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Joe DeClassified Exclusive Sightline vintage style figure details

Quite possibly the coolest item to come out of JoeCon 2017 was the vintage o-ring style Sightline which was available at the JoeDeClassified booth throughout the convention weekend.

They gave out the figure all weekend long and many fans were able to take advantage of the offer, but they still have a few hundred figures left over.  Naturally, many fans (especially those who couldn’t make it to Orlando) were wondering how they might get their hands on one of these fantastic looking figures.

JoeDeClassified has revealed the info!  Hop on over to the DeClassified Facebook Page to find the full details on how you can try and get your very own vintage style Sightline figure.  I think DeClass is handling this perfectly, finding a way to get this great action figure into the hands of kids, DeClass supporters and G.I. Joe fans everywhere as fairly as possible.

The full details can be found below.

The Much-Anticipated Sightline Post:

As mentioned previously, Joe Declassified has approximately 400 Sightline figures to give away. This was almost wholly unanticipated. We expected most if not all of the figures to be given away at Joe Con, and the intention of the figure WAS to be a Joe Con exclusive. Since that didn’t happen, we’ve been batting about solutions with a few primary goals in mind:

1. Get Sightline into the hands of as many kids as possible. Our mission is to promote the brand, and a huge part of this is to engage a new generation of collectors.

2. Distribute Sightline as fairly as possible. We realize that not everyone will be happy with our process no matter what we choose, but believe us when we say that we’re going to do our level best.

3. Solve the logistical hurdle. As the G.I. Joe community’s only not-for-profit, we’re not exactly rolling in cash. Mailing out 400 individual figures, even at the most conservative average of $4 each, would cost us $1600. That’s a price tag we cannot afford.

All that said, we have some priorities for distribution that need to be waded through before we begin to send out figures to the masses. Also, we have realities that you may not be aware of:

1. We cannot sell the figures. Our arrangement to use the Sightline name precludes us from selling them. Yes, having you “donate” directly for that purpose is still selling. We honor the spirit of our agreements, not just the letter. You may, of course, donate at any time, and in doing so support future projects, but it will have no impact on you receiving a Sightline figure or not.

2. We required financial backers in order to make this work. Some of them chipped in CONSIDERABLE amounts of money to make this project happen, and do not themselves have a figure.

SO…..our current distribution plan is:

1. We’ll be sending out a figure at our cost to the remaining backers who do not have a figure (9 of them).

2. We’ll be making a few available to our staff that participated in the planning process, who also have not yet received the figure they invested their effort into.

3. We will make figures available to Gary’s close friends. We know who they are.

4. We plan to make a SIGNIFICANT amount available at shows later this year – Assembly Required, Toy de Jour’s G.I. Joe day in Chicago, etc. This will allow us to hand many directly to children. Probably 1/2 the remaining figures will go out this way.

5. To those that have donated to Joe Declassified prior to 13 June 2017 – Many of you donated money over the last decade with no expectation of any direct return, so you will be eligible to receive a figure. We will contact YOU to determine if you wish to have a figure, but will need you to cover the shipping costs.

6. Contests! We’re going to run several contests, to ensure that anyone who doesn’t otherwise get a figure has a shot. Customs, art, writing, scavenger hunts, trivia, etc. If you’re not good at one thing, we want to find something you can participate and compete in. We do plan to deliberately aim several of these at children. Winning the contests will make you eligible to receive the figure, but you’ll need to cover shipping.

There are a couple ground rules to also be considered:

1. If you received a figure already, you are ineligible to receive another.

2. There is no “list” for you to get on. We appreciate the interest in this figure, but our inboxes have been flooded with PMs from fans asking for one and frankly, we won’t be taking these requests into consideration as we continue to distribute our remaining figures. We appreciate your support and are impressed with your dedication to G.I. Joe, but your level of fan-hood will not be a deciding factor.

3. This process will likely take us MONTHS. Patience will be a virtue. Each step of the way, we will need to re-assess costs, processes, quantity remaining, and account for production errors. Please remember, this is all volunteer labor done by guys with day jobs.

We also plan to auction off several items in the immediate future to directly benefit the Capua/Head family. We have Jason Sobol’s original Sightline art and Artist’s proof, the hand painted Sightline prototype, and 2 Alyosha customs of the Goggled One himself that were donated to us for this purpose.

We’ll keep you in the loop as we go!

GeneralsJoes Reviews 50th Anniversary “Silent Strike” Boxed Set

Lots of folks have been asking when I’m going to get the 50th Anniversary reviews under way… consider today the day!

First and foremost I’m tackling the Silent Strike boxed set featuring the Skystriker w/ Capt. Ace & Sightline vs. the COBRA HISS w/ HISS Driver and HISS Gunner.

This set is available right now from Big Bad Toy Store, and was one of my most anticipated 50th Anniversary items. So did it live up to expectations?

Find out on my 50th Anniversary Review Page, or click the links below directly.

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G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Silent Strike Skystriker w/ Sightline & Capt Ace

Get this item NOW at Big Bad Toy Store!

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It was a moment at JoeCon that I’m not likely to forget any time soon.  The Hasbro round table as regularly been the highlight of many a JoeCon, mostly due to the product reveals and exciting announcements, and while the 2015 G.I. Joe Convention was no different, it was the context of those announcements that really brought the good feelings to the surface.

While the 50th Anniversary product was a highlight, to be sure, the source of so much praise was the reveal of the new character Sightline and the fact that he was being developed as an homage to G.I. Joe fanatic Gary “Goggles” Head who passed away suddenly early this year.  Using Gary Goggles as his file name, Sightline was slotted into the Silent Strike boxed set, working alongside Captain Ace as his forward observer and recon expert.  As if that wasn’t enough, the figure design was slated to come with goggles.  It all seemed to come together perfectly, and the raucus audience let Hasbro know how they felt during the reveal.

Like I said, a great moment.


(Video Courtesy of Dave and Duvall and Toy World Order)

The only thing left to see would be whether the execution of the Silent Strike boxed set would live up to its conceptual development, and I’m happy to say, I believe it does.

I had some mixed reactions with the Crimson Strike ComicCon set, but from end-to-end I find myself really enjoying Silent Strike.

SKYSTRIKER

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I asked the question during the ComicCon version of this set review, about whether or not we really needed another Skystriker.  The answer to that question is obviously a “no”, but it’s tough to argue that point when they execute it as well as the Crimson Scythe was executed, and frankly, the vehicle in this set is pretty darn nice as well.

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Sure, there’s not a whole lot of outside the box thinking or ingenuity here, this is essentially a “stealth” Skystriker, the familiar F-14 Tomcat in a darker gray, almost black paint scheme.  It’s the same version of the plane that we’ve gotten several times since its 2011 debut, and there’s not a whole lot to complain about, really.  The newly tooled structure of the plane is great, the “swing-wings” work well, and the missiles have been greatly improved since it’s debut, staying hooked onto their mounts on the plane far better than they have previously.

I’m not sure exactly how they achieved the effect, but the gray on the Skystriker has an almost metallic or reflective quality, which is a pretty neat design aesthetic.  I don’t know if it’s marblized or not, but it comes across looking really “shiney” which is a nice separation from just a traditional dark gray color.

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Sure, the plane is still just a single seater, but I maintain that this isn’t a huge issue, as you can’t really clearly see inside when the vehicle is on display, and if you want to “play with it” as a double seater, just use a little imagination, it’s not a huge deal.  This version of the famous assault plane is a lot more solid and durable feeling than its predecessor, and I must admit I really do like the darker color scheme here.  The canopy is a very nice diversion from the original, too, with some great red highlights.

One of my favorite elements of the Skystriker is probably the great new Wolf themed logo on the rear fin.  It also matches a patch that can be found on Ace’s arm as well.

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As I said, this isn’t an extremely clever or unusual concept for a Skystriker update, but it looks very cool, which helps.

CAPTAIN ACE

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One of the most unheralded figures in the Pursuit of Cobra/30th Anniversary line was the version of Ace that came with the original Skystriker.  Using a fantastic mix of modern parts, that version of Ace existed as a great pilot figure, but also a very cool figure altogether.  Both him and the ComicCon COBRA Commander based on him are great examples of how a vehicle driver can be designed as a great driver without sacrificing the basic qualities of a good figure.

The 50th Anniversary update to Captain Ace retains the same parts formula as that one, but done in the now well known “Wolf Squad” color scheme of dark gray with some subtle red highlights, which works really nicely as a flight suit, but also as part of the Wolf Squad ground team.  It’s a combination of unusual individual parts that make up a really solid final figure that has great articulation as well as a fantastic looking somewhat futuristic flight suit.  This version of Ace maintains all of that and I really love the colors as well.  Interestingly, Hasbro balances the gray with a reflective “gun metal” type of paint scheme that just compliments each other so well and looks fantastic.  It ties Ace into the Wolf Squad, but also gives him a very technical look, which works well.  I love how the reflective gray colors on Ace’s uniform trim matches the same reflective gray look on the attack plane.  It ties them both together really well and is a nice effect on its own to boot.

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Another link to the aircraft is the Wolf Squad logo on Ace’s arm, which is pretty tiny, but it’s definitely there.

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The Wolf Squad aesthetic has evolved into something very cool, and I hope Hasbro leverages that going forward.

Accessories

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Captain Ace comes with some familiar gear, some of the same stuff as previous versions of the figure came with.  He has the flight vest that the original figure came with, as well as the leg harness from Para-Viper.  The flight helmet is straight from the Pursuit of COBRA Skydive, which is a change from the previous Ace figure, but still works nicely.  He also has a small submachine gun and the pistol that slides neatly into his ankle holster.

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I really love the evolution of some of these pilot figures.  Both Ace and the G.I. Joe: Retaliation version of Lift Ticket have evolved past being drivers and into really excellent looking military themed updates, who can exist behind the control stick, or behind a machine gun.  This new version of Ace is no different, and I’m excited to have him.

SIGHTLINE

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For as much as G.I. Joe has been based off of existing vintage concepts for many of the modern releases, in my mind the bread and butter is with new characters.  It’s what really helped the line push on through its original 12 year run, and for many folks, it’s what continues to interest long time fans.  As a figure, Sightline works quite well.  For the most part, he uses the G.I. Joe: Retaliation Ultimate Duke template (though the armored torso is from Retaliation Duke version 1, not the Ultimate version) only in a great digital camouflage urban deco instead of desert.  He uses the alternate head that came with that figure, and even though, from the surface, the figure looks identical, the camouflage paint scheme does wonders to differentiate him.  Heck, the Ultimate Duke figure is a fantastic figure anyway, so tough to complain about him being the base.

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He’s one of those great toys that has a pretty bulky armored uniform, but still maintains significantly great articulation, with elbows and knees that move quite well.  I’ll admit, though, as time goes on, I have less love for the rocker ankles, and they feel a little weird on this figure as well.

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So, take one of the greatest figures from the G.I. Joe: Retaliation line, give it a terrific urban camouflage paint scheme, and base his new character identity on a good friend who passed away?  Yeah, that’s a good formula for success in my eyes.

Accessories

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Sightline comes with a sniper rifle, the Duke vest, a laptop, pistol, knife, and shovel.  I’m going to assume the inclusion of the shovel wasn’t meant as an homage (Gary Head unfortunately passed away due to heart failure from shoveling snow) and was merely an accessory that made sense for the character’s specialty.  The sniper rifle and laptop are both terrific accessories, and I love the idea of Gary Head’s character having a computer within reach at all times.  The knife and pistol fit the holster and sheath and I really like those base weapons anyway.

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Yes, this figure was a highlight for collectors, and in many ways the end result meets our lofty expectations.  It’s a great figure based on a great friend, and I’m glad to have him in hand.

Looking at the G.I. Joe side of the Silent Strike set, I’m extremely happy with how this all came together.  Although the Skystriker is on the verge of overuse (heck, some might argue it crossed that line a while ago), I do like this new paint scheme.  Both Ace and Sightline are highlights of this second run of 50th Anniversary figures, and the core of the Wolf Squad concept is done amazingly well in this boxed set.  Thumbs way up on this side of the fence.

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50th Anniversary Silent Strike Skystriker w/ Ace and Sightline
  • Vehicle Design
  • Vehicle Paint Deco
  • Vehicle Play Features
  • Capt. Ace Character
  • Capt. Ace Sculpt
  • Capt. Ace Articulation
  • Capt. Ace Paint Deco
  • Capt. Ace Accessories
  • Sightline Character
  • Sightline Sculpt
  • Sightline Articulation
  • Sightline Paint Deco
  • Sightline Accessories
3.8

Summary

While one might question the need for another Skystriker, there is still plenty to love about this piece of the Silent Strike 50th Anniversary set, not the least of which is the inclusion of Sightline, a new character based off of good friend Gary “Goggles”. Ace is no slouch either, and the kickoff of Wolf Squad is great to see.

Pros

1 – Sightline character
2 – Metallic gray color scheme on Skystriker and Ace
3 – Great deco on Sightline figure
4 – Excellent base figure for both Sightline and Ace
5 – WOLF SQUAD!

Cons

1 – Another Skystriker feels redundant
2 – Would have loved to have seen 30th Anniversary Ace’s helmet

G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary “Silent Strike” in stock at Big Bad Toy Store

I feel safe in saying one of the most anticipated G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary sets for 2015 is the “Silent Strike” set which is slated to come with a stealth Skystriker, a COBRA HISS with their new rail gun system, as well as some great figures including Captain Ace and Sightline himself.

As many will recall, Sightline is named after Gary “Goggles” Head, the mouthpiece of our tight knit G.I. Joe community who unfortunately passed away far too young several months ago.

Along with this, Ace and Sightline are members of the “Wolf Squad” Hasbro’s new (somewhat informal) team concept.

Fans are rampaging Toys “R” Us stores across the country looking for this set, but Big Bad Toy Store has your hook up right now. Click the link below and grab it…save yourself some gas and some trouble.