Monthly Archives: May 2010

In memory: Craig “Outrider” Anderson…

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Craig “Outrider” Anderson was an Australian G.I. Joe fan who loved photography, Major Bludd, and o-ring Joe figures. An active member of both JoeDios.com and Flikr, Craig continually amazed and impressed fans with his eye for the dramatic when it came to snapping pics of our favorite “Real American Heroes”.   He passed away Sunday, May 23, 2010. His legacy in the fandom, however, will not be forgotten by the body of high-quality work he left behind at JoeDios.com. I’d invite everyone to take a reverent look at the works of… a man who raised the bar of “Joe photography” for all of us.

Outrider’s gallery on JoeDios.com

You will be missed, Craig.

The new A-Team figures are AWESOME!

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Okay, maybe it’s the rose-colored glasses of a 30-something who grew up watching the original series (and had the old Galoob figures in both scales) but I think the new A-Team figures look fantastic!!  Seriously, I’ve not been this excited for a toy line in the last year!  Jazwares is producing all four of “the guys” as well as the van!  These bad boys will be available at both Target and TRU at the end of the month but SmallJoes.com has them up for pre-order right now.

Jazwares A-Team movie figures & van

The catch?  SJ isn’t ordering a whole lot beyond their pre-orders to avoid sitting on merchandise for a long time.  So, if you want them, pre-order them NOW!  The set of 5 (Hannibal, BA, Face, Murdock, and Lynch) will set you back $39.99 and the van is listing for $32.99.  That’s pretty reasonable compared to retail!  They’re listed as available 6/1/2010.

SmallJoes.com A-Team pre-order page

Also, if you missed the DVD’s when they were released a few years back, Amazon.com has the complete series in a special van-shaped tin for $91.49!  (All five seasons in one fell swoop!)  Available 6/8/2010!

Amazon.com pre-order for the complete series

The figures are slowly trickling into Target stores now and are scheduled to be on shelves in force by the new film’s release date of June 11, 2010.

Discuss this item in the forums!

Q & A Round 3 2010 Answers!

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Hasbro's Q & A sessions

Hasbro returned their answers to your questions from Round 3 of the bi-monthly GIJoe Q&A. 

1) In the past we the fans have been able to utilize the Q & A as a way to express to the Joe design team what characters we would like for them to bring back to figure form, What is the best way for us to get that message out to them now?

A-N/A

2) Is the POC line (or a new theme line) going to continue alongside the Cartoon line until the Joe Movie II line starts?
A-2) The Pursuit of Cobra line will end when the G.I. Joe Renegades line hits stores. Unfortunately it is still too early to discuss a line in support of any possible movie sequel.

3) Can tell us anything more about this new cartoon, like are they going to stick to the core of the original characters or are we going to see more gender and race swapping. Are you going to keep dynamics like Flint & Lady Jaye?

A-3) G.I. Joe Renegades can be viewed as an origins story for the 1980’s G.I. Joe vs. Cobra saga. In this way, the core essence and spirit of the brand and key characters will be clearly recognizable in the show to fans of the 1980’s. But as with most “re-imaginings” there may be some differences versus the 80’s.

Discuss these answers in the forums!

Transformers and G. I. Joe Comics come to the iPad™

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IDW Publishing and Hasbro bring

Transformers and G. I. Joe Comics to the iPad™

“Storefront” applications debut as top downloads on iPad™

Free apps include three free comics each

San Diego, CA (May 17, 2010) – IDW Publishing and Hasbro are proud to announce that TRANSFORMERS Comics and G.I. JOE Comics applications are available now on the Apple iPad. Taking full advantage of the iPad’s full-screen, full-color capabilities, the apps will offer the next level of reading experience to fans. The free IDW iPad storefront apps each include three free comics with the initial download, and offer more comics as in-app purchases. Fans can browse nearly 200 comics for their favorite story lines, such as movie tie-ins, ongoing series or even classics from the 80s.

“The iPad is a wonderful format for comics, as the screen size is close enough to the print size that readers can view the full page. OPTIMUS PRIME and the BARONESS look amazing in this format!” said IDW Director of ePublishing, Jeff Webber. “Our iPad apps are also compatible with our iPhone® and iPod touch® apps. So you can purchase TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE on one device, and read it on another. The apps will automatically identify which one you are using, and adjust to offer the best reading experience.”

Each storefront app offers readers the highest quality viewing experience, with a full-page display that showcases the eye-catching art and vivid stories. IDW has developed several new features to enhance the comics and take full advantage of the iPad’s capabilities, including pinch-zoom abilities and single- or two-page viewing options.

“Both G.I. JOE and TRANSFORMERS stories have such a broad appeal and have been gaining steam with the core readership, that pushing them to the front of the iPad store just made sense,” says Andy Schmidt, IDW Senior Editor on both franchises. “These are not just great apps and a great reading experience, these are great stories with beautiful artwork.”

Continue reading →

OUTSIDE THE BOX CUSTOM CONTEST!

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                                      Outside the Box custom figure contest at JBL

Get ready for the most challenging custom contest ever. Here is the simple breakdown you register by submitting a character you want to see customized, I randomly assign the contestants the submitted characters and you have one month to finish and submit to me via PM your finished work. Here are the complete rules. Here’s where you go to submit your registration!

Mal-gate 2010 UPDATE!

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Gang,

As of now it looks like the site might be clean again.  Some behind the scenes work between JBL staff and the good folks at GoDaddy seems to have paid off. 

If anyone experiences any problems, please contact me IMMEDIATELY.  Otherwise, it looks like the site survived this latest debacle more or less intact.

I appreciate everyone’s patience and patronage.  You guys really are the best group of Joe fans out there!

–Fred

HACKED!!!

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Gang,

UPDATE:  It looks like we weren’t the only ones hit.  GoDaddy and a few other hosting companies got nailed by what is being referred to as the “realsafe-23” trojan.

It is with more than a little anger and frustration that I have to report that JBL has been hacked and a malicious trojan has been installed.  DO NOT access the site right now until the all-clear has been sounded.  Keep an eye on the Facebook page and Twitter feed for more information as to when the all clear has been sounded. The hack seems to have affected both the site and the forums.

Do NOT install ANYTHING that pops up– nor follow any instructions that appear to come from your computer or anti-virus.  Close out of your browser immediately.

I’m sorry for this inconvenience.  I can’t imagine why anyone would want to attack a site dedicated to a toy line in this fashion.

Fred

Scarlett’s Saturday Special

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That’s right gang, we’re back!!

I know that its been a few weeks since we’ve had the ‘S3’ featured on the front page, but let’s just say that Scarlett was out on a *CLASSIFIED* mission and couldn’t stop to pick a special. 😉

So without further ado, I give you this week’s spotlight. Once again, board member ‘liquidisk’ has shown us his superior MAD skills on customizing the women of G.I. JOE (Hasbro, take note-you *might* want to hire this guy!)

Here is his take on Helix

G.I. Joe-‘Renegades’ toon has cast Duke!

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That’s right folks, we have learned (courtesy of our friends at TNI.com), that the voice of Duke has been cast.

But that’s not all!!

In a twist of *paying homage*, our ‘1st Shirt’ will have his parents as part of the cast. Click HERE to link to the original article & discuss!

Let’s bring on the ‘Renegades’!