Monthly Archives: December 2013

G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Tollbooth Reviewed!

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G.I. Joe Collector's Club Tollbooth

The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Tollbooth is in the house!  (Or is he building the house?)

Fresh off the Christmas holiday JBL is back with another review from the latest shipment from the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Figure Subscription Service!  Once again I’m joined by “Esteemed Professor of G.I. Joe-ology” Chris Chung of JoeSightings.com to take a look at this latest release from the club.  Tollbooth was one of the most hotly anticipated figures in FSS 2.0 since his reveal at this year’s Joe Con. Does he live up to the hype or is he about as exciting as a Christmas fruit cake?

Check out the review in the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index and find out two Joe fans’ opinions as we reach the halfway mark of FSS 2.0!

Happy Holidays from JoeBattlelines!

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Happy Holidays from JoeBattlelines.com

The xmas holidays have this high value: that they remind Forgetters of the Forgotten, & repair damaged relationships.
– Mark Twain in a letter to Carlotte Welles, 30 December 1907

Just a quick shout out to everyone who visits this site whether frequently or occasionally– a quick moment to wish any and all who celebrate it “Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays”!   Whether you enjoy the day with friends and family or quiet reflection, it’s a day to reflect on the blessings that each of us share and to remember those who are less fortunate than us.  For children it’s a day filled with the excitement of a new present; for adults, it’s a day to put aside the cares of every day living and just enjoy the spirit of the season.  It’s a day in which mankind shows the best that it has to offer its fellows.  It’s also the day in which TBS broadcasts the story of a young boy and his quest for a Red Rider BB gun for 24 hours straight!  (Something that my friends over at TheBreauxShow remember all too well!)

I’d also like to thank everyone who visits this site on a regular basis.  JBL isn’t the biggest Joe site on the web and it was inactive for far too long during the past couple of years.  It’s meant a lot to me that people still stop by, check out the news and the reviews, and even post on the forums.  (All seven of you!)  As the admin, I’d like to just humbly say “thanks for sticking with us.”

So have a safe and happy holiday, don’t shoot your eye out, and thank you for visiting JoeBattlelines.com.  We look forward to celebrating the 50th Anniversary of G.I. Joe in 2014!

G.I. Joe Figure Subscription Service Shipment 3 is Now Arriving!

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G.I. Joe Collector's Club Figure Subscription Service 2.0

The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club has decided to send Figure Subscription Service subscribers an early Christmas present.  That’s right, Joe fans, FSS shipment 3 is hitting mailboxes now!

Okay, here’s the skinny– I’m going to spoil who is in the shipment.  I’m not doing this out of malice but rather excitement because these are two of my more anticipated figures in the entire second round.  So, if you don’t want to be spoiled, stop reading now and go pick up a Larry Hama G.I. Joe trade instead.

Okay, you’ve  been warned.

Really, you have.

It’s TOLLBOOTH and the DESERT SCORPION!!!  WOO HOO!!!!

Expect a review to drop in the next few days but I just wanted to throw this out there now.  Merry Christmas from the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club!!!

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Figure subscription service 2

 

Review: 2012 SDCC Jinx (white variant) Reviewed!

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2012 SDCC Jinx variant

I love being able to get caught up on older reviews.  Take, for example, the 2012 SDCC Jinx exclusive figure!  I was able to get the red version posted shortly after the convention but the white one has taken significantly longer.  However, what better way to spend a cold winter day than writing and reading a G.I. Joe figure review!  (Okay, I can think of a few but go with me, okay?)

If you’ve already got the red version, is this figure worth picking up?  Is an unmasked head really warranted?  How does she compare to other SDCC variants offered in the past?

Check out the review at the Exclusives Review Index and find out this Joe fan’s opinions!

G.I. Joe Convention 2014 Joe Colton Will Be Available Carded!

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G.I. Joe Convention 2014

Yesterday’s G.I. Joe Convention 2014 news rocked the online Joe fandom with its announcement of ECO-Warriors vs. Zombies for this year’s 1:18 con set.  However, it was the news that a 1:18 scale Joseph Colton was going to be included in the 1:6 scale set that received most of the discussion I’d read.  Fans were wondering if this figure would be available to those who didn’t purchase the 1:6 set.  Well, according to the official Joe Con Facebook page, it will be:

We are getting questions about the 3 3/4″ Joseph Colton figure:

“I see that there is a 3 3/4” Joseph Colton that comes with the General’s Package (with the club display stand system). I’m a 3 3/4” collector and don’t want to purchase the 12” set just to get this loose figure. Are there any plans to make this figure available to other attendees?”

Yes! We will be carding a number of these same figures (no display stand or backdrop) for our 3 3/4” attendees to have access to this figure.

This was left out of the brochure accidentally. We hope that answers everyone’s questions.

I think that single announcement just made the fandom a lot happier!

G.I. Joe Convention 2014: Zombies vs. Eco-Warriors Theme Announced!

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G.I. Joe Con 2014

 

Zombies are EVERYWHERE these days– from The Walking Dead, to Resident Evil and lastly at the G.I. Joe Convention 2014!

The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club has released the brochure for the 2014 G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention in Dallas, Texas and this year’s theme ties directly into the current craze of “zombie-mania”.  It features the return of the neon-clad Eco Warriors as well as a group referred to as the “Zombie Hunters” vs. Cobra’ s own squad of undead environmental misfits.

Here’s the description for the 1:18 scale set:

COBRA forces have acquired the “Compound Z” formula and have started testing it on their own soldiers. They believe by creating zombie warriors they can rule the World and turn its population into mindless creatures. G.I. JOE headquarters is split on how to handle the zombie affliction: save or eradicate?

GENERAL HAWK has formed two groups to solve this deadly problem. Who will be successful? Will it be the Zombie Hunters whose mission is to eradicate those infected or
will it be the E.C.O. (Emergency Chemical Operations) Force trying to rescue and find an antidote for those afflicted? And, what about the team members who become zombies, are they a casualty of war? If too many are turned, who will be left to complete their mission? Only time will tell and it’s running out!

The 2014 G.I. JOE vs. COBRA convention set contains highly requested teams and some new additions available for the first time in the modern era 25A action figure style. This special edition set includes:

Zombie Hunters: Outback, T’J Bang, Steel Brigade Commander

E.C.O. Force: Flint, Ozone, Clean-Sweep

Cobra Lab-Rats x 2, Toxo-Vipers x 3, Toxo-Zombies x 3, and Repulsor with Dawg (NEW K-9).
Each of these great teams comes with classic weapons, accessories, figure stands and file cards in this exciting fifteen figure boxed set.

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Review: Figure Subscription Service Cobra Sniper Black Out!

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G.I. Joe Collector's Club Figure Subscription Service Cobra Sniper Black Out

It’s another Figure Subscription Service review– this team featuring Cobra Sniper Black Out!!!

Black Out debuted in 2003 as part of the Spy Troops series of G.I. Joe figures and immediately grabbed the attention of fans because of his compelling file card story.  He was the dark counterpart to the G.I. Joe team’s own Barrel Roll– the “bad brother” who went over the forces of Cobra and was implicated in the disappearance of his own sister.  It’s the kind of plotting that would make for an interesting movie and another shining example of the importance of file cards in the G.I. Joe line.  Thanks to the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club, Black Out was made available to those who signed up for the first Figure Subscription Service as the mystery 13th figure and shipped at the same time as his brother Barrel Roll!

Does the Black Out figure measure up to the standards of the Figure Subscription Service?  Is he up to the task of carrying out his feud with Barrel Roll in collections everywhere? Check out the review in the Collector’s Club Review Index and find out one Joe fan’s opinion!

Review: 2013 G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Iceberg Incentive Figure

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G.I. Joe Collector's Club Renewal figure Iceberg

There’s nothing like a cold front to put a Joe fan in the mood for an arctic trooper!  Case in point: my G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Iceberg Renewal Incentive figure arrived last year on the hottest day of the year thus far.  It was June and the mercury was about to escape from the thermometer– so I wasn’t really thinking that it was an idea time to review poor ole Iceberg.

Flash forward a few months and it’s freezing outside!  In other words– it’s PERFECT weather for an Iceberg review!

Was this figure worth the cost of renewing my membership in the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club for an additional year?  DOes Iceberg turn into a killer whale when dipped in water? Check out the review in the Collector’s Club Review Index and find out one Joe fan’s opinion!

Cobra 1st Legion Hosts Toy Drive to Support Oakland Hospital

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Cobra First Legion

Once again, the Cobra 1st Legion is embracing the spirit of giving– this time with a toy drive to benefit the Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland!

It’s the time of year when everyone is encouraged to give to those who are less fortunate than themselves.  In that very spirit, the hard-working members of the Cobra 1st Legion have organized their third annual toy drive.  They’re encouraging members of the community to drop off items that can help brighten the holidays for the patients at the Oakland Children’s Hospital.  This includes books, games, toys, and even personal hygiene items– all things that can help to bring a smile to a child’s face as they spent the holiday season undergoing treatment.  The Toy Drive runs from now until December 21st, 2013!

If you’re in the Oakland, CA area, please drop off items to one of the sponsors listed on the poster below!  Or, if you’re out-of-the-area, contact the drop off points at one of the links below and inquire about how to send an item to be included.

Cobra 1st Toy Drive

Figure Subscription Service Skullbuster Reviewed!

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Figure Subscription Service Skullbuster

Another day and another Figure Subscription Service review!  (Hmm… this could be habit forming!)

The purple-clad leader of the Cobra Range Vipers comprised the second half of the most recent FSS shipment and it’s his turn on the review stage.  Sure he’s got an unorthodox color scheme that seems more at home on Eternia but he’s also got the firepower to back up his choice of attire!  We’re now four figure into the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Figure Subscription Service 2.0 and I have the feeling that the best is yet to come.

How did Skullbuster from the Figure Subscription Service fare in the eyes of two G.I. Joe site admins?  Hit the Collector’s Club Review Index and find out!