that seems to work only too well. While the name “Flying Scorpion” doesn’t necessarily mix with Air Devils the way the Vultures work together, the color scheme here is a surprisingly effective match for the Air Commandos that he leads.
Just like the original figure did, this version of the Flying Scorpion re-uses Cesspool’s head, only this time it’s the modern Club version, which continues to be terrific even a couple of years later. The red shirt is a great match for the Air Devil troopers, as is the silver webgear for those silver pouches. While the gray pants don’t match precisely, they are covered with enough black pouches and trim to darken the overall colors and
blend him in with his fellow air soldiers.
One item of note is that his torso looks to be from the 30th Anniversary Lifeline, though in order for the COBRA Officer webgear to fit on it, the extraneous holsters and such have been removed, leaving small cavities in the torso. With the webgear on, these are not even visible, but if you plan on taking the webgear off, that’s something you should be aware of. Beyond the Lifeline torso and Cesspool head, the figure is Retaliation Ultimate
Duke, which are some really nicely sculpted parts and fairly well articulated. I continue to struggle somewhat with the rocker ankles on these legs, and it can be very difficult to get them in the poses you want, but they do look pretty darn nice.
The figure itself comes together really well with the sculpting and paint deco, looking like a great update to the original and also meshing nicely with the other Air Devils.
Accessories
The COBRA Flying Scorpion comes with the awesome jetpack just like Black Vulture, only his is colored to match him, and has the unique Air Devil themed COBRA logos. The removable COBRA Officer webgear works surprisingly well for the Recoil torso and covers up those pesky holes in his torso nicely, also contrasting well with the red. He comes with the great pistol that slides into the leg holster and Sci-Fi’s helmet which works well to match the Cesspool helmet of old. Finishing off the accessories is a simple AK-47.
Flying Scorpion is terrific. The Cesspool head is magnificent and in the different skin tone looks like a completely different character. The parts combination works flawlessly and the accessories are exceptionally well chosen. The pair of former Brazil exclusives both hit the ball way out of their respective parks and I couldn’t be happier with these two updates.
To check out a video review of the COBRA ADDERS half of the Convention set, watch below!
Cobra Flying Scorpion
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
4.5
Summary
Just like the Black Vulture, this feels like a match made in heaven. A character pulled from the Brazilian exclusives line, fantastic modern parts and a great color scheme, which even blends this character logically with the Air Devils he leads. Terrific accessories, and just a high quality, well put together JoeCon figure.
I was away from the computer for a bit tonight, but wanted to catch up for folks who may not have seen it. After the G.I. Joe Collectors Club roundtable, they put the figures on display from the Transformers/G.I. Joe 5 Pack! Over at the YoJoe Photo Galleries the images have been posted, and I’ve got them mirrored here as well.
Scarlett and Biggles Jones are looking pretty great!
First and foremost, exciting news… next year’s Convention site and dates have been decided already! Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin June 15th – 17th 2017!
They also announced FSS 5.0, though there were no images available unfortunately… the 12 figures are as follows!
Ambush
Charbroil (classic deco, masked head not removable)
Darklon (a more current version, convention version is considered a “prequel” design)
General Flagg (based on the 2nd Battle Corps version from the 90s)
Battle Corps COBRA Viper (based on the Iron Anvil look – light infantry Viper)
Salvo (more of a Pursuit of Cobra version, not 100% vintage accurate)
Scoop (with the helmet from Sky Patrol Airborne)
Raptor!!!!!!11!
Sneak Peek (standard release, may end up changing the vest a little)
Steel Raven (based on the female SKAR Infantry Officer)
Shattered Glass Xamot (the Shattered Glass version is very reminiscent of the Sunbow business suit)
Action Force Z-Force Gaucho (based on the 50th Anniversary Gung Ho)
Along with the Figure Subscription Service, the Club announced a special three pack of female Cobra Troopers to compliment the Cobra Officer. The Cobra Trooper has a newly sculpted female masked head and removable helmet.
Heartwrencher and the 4 x 4 are still planned, but likely for a 2017 release.
That’s what we got! Exciting stuff, and here’s to more years of the G.I. Joe Convention!
