Agent Mouse was last week… and this week it’s Sgt. Airborne! Built upon the foundation of the unreleased Data-Viper with some 30th Anniversary Law & Order thrown in, there is a lot of new stuff to love with this figure.
Check out the review in my G.I. Joe: Retaliation review page, or by hitting the direct link below.
G.I. Joe fans seemed to really latch onto the first wave of G.I. Joe: Retaliation 3 Packs which offered many familiar characters but with some great additional accessories that really added some value to the figures. From the looks of it, Wave two is going to be even better, giving us brand new characters with some awesome previously unreleased accessories.
One of my favorite looking figures from the early pictures we’ve seen was Agent Mouse.
I managed to get my hands on the figure, and have reviewed it in my G.I. Joe: Retaliation section, or you can check out the direct link below.
Over on HissTank.com poster TheGabrielAngel has posted some updates in regards to the G.I. Joe: Retaliation reshoots, specifically information regarding the vehicles. I do think some of this needs to be taken with a grain of salt, because he doesn’t list any specific sources. The images certainly look authentic, I just wish he would state where this information came from.
First and foremost, the following information was revealed about the film in relation to the vehicles:
“To satisfy the cravings of the toy enthusiasts and action-genre fans, the film is chock full of souped-up vehicles that the G.I. JOE brand is known for and an elaborate cache of diverse weaponry sure to be fun for fans. For Luke Freeborn, the vehicles art director, it brings out the kid in everyone. “Creating these giant toys and making them come to life is like being a kid all over again. We were all giddy with anticipation to see them actually put to work,” he says.
The film features a wide array of weapons and vehicles that included two different kinds of tanks, three different helicopters, two different kinds of planes, a souped-up motorcycle, swords, knives, sais and other weapons. Said di Bonaventura, “Bringing these toys to life makes you feel like a kid again and I think people are going to be thrilled seeing something they’ve never seen before.”
When first creating the vehicles, the team was very mindful to push the envelope while still honoring the G.I. JOE legacy. “The directive has always been to make the vehicles as real and formidable as possible with dynamic silhouettes,” says Freeborn. “We strove to incorporate some of the toy language that we’re familiar with and hope to see.”One such toy incorporated into the film is the COBRA AIR BOAT. This massive and ominous looking boat is loosely based on the water moccasin toy with added elements that included twin engines, counter-rotating blades and enough horsepower to push it across dry land.
Inspired by another classic G.I. JOE/Hasbro toy and sure to excite fans from every age group, the film features a new version of the iconic COBRA HISS TANK. To create this massive vehicle the production team started with a M548 base that took 12 weeks to build before adding the outer shell and flourish of a cockpit and extra weaponry. Vehicles art director Luke Freeborn explains that, “our biggest challenge was figuring out exactly how all of it would go together, how the base would work with the top and how it would be shaped together. We thought about the aesthetics of it and how to make it look scary and formidable. It was a true team effort to then make sure that the guns, tracks and steering all work and perform on camera.”
A significantly smaller but faster tank seen in the film is the Joe Colton tank that ROADBLOCK uses to mow down his enemies. Although seemingly less formidable than the HISS TANK, the Joe Colton tank’s power comes in its speed and agility. Considered to go as fast as a ZR1 Corvette in the grass, the Colton tank has 750 horse power and can go up to 65 mph. In addition, the tank is outfitted with rocket launchers as well as a 100 lbs. 50 cal mounted on top that the ROADBLOCK character utilizes in a show of his great ingenuity and physical strength.
The production team made a great effort to design each character’s weapons to compliment their individual fighting styles and strengths. Not one to shy away from hand-to-hand combat, ROADBLOCK was given special accessories that were incorporated into his wardrobe. “ROADBLOCK has specially designed brass knuckles attached to the vest that could split your skull and have the ability to attach onto different weapons. With the combination of the weaponry and fighting style you’re really able to see his raw brutality,” explains Dwayne Johnson.
To differentiate the ninjas and their skills, each character was outfitted with a specific sword and way in which they were incorporated into their costumes. “The weapons of the ninjas were especially fun because we tried to define how each of them is different,” explains Jon M. Chu. “JINX has 2 swords on one side, STORM SHADOW has two swords on two sides and SNAKE EYES has 1 sword which helped distinguish which ninja was who from the profile.”
Even more challenging, however, may be creating an action figure that lives up to the characters seen in the film. “I don’t know if they have enough plastic to fill out how cut the real ROADBLOCK is,” jokes Chu. “I’m not sure they’ll be able to give it enough action movements because Kung-Fu grip is not enough for this one. They’ll need to up the ante with the capability to body slam as well as a neck breaker and sleeper hold.”
Along with the text, a handful of images were posted as well, featuring vehicles and characters, some images that we’ve seen before. Still, I’ll take any excuse to get talking about G.I. Joe: Retaliation again! Check out the original HissTank thread here, and the mirrored images below.
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In what has been a relatively barren month or two for G.I. Joe: Retaliation news, Celebuzz spoke to actor Byung-Hun Lee, who of course plays Storm Shadow about his upcoming film Masquerade. Among the discussion points, the G.I. Joe: Retaliation topic came up and Lee explained that he was pulled from shooting Masquerade to come back to the states and film more scenes for G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
This does fit alongside previously revealed details explaining that not only was the film being post-converted to 3D, but that Paramount was actually filming some additional scenes to make the 3D all that much better.
Throughout the conversation, the Korean actor also expressed a deep respect for director Jon Chu.
It’s a very interesting interview that also reveals some of the difficulties Byung-Hun Lee had in filming The Rise of Cobra, especially considering he could not speak English at the time. Check it out over on Celebuzz.com and thanks to Skywarp for the info.
Merchandising is a big thing when it comes to major motion pictures, and it looks like the push to 2013 hasn’t hurt the calendar makers. Amazon.com
Equally interesting is the lack of other characters like Flint and Joe Colton, but there are three months not shown in the preview, so it’s likely that’s where you’ll see them.
Check out the item right here
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Thanks to BCYOJOE of HISSTank.com for the info.