by generalsjoes | Apr 10, 2010 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys, Pursuit of COBRA
Remember a few days ago when I mentioned that it looked like the floodgates might be opening? Well, they’re still open, and Gyre-Viper is there collecting it all. He posted a few updates at HissTank here and here with some very cool pictures of upcoming items, and cancelled items.
I’m especially loving that Alley-Viper. LOVE the fact that he has the Resolute headgear as well as the more standard stuff. Very cool looking items here. Three more weeks from today and we should be seeing a lot more at JoeCon. Check out the mirrored images below, and once again, a huge thanks to Gyre-Viper for keeping the “dead time” between toy releases fairly eventful.
no images were found
by generalsjoes | Apr 6, 2010 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys, Pursuit of COBRA
Okay…yeah, the floodgates have pretty much blown open. Suddenly over the past week, a few gray market sellers have started stocking the Pursuit of Cobra pre-production items and test shots again. While I try to make it a policy not to promote the sales themselves, I do, for nosey reasons, like to host the images, just so we can go through them with a fine tooth comb and pick out all the imperfections while they’re still in an unfinished state. :shifty:
Some observations here. Yeah, we’ve been choking on Dukes over the past 5 years. That doesn’t change the fact that Jungle Strike Duke is the balls. A great military look, awesome accessories. If Hasbro slapped Muskrat’s name on here, or even Leatherneck, I think fans would be climbing the walls. As such, it’s a great looking figure, and the new head sculpt makes it even better. Interestingly enough, these pre-production shots have the old Tatum melon.
I’m not really feeling that Snake Eyes. He’s all pouched up like crazy, and I can’t really tell what they’re going for. He started out as an Arctic Threat version at JoeCon, and he’s now a Desert Battle version, though apparently with the same wardrobe. Not real sure how that works. The concept of Timber is a noble one, but not really sold on the execution, at least from what we can tell here. Granted, things might be a bit different at production level.
Storm Shadow looks pretty nice. Very ceremonial, somewhat middle eastern. Looks like he’s all decked out with some crazy cool ninja weaponry. Not bad, though not sure where he really fits.
The Arctic Threat Cobra Commander looks fat, cobbled together, and just sorta… crappy. He’s one figure I’m not sad about losing.
Alley-Viper is, of course, awesome. How long have we been asking for an Alley-Viper with the vintage design, but in better colors? We’ve got it right here. He still looks very Cobra, but a whole lot cooler than the orange and purple. This guy will be flying off the pegs.
All told, a nice assortment. Some really good, some pretty bad, but mostly a solid selection of product to look forward to. I really can’t wait to see what JoeCon brings. Check out all of the various mirrored images below, most pulled from my buddies at The Terror Drome.
no images were found
by generalsjoes | Apr 3, 2010 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys, Pursuit of COBRA
Well, ole Gyre-Viper comes through again over on HissTank.com and has gotten his hands on the upcoming Doom Cycle, an Alpha Class vehicle slated to be released with the Pursuit of Cobra toyline this fall.
While this isn’t necessarily a military behemoth that will be backing up your Alley-Vipers, it’s a pretty neat Dreadnok inspired chopper. The driver, Storm Rider is a mixture of Shipwreck and a new head, and captures the spirit of the Dreadnoks pretty well (especially with that cool looking nail gun) though I have heard some complaints that they made him a new character instead of re-using a classically inspired character.
Anyway…check out the mirrored images below.
no images were found
Also included in the gallery are some shots of a Battle Corps inspired HISS test shot. That’s some brightness right there!
by generalsjoes | Mar 29, 2010 | Customs, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys, Kick Ass Custom, Pursuit of COBRA
Long time buddy of mine Kevin has a special talent… he makes customs that are pulled straight from my sub-conscious. He doesn’t go hogwild on the sculpting or alterations, but every change he makes, every paint app is nearly production quality.
So, when he showed me his latest custom, of the now destined to be unreleased Sandstorm, I immediately loved it. He obviously used the Target exclusive as a minor influence…but only minor. Using Zartan’s parts, Reactive Armor Duke, and some insane camouflage painting skills, Sandstorm has now come to life.
no images were found
by generalsjoes | Mar 25, 2010 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys, Pursuit of COBRA
In spite of how much “venom” (no pun intended) is thrown towards the updated Cobra Commander design for the Rise of Cobra, fandom praise on the Pursuit of Cobra mailaway version was surprisingly excessive. With a slightly retooled head, some fancy vac-metalized parts and an array of kick ass accessories, many fans seemed ready to jump on the Rise of Cobra Cobra Commander bandwagon.
Then, during Toy Fair, it was revealed that Cobra Commander would no longer be a mail away, it was now going to be a “chase figure” in somewhat limited capacity. Thankfully Hasbro did announce at the latest Q & A, that the figure would not be extremely hard to find, but it’s a retail figure, nonetheless. And while the bulk of the figure remains the same, from the great Cobra themed packaging, to the chrome accents on the figure, there are some changes. For instance, since the figure is no longer a mail away version, the shipping box obviously is no longer needed, the very cool letter from General Hawk is a thing of the past, and the most disappointing difference is that the HISS drone that was initially slated to come with the figure couldn’t make it through to the retail price point.
So, the mad dash has begun… initial mail away Cobra Commanders have been available through illicit means for a short while, and now they’re at extremely high demand. Luckily for me, I was able to get my hands on one, and my gain is your gain. I have to, of course, give a huge thanks to an old buddy of mine for hooking me up with this item, too. He gave me a great deal on something that’s very tough to come by, and it made my month!
While I can’t bring myself to open the figure, I took a bunch of pictures, trying to get as much possible detail as I could, even through the haze of plastic clamshell. I’ve posted the extensive gallery below… enjoy!
no images were found
