50th Anniversary Heavy Conflict and Mission Accepted reviews

The Heavy Conflict and Mission Accepted G.I. Joe two-pack reviews are LIVE!

G.I. Joe Heavy Conflict Mission Accepted reviews

It’s been a while since we’ve had any new reviews here at JBL.  The holidays, a lost family pet, and some crazy workloads led to a crazy few weeks here at JBL HQ.  However, we’re getting back on track and that means not one but TWO brand-new reviews from the G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Collection, year 3!

Check out what Fred and Chris have to say about the four figures from the Heavy Conflict and the Mission Accepted two-packs!  It’s a brand new take on Heavy Duty and Duke and the debut of Fan’s Choice figure Stiletto and Tombstone!

There’s some good.  There’s some bad.  There’s a few rants by Chris and some snark from Fred.  There may even be a Deadpool cameo or three.  However, there’s something that almost everyone can find to love in both the Heavy Conflict and the Mission Accepted two-packs.  After all, what’s not to love about the return of two familiar faces as well as the debut of two brand-new characters?  Well… if I told you then you wouldn’t have to read the reviews!  (Unless you just want to look at the pretty pictures.  That’s okay too.  Really.  This way you don’t have to deal with another “Chris rant.”)

You can check out all four reviews over at the G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Review Index!

 

2016 G.I. Joe figures up for pre-order at BigBadToyStore.com

Looking for the new 2016 G.I. Joe figures and don’t have ready access to a Toys R Us?  Look no further!

2016 G.I. Joe two-packs

When Hasbro first announced the 2016 G.I. Joe line-up it was stated that these figures would hit retail “November 2016.”  In spite of this fact, pre-orders for that line have been virtually non-existent.  However, over the past few days sightings have started pouring in from various Toys R Us locations ranging from Louisiana to Texas to Illinois where the release date seems to have been broken.

Yesterday, online retailer BigBadToyStore opened up pre-orders for the 2016 G.I. Joe line— from individual two-packs and three-packs to full sets and even cases of the three packs.

The FULL inventory is available here.  However here are two quick links that will get you “one of each” of each set available.  (Note, these aren’t affiliate links.  JBL makes NOTHING from any orders placed by clicking on these.  We’re just trying to help out the community any way we can.)

G.I. Joe 2016 Vs two packs:

G.I. Joe 2016 Squad 3-packs

  • All Cobra packs and all Joe packs
  • Cobra Legion: BAT, SAW Viper, Female Cobra Officer (with pony tail)
  • Special Forces: NF Outback, NF Lt Falcon, Shooter! (w/ rifle case and rifle)

Toys R Us SDCC G.I. Joe exclusives from the Loyal Subjects

Toys R Us has revealed their SDCC exclusives including two new G.I. Joe Loyal Subjects vinyl figures!

Yesterday, ToyNewsI.com broke the news of the highly-anticipated Toys R Us SDCC exclusive list.  Many of the usual suspects were represented– Transformers, My Little Pony, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, etc.  However, in spite of the fact that this is a “quiet year” for G.I. Joe, one item on the list caught my attention:

G.I. JOE TIGER FORCE WRECKAGE AND BEACH HEAD 2-Pack from The Loyal Subjects

That’s right– Toys R Us will be offering a SDCC exclusive G.I. Joe Loyal Subjects vinyl two-pack featuring Tiger Force Wreckage and Beach Head.

SDCC Toys R Us Loyal Subjects G.I. Joe exclusives

Featuring the likeness of WRECKAGE and BEACH HEAD from G.I. JOE’S TIGER FORCE™ unit, these 3.2-inch tall vinyl figures feature 14 points of articulation, several accessories to help bring the action of this special subteam to life and come complete in a window box for display. Available only at the Comic Convention and online at Toysrus.com/ComicConvention.

Interesting… I’ll give props to both Toys R Us and the Loyal Subjects for their selection of some out-of-the-normal decos for these characters.  I’m especially excited to see a new spin on the Joe Con 2004 Tiger Force Beach Head who, in spite of his garish color scheme, manages to look AWESOME!  This figures will be available online at ToysRUs.com from July 21 – July 24 in limited quantities.

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G.I. Joe 2016 Official Press Images

This past weekend, Hasbro unveiled the G.I. Joe 2016 roster that was initially teased in the crossword puzzle.  Attendees of Joe Con 2016 were able to get an up close look at the figures at the Hasbro booth.

Today, Hasbro released hi-res press images for the rest of us!

G.I. Joe 2016 lineup

 

As a reminder, here’s the roster of characters that we’ll be seeing this year across the forthcoming G.I. Joe 2016 “Versus two-packs” and squad three-packs.

G.I. Joe 2016 Versus two-packs

G.I. Joe 2016 Squad three-packs

These figures will be available November 2016 at Toys R Us and EntertainmentEarth.com.

WOO HOO!!!  New Joes are coming!!!!  Even though this a “quiet year” for the brand, the G.I. Joe 2016 lineup offers, to borrow a phrase, “something old, something new.”  The hard-to-find Zombie Vipers are a nice boon to collectors– especially since they will be packed two to a case.  In addition, new characters like Stiletto and Tombstone counter-balance the inclusion of Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes.  Plus, as it was pointed out by Chris John on the JBL Facebook page, the female Cobra Officer looks a bit familiar.

"Careful Destro, she'll cost you your ancestral home!"

“Careful Destro, she’ll cost you your ancestral home!”

What do you think of the G.I. Joe 2016 line-up?  Will be be adding any of these to your collection?  Let us know in the comments below, over on the JBL forums, or on the JBL Facebook page!

Joe Con 2016: Hasbro’s G.I. Joe 2016 lineup announced!

Hasbro unveiled their G.I. Joe 2016 plans and YoJoe.com was LIVE from Joe Con 2016 with a Facebook LIVE session directly from the  panel!  We’ve got the embedded video below after the notes.

Hasbro G.I. Joe 2016

We’ve got some hastily transcribed notes below.  Expect a cleaner article with some commentary later tonight as part of the Saturday Armchair Coverage round-up!

Hasbro Writer’s Room:

  • Combination of television/movie/comic book writers. Hasbro is very proud of the talent they have amassed.
  • Creation of a shared universe combining their intellectual properties. Officially dubbed “Hasbro Cinematic Universe”—separate from IDW.  Intended as multi-film story arc.  Goal is to start to develop shared and combined stories.  Derryl was able to spend two weeks with the writers and get to work with them on shaping this shared universe.

Joe vs Transformers SDCC set:

  • Deco is decal-based. Includes Joe, Cobra, Autobot decals. This way the toys can be whatever you want them to be in your own collection.
  • Soundwave is the 5th most-popular Decepticon but hard to justify now as a cassette tape. (Same with Megatron.)

Hasbro Pulse Crossword Puzzle includes all characters listed below:

  • Stiletto
  • Scarlett
  • Zartan

Derryl – Joe is in quieter year.  Harder to get resources to produce more figures during those years. In those years, previously tooled harder-to-find figures are ideal for re-release.  100% of tooling budget is used for NEW figures.

Toys R Us G.I. Joe 2016 line-up: (November 2016)

  • Focus on figures vs vehicle sets which were slow sellers
  • Two packs will be in a 10 pack case—ALL EVENLY PACKED!

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Have you figured out the G.I. Joe 2016 lineup yet?

Who will be included in the G.I. Joe 2016 lineup?

We’re just a few days away from the Hasbro panel at Joe Con 2016 in Loveland, CO and that means we’re just a few days of way from discovering what exactly is the G.I. Joe 2016 line-up of figures.

Hasbro g.i. joe 2016 lineup crossword

On June 3rd, those clever marketing devils over at Hasbro published a crossword puzzle at Hasbro Pulse.  This matrix was comprised of all of the figures to be released by Hasbro in the G.I. Joe at Toys R Us this year.  However, the kicker was that there were no clues given.  Only one row was filled in and that was the name of the Kindle World’s Fan’s Choice character Stiletto.

It’s been a few weeks since this crossword was posted and fans have had time to put in their guesses.  Given past history it’s a safe bet to assume that some of these names will come from the now-infamous Concept Case displays of both 2012 and 2013.  So, who does that leave for the G.I. Joe 2016 lineup? Continue reading

G.I. Joe Kindle Worlds Stiletto coming in November 2016

The G.I. Joe Kindle Worlds Stiletto figure is coming to Toys R Us and Entertainment Earth in November 2016!

I’m the first to admit it– this is a very slow news period for anything related to G.I. Joe right now.  Aside from new FSS figure drops from the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club, we’re in a slump until Joe Con 2016 next month.  However, yesterday the folks at Hasbro dropped a new article on Hasbro Pulse that pulls back the curtain on the development of the forthcoming fans’ choice Stiletto figure, originally created by author Bill Nedrow.

Hasbro Kindle Worlds Stiletto

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What did we learn about G.I. Joe at Toy Fair 2016

Toy Fair 2016

Toy Fair 2016 is now a distant memory.  The displays have been removed from the Javits Center, the vendors have gone home, and the internet press has left the Big Apple.  It was an exciting weekend filled with reveals, licensing announcements and more product debuts than a toy collector can shake an Episode 1 Jar-Jar Binks action figure at.  Yet the more time passes since the event has concluded, the more it would seem that people are debating a single topic:

What did we learn about G.I. Joe at Toy Fair 2016?

Normally this is a pretty straight forward question– one that is answered by Hasbro at their annual media blitz presentation.  However, this year, G.I. Joe wasn’t mentioned during any of the official announcements.  (Neither was the new semi-hyped “Hasbro Cinematic Universe” but more on that in a moment.)  In fact, if it weren’t for two individuals who were covering the event for entertainment sites that focus on a variety of toy lines, there might have been nary a peep mentioned about Joe anywhere.  However, thanks to JayC of ToyNewsI.com and Fran from ToyArk.com (aka Destro of HISSTank.com), we have two seemingly conflicting reports.   Or do we?  Fans have embraced one and questioned the other but do these two reports really conflict at all?  Pull up a chair and a frosty Yo Joe Cola and let’s take a look!

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G.I. Joe Classic Clash two-pack review

G.I. Joe Classic Clash two-pack

The G.I. Joe Classic Clash two-pack review has been posted!

He’s a native American tracker with a degree in psychology who can find anyone anywhere.  He’s a former assasin who comes from an ancient and mysterious ninja clan who once served as the bodyguard for the “most dangerous man alive.”  Together– they comprise the G.I. Joe Classic Clash two-pack!

Who’s the better figure – Spirit or Storm Shadow?  Does either one of them know where Freedom is?  Will Deadpool make a cameo?  Does any of these even matter?

Check out the two reviews from the G.I. Joe Classic Clash pack over in the G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Review Index!

Also, for Joe fans who are having trouble finding these– EntertainmentEarth.com still has FULL CASES of two-packs available shipped for only $119.99!

G.I. Joe Marine Devastation Gung-Ho & Shadow Guard Reviews

G.I. Joe Marine DevastationThe G.I. Joe Marine Devastation two-pack reviews have been posted!

It feels like I’ve been waiting to pen this review for two years now— ever since this new Gung-Ho figure was unveiled at the end of Saturday’s events during the 2013 G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention in Indianapolis.  Two long years of waiting for a truly breath-taking update of my favorite Joe.  It wasn’t until this year’s Joe Con that the G.I. Joe Marine Devastation set was announced and Gung-Ho was finally slated for release.  Even better– he was being packaged with a sinister-looking Cobra Shadow Guard!

When the pre-orders for the new cases hit EntertainmentEarth.com, I jumped and within a few days the G.I. Joe Marine Devastation set was FINALLY in my greedy little hands.

Was it worth the wait?  Can any figure truly live up to two years of fan anticipation?

Check out the G.I. Joe Marine Devastation reviews over the G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Review Index and then let us know your thoughts on these figures in the comments below!

Also, check back this week for more 2015 G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Two-pack reviews!