Monthly Archives: May 2014

G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Unveils FSS 3.0 Spearhead

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The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club dropped a surprise on its members earlier this afternoon in the form of the first Figure Subscription Service 3.0 preview!  Feast your eyes on Spearhead & Max in their classic colors!

G.I. Joe Collector's Club Figure Subscription Service 3.0 Spearhead & Max

 

The design is the same that was used to build the Joe Con 2013 exclusive “Nocturnal Fire” version– which is fine with me!  Spearhead and his trusty bobcat Max were actually two of my favorite parts of the entire set!  I also really like the more subdued colors that are shown in this digital mock-up.  One thing that always bothered me about the original 1988 version was the fact that his uniform colors were just too bright to be practical.  This version fixes that nicely.

However, the good news doesn’t stop there.  Check out this email from Brian Savage which states that the sign-up period might be beginning sooner than anyone realized:

Hello Everyone,
We are shooting for Monday to open the orders for FSS 3.0. Normally, there is a 3 week order period, but since that would fall in the middle of BotCon, we are extending the order period to end on July 1. You will have until that time to process your order. Over the next few weeks we will be showing all of the figures (except the mystery 13th figure) so that they will all be online before the order period ends. The cost of the subscription will be $315 if paid in full, or $105 per installment (3x) plus the online service charge for each billing.

Currently we anticipate that the first figures will ship in late October, but that is still TBD until we receive the final schedule from the manufacturer. When the shipment arrives, we will publish the two dates for the second and third installments. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Thanks for your support!

Brian

So there you have it! FSS 3.0 is tentatively scheduled to launch on Monday and the sign-up period will run for the entire month of June.

And know you know…

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G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Now A Shared Exclusive

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G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Danger at the Docks

The G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary line is due out this Fall and apparently it won’t just be available at Toys R Us!

Many Joe fans had a bit of a surprise waiting in their email boxes this morning.  Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com announced that the G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary line will now be a shared retail exclusive.  Even more interesting is that not all of the announced packs are currently listed for order– possibly indicating that Hasbro intends to stretch the series out over a longer period and two waves.  A quick bit of clarification posted at ToyNewsI.com states that Hasbro has no set release date for the missing two-packs featuring the Baroness vs. Lady Jaye and Snow Job vs. a Cobra B.A.T.

Here’s the actual text with the individual links:

BBTS SHARED EXCLUSIVE GI JOE 50TH ANNIVERSARY FIGURE TWO-PACKS 
The first of the new 50th Anniversary listings is the Figure Two-Packs. This wave includes Night Marksmen (Low-Light Vs. Night Viper) and Heated Battle (Blowtorch Vs. H.E.A.T. Viper), and they are available at $29.99 for the Set of two Two-Packs, or $16.99 for each Two-Pack singly.
BBTS SHARED EXCLUSIVE GI JOE 50TH ANNIVERSARY FIGURE THREE-PACKS 
This wave of Three-Packs is titled Outnumbered and includes The Vipers Pit (Cobra Trooper, Cobra Viper, Beach Head) and The Eagles Edge (Destro, Leatherneck, Hawk). They are priced at $22.99 each, or at $39.99 for the Set of two Three-Packs.
BBTS SHARED EXCLUSIVE GI JOE 50TH ANNIVERSARY DANGER AT THE DOCKS SET 
The first of two vehicle packs is the Danger at the Docks Set, which includes the GI Joe VAMP MK II with Flint Versus Cobra Eel with Night Landing Craft. This Set is listed at $29.99.
BBTS SHARED EXCLUSIVE GI JOE 50TH ANNIVERSARY BATTLE BELOW ZERO SET 
We also have the Battle Below Zero Set listed. It includes Cobra Wolf with Ice Viper Versus Arctic Sky Hawk with Arctic Snake Eyes, and is priced at $39.99.

So, the pre-orders are up and fans now have at least two locations to shop for new product.  It’s good news for fans who are seeking to track down the 32nd Anniversary… uh 50th Anniversary line.  (That’s a discussion for another day, however.)

And now you know…

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Remember Them On Memorial Day

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Memorial Day

 

Today is Memorial Day.

Formally know as “Decoration Day“, this is a day that it set aside to honor the sacrifices of the men and women of the United States Armed Forces.  It’s a day to honor their service and remember those who are no longer with us.

If you know a veteran or see one today, stop and thank them for their service to their country.  Even if you don’t agree with the mission, honor the soldier whose diligence guarantees that we live in the “land of the free and the home of the brave.”

To all of our veterans and active duty service men and women, I say “Thank you.”  Thank you for giving up your time, your energy, your blood, sweat, and tears to ensure that I have the freedom to write a post like this.  Mere words cannot ever repay the debt that we all owe you.  You are the REAL American Heroes.

Grandfather of G.I. Joe Don Levine Passes Away

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FILE - In this Jan. 30, 2003 file photo, G.I. Joe creator Don Levine holds up his original hand-carved, hand-painted G.I. Joe prototype in Providence, R.I. Levine died of cancer early Thursday, May 22, 2014 at Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island, said his wife, Nan. He was 86. (AP Photo/Victoria Arocho, File)

FILE – In this Jan. 30, 2003 file photo, G.I. Joe creator Don Levine holds up his original hand-carved, hand-painted G.I. Joe prototype in Providence, R.I. Levine died of cancer early Thursday, May 22, 2014 at Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island, said his wife, Nan. He was 86. (AP Photo/Victoria Arocho, File)

It is with great sadness that JBL reports that G.I. Joe creator Don Levine passed away on May 22, 2014.  He was 86 years old.

He served as Hasbro’s head of Research & Development in the 1960’s and led the team that designed the 21 part 1:6 action figure that revolutionized the ways boys played.  This figure, which honored the many veterans working at the company at the time, was dubbed “G.I. Joe” and made its debut at the New York Toy Fair in February 1964.  The figures debuted in time for the Christmas season later that year with a price tag of $4 each.

Countless children since 1964 have been impacted the efforts of Don’s team.  The G.I. Joe brand changed with the times, transforming from a military toy line to a series of global adventurers before changing to the more recent 4″ scale.  Levine, a former veteran of the Korean War, thought of the figure as a way to honor veterans.

Former Hasbro Inc. chief executive officer Alan Hassenfeld remembered Levine as “a wonderful, wonderful asset at Hasbro for many years.”

“He was a great teacher and mentor of mine,” said Hassenfeld, whose father was head of the company 50 years ago when G.I. Joe was introduced.

Hassenfeld said Levine did not originate the idea of G.I. Joe, which came from Stan Weston. ”My dad loved the idea, and Don and his team took the concept and made it into something even bigger.”

“Don was a special, special human being,” Hassenfeld said. “It’s a huge loss for the toy industry.”

Don is survived by his wife, three children, and four grandchildren.

Thank you Don, both for your service to your country and to your contribution to the imaginations of children everywhere.  You will be missed.

Sources:

G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Air Adventurer Review

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G.I. Joe Collector's Club 1:18 Air Adventurer

 

The G.I. Joe Air Adventurer must be a real daredevil of a pilot.  Clad in his signature orange jumpsuit, he hops into the pilot’s seat of his bright yellow helicopter and flies right into danger with no care for his own safety.  He’s got a mission to accomplish and nothing is going to stand in his way!

In 2010, the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club attempted to bridge the gap between the 1:6 and 1:18 segments of their membership by releasing the Adventure Team members in the smaller scale.  The Air Adventurer was third in the series of four and was packaged with the Club’s interpretation of the original Adventure Team copter.

Did this daring pilot successfully make the transition to the smaller scale?  Or, does his bright color scheme scare off even the most die-hard of G.I. Joe fans?

Check out the review in the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index and find out one Joe fan’s opinion!

G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Membership Cross Country Review

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G.I. Joe Collector's Club Cross Country

 

The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Cross Country figure is here!!!

I’ve been waiting for this figure to hit my mailbox ever since it was first announced.  I can’t really explain it but the concept of an updated Cross Country with new parts from Boss Fight Studio had me more excited than a Joe fan at opening night of G.I. Joe Retaliation!  Even though I was never a huge fan of Cross Country as a kid this version looked like sheer plastic perfection.

So was he worth the wait?  Check out the review in the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index and find out one Joe fan’s opinion!

G.I. Joe Collector’s Club 1:18 Land Adventurer Review

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G.I. Joe Collector's Club 1:18 Land Adventurer

 

JBL delves back into the world of the G.I. Joe Adventure Team with a review of the Collector’s Club exclusive Land Adventurer!

From 1970 – 1976, the G.I. Joe brand transformed and Joe went from being an active duty soldier to a “man of action”.  He became a combination of scientist and adventurer– travelling the globe and taking on missions that would have left the cast of Jonny Quest envious!  In 2010, the folks at the GIJCC decided to bring the concept to a new generation of fans by introducing the Adventure Team into the popular 1:18 scale.  Following in the footsteps of the Adventure Team Commander, the Land Adventurer was the second Adventure Team member to see release in this new format.

Was the endeavor successful?  Did the smaller version convey the same sense of rugged adventure as his 1:6 predecessor?

Check out the review in the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index and find out this Joe fan’s opinion!

G.I. Joe #21 Silent Interlude Gets Animated

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gi-joe-21-silent-issue-001

Yes, this isn’t exactly “breaking news”.  However, in light of IDW’s forthcoming 30th Anniversary Silent Interlude hardcover release I found this to be pretty relevant.

A number of years ago, Youtube user xgivanx sat down and “animated” the most famous issue of Larry Hama’s Marvel G.I. Joe run.  It’s not as flashy as some of the more recent motion comics that Marvel has produced but this nine minute video is a fun way to revisit one of the most copied comic stories of all time.  With the state of Joe being what it is anymore it’s doubtful that we’d ever get a real motion comic version so in the meantime this will have to suffice.

So sit back and enjoy a little lunchtime theater.  It might help take the sting out of another Monday…