Follow JBL on Twitter for 2011 convention coverage

Yes, the admin of the site is stuck at home this year but JBL staff will be on site to provide updates from the 2011 Collector’s Convention in Orlando!  CmderinChief (aka “Gary”) is live and one the scene in Florida and between drinking mojitos and chasing Mickey around, he’ll be manning JBL’s Twitter feed!

Follow Gary’s exploits on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/joebattlelines!

Shout Factory bring MASK complete series to DVD

Okay, it’s not G.I. Joe, but it was another pretty awesome series in the 80’s. I can remember buying my first (and only) MASK vehicle and wishing that the Condor motorcycle was in scale with my Joes. However, if Matt Trakker can make a cameo appearance in the Joe 25th line then this qualifies as good 80’s nostalgia news.  No release date has yet been announced.

Given the quality of Shout Factory’s G.I. Joe & Transformers sets, this is going to be another great addition to anyone’s DVD rack!

For Immediate Release

SHOUT! FACTORY AND FREMANTLEMEDIA ENTERPRISES
BRING POPULAR CLASSIC ANIMATED SERIES

M.A.S.K.

TO HOME ENTERTAINMENT AND DIGITIAL DISTRIBUTION

Los Angeles, CA (March 30, 2011) – Shout! Factory and FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) announced today a deal to bring the renowned classic animated series M.A.S.K. to the home entertainment marketplace. Under its multi-year agreement with FME, Shout! Factory will be the exclusive home entertainment distributor with digital rights to the first 65 action-packed episodes of M.A.S.K. (known to fans as the original series aired in 1985) in North America. The announcement was made by Shout! Factory’s founding partners Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos; and Jeff Siegel, FME VP of Home Entertainment, The Americas.

“This deal with FremantleMedia Enterprises continues to build on our proven success with some of the premiere animation and family-friendly brands in the marketplace. We are delighted with this opportunity,” state Shout! Factory founding partners. “M.A.S.K. has been one of the fan favorite classic animated series in TV history, with a highly successful presence in many countries across the world.”

Siegel stated, “FME is dedicated to bringing content from our extensive catalogue, including a classic series like M.A.S.K., to the home entertainment marketplace. We are thrilled for Shout! Factory to bring this long lost, retro series from the 80’s to its fans in North America.”

Popular animated television series M.A.S.K. debuted on television and in wide syndication during the 1980s, features M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand), a secret organization led by Matt Trakker that fights crime in an unusual way. By donning specially charged masks, they have extraordinary powers to fight the villains of V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem). In addition to the masks, our heroes and their counterparts have super vehicles capable of a wide range of defensive and offensive actions, from changing a car into a jet or becoming a submarine. Throughout the years, M.A.S.K. boasts a large fan following and spawned a series of toyline, comic books and video games.

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G.I. Joe: Renegades on hiatus…

Justin over at GeneralsJoes.com has some bad news for fans of the current animated Joe series airing on Hasbro’s HUB network:

G.I. Joe: Renegades

Well, consider the unfortunate news confirmed.  I spoke with Public Relations at The Hub, and they have confirmed that G.I. Joe: Renegades will cease airing original episodes after the summer.  They have declared the series “On Hiatus” in anticipation of the upcoming film sequel.

This sounds remarkably similar to the situation with Transformers: Animated after the third season, as it was phased out in favor for a style closer to the live action Transformers films.  Considering how much stronger fan support Renegades seem to generate, especially when compared to the Rise of Cobra film, this is a disappointing turn of events, to say the least.

Let’s all hope that the next live action film franchise is closer to the spirit of A Real American Hero than the previous film was, so the animation doesn’t potentially suffer for it.  The entire text of the communication from The Hub is below.

You can read the rest of the news, including a quote from Hub’s PR department over at GeneralsJoes.com.

It would seem that the creative direction of the G.I. Joe franchise is once again at the mercy of Paramount Pictures.

(A big thanks to Justin for all of his hard work digging up the facts on this.)

Life size Alley Viper helmet and shield available!

HelaViper, the twisted genius behind the life-size SNAKE armor and many impressive costumes seen at recent Joe Cons is back with his latest offering… a life size paired Ally Viper shield and helmet combo!

After a self-imposed hiatus (two babies 16 months apart ;)) I’ve headed back to the workshop!

Ready for pre-order now, I will have a limited supply of these combo’s at the con, so pick-up one at the show for the show price of $350.00!

Because of continued requests, this handcrafted, wearable helmet is now available with the shield.

To purchase a shield or request more information, visit this thread in the forums!  Also, be sure to follow Cremeans Creations on Facebook for the latest updates on new items!

Cremeans Creations Alley Viper combo

Live forums at JoeDeclassified.com!

Just in time for the GIJCC in Orlando, the staff at JoeDeclassified (www.joedeclassified.com) have opened their forums for the general public! The staff at JoeDeclassified, led by site owner (and JBL Mod/Joesightings.com Admin) Sam “Nomad” Damon, have diligently worked to put together some of the most comprehensive and informative newsletters on the increasingly vast subject of G.I. Joe. The JoeDeclassified team will be represented at the GIJCC in Orlando from March 31 – April 2 with a booth and copies of the long-awaited Newsletter #4. It will focus on the many incarnations of the G.I. Joe comic books.

Be sure to stop by on the forums at (www.joedeclassified.com/forum/index.php), register and let them know what you think of their work (and possibly submit new ideas for future issues) today!

RAHC Guide debuts on March 31st!

There’s an added incentive to attend the Collector’s Convention this year… and it’s not from the Collector’s Club!

March 2011 – Debuting at the 2011 G.I. Joe Convention, the adventure continued in 1997 and is now completely documented in the R.A.H.C. Guide!

After a brief hiatus in 1994, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero gained a resurgence in pop culture causing a re-release of some favorite characters in their classic molds. This revival eventually induced some experimenting with these classic characters in bold and exciting new directions. Not only did fans get to revisit some of their most cherished icons within the G.I. Joe mythos, they were introduced to new characters that are now known and loved.

This full color, 172 page compendium fully explores all six series that were produced within the second generation O-ring torso era (1997-2007) including the Built to Rule line and the Collectors Club special releases. This guide beautifully illustrates the era’s 689 action Figures, 135 vehicles and play sets and 1,349 accessories including all known variations. Not only is every accessory present and accounted for, they have each been assigned a unique number and identified throughout the resource guide. The accessories are then culminated in a separate section clearly displayed and organized by category. Each action figure has been carefully examined between its initial run and further re-releases to ensure that an accurate sample is clearly and concisely presented for the collector who is identifying individual action figures or sorting through unorganized lots.

Subscribe to the R.A.H.C. Guide’s e-mail list at rahc.guide@gmail.com to stay in tune with all the latest updates and obtain ordering info!

http://www.rahcguide.com/


This is the guidebook that I’ve been waiting years for. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m an unabashed fan of the G.I. Joe vs. Cobra and Real American Hero Classics era and this tome is going to do those figures justice! If you’ve met James, you know he’s a passionate Joe fan and it shows in ever single page and image from this impressive work.

My only regret is that I have to wait until after the con to snag a copy! It cannot get into my hands soon enough!