Hasbro Q&A (GI Joe) questions

MAJOR BLOOD

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The next Q&A is due by October 3rd so if anyone has questions post them up. Not sure if they have restrictions on what can be asked but I'll see if I can get some other info from the person that I deal with for them.

So I found the "guidelines" for the questions. Here it is:

"Topics open for discussion –Deco Decisions, Design Choices, Design Product Development and Redeco/Retooling.Also, questions pertaining to past and curren Strategy and Marketing.
Topics that cannot be addressed -“When will X toy be made/redesigned/released, Hypothetical, Sales/Cost Data, Product Idea Submissions, Potential Design/Redesign Future Movie/Entertainment"
 

Cloud Strife

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Apr 16, 2011
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When will the release date for the 7-packs be announced?

Is there a theme for each 7-pack? If so, what are they?

Which frickin' figures are going to be in the 7-pack?
 

MAJOR BLOOD

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What happened to the variant Blowtorch and Crock Master? Seems they never made it to retail.
 

Mandingo Rex

★★★★★
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Gone Baby, Gone
^ I'm in 100% agreement with all of those. Also, how did the 7-packs "go away" in a previous Q&A, and now they're somehow back? Not that I'm against that, I really want the 7-packs. I just find it odd as fuck.
 

Cloud Strife

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I sure hope so. I seem to remember seeing it in the last round of Q&A's, but it seems like they are doing classic figures. By "classic" I mean characters that we've yet to see with the new tooling of the Modern Era figures based off of their ARAH figure.
 

K-Tiger

All solutions are final.
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If I was Hasbro I'd bar questions on them. You'd think the fandom would be smart enough not to ask the same questions that we know they aren't gonna answer.
 

Monkeywrench

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With Renegades getting canceled and the short life span of the previous animations, have you considered making 1 shot straight to dvd films? Many fans enjoy the Marvel and DC releases that seem to come out every few months. A GI JOE series would be a nice treat to the fans.
 

K-Tiger

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I know that's been discussed, but I can't say for sure if it has been put to Hasbro.

I can imagine both their answer, and the true answer.
 

Wild weasel

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If I was Hasbro I'd bar questions on them. You'd think the fandom would be smart enough not to ask the same questions that we know they aren't gonna answer.

or that ALL the other sites will ask. I think we should ask out of the box questions(not saying that these q's are, just my opinion on this)
 

K-Tiger

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or that ALL the other sites will ask. I think we should ask out of the box questions(not saying that these q's are, just my opinion on this)

That was the initial intent, to try and come up with questions that haven't been asked ad nauseum by all the other sites. Hasbro keeps restricting the subject pool, too.
 

MAJOR BLOOD

Size matters
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What was the decision behind taking camo off of the 30th Iron Grenadier?

I'm sure it was cost but it would be nice to know.
 

MAJOR BLOOD

Size matters
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Renegade figures are coming with less than originally shown, aren't they? That could be an ok question if worded right.

I'm sure that too would be cost.
 

Cloud Strife

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Was it your intent to to reduce paint rub on joints by retooling the joint hinges not be complete circles so that they do not rub the corresponding limb? If so, smart move! It makes me happy as a customizer. :)
 
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Cloud Strife

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Apr 16, 2011
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Was it your intent to to reduce paint rub on joints by retooling the joint hinges not be complete circles so that they do not rub the corresponding limb? If so, smart move! It makes me happy as a customizer. :)

I suppose this is really a rhetorical question as I'm 99% sure that's why they did it.
 

Bravestarr

Molon Labe!
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I am a simple guy, and here are my simple questions.

1.) When can we expect to find Airtight, Sci Fi, Techno-Viper and the rest of that particular wave in retail stores?

2.) Can we please get a modern "30th style" figure release of SGT Savage? I know it's a stretch, but Savage has an awesome storyline and would look great in any GI Joe collection.

3.) Any future plans for 30th style releases of Ambush, Rampart, Salvo, and LT Joe Colton?

Thank you.

EDIT:

Just noticed this conflicted horsesh!t:


"Topics open for discussion –Deco Decisions, Design Choices, Design Product Development and Redeco/Retooling.Also, questions pertaining to past and current Strategy and Marketing.

Topics that cannot be addressed -“When will X toy be made/redesigned/released, Hypothetical, Sales/Cost Data, Product Idea Submissions, Potential Design/Redesign Future Movie/Entertainment"


WTF, Over?

Design choices are allowed for discussion, but questions pertaining to specific designs to be released are not?

In other words, I am allowed to ask when/if the new SGT Savage figure will be designed, but I am not allowed to ask when/if the new SGT Savage figure will be designed???

Hasbro's design representatives are synonymous with ass backwards stupidity.

As a side note, the fools redesigned the Skystriker after countless requests to make the damn thing. And all the while the bastards at Hasbro were refusing to discuss it in public, they finally recanted and gave in to demand from the fan base.

As my parting shot to the elitist idiots at Hasbro's design team, at least Mattel honored their fan base with continuous, steadfast releases of the classic series over the past several years (as well as the individual fan-inspired Fearless Photog).

 
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MAJOR BLOOD

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I think they might be talking about product they have announced to ask about. They don't want to give up any future information is what I'm guessing they are being restrictive about. I don't know, I'm just a grunt. :eek:
 

Bravestarr

Molon Labe!
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I think they might be talking about product they have announced to ask about. They don't want to give up any future information is what I'm guessing they are being restrictive about. I don't know, I'm just a grunt. :eek:

Nah, that's alright, man.

I am just venting because while Mattel's production numbers/IP tracking abilities (prediction of sales) are severely lacking, I respect the fact that they honor the product ideas and requests from the fans.
 

MAJOR BLOOD

Size matters
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It's tough to get straight answers more times than not. Really sucks but all we can do is word things good and make the questions not so cookie cutter like some other places may do.

I say we ask if they ran a train on the one product rep at SDCC. :D She seemed pretty new.
 

G.I.*EDDIE

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i agree that asking about the 7 packs will be pointless and a waste since, more than likely, EVERY other site will at least dedicate one question to them...we'll find out what we'd ask one way or another...

asking if they have any intention to design any realistic vehicles would IMO, be better spent...unless we already did that...

With Renegades getting canceled and the short life span of the previous animations, have you considered making 1 shot straight to dvd films? Many fans enjoy the Marvel and DC releases that seem to come out every few months. A GI JOE series would be a nice treat to the fans.

i was behind this question before...its a great one...the DC and Marvel PG-13 toons are fantastic and i'd LOVE to see the same thing for Joe and TFs...great animation, great one shot stories, and a hint of blood...
 

MAJOR BLOOD

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I don't think we can ask about unproduced items. They have those silly guidelines and no need to waste a question. Plus, they did say last time they don't really have any plans on a realistic figure so I'd think that would go with vehicles too. Although, I think they may still have the molds for the Humvees.
 

K-Tiger

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I don't think we can ask about unproduced items. They have those silly guidelines and no need to waste a question. Plus, they did say last time they don't really have any plans on a realistic figure so I'd think that would go with vehicles too. Although, I think they may still have the molds for the Humvees.



Hasbro, when are you gonna extract your head from your 4th point of contact and release a vehicle that doesn't suck? The Night Ops Humvee comes to mind


Too aggressive?
 

G.I.*EDDIE

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nope...striaght to the point...i like it...though it will most likely come back as "unanswered" along with any future questions we ask :D
 

MAJOR BLOOD

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Well I think I've read that they still have the molds for those so who knows? Maybe we could see something like that down the road.
 

Monkeywrench

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i was behind this question before...its a great one...the DC and Marvel PG-13 toons are fantastic and i'd LOVE to see the same thing for Joe and TFs...great animation, great one shot stories, and a hint of blood...

They are awesome! I'm sure we will skip this question agin for a data viper one :eek:
 

MAJOR BLOOD

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I think we should just ask them if they will ever make a quality cartoon like Thundercats. :p

What type of show are they going to do for a direct to dvd? Every new cartoon they have done has failed and so far one movie.
 

K-Tiger

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I thinke the one-shot OVA can be answered like this, gird yourselves, feelings might get hurt.

G.I. Joe is not Transformers, and it sure as hell is not Marvel or Star Wars. What will work for them may not work for Joe. The Joe fan base is Rhode Island, Star Wars and Marvel's fan bases are on the order of India and China.

Stop trying to push a property that reached it's popularity zenith a generation ago into things it can't possibly support. Reagen isn't in the White House anymore, we're not locked in an ideological cold war with the Red Communist Menace anymore. It's no longer 1985. Joe is never gonna be the big gun again.

Be happy with the small victories. Be happy we get modern Joe figures at all.
 
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MAJOR BLOOD

Size matters
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I thinke the one-shot OVA can be answered like this, gird yourselves, feelings might get hurt.

G.I. Joe is not Transformers, and it sure as hell is not Marvel or Star Wars. What will work for them may not work for Joe. The Joe fan base is Rhode Island, Star Wars and Marvel's fan bases are on the order of India and China.

Stop trying to push a property that reached it's popularity zenith a generation ago into things it can't possibly support. Reagen isn't in the White House anymore, we're not locked in an ideological cold war with the Red Communist Menace anymore. It's no longer 1985. Joe is never gonna be the big gun again.

Be happy with the small victories. Be happy we get modern Joe figures at all.

That just got you a chicklet!
 

K-Tiger

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I usually use that on guys who insist on Joe having two figure lines like SW.
 

Monkeywrench

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I thinke the one-shot OVA can be answered like this, gird yourselves, feelings might get hurt.

G.I. Joe is not Transformers, and it sure as hell is not Marvel or Star Wars. What will work for them may not work for Joe. The Joe fan base is Rhode Island, Star Wars and Marvel's fan bases are on the order of India and China.

Stop trying to push a property that reached it's popularity zenith a generation ago into things it can't possibly support. Reagen isn't in the White House anymore, we're not locked in an ideological cold war with the Red Communist Menace anymore. It's no longer 1985. Joe is never gonna be the big gun again.

Be happy with the small victories. Be happy we get modern Joe figures at all.


and it's that kind of thinking that holds Joe back. The last 10 years has been perfect for Joe to grow and they have wasted it. With the increased patriotism and war on terror, they blew a golden opportunity. Joe will never be as big as the ones you mentioned until they try and bring it back into a public spotlight. Marvel Superheroes didn't mean shit to me in the 80's and early 90's until the X-men cartoon. Look how many failed movies of Marvel Super heroes that were made in the early 2000's and look at how they have become Powerhouses now. All it takes is the right people behind the brand and the right execution.
 
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K-Tiger

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No, the kind of thinking that holds Joes back is the guys saying Hasbro should just rehash the shit they did from '82-'94 for the rest of all time.

You want to blame someone, blame all the fucking fans who can't move past '87 that demand Hasbro cow-tow to them.


The country may have been patriotic, but that doesn't mean mothers want their sons getting the wrong idea about war and toys when the neighbor down the block gets killed in Iraq.
 
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Wild weasel

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Back a few years ago when the joe repaints for the Jurrassic park line that never came to light, were they to be crossover lines or two distinctively different lines just using the same molds? Is there any future to that line?
 

Monkeywrench

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No, the kind of thinking that holds Joes back is the guys saying Hasbro should just rehash the shit they did from '82-'94 for the rest of all time.

You want to blame someone, blame all the fucking fans who can't move past '87 that demand Hasbro cow-tow to them.


The country may have been patriotic, but that doesn't mean mothers want their sons getting the wrong idea about war and toys when the neighbor down the block gets killed in Iraq.

I'm not blaming anyone, just pointing out flaws in your argument. There is no reason that Joe can't be a big brand in 2011 and beyond. If it got the right people behind it and they supported it with decent execution it could be huge.

Don't get me wrong, I'm one of the guys who only wants and buys classic remakes but look who I am as a consumer. I'm a male with no kids, no nephews in my 30's. Why the fuck am I even buying Joes to began with? I caught a glimpse of the 25th figs and wanted to relive my youth. So I buy classic remakes, display them for a few weeks/months and throw them into a box to collect dust.

Now if Hasbro started to make a real effort to push Joe into the limelight using media resources like Movies, DVD's, Toons, Video Games with stellar toys, kids could have a chance to get behind it. They made an attempt at a movie, didn't go so hot, giving it another try. They made a futile attempt at a toon on a channel that nobody has with no other media backing. They haven't touched 2 sources of major media that is big with kids and young adults, Video games and DVD's.

It would also help if they wouldn't re-invent the entire line every year and stick with a real reboot and build the franchise.

jus sayin
 

K-Tiger

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I think my argument is for once surprisingly flaw-free.

It just seems that some are ignoring the fundamental societal changes that have occurred.
 

Monkeywrench

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I think we should just ask them if they will ever make a quality cartoon like Thundercats. :p

What type of show are they going to do for a direct to dvd? Every new cartoon they have done has failed and so far one movie.

Go for it. I would like to see a quality cartoon of Joe.

Are you serious? The possibilities are endless. They have how may characters to pick from? Hundreds! They can do all new stories or they can do the same thing that DC and Marvel do and take original stories and make them animated with upgrades to the story. How awesome would it be to have a hour and some change movie on the IDW Cobra series? They can touch on many of the Marvel Joe stories like the Borovia story, the Cobra Civil War, the Snake Eyes origin or just a Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow 1 shot. They could dip into Devils Due with the WW3 story, Duke's Black ops days or Flint/LJ story.

They won't do it, but they should. :D
 

Bravestarr

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Too right, we need to ease back the nerd rage.

Agreed, however, Hasbro's behavior with the GI Joe figure line seems to be antithetical to common sense.

IE, "You are allowed to ask us about future products, but you are not allowed to ask us about future products" kind of shit.

IMHO, Hasbro's bit about "not being allowed to ask specific questions related to future product" is a slap in the face to people who request simple answers.

Any slap in the face should be responded with brass knuckles.

:D

I'm sorry, but at the end of the day the Hasbro reps come across as complete assholes if they won't allow people to ask the important questions such as where precisely the line is heading, and what kind of items we can expect to see in the future.

Why even bother holding a fucking conference if we are "not allowed" to ask the important questions?

You may as well be asking Carney for DOJ names from the damn "Fast and Furious" murders if non-answers, generalizations and "you are not allowed to ask that" is the response each time.

In fact, that's my question to Hasbro after reading "their rules" several times:

Who at Hasbro has determined that their customers are "not allowed" to ask certain questions, and what the fuck is the point of the customer/business conference if their business leaders won't allow customers to request information about the future releases of the line?

BTW, I agree with your statement about the Joe community being equal to Rhode Island, whereas the Star Wars crowd is the equivalent to India's population. My point, however, is that it's total bullshit to have this petty "you are not allowed to ask that" kind of response to ANY fan base, REGARDLESS of size.

Do Hasbro's reps have the same condescending attitude toward the Star Wars fans? My guess is probably not, unless of course they are all snarky assholes at Hasbro these days.

It takes a pretty fucking pretentious attitude for ANY businessman to speak to ANY customer in such a manner, and expect said customer to be okay with that kind of behavior from the fucking business.

Hasbro's attitude makes me feel like Samuel L. Jackson's character in Pulp Fiction when that guy kept saying, "What" each time Jackson asked him something.

"Tell me I am 'not allowed' to ask you about the release dates of the Techno-Viper and Sci-Fi figures you talked about and even displayed earlier, you dick-teasing motherfucker! I dare you, I double dog dare you!!!"



For the record, I apologize for my language and frustration.

It's just that Hasbro's incompetence and assholery is getting to be too much to handle with a civil response, and it is as wrong as two men having sex for a business to have a "you are not allowed to ask that" type of attitude with ANY customer. A decent business will not disallow customers from asking questions that are relevant to upcoming releases from said business.
 
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