A few days ago I posted the Preview listings for IDW G.I. Joe related product, but now we have the full blown solicitations, courtesy of JoeReloaded.com. Click the Read the Rest of this Entry link below to check ’em all out!
GeneralsJoes commentor m6d brought up a good point a few days ago, saying that there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of buzz on release date for IDW G.I. Joe comics…I’ve noticed that, too, which is exactly why I try and let the fandom know when there are reactions around the ‘net for recent IDW releases. I’m with everyone else on the pace for the main G.I. Joe title, but I do think things have improved dramatically, and issue #10 was actually a great read, I think. I loved finally seeing some Cobra interaction, though I would have loved it even more if the Cobra Trooper inside the book resembled the Viper from the cover.
Even without that, though, it read very well…I loved the fact that the Cobra Trooper really took it to Snake Eyes and wasn’t just a push over, while Mainframe jabbered on in the background…it just flowed very nicely. The cameos and appearences were great, too. Anyone else notice that Cobra’s arctic headquarters looked an awful lot like it looked in The Rise of Cobra? I thought that was a cool touch as well.
The Snake Eyes issue? Not nearly as rosey. The art was crisp and clean, but very stylized and not great overall. The writing seemed a touch clunky and it was kind of tough being able to tell how the story was progressing. They’re touching on his past a little, but just a little, and in the end I wasn’t really sure exactly what I was reading. I’ll stick it out, but it wasn’t nearly as polished and exciting as G.I. Joe #10. Some other thoughts can be read below at some other places online:
G.I. Joe #10
Snake Eyes #1
EBay seller Special Movie Arts has posted a very cool (though expensive) G.I. Joe themed item, with what is advertised as a full life-sized statue of the Rise of Cobra Snake Eyes! Very, very cool! The ultimate mancave addition…
Check out the auction here, and some of the images below.
no images were found
I’m a little ashamed to admit that I’ve been a monstrous fan of G.I. Joe in pretty much any characterization or scale out there… except for the one that started it all. For whatever reason, I just find it hard to get into the whole 12″ figure scene, but that’s not because I don’t like it or have a certain appreciation for it. Usually it comes down to price or what you get for your buck, and it’s very rare that the 12″ scene gives me a good “go between” there. The figures are either simplistic, non-detailed, and dull, or they are overly exagerrated, insanely detailed, yet priced way out of my affordable range. There doesn’t seem to be anything in between. Some of the Spy Troops and Valor Vs. Venom stuff gave us the best of both worlds, in my opinion…a reasonable price range, yet still enough bang for the buck, but recent releases have just been dull and uninspired, especially for the recently elevated price tags, even on basic retail shelves.
The Sideshow Collectibles stuff is out of this world, of course. It’s simply fantastic. However, the $100 – $120 price tag per figure doesn’t fit my somewhat limited Joe budget. So, it always amazes me when I run across 12″ enthusiasts who actually accumulate enough fodder to do some crazy customs. And I’ll tell you, the customs don’t get much crazier than a member of the One Sixth Warrior forum, gaiagear. I’ve seen my fair share of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero themed 12″ customs, but gaiagear tackles something near and dear to my heart, G.I. Joe: Resolute. There aren’t really enough words I can type in this post that express just how insane these customs are. They are truly works of art and things of beauty. In fact, pretty much every custom that gaiagear has done affiliated with the G.I. Joe universe really blows me away…but it’s really just the tip of the iceberg. Check out a small sampling of gaiagear’s incredible work below, all found on the One Sixth Warrior Forums. The gallery below features incredible versions of the following characters:
no images were found
Crazy stuff. But the craziest thing is this is just the beginning. There are a wealth of insanely talented 12″ customizers on the One Sixth Warrior forums, and there is some equally insane Real American Hero styled customs over there. Check out this thread for some of them. While I don’t have the budget or the real incentive to dive headlong into the 12″ scale, I can certainly appreciate the work that goes into these customs. Some awesome stuff here, I think fans of any scale will really dig ’em.
By and large I’ve been fairly cold on the exclusives for the Rise of Cobra, not really being crazy about the Wal-Mart 2-Packs, the Battle Stations, or even those Target mini-vehicles, but I’ll tell you, that really changes with the Toys “R” Us Attack on The Pit, and with this Target exclusive Rescue Mission has really warmed up to me as well. When we saw early eBay pics for the City Strike Snake Eyes in black with a Paris Pursuit head, I had absolutely no desire to own it. The gray, black, and silver version looks so kick ass, why the heck would I want one with less paint apps and a head sculpt that isn’t as cool? Well, because it’s still an incredible looking figure, and the Paris Pursuit head sculpt gives it much more of a classic “Snake Eyes” feel. Seriously, this is one freaking awesome looking Snake Eyes.
Add that to the casual outfit Duke (to go along with the same looking Ripcord in the Toys “R” Us set), and you’ve already got two great figures that have a solid place in the movie universe. Now, the Neo-Vipers? Well…I don’t have a lot of love for the countless repaints we’re getting of these guys, but the naval paint scheme is really nice, I have to say. And I guess I can’t complain about the fact that I’ve bought only a small handful of Neo-Vipers in single pack form, and I’m going to end up with a pretty decent arsenal here.
For figures that are pretty basic repaints, this four-pack has some really cool stuff for the Rise of Cobra enthusiast, and the folks at The Terror Drome seem to share that sentiment. Check out the mirrored images below.
no images were found