G.I. Joe Classified Series (1:12)

[ThunderDan19]

I agree wholeheartedly. Supposedly the festivities kick off June 4. I hope there are things in the works that they have been saving as actual "big reveals" to get some uptick in momentum. I feel like they got everybody excited for significant new content when the backlog started pouring out, but then lost it as things returned to a more normal (slow) schedule. And the pipeline stuff is definitely not as promising as previous waves.

As of now, there are maybe 3 or 4 rumored figs I've heard about for the next couple releases that I am excited for. Alpine, Leatherneck and maybe Zandar come to mind, depending on how well they are done. The rest of the rumored will likely never earn my buy, even on sale. Like many of the more recent releases, Raptor and Nemesis will never be in my collection.

As much as I love, and have always loved, the Rattler, you are spot on that it will be too big to ever be practical in my collection as well. I have the distinct feeling though that they will always try to "go big" for the Joe Haslabs since overperforming on the first couple, at least until reality sets back in. At this point, I'd be surprised by anything but a Rattler.

As for releasing things that have been long overdue, I'm afraid the folks in charge are firmly in the repaint/subsets camp, at least for now. I get it that it's a pretty low investment option if you are looking to provide "lots of content," but, you're right, I think it is hindering our getting some of the essential earlier figures, particularly from the OG.

Lenny appears to be from the later wave crowd, so he likely has less regard for the founders, and more for the post-shark jump waves than I care for. I feel like much of the design/development team is even younger than he is, so their memories of Joe likely begin at least a few years into the original run as well. I think you may have to move forward with your customs to fill out your 13 any time soon.

I guess the only hope might be in the retro figures. You'd think those could be used as a vehicle for OG figs that would require fewer new parts and hardly any new artwork. Seems like that would also be another cheaper, volume increasing alternative going forward, both production and packaging-wise, so maybe there's a chance...

 

[nacho]

Well, I've technically finished my O13 using a combination of Hasbro and Vala figs, but I'd like for there to be genuine official O13 guys, who are way more important to the mythos than anyone created after 1988.

Steeler >>>> Capt Grid Iron or whoever nonsense the 90s kids are pushing for. This is a fact for all time and is not up for debate.

The lull in product has pushed the non-OG fans @ tfw to start speculating on which wrestlers and famous people they desperately want hasbro to include in Joe... and it makes me nauseous. They think because we got Slaughter, Fridge, and *almost* Rocky... that it is essential for Joe to have a contingent of *real* people, mostly WWE personalities on the roster... and to that I say "F#$% No!" Joe is not some wrestling spin-off property, and Slaughter's inclusion and subsequent prominence is arguably the moment the entire franchise jumped the shark. They should avoid doing that shit again, not promote it.

My argument is that if you love these wrestlers so much, collect wrestling figures. Lord knows, they make them by the truckload. They already gave these dorks a Slaughter figure... let it go.

Anyone excited about the kickstarter for the HC compendium collection of the original marvel comics run? Skybound (Image) is publishing the whole run in 4 big-ass hardcovers, Joe themed or cobra themed. They include the main series, the yearbooks, Special missions, and more, all in *official* reading order. That's about the only way they can put the whole series out because as Marvel and IDW learned, demand for normal trades/HCs peters out halfway through. So they're just selling the whole thing at once. It's smart, but I fear the cost. We're talking nearly 200 issues of content. It's supposedly on newsprint, which sounds bad, but I think they just mean not the thin glossy shit modern comics use. Joe definitely reads better and the artwork pops on a matte finish. The campaign starts on the 28th, IIRC.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Compendium Set by Skybound — Kickstarter

 

[ThunderDan19]

Capt. Who..? I was out long before that guy came along.

I agree that Sgt. Slaughter was the beginning of the end. I believe that crappy movie, Cobra-La and departure from (relatively) grounded military themed to sci-fi fantasy was the nail in the coffin. They definitely flew over that shark somewhere during the first airing of that abomination, which prominently featured both elements that didn't belong in Joe lore.

Of the two, Sarge was the lesser betrayal, simply because (real or not) he was at least military (themed), but how they so prominently used him (as a virtual superman) in the cartoon and movie was over the top. And Fridge and Rocky didn't make a significant enough splash to be more than a minor blip. The only abomination to come from those was Rocky's supposed opponent. I don't think Fridge ever made it to the cartoon, and Sarge never made the comics as I recall.

As for the KS. I don't see myself getting on board. I liked the comics, but not so much that I need full copy of the run, especially since it's likely to be a costly endeavor. I'm actually still waffling on the Artwork Omnibus. I said maybe after the tax refund (finally) came back, but then wavered when one of our A/C units needed a $400 fix - right on time . And then Mother's Day and two birthdays in the family in May. Dang my need for responsible spending and deferred gratification!!!

As absolutely stunning as the OB is, it doesn't help that I really don't care for anything past 1989 (and frankly don't really acknowledge it), so I feel like I would never open the back half of the book/set. I wish I hadn't missed out on the previous version that came in volumes. I would have just gotten the first 4 and been satisfied. I dunno. Same price +/- so I'll probably eventually just get the full ominbus. Maybe once their remaining number gets down below 500. Knowing they still have 2500+ doesn't exactly demand urgency, and too many other bills keep jumping in the way.

Christmas is coming!

 

[nacho]

Capt Grid Iron... yeah, I had to look him up too. Apparently he was prominent in the DiC cartoon... a generic looking guy with a football helmet on. It irks me when these poor 90's kids who grew up with the dregs of the franchise act like there is some equivalency between the '82-'85 era and the early 90s era. Like they're equally as good, just depending on when you were a fan. Um no. Not even close. One is awesome, and one sucks donkey balls. Deep down, I know they're just bitter about missing the good part, but I refuse to indulge their delusions.

Sarge made it into the comics in one issue (#48 or 49 iirc), where he showed up, told the Joes he was there to whip them into shape, punched Zartan (who got into the Pit dressed as Ripcord), and then was never heard from again. That was the best part. Hama clearly involving this wrassler as little as he was contractually obligated to do so.

Rocky never made it into anything except Order of Battle #1, and his inclusion was corrected/rescinded ("included in error") according to the second issue. Clearly the licensing deal fell through. D'oh. And Fridge never graced any media of any kind, just the mail away figure.

I have the first 3-4 books in the artwork set, but there is SOOOOO much more in the omnibus, and it's all been rescanned and remastered from those initial volumes. I mean, it's not just card/box art. It's chewing gum wrappers, canteen sets, model trains, children's books... ANYTHING with a Joe logo... brings back a lot of memories, they have the artwork for it, and a ton of it is unique, not just the same image of Grunt's torso running toward the viewer.

And I'm still waiting on the Bluray set of discs with a zillion interviews with creators and artists and such. Really, the amount of content is staggering, even if you're not crazy about the back half (and like you, I am not). If they have that many left, then sure, there is no hurry, but do not let it get away entirely.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Yep, web site says 2600 something remaining of the original 8400. So, unless the counter is not kept up to date, I've got time to finally stop finding critical things to spend all the leftover money on and justify spending $200 for an (admittedly awesome looking nostalgia bomb) artwork book set for the home office library.

 

[Videoviper]

I think the Fridge did some commercials.

The Sarge inclusion: it didn’t help that WWF basically demonized him, because his deal with Hasbro, screwed up WWF’s Mattel deal.

the movie was the end for Sunbow. Hasbro went with Dic who underbid the project. In doing so GI Joe disappeared for a few years. I was in high school/collage when it finally came out & didn’t actually see any episodes until years later when it was on at 7am before work.

 

[nacho]

Of course. The movie was the end as far as I knew... as I didn't even learn of the DiC series until decades later. Then I watched one and it made me sad and repulsed.

But Sarge's inclusion was the jump the shark moment for me, as S2 of the cartoon was more like Sarge-'n-Friends than GI Joe. The best S2 episodes are the ones he's not in. That's much of the reason I've got more affinity for the comic, as it was true to the original premise far longer and didn't jump the shark with all-ninjas-all-the-time until the early 90s. By then, I no longer cared and was ready to move on.

 

[Videoviper]

I had the triple T as a kid
it was a tractor where the driver was easily shot.

 

[nacho]

Yeah, it's an overgrown riding mower. The driver is a sitting duck.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Yeah, the “Sgt. Slaughter and the Joe Team“ episodes plus his complete prominence in the movie were beyond annoying. I think Hasbro was trying to capitalize on the exploding popularity of the WWF and trying to get the most of whatever they were paying him. I don’t remember it from back then, but I’ve since seen that they used him for a lot of the later toy commercials too.

Their fixation on him and then converting GI joe from a semi-grounded military toy line into a whackadoodle sci-fi fantasy vs. neon colored military line spelled the end. I also had no idea there was a dic cartoon until I started looking up old Joe stuff back during the 25th.

In fairness, the comics fixated on Snake Eyes fairly early as well, which heavily contributed to my losing interest well before “all ninjas” era sealed its fate as well.

 

[nacho]

Yeah, the “Sgt. Slaughter and the Joe Team“ episodes plus his complete prominence in the movie were beyond annoying. I think Hasbro was trying to capitalize on the exploding popularity of the WWF and trying to get the most of whatever they were paying him. I don’t remember it from back then, but I’ve since seen that they used him for a lot of the later toy commercials too.

Their fixation on him and then converting GI joe from a semi-grounded military toy line into a whackadoodle sci-fi fantasy vs. neon colored military line spelled the end. I also had no idea there was a dic cartoon until I started looking up old Joe stuff back during the 25th.

In fairness, the comics fixated on Snake Eyes fairly early as well, which heavily contributed to my losing interest well before “all ninjas” era sealed its fate as well.

I agree, SE was the focal point of a disproportionate number of plot lines in the comic, but at least he was an actual OG Joe, and his past was a mystery that was interesting at the time. While he was definitely overused, to me, he never felt like a gimmick like Sarge. But I can't begin to explain how much I hated wrestling in the 80's.

Every saturday morning, I'd get up in the dark and go watch the test pattern until cartoons came on. My tiny body was tuned to wake up at about 5:50am, so I didn't have to wait long for the flag and national anthem to signify that saturday was about to begin. And after flipping through the dial all morning, skipping to the best show each network had to offer, one by one, they'd give way to news or fishing shows.

But one (I think it was NBC), would always finish Bugs Bunny or whatever came on 11-12, and the credits-voice-over guy would proudly announce that "Jetsons" was up next. And then immediately, there would be live footage of fat sweaty dudes in a gymnasium, yelling and screaming, ripping their clothes like some kind of sub-human cavemen... and my sister and I would be SO PISSED every week that it wasn't the Jetsons, and foolishly, we got our hopes up every week... THIS TIME they'll actually show it! (never happened)... Wrestling = saturday morning is over. And damn I hated wrestling for it. Sure it meant that I had to go play outside or get some fresh air or whatever, but those screaming buffoons will forever be on my shit-list.

 

[ThunderDan19]

See, while I had a very similar Saturday morning experience as you did (up super early for Transformers and GI Joe), I didn’t have the aversion to wrastlin’ you suffered with. I never watched the “minor league” wrestling that came on after cartoons. I remember Wide World of Sports and old movies more than wrestling on Saturday afternoons. I do remember the Saturday night WWF shows, and the inevitable recreations of the signature moves in the ring (an old mattress in the basement) with my buddies. It’s amazing that nobody was seriously injured.

As for Sarge, my annoyance stemmed mainly from his being a superman on the cartoon and a mediocre wrestler IRL, as well as the general demotion of everybody else so he could be the focal point. That said, I had all three versions of him at some point, and the accompanying vehicles, even though I didn’t use him nearly as much as he was used on the cartoon. So I must have been at least a little taken in by the hype.

As for my growing weary of the comics, I think it stemmed from my higher expectations I had for it beyond the “far out” nature of the cartoon. When I discovered it, it was a lot more detailed, “realistic” and straight military than the cartoon, with generally better art, and was diving deep into character development. So I took to it easily and related often, and it had me hooked for years.

The problem for me began when they started to spend so much time with so few characters, sometimes on characters that were no longer or not even available as toys. It irked me that they turned really cool characters, equipment and weapons into nothing more than background plot support. You’d get the occasional contractually required intros for new characters and vehicles, never to see them again. And it really bothered me that Bobo the Bear and Billy got more panel time than a lot of characters I had figs of, and that the Joes and Cobras used USAF C-130s and blue Skycranes more than a lot of the vehicles I had to recreate the action with.

And when it departed from guns, tanks, helos and jets and devolved into mystical, unstoppable sword and bow-wielding ninjas (particularly one or two of them) issue after issue, it got old fast, even before it got bad. I never forgave Hama for trying to make GI Joe into his own ninja X-Men instead of expanding what he started so well with. GI Joe was first and foremost a military toy line, and the comic and cartoon were supposed to remain in support of that. I still hardly consider him a hero to the line. He was excellent, at least for a while, at creating exciting military backstories for the toy characters, but he lost my attention when he fixated on his ninja favorites at the expense of everything else.

Granted, the whole line was departing from its roots as a military action figure/vehicle line by that time. To me, they all lost their way. And they lost me and you and tens of thousands more in the process.

 

[nacho]

Wow, so you watched Joe and TF on Saturday morning?! Around here, Joe, TF, He-Man, and Thundercats were weekday afternoon cartoons, always after school, never on weekends.

Pink Panther, Superfriends, Shirt-Tails, Snorks, Smurfs, Flintstones, basically anything by Hannah-Barbera, Dungeons and Dragons, and Bugs Bunny were our saturday morning fare.

 

[ThunderDan19]

So we had them on weekday evenings too followed by the others you mentioned plus the Silverhawks and later The Real Ghostbusters (plus Jem and She-Ra if you were really desperate ). But, if memory serves, TF came on at 7am and Joe at 7:30 on Saturday mornings as well. For me, my Saturday morning peaked before 8, but I did like Spidey and Friends, The Incredible Hulk and The Littles. I‘d watch the Superfriends, but considered it inferior and cheesy compared to the Marvel offerings. I was never very fond of Looney Tunes, Woody Woodpecker, Tom & Jerry or other HB stuff, but probably watched way more than I wanted to, due to very limited options back then. Speaking of cheesy, my Saturday mornings typically wrapped up with Alvin, which I considered near the bottom of the Saturday barrel, so they always left me with a bad taste.

It was always a treat to be at my grandparents’ place because they had a couple more independent channels so I got to see Voltron and some other dubbed Japanese shows (animated or live action) and later Star Trek TNG.

 

[nacho]

I think later in the 80's, like S2 of Joes and S3 of TF, we got some reruns on sunday mornings, but I had to record those because they were always while we were getting ready for church. But they weren't ever first-runs, just random reruns.

There were so many good saturday morning cartoons. I liked Superfriends just because they were constantly new. There were like 9 seasons, each with a slightly different name and format, but they at least tried with 84 episodes. I liked Spidey and Amazing Friends, but there were exactly 24 episodes total. I think I saw "The Swarm!" 387 times. Mr T, Kwicky Koala, Speed Buggy, Godzilla, Richie Rich, Mighy Orbots, Thundarr, Tarzan/Batman hour, Dynomutt, and Space Ghost...

I liked all the HB stuff... my sister and I would "bet" on Laff-a-Lympics, and I liked Hair Bear, Capt. Caveman, and Scooby. Alvin wasn't my fav, but I watched plenty of it when there wasn't anything better on the other two channels.

I never liked Woody or Tom & Jerry, but those were weekday afternoon cartoons here, usually before the good ones came on. I don't recall seeing those on saturdays. But I liked Bugs and Tweety and such pretty good, and we usually got an hour on saturdays.

While no one will ever care, I have every damn one of those on my media server. I click them up every now and then just for kicks. Maybe I can trick my future grandkids into liking something that isn't japanese or CGI.

 

[Videoviper]

TF was on Sunday morning while there was only mini series. I believe there was a replay on Saturdays.

Then when the full series came it switched weekdays.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Better than Hasbro's?

Mercari: Your Marketplace

Mercari is your marketplace. It's the perfect place to declutter and discover items that are uniquely you. Say 'goodbye' to your old go-tos and 'hello' to one-of-a-kind treasures.

www.mercari.com

 

[nacho]

The tread looks more like the og style, but the tires will be hard printed plastic, not rubbery. That's a deal breaker for me.

I recognize how this might come across (obnoxious and pompous), as someone who has been in the 3d printing game for mere weeks/months and produced absolutely nothing significant to speak of... but I f#$%ing hate printed stuff where the filament lines are boldly staring you in the face. I know not everything can be resin printed, and for durability, many things need filament printing. But for the love of pete, sand it, paint it.... do something to make it not look like it's made of tiny legos. It looks lazy and unfinished when all I see are a thousand tiny stairsteps.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Got it. I took more of a cursory look and the things that stuck out to me were the strong resemblance to the original, the off-road tires (didn't really consider the material) and the fact that the front wheels swivel, which I believe is not true of the H'bro version. I agree that it certainly has room for improvement and finishing, and maybe somebody will get inspired and make the next better one.

I think it is just so interesting how many of these I am seeing, where regular folks are making pretty legit versions of the OG vehicles with nothing more than a 3d printer, some creativity and an apparent love of the line. It really opens up the opportunity for hard core fans and collectors to get them well before Hasbro is offering them, for better or worse, and I think that's a sign of a vibrant fandom.

 

[nacho]

Oh, you're 100% correct. That fans took the time to CAD up these old toys into printable files is pretty incredible. That's part of what inspired me to get a 3d printer, just so I could dabble in accessories and set pieces to go along with all the Joe goodness we're getting, official and otherwise. It's a great time to be a fan, as we have more options than ever.

Speaking of, did you see the new video from Ramen? Their bridgelayer is looking pretty nifty and huge. And of course, being mostly based on real world equipment, it's not something hasbro can get too hung-up on IP-wise.

Real Rolling Ramen Toy 1/12 scale not GI Joe AV Series Bridge Layer (youtube.com)

 

[ThunderDan19]

Whaaaat??? That looks like it could be awesome!

Hasbro better start picking up their pace and motivation. Other groups/people are already picking away at potential market share, and it seems to be gaining momentum.

 

[Videoviper]

I think the front wheels moved on the original Ferret. Been several decades since I last saw mine.

 

[nacho]

I think the front wheels moved on the original Ferret. Been several decades since I last saw mine.

Yes, the front wheels did pivot, and on the last livestream, the Joe crew addressed the tradeoff of not including that feature on the new one.

It basically came down to not being able to hold the price-point if they had steerable front tires, and their goal was to maximize play-value without breaking the bank, and shedding that feature kept them from losing other things they felt were more important in the offering.

 

[nacho]

Whaaaat??? That looks like it could be awesome!

Hasbro better start picking up their pace and motivation. Other groups/people are already picking away at potential market share, and it seems to be gaining momentum.

Good news is, we're already expecting announcements next week of a Stinger vamp repaint and possibly the MMS repaint... and both will be popular and well received.

Then there is the haslab, which consensus says will be either Rattler or Thunder Machine. One feels too large, the other too small for a haslab, so I guess we'll see. I still want a MOBAT or Mauler more than anything from a haslab... Joe needs a tank, screw cobra's air support... they already got a trubble bubble!

Thunder Machine is an odd duck... as I know it would be popular, and they're pumping out damn near every dreadnok in the near future, so it makes sense in that regard, but historically, it has exactly zero repaint value. It's a crazy Mad-Max one-off bespoke custom vehicle. You can't have a tiger force version or a python version or a night force version. It's Thrasher's personal frankenstein ride. So making repaints of it would be beyond silly.

That makes me think it would have to be a Haslab to justify the tooling, but to make it an attractive offering to consumers, they'd have to include Thrasher and a few other dreadnoks (as faux stretch goals of course). But those others would have to be repaints of existing releases because putting anyone but the driver behind the haslab paywall will incur the wrath of the notorious Joe cheapskates. But who cares about slight repaints... unless they're Cold Slither variants, and then the cheapskates will lose their damn minds. It's quite a tightrope to walk.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Hilarious that the MMS is the repaint, but yeah, the Stinger will be popular for sure.

Interesting on the HasLab. I hadn't picked up on any TM rumors for the Haslab. I heard Rattler or Snow Cat, most likely Rattler, due to its popularity. While the Rattler is large (UUGE!), I don't think there will ever be a format where it works besides HL. The necessary price point will keep it out of retail, even as an exclusive. At least with the HL they can throw in some repaints and try to make it worth the investment. And they will know exactly how many they need to make, so no expensive shelf warming for it.

The TM makes no sense as a HL to me. It's too small and niche to need that kind of treatment, and like you said, if they hide any popular figures behind the huge paywall, folks will get pissed. And they'd have to throw in all kinds of new-ish Dreadnok-y add-ons (bolt on rockets?) to try to make it worth the HL price. Then those who paid the premium for the HL 'noks will get pissed too when they inevitably come to retail down the road as repaints. So, to me, that's a no win.

I think, if they are smart, they will jump off the rousing success of the first two and go big for the Rattler. Package Wild Weasel, something akin to an Air Trooper for the rear gunner, reuse the missile launch and gun blast effects from the DF, add on a couple of unique but fairly generic ground crew types - maybe with a simple ordinance cart and they'll easily make the goal plus stretches. I think it would be a mistake to make yet another Baroness, but she'd be as easy to repaint as an AT, so they'll probably go that way.

 

[nacho]

I agree the TM should be too small for a haslab, but without repaint potential, I don't see how you get that one out to retail. But with all the dreadnoks being made, I'm not sure they can ignore it either. It simply doesn't fit any of the boxes.

However, last year the Marvel crew tried to do a Hellcharger as a haslab, and it *almost* made it. The TM is far more interesting, and with no licensing fees, they could easily throw in enough extra stuff to get it across the finish line. The Marvel haslab was a dud all around, but it shows Big-H isn't afraid to try something like a car. The Ramen racer did fine at $200-250 + shipping with no figures or extras, so the TM definitely can't be ruled out.

On the other hand, I think the rattler is way too damn big for the line period. I don't want to be forced to buy a $500 jet I don't have room for, but I'll feel very compelled to support anyway. The FOMO alone would be too great.
I don't buy the completely made-up notion that they are somehow forced to alternate between Joe and cobra offerings anyway, so I'm still holding out for a Joe tank.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Yeah, a well done tank would be a great choice. It’s odd though that there haven’t been any rumors pointing that way. Are they really clever enough to keep that so quiet and divert everybody toward the Rattler?

 

[nacho]

Yeah, a well done tank would be a great choice. It’s odd though that there haven’t been any rumors pointing that way. Are they really clever enough to keep that so quiet and divert everybody toward the Rattler?

Probably not.

 

[Sgt301]

Capt. Who..? I was out long before that guy came along.

I agree that Sgt. Slaughter was the beginning of the end. I believe that crappy movie, Cobra-La and departure from (relatively) grounded military themed to sci-fi fantasy was the nail in the coffin. They definitely flew over that shark somewhere during the first airing of that abomination, which prominently featured both elements that didn't belong in Joe lore.

Of the two, Sarge was the lesser betrayal, simply because (real or not) he was at least military (themed), but how they so prominently used him (as a virtual superman) in the cartoon and movie was over the top. And Fridge and Rocky didn't make a significant enough splash to be more than a minor blip. The only abomination to come from those was Rocky's supposed opponent. I don't think Fridge ever made it to the cartoon, and Sarge never made the comics as I recall.

As for the KS. I don't see myself getting on board. I liked the comics, but not so much that I need full copy of the run, especially since it's likely to be a costly endeavor. I'm actually still waffling on the Artwork Omnibus. I said maybe after the tax refund (finally) came back, but then wavered when one of our A/C units needed a $400 fix - right on time . And then Mother's Day and two birthdays in the family in May. Dang my need for responsible spending and deferred gratification!!!

As absolutely stunning as the OB is, it doesn't help that I really don't care for anything past 1989 (and frankly don't really acknowledge it), so I feel like I would never open the back half of the book/set. I wish I hadn't missed out on the previous version that came in volumes. I would have just gotten the first 4 and been satisfied. I dunno. Same price +/- so I'll probably eventually just get the full ominbus. Maybe once their remaining number gets down below 500. Knowing they still have 2500+ doesn't exactly demand urgency, and too many other bills keep jumping in the way.

Christmas is coming!

I know the pain, I have put 3500 clams into my hvac system in the last couple years and I really don’t have a choice living in hot and humid Virginia. We can be as bad as Louisiana at times.

 

[ThunderDan19]

These pics certainly aren’t winning me over to wanting to pick this one up:

G.I. Joe Classified Series Kim "Jinx" Arashikage In-Hand Figure Look

G.I. Joe Classified Series Kim "Jinx" Arashikage In-Hand Figure Look

toynewsi.com

As the kids say it, Imma have to pass.

Now, after predicting today previously, Doc and Torch now are estimating August for delivery. Not that I really expect them to ultimately take quite that long but Hasbro that now AMZ thinks it’ll be that long? And if it does, way to squander momentum and enthusiasm by being so slow again.

 

[Videoviper]

A lot of SW stuff just got pushed back to August too.

So there was a delay somewhere or it’s all showing up randomly next week.

 

[nacho]

A lot of SW stuff just got pushed back to August too.

So there was a delay somewhere or it’s all showing up randomly next week.

Eh, people complained all last year that stuff showed up early . The number of people whining because they plan their purchases based on the headroom on their nearly-maxed credit cards is staggering. Stuff showing up early was devastating because they had to make sophie's choice about which figures to purchase. Why the f#$% are you buying toys if you're THAT strapped? I get FOMO, but at some point, priorities and adulting.

These are probably made at a factory in western china and are all on some cargo ship that had to sail around africa rather than going through the red sea (thanks Houthis!), so that delayed everything two months. I have no insider info, but that explanation makes a lot of sense. It also means that if it continues, we'll see $30 figures sooner than later. Sailing around africa isn't cheap.

Also, FYI, had an appointment this morning, stopped by Ollies, and they were covered up with $5 Zarana and Dusty (probably 25x of each), but no CGs. $5 CGs got cleaned out pretty quickly I suspect.

 

[Videoviper]

$5 Dusty’s I might be tempted to play in that scale too.

Last year I was trying to pay off a cruise. The wife booked an earlier cruise than I had planned which Fd up the budget. Everything got paid the way it should have but random charges of toys that were months early didn’t help the situation.

So I am of the mindset let me pay for non-essentials when I order them rather than have life throw me in the deep end when I least expect it. As you might guess I avoid pre orders if I can.

 

[nacho]

$5 Dusty’s I might be tempted to play in that scale too.

Last year I was trying to pay off a cruise. The wife booked an earlier cruise than I had planned which Fd up the budget. Everything got paid the way it should have but random charges of toys that were months early didn’t help the situation.

So I am of the mindset let me pay for non-essentials when I order them rather than have life throw me in the deep end when I least expect it. As you might guess I avoid pre orders if I can.

If you need some $5 Dusty's, just say the word and I'll make a trip back up there in a few days.

 

[Videoviper]

Na i got a few 4” Dusties that I use for the Stargate.

Not sure how well 6” figures would look with the gate.

Also happy to not switch scales.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Man would I ever love it if something other than that wave and movie figs suddenly started showing up at Ollie’s.

 

[ThunderDan19]

This is the first I’m hearing “credible” rumors of SS v2. If correct, I’m in for him (assuming they did a reasonably good job), Alpine and maybe IG. Anybody need a SS v1?

I don’t see replacing the CC and troopers I have for classic and I have no use for Mad Marauders. The 60th haven’t gotten me so far so I doubt the next two will either. I‘m on the fence regarding adding another faction since I’m already running out of real estate for the two I have. I assume a gold head Destro can’t be far behind. He’s likely to be better, but I’m not sure I’ll commit this time.

Naturally the drops on these are happening while I’m out of pocket. At least it gives me a chance to mull over my picks before pulling the trigger, not like stuff has really been selling out so much lately anyway.

 

[nacho]

I'd buy a SSv2 but it would never replace the retro version. I even prefer heroic SS in his original getup. I never fully understood the need for the grey tetris pieces.

I thought we already knew about Alpine and Iron Grenadier. I'm down for those, although I won't army-build IG troops, just 2-3, enough for a small dio. I have a PO for some of the Monster Hunter figs that I want to make into IG officers. Should be an easy, low-effort endeavor.

Retro CC is a must, as i've kept the mickey version MOC assuming he was coming, and I genuinely dislike the early wave CCs. His weird pointy boots and skirt just don't work for the character IMO. And classic/retro troopers... I'll probably pick up a few just to add to the blueshirt ranks... because I'm a sucker.

60th... I got the first two for cheap b/c of the BBTS listing glitch, but I'd have to see the others. I don't need generic troopers, but if they have useful parts or gear, I could be tempted. But I have no plan to collect generic 60th troops.

Sarge's Marauders' blue/brown repaints are an abomination and I don't want any of them, even on clearance. Not only is it a visually offensive deco, but anything to do with Sarge is of no interest. Just watch them put out Footloose in this hideous deco first just to piss me off.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Yeah, the only “surprise” for me (if it pans out) is SS v2. I always liked that version the best, I think actually because of the comic backstory with him and SE being comrades from way back until the mistaken identity issue. So SS ultimately as a Joe made sense to me. And he certainly couldn’t be sporting a Cobra logo’ed uniform fighting along side SE, so he had to get a new one.

I feel like the Tetris camo was digital camo in 8 bit - before it got trendy. And now running a compound bow, as made so famous by Rambo back in the day: Power Up!!! I make no excuses for the red sword and backpack though. I think they just ran out of black plastic in Hong Kong that month.

 

[Videoviper]

At that point Joe was starting with the odd choices that later became pink Guns. That ran out what kids were still secretly collecting.

Always Hated good guy SS, I had the figure but the action feature made him useless as a ninja.

Did like the Iron Grenaders as they were as close to realistic as we were getting.