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

[ThunderDan19]

I wonder if the high response caught H'bro off guard. They certainly didn't seem to be teed up to immediately reveal the 1st stretch upgrade.

Edit: Woomp there it is... bolt on missssssiles... Here's hoping for something better in the 2nd one. (I will give them credit for making the missiles a definite Cobrafied Hellfire vibe).

 

[nacho]

Yeah, the campaign calls all the stretches "upgrades", so that makes me concerned that they're all bolt-on parts rather than figures. I mean, we're getting two exclusive figures already, but I'd rather have more troops than stuff to greeble up the HISS. The missile pods are nice (and expected given that hard point on both sides), but I don't want all the upgrades to be similar stuff. I say all that assuming that anything the size of an ASP is out of the realm of possibility. That seems too big for a stretch goal.

On the other hand, a cobra MMS like in the old Sears Crimson HISS set might be doable knowing that they could reuse the tooling for a mass-retail release of a green Joe MMS. It would be a win-win, as it would be an exclusive deco of something they could get a lot of reuse from. I guess time will tell.

Mostly, I'd prefer they show us the stretch goals up front, as it doesn't really work as an incentive if you can't find out what it is until after you've met the goal. On the other hand, if they're all boring bolt-on parts, I can see why they wouldn't show them, as the collective groan might hurt future sales... or even cause a small contraction.

I'm still in, and in the back of my mind I still want a second, but I hope the enthusiasm is maintained by better stretches going forward.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Yeah, I had thought of a Cobra MMS (can't recall what they called it back in the day) as well. I'm not sure that would get me there. Even back in the day I knew the MMS was mainly just big ol' hollow missiles on a throwaway chassis. The ASP, on the other hand, was uniquely Cobra and a bit more engineered. That would come a lot closer to justifying the $300 price tag. Throw in a repainted Viper or Trooper as an ASP gunner, and I think I might just succumb to the temptation, even through I have no clue where I would even display it, and could never reveal how much it cost...

 

[Videoviper]

I had suggested on Rebel scum that the ASP was a possibility & if they actually did that ( I don’t think they will) Even I’d be tempted & I don’t collect that scale.

 

[ThunderDan19]

More and more I'm seeing people calling out the ASP by name. Again, it's three hundred US dollars. That used to be a lot of money. Hopefully H'bro has learned from previous ventures that disappointing their patrons with lame add-ons (particularly at the higher level upgrades) doesn't end well for a campaign. I'm hoping that, by upgrades 3 and 4, H'bro will have gotten enough profit built in to give the people what they are asking for by far more often than anything else I've run across.

I fully expect stretch 2 to be something attached on the turret (people have pointed out the peg holes there), maybe a canopy along with some blast effects(?). But 3 & 4 truly have to be the pay off for those of us on the fence.

While over there at Haslab, I noticed that the Reva lightsaber campaign isn't doing so good... You gotta wonder whose idea it was to put out a $500 prop from a peripheral character that mainline SW fans have only heard of because of the ginned up controversy around the D+ series, particularly coming off the recent SW campaign failure.

 

[nacho]

"Let's make a campaign to crowdfund a $500 light-up plastic sword, used by a z-list character no one had ever heard of before 20 minutes ago. It'll sell like hotcakes, because Star Wars!"

I just can't figure out why it isn't selling...

As I said over on TFW, SW is no longer a license to print money, and the team actually needs to offer an acceptable value proposition to their customers. Up to this point, they seem completely oblivious to this fact.

 

[nacho]

Ripper and non-crappy Firefly coming in '23...

G.I. Joe Classified 6" Dreadnok Ripper And Updated Firefly Coming In 2023 (toynewsi.com)

 

[ThunderDan19]

I wonder if they'll be on the modern or retro packaging. I think I'd rather they just released the 3 original dreadnoks as a 3 pack. I doubt I'd buy them individually. FF is a definite, if he's a huge improvement over the current (modified) one.

 

[nacho]

Oh snap...

 

[ThunderDan19]

Over half way to the next stretch upgrade...

 

[nacho]

almost there... "classic" canopy and side skirts. meh.

I didn't expect much from the first two unlocks as they're usually lame, but I have hope for the 3rd and 4th. Hasbro better not drop the ball on this one. I suspect it'll take a few days or a week to get to #3. Fingers crossed.

 

[ThunderDan19]

While I’m not crazy about the red gull wings or the regular skirts, different versions of those are lame as an “upgrade.“ How‘d you find out what #2 is?

 

[nacho]

Somebody leaked pics, and then as it got closer, haslab sent out pics to existing backers to drum up more support.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Huh, 12,102 backers and the #2 info isn’t yet posted. H’bros off for the weekend?

 

[nacho]

Probably. This is the pic from the haslab email...

 

[ThunderDan19]

I do like those (better than the “upgraded” red gull wing version and the bolt on missiles), but they don’t really add value like the Hiss Tactician (black and silver FTW! ) does. Here’s hoping for a big finish with #3 and #4, assuming it hits all of those. That’s what will make or break it for me.

 

[nacho]

I think it'll hit those goals and then some. It still has like six weeks to go, so there is plenty of time for orders to trickle in. I hope it's like the Sentinel where they have to come up with new items out of thin air.

Still just getting one though, been buying too many hot wheels to justify a second

 

[Videoviper]

Unlock #3. More guns & a female driver.

insert joke about hooker boots.

 

[nacho]

Unlock #3 complete. Bring on the 4th "upgrade"!

...and Super7 Ultimates W1 pushed back to October. bummer.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Ok, H'bro has one more chance to finally make it (a little more) worth the cost. The 3rd figure (a girl one!) adds a little more value, so there's that. And I think they've now filled up every bolt on spot imaginable to turn the thing into an impossibly over-armed tracked fortress, like something I might have drawn on notebook paper as a kid.
Can they come through with the payoff, or will they snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at the end? I'll be honest that I'm thinking they are trending away from a strong finish, though adding a figure beats just more guns and parts. If they find a way to bolt on absolutely anything else in place of a strong finish, I can't imagine they won't actually lose a few potential backers. If they deliver with a worthy towed weapon system, pay dirt.

I wish I had more confidence. I suppose I'd be on board already if I did... C'mon Hasbro, deliver!!!

 

[nacho]

You're forgetting that there will be additional unlocks as the thing progresses. Just because they announced four "upgrades" doesn't mean there won't be more. They're probably scrambling to think up more beyond #4 right now.

Big picture, we're only a week in, and this thing has over a month to go. We've hit the #3 stretch in the time they gave us to reach the minimum for the early-bird unlock. It's blowing through stretch goals unlike hasbro ever imagined. So there could very well be 2-3 more unlocks, as that's what they did with the Sentinel.

EDIT: The message Hasbro put out said that they're only doing 4 unlocks, so I stand corrected (although I'm not 100% convinced that they won't add something late in the campaign like they've done before). But regardless, they also said they saved the best for last, so hopefully it'll be enough to justify everyone's excitement.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Oh, I was most definitely not aware that they would keep adding. I'm assuming that means without altering the price?

 

[nacho]

Maybe they won't, see above.

No, they've never altered the price on a haslab after being announced, no matter how many upgrades are thrown in.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Yeah, if it gets more people on board, it would still benefit them to toss in a freebee or two toward the end anyway, if they can come up with something. Could be something as simple as a BAT repaint to deploy from the troop compartment (since it only houses one figure anyway). I do like that last sentence about saving the best for last. C'mon ASP!!!

 

[nacho]

Mickey Mouse CC is the 4th unlock. Cool and interesting, but that means a real "regular" CC is most certainly going to get a mass release, making the Mickey Mouse a collector's oddity, nothing more, and I'll probably never open it.

Another figure is great, but it doesn't really move the needle as far as wanting a second tank.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Agreed. Four figs and a bunch of bolt ons doesn’t quite get me there either. Here’s hoping they surprise us with a decent towed #5 upgrade. Need somewhere for that 4th figure to sit...

What’s the Mickey Mouse reference?

 

[nacho]

It's an homage to the error-printed cobra logo on some early v1 mail-away straight-arm CC back in the day. The symbol tampo was different (production error? alternate logo that wasn't meant to be used?) such that the top of the cobra's head looked like mickey ears... basically a figure variant known in collecting circles as Mickey Mouse CC.

If you have one, it's worth a mint, by far the rarest figure variant released in the US b/c not many got mailed out before the logo was corrected. It's the bane of the ARAH completionist's existence. It's like PDD, but rarer and dumber.

Having a classified nod to it is... fine I guess, but nothing that's going to get my juices flowing. If anything, I'm more excited about the "regular" version we'll get later, i.e. the CC we should have gotten from the get-go. Stupid video game.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Ah, I had wondered about that odd logo. I think they are really going after the completists with this offering. Video game?

 

[nacho]

The stupid video game that spawned the early classified designs, as opposed to proper ARAH homages like we're getting now. Had we gotten a CC like above two years ago, I wouldn't have the other classified CCs that will certainly end up in a storage bin.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Oh yeah, that’s the origin of those circular tech things on some of their kit too, isn’t it?

 

[nacho]

yep.

 

[nacho]

I'm reading a lot of speculation that we're not done with unlocks. It's all just fan chatter, but it kinda makes sense:

The fact that the CC reveal isn't even a digital render like the other figures, just an artist sketch, makes some fans suspect that it was a last minute addition and that the "real" final unlock has yet to be revealed. People are still hoping for a towable weapon of some kind, given that apparently they made a big deal about the tow hook during the campaign kickoff livestream.

Fingers crossed that we aren't done. I'm in for one anyway, but more value is always nice.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Seems plausible. They did emphasize the hook. Hasbro also knows two things: 1. This is one of, if not, the best performing Haslab offering so far and 2. They could certainly use a home run with the fans to build up some good will with all the issues they’ve been having with the Classified line (and other properties) of late. I don’t think they had a clue it would go this well this fast so I’ll stay optimistic, for now at least.

 

[Videoviper]

What I posted on RS:
Technically assuming all planned tiers are part of the original price, there is nothing stopping them from adding additional pay for items, maybe a Cobra MMS or ASP for $75 more/each. Treat it like an additional Haslab that is already funded.

 

[nacho]

Finally heard about the release of Mindbender Deluxe .... SDCC exclusive. Gonna be a pain to obtain.


More interesting than the deranged dentist:
Hasbro Officially Announces 6" Selfie Series - Official Press Release (toynewsi.com)

Not gonna lie, I won't be able to resist getting a noggin of myself. The real question is, do I go with a Joe buck... or if I go with a ML buck, I can use the head for a Vala Steel Brigade, the OG of "make a figure of yourself". Decisions, decisions...

 

[ThunderDan19]

I don't mind Mindbender being a deluxe exclusive. I have no desire to have him in my collection anyway. Zartan/Dreadnoks are about the extent of weird I am willing to include, as they are displayed on my shelf at work. I'm sure there'll be a regular version at some point down the road if you can't get ahold of the exclusive one.

I don't have a need to have a JoeClass version of myself either, especially if an SE body is the only option. Like one of the comments said, they should have gone green shirt or blue shirt. If they did offer something more akin to that, it might be a little tougher to resist.

 

[nacho]

Yeah, a trooper makes more sense, but I find the body to be mostly irrelevant, as long as it's sized for a typical buck neckball. The first SE body is my least fav classified buck, but that doesn't mean anything if I can put it on a duke/flint/recondo torso. But I'd really like a non-tiny-spider-man ML option, something on the buckycap buck so I can swap with a Vala torso. I don't *need* a joeclass version of myself, but I still think it's pretty neat, and I'll probably do it if the price is really just $60.

I have no doubt they'll milk the mindbender mold into multiple repaints... but I hate when the first version and the one with all the extras is an exclusive. Make the rando repaint a con figure, IMO. I don't *love* mindbender, but in the '86 iteration of Joe, he's the clear #2, the "Destro" if you will, and since they've already hinted at a Serpentor, I feel he's fairly necessary.

I know you're not into the wacky characters, but you're missing out by skipping Croc Master and Fiona. They're awesome. An angry, deadly, highly-poseable reptile, and a whack-job in a gimp mask... what's not to love?!

 

[ThunderDan19]

So my Spirit, SS & CO arrived yesterday. Generally very nice figures - the Cobra Officer being better than expected, so all in all, a pretty nice group. Only real disappointment is that Spirit's backpack peg was size about 20% too small so it wouldn't stay in at all. Weird because that has definitely not been an issue (at least to that degree) with any others. Maybe a tooling issue? Spirit was a little less impressive in person and Storm Shadow was just about exactly as expected (and way overdue).

Regardless, I'm happy to finally have them in hand, despite the long wait for delivery from EE. The next two batches are pre-ordered on Amazon (should be arriving much earlier in the release), but are not due to arrive until next Spring. Not sure why such a big gap. It certainly makes it hard to keep any real enthusiasm. Maybe some of the Tarjay exclusives will show up in the mean time...

 

[nacho]

Agreed. I got those three from Pulse last week. They're all nice, but the Officer is my fav. I've ordered an extra to make a red-masked Scarface.

Storm Shadow is a good figure, but I think I'm going to like the gloveless WM retro version better. Not crazy about the modern forearm gauntlets either. But he definitely makes the Articulated Icons white ninja look tiny.

Spirit... he's a solid offering, but he was never my fav character. I never bought him as a valid foil to SS, as a ninja should be able to hand him his ass. I'm still trying to decide if/how I'm going to retro him up. The best part about him is the short sleeves mold that should be used for Clutch, RnR, Falcon, Shipwreck, Tunnel Rat, Chuckles, a better Flint, etc.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Yeah, I also always thought the use of Spirit to counter SS in the cartoon was ludicrous. If I had him as a kid, I really don't remember using him significantly. But he is iconic enough in the JoeClass version that I figured I'd pick him up. He doesn't have much of a role in my display other than standing up and behind the team, Freedom on his arm and, sadly, no backpack.

Both SS and the CO fall right into my preferred zone of neo-retro styling. They did a great job of making the CO just different enough from the troopers to set him apart, while making it obvious he's still a grunt, and still a part of the basic corps. I wish they had done as well with the Viper pack (at least what I've seen of it). There's nothing drawing me to "need" it, and definitely not for $90. It just screams repaint, and I have no need for a gray/gold officer. Coolest thing is probably the ethnic Viper, and I suppose the blast effects (meh), but the whole set would have to be way discounted for me to even consider buying.

You are definitely on point about the sleeves on Spirit. I hadn't noticed that he's the first Joe to have the full roll up. Crazy that it took this long. Crazy that they didn't do it for Flint. Shouldn't Breaker have them fully rolled up as well?