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G.I. Joe: Retaliation date change – What does it really mean?

Obviously the big news for the day is the revelation that G.I. Joe: Retaliation has been quickly and suddenly delayed from June 29, 2012 to March 29, 2013.  The reason we’ve been given for this date is that they want to convert the film to 3D.

Is that the real and true reason?

There seems to be some conflict online throughout the fandom about what this really means and what the potential impact might be.  Is this a terrible by move by Paramount?  Could there be any redeeming value to this choice?  Please click the Read the Rest of this Story link below to get my thoughts on this, with 12 hours to think it over.

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Hasbro cuts almost 170 jobs across US and Canada

In what is invariably a sad moment from the toy giant, Hasbro has announced that they are cutting nearly 170 jobs throughout the United States and Canada.  A dangerous combination of weak Holiday sales, rising costs, and a struggling US economy has resulted in job cuts, with about 80% of those cuts coming in the United States, and 55 within Rhode Island itself.

Rumor has it that even some design teams within boys toys were hit by these cuts, though for obvious reasons, specific information is not currently available as to which brands were impacted.  The full report is below, and this is a sobering reminder that there are flesh and blood people…many of them… involved in the day-to-day operations that bring these excellent 4″ pieces of plastic to our favorite retailer.  If they work for Hasbro, chances are they’re very talented, so hopefully most (if not all) of them will land on their feet.

I personally extend my thanks and sympathy to anyone involved, and I hope for the best for any folks who may have been impacted by these cuts.

“(Reuters) – Hasbro Inc (HAS.O) is cutting about 170 jobs as the second-largest U.S. toy company tries to recover from sluggish sales during the holiday season.

Eighty-two percent, or 140, of the job cuts are in the United States, according to company spokesman Wayne Charness, including “about 55” in Rhode Island where Hasbro is based.

“These moves were made to address both the under-performance in the U.S. and Canada segment, and the need for different skill sets in the company’s workforce to be better aligned with a quickly evolving business,” Charness said.

All employees affected will get “competitive” severance packages, including outplacement services, he said.

Hasbro will take some related charges in the first quarter, but they won’t be material, he added.

The maker of Nerf foam toys and Monopoly board games suffered from weak post-Thanksgiving demand, especially for its games and puzzles, in the United States and Canada.

Larger rival Mattel also missed sales expectations in the holiday quarter, but still outperformed Hasbro and gained share from Mattel, according to data from NPD, a market research firm.

Hasbro, based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, has 5,900 employees worldwide, including about 1,400 in that state.”

G.I. Joe: Retaliation Action Figures FIRST LOOK – Roadblock and Beachhead

Again with thanks to Gyre-Viper and his desire to provide discussion points and better detail for community analysis, we have the last two figures in the first G.I. Joe: Retaliation Ninja Showdown 3-Pack!

I will warn everyone up front…  brace yourselves for Roadblock.  Folks who are excited for the figure may went to temper their feelings a bit before checking out the review.  And also please keep in mind that these are early samples.  Things could very well change for final release.  I tried to cover both of those bases in my review, but also had to give the figure it’s analysis based on how I received it.

Now if that didn’t scare you too much…  check out my G.I. Joe: Retaliation Review Page or hit up the links below.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation Toy SuperPage has been updated

I haven’t tossed a metric ton of Toy Fair images up yet, but I filled out the action figure waves with correct information and new photos based on what I got during Toy Fair.  I hope to supplement the vehicle and 3 Pack sections at some point, too, but that’s for a later time.

Check out the G.I. Joe: Retaliation Toy SuperPage for the new info!