Very first tidbit of news from JoeCon in Orlando (though no images available as of yet) –
This year’s Attendee Exclusive is a Blue and Gray LAW. One would think it uses the tooling from the Rise of COBRA Walmart Exclusive, colored to mimic the BattleForce: 2000 vehicles of old.
More details as they are available…big thanks to Phil from YoJoe for the early scoopage.
I’ve had my nose buried in other projects this week and the G.I. Joe Collectors Club has unleased two more BattleForce: 2000 reveals: Dodger and Blaster.
Like they’ve been doing from the start, they seem to be sticking really close to the vintage aesthetic, and the designs are, for the most part, really solid. I am a bit concerned about the Photoshop mock up head sculpts, especially the ones with the non-removable helmets, as I fear they may suffer from Static Line syndrome.
While many folks complained about Static Line’s permanently attached helmet, I wasn’t all that distraught about that component, but more about how the attached helmet almost looked like it was a part of his head. Whoever is sculpting these heads doesn’t appear to be accommodating for the actual shape and size of the head underneath the helmet and the result is an almost “squished” look where the helmets are far too small and way too tight.
Time will tell what the actual finished product will look like, I hate to make judgments based purely on a Photoshop mock up, but that’s all we have to go on at this point.
One question I really do have though – WHERE’S BLASTER’S MASK???? Seriously that was a really awesome element to the original figure. Very disappointed that they couldn’t find some way financially to include that, choosing instead to retool exact replicas of vintage accessories. Curious choice on that one, I have to admit.
The builds for these two figures are pretty decent, though as I mentioned above I’m a little confused as to why money would be invested in retooling exactly replicas of the classic weapons when a 30 second trip to eBay will find any replacement you want for pennies on the dollar.
Regardless… we’re now a good chunk of the way through the reveals and so far I’m liking the majority of the BattleForce: 2000 stuff, but am still really questioning the choice to include 9 Battle Android Troopers. Let’s see what the rest look like.
Keep watching GIJoeCon.com for updates and see the previews below!
Do not pass go, do not collect $200! Registration for the 2017 G.I. Joe Convention is now LIVE.
The next exclusive for the upcoming G.I. Joe Convention boxed set has been revealed and it’s looking pretty awesome!
Maverick and Knockdown were okay, but Avalanche is pretty spectacular. Great build, great paint, and a new head sculpt. Nice! Keep checking GIJoeCon.com for the latest info, and you can see the image mirrored below.
Along with their exclusive interview with Derryl and Mark, the What’s on Joe Mind folks posted a ton of content from JoeCon including several One Shots and of course the live show to wrap up Con this year.
All of the audio has been posted to the Podbean site and can be checked out below. Hours upon hours of G.I. Joe audio sex!
G.I. Joe Con 2016 Live Panel
G.I. Joe Con 2016 One Shot – Friday Afternoon
G.I. Joe Con 2016 One Shot – Friday Night
G.I. Joe Con 2016 One Shot – Saturday Wrap Up
