G.I. Joe Retaliation reviews continue here at JBL with Lady Jaye! Actress Adrianne Palicki brings Lady Jaye to life in the big budget film debuting March 29, 2012! Based on the incredibly poseable G.I. Joe Resolute Scarlet body, Hasbro gives fans the first figure female figure from the new movie line. Currently packed “one per case” she’s proving surprisingly elusive right now. So, is she worth the effort to find at retail? Read on and find out one Joe fan’s opinion!
When G.I. Joe Retaliation hits theatres in just shy of two months, fans will see the return of Duke, Snake Eyes, as well as the introduction of several new faces for the Joes in the form of Flint, Lady Jaye, and Roadblock. Cobra, on the other hand, only sees one familiar character make his cinematic debut: the mercenary Firefly! A long time favorite of fans, the Cobra Saboteur is brought to life by actor Ray Stevenson– recently seen in other genre films like Thor and Punisher: War Zone.
The good folks at Hasbro included Firefly, complete with actor likeness, in Wave 2 of the G.I. Joe Retaliation toy line which is just now hitting toy shelves. So, is this new incarnation of Firefly, complete with Blast Board, worth adding to any Joe collection? Check out the review at the G.I. Joe Retaliation Review Index and find out one Joe fan’s opinion!
On a side note, I’ve finally got most of my photo set-up put back together post-move so expect more reviews of Retaliation figures in the coming days!
This isn’t entirely related to G.I. Joe but I just had to point out that the 50th anniversary installment in the James Bond franchise drops on DVD and Blu-Ray today. Why is this important to fans of America’s first action figure? Simple– the Bond franchise is the longest-running film series in history and has set the bar for so many elements of modern action cinema! From the use of practical effects and world record-breaking stunts to exotic locations and dynamic villains, the Bond films have entertained millions for the past 5 decades! Plus, the 007 series has had more than a “passing influence” on many aspects of G.I. Joe.
Years ago, a young Joe fan who happens to be writing this article was introduced to the world of 007 by his father, thanks to ABC’s frequent airing of the films on Sunday nights. As a kid, I was floored by the similarities between the early appearances of Cobra in both the Marvel Comics and the first Sunbow mini-series and the use of SPECTRE in the Sean Connery films. From the incredible lairs that evoked memories of the design of Ken Adams to the elaborate plots to disrupt the western world, Cobra was the kid-friendly version of a Bond villain. Heck, look at the Sears exclusive Missile Command Headquarters and you’ll see an homage to the volcano base in You Only Live Twice.
Even the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club is utilizing a Bond vibe in this year’s AMAZING 12″ Joe Con set Secret Mission to Dragon Island. One has only to look at the villain Sebastian Gorman in the set to see the uniform worn by Ernst Stavro Blofeld in two of his three cinematic performances. (I don’t count the beginning of For Your Eyes Only.) Plus, many of the sets applicable to the Man of Action are right out of James Bond films.
Regardless, the Bond films left a strong impression upon me and really have shaped my view of what makes for a good spy/action movie. It’ll be this bar that will be measured against when I watch G.I. Joe Retaliation in just a few weeks. Yes, the Bond movies have evolved over time– from the secret organizations of the 60’s, the near-parody of the 70’s, and all the way to the grim realism of the new Daniel Craig era. Like G.I. Joe, Bond is a product of his time reflecting the realities of the world in which he finds himself. He just happens to do it with style and flair. This past Christmas, my father surprised me with what has become my favorite gift in years – the Bond 50 Blu-Ray set. For days afterwards, I poured over the special features and the films like a relapsed dieter at the last Twinkie warehouse. The marketing department behind the set was clever, however. They left one empty tray in the box for the latest film in the franchise– a spot that will finally be filled tonight!
So, if you’re so inclined, run out today and snag a copy of Skyfall. Sit back in your favorite chair, pop in the disc and be prepared to watch 007 prove that “nobody does it better.” It’s a great way to relax and prepare for the arrival of G.I. Joe: Retaliation in just a few short weeks.
I’ll step off my soap box now and let you resume your regularly schedule G.I. Joe website. However, if you’re so inclined, here’s the trailer for Skyfall followed by the “mother of all Bond compilations” to watch. Enjoy!
G.I. Joe Micro Force represents on of Hasbro’s more unusual merchandising forays for the G.I. Joe brand. Similar to the gashapon figures from Japan, these tiny blind-package PVC figures are incredibly small stylized representations of our favorite Real American Heroes.
Here’s Hasbro’s official word on Micro Force:
G.I. JOE MICRO FORCE
(Approximate retail price: $2.99-$5.99; Ages: 4 & up; Available: Series 1: 2/11/13 & Series 2: 8/1/13)
Micro heroes, mega battles! Iconic G.I. JOEcharacters get a collectible new battle twist, as players use MICRO FORCE figures for extra small battling fun! 43 G.I. JOE MICRO FORCE figures will be available in 2013 and will feature a unique new style based on classic G.I. JOE vs. COBRA characters including SNAKE EYES, STORM SHADOW, COBRA COMMANDER, SCARLETT and more! Collect them, set them up on their included stands, and knock them down in head-to-head battling play! Each set sold separately.
The new G.I. JOE MICRO FORCE collectible battling experience offers fans a micro way to have big battles! For a surprise, pick up the Blind Bag, which offers two mini figures and two stands – just what kids need to start the battle! Series 1 includes 43 figures to collect!
The MICRO FORCE starter packs include five mini figures and five stands to help kids begin to build their MICRO FORCE collection. Series 1 includes 43 figures to collect! Each sold separately.
Now, it’s been a while since I was a widely-followed presence in the Joe community but I’m still going to offer up some thoughts on this line. I have the feeling that Hasbro here is targeting the same market segment that buys the Angry Birds toys, etc and not the action figure collecting community. As such, I don’t know if they’re for me. Part of this indifference comes from the fact that a large number of the characters in the line are unproduced ninjas shown at the 2012 G.I. Joe Collector’s convention. As such, I don’t really have any attachment to these characters. It’s good to see a nod to the Adventure Team Commander and I’ve seen images of Gung-Ho in some of the on-site coverage from Toy Fair but the blind-box aspect can be a bit frustrating. (I tried to complete my girlfriends Avengers gashapon figure collection– and ended up with more Nick Fury figures than you can shake a stick at!)
Joe Declassified and Joe Customs have joined together to bring you the ultimate custom contest! Here at Declassified, you know we love the history of the G.I. Joe brand and we love the production process – which leads to your chance to recreate unproduced Joe toys in order to win some pretty swell prizes.
Custom contest rules:
1. Customs may be figures or vehicles.
2. Any customs created for any prior contest, or that have been shown prior on the web are automatically disqualified. Customizers should submit a photo with their entry that shows their construction materials with any dated item (magazine, etc) created after the contest start date.
3. Customs must be of an unfinished Hasbro product (Rocky, for example). Anything that ever existed in any state of design is eligible. Please see the references at the bottom for further inspiration.
4. All entries are due no later than 15April2013.
5. All prize-winning customs become property of Joe Declassified, and will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to help support future Declassified endeavors. If contest winners do not wish to participate in the fundraising process, we will select the next highest rated customs to take their place.
6. No more than 3 custom entries per individual.
7. Entries MUST include real name, any online screen names, city and state of origin. All entry photos should be submitted to damnedmp@gmail.com. Please include no more than 10 photos per entry. Any questions or clarifications of contest rules should be sent to the same email address.
8. All judges and Joe Declassified staff are automatically disbarred from entry.
The Prizes:
1st prize: Carded wave 14 Storm Shadow
2nd prize: all 13 Club FSS figures (these will ship to the winner after all 13 have been released)
3rd prize: Set of white and red SDCC Jinxes
4th-6th prizes: Red SDCC Jinx
Judging:
Judging will be on a rating system among several categories. Points assigned by each judge individually will be averaged to determine a winner.
Judges will include:
Joe Declassified Staff
Joe Customs Staff
Chris Chung – Admin of Joesightings.com
Fred Meyer – Owner/Admin of Joe Battlelines.com
Fran O’Boyle – Owner/Admin of Hisstank.com
Justin Bell – Owner/Admin of GeneralsJoes.com
Terry Dizard – Admin of YoJoe.com
John Warden of Hasbro
Judging categories are:
Faithfulness – How accurately the custom reflects whatever existing source material is available. Difficulty – Customs accomplished through minor parts swapping vs. those that require parts fabrication.
Obscurity – The lesser known the concept, the better -bonus points for revealing unknown sourece material.
Part usage – How creative the customizers parts choices are. Paint – Painting execution and detailing.
Buyability/Playability – How much does the finished product look like something likely to sell, as well as durability to play.
Overall execution
References:
The sites listed below all include some preproduction material, but are by no means intended as an all-inclusive list.
Additionally, not only do we have big prizes and big name judges, but true to Declassified form we also have some big reveals to accompany the custom contest. Over the next few weeks, in conjunction with Joe Customs, we will be revealing some previously unseen G.I.Joe 80’s history in the form of concept art images and sculpts. These concepts can be used for your customs for this contest as they are all unproduced material. See the sneak peak images below, and get ready for more to come. Keep an eye both at JoeDeclassified and JoeCustoms over the next few weeks for more inspiration and history!
Good luck!
Start preparing the parts bins and dust off those painting skills– this is going to be one contest to win!
One of the more unusual G.I. Joe lines to debut this year is the Kre-O series featuring our favorite Real American Heroes. Exclusive to Toys R Us, Kre-O looks Lego square in the eye and says “bring it!” Featuring characters from both the classic Generation 1 ARAH era and the earlier Adventure Team, Kre-O is a bold new direction for G.I. Joe.
Here’s the official word from Hasbro:
KRE-O G.I. JOE 2013 PRODUCT INFORMATION
A new line of KRE-O G.I. JOE building sets will be available exclusively at Toys “R” Us retail locations and www.Toysrus.com beginning in February 2013. The addition of KRE-O G.I. JOE sets to the brand’s portfolio will offer the opportunity to build environments and vehicles to play out the G.I. JOE vs. COBRA fantasy and will feature KREON figures based on popular characters from both the heroic G.I. JOE team like DUKE and SNAKE EYES as well as the villainous COBRA organization like FIREFLY and STORM SHADOW.
Beginning with the single packs:
KRE-O G.I. JOE KREON FIGURE PACKS (Approximate retail price: $3.19; Ages: 6-12; Available: Spring 2013)
Start your KRE-O G.I. JOE collection with these iconic G.I. JOE and COBRA characters! Each G.I. JOE KREON figure comes with a unique weapon and cool accessories, and is sold blind-bagged. The first wave of characters includes CRAIG “ROCK N’ ROLL” MCCONNEL, KIM ARASHIKAGE, COBRA TROOPER, CRIMSON GUARD, SCARLETT, COBRA AXE NINJA, COBRA NINJA VIPER, QUICK KICK, ALLEY VIPER, EDWARD “TORPEDO” LEILOHA, and ADVENTURE TEAM COMMANDER. Each sold separately.
Inspired by the live-action G.I. JOE movie, G. I. JOE: Retaliation, this EAGLEHAWK ASSAULT CHOPPER is the most dominating vehicle to transport your squadrons to battle. Each camouflaged chopper comes equipped with an action figure to pilot your most critical missions.
Hmm… interesting and unexpected. Like last year’s Skystriker reissue, Hasbro continues to dip back into the ARAH Generation 1 well for inspiration. It works, as perfect condition vintage Tomahawk’s are hard to find. (The rotors were notorious for drooping and sagging over the years.) I find the name a bit amusing as it is now essentially the “bird bird” helicopter but fans can rename it what they will. Lift Ticket appears to have received a whole new deco and a new look. At least there’s room in the cockpit for Lifeline as the Eaglehawk appears to be a two-seater.
At Hasbro’s media event yesterday during Toy Fair 2013, G.I. Joe: Retaliation Wave 3 has been given quite an overall!
Apparently the current wave 3 is merely a “filler wave” with the full slew of characters to hit in a May 2013 release. With more movie-accurate “ultimate” versions of Duke, Flint, and Roadblock as well as ton ARAH-inspired figures like Storm Shadow and Cobra Commander, this wave represents a DRAMATIC expansion of product offerings. However, for many Joe fans, the true “coup de grace” is found in the inclusion of two figures: the highly anticipated Data-Viper and the INCREDIBLY sought-after KWINN!! Finally, everyone’s favorite Inuit mercenary is given the Generation 3 update he so rightly deserves.
Here’s the compiled details, courtesy of Justin Bell of GeneralsJoes.com.
Wave “2.5″ Filler Wave – Due 02/11/2013
Joe Colton
Lady Jaye
Alley-Viper
Dark Ninja Warrior
Cyber Ninja
Wave 3 – Due May, 2013
Crimson Guard
“Ultimate” Duke (Movie)
“Ultimate” Firefly (Movie)
Cobra Combat Ninja
“Ultimate” Snake Eyes (Vintage)
“Ultimate” Flint (Movie)
“Ultimate” Roadblock (Movie)
Storm Shadow (Vintage)
Cobra Commander (Vintage)
Data-Viper
Kwinn
Budo
All-in-all, I’m impressed. Yes, I already have a metric ton of Cobra Commander and Storm Shadow figures but the updates on these show a marked improvement over their earlier 25th Collection entries. The new “Ultimate” Duke, Firefly, Flint, and Roadblock are the movie-accurate versions I really wanted right away. Data-Viper was never on my personal “must have” list but a lot of fans were really looking forward to him and I won’t begrudge anyone the opportunity to snag an anticipated figure. Lastly, we have KWINN who has left me salivating since I first saw him. Yeah… that one is a must-purchase item.
The only figure that puzzles me is Budo. He’s a marked departure from the unproduced Walmart RoC two pack version that has popped up on the web. More ornate and sporting a Ken Watanabe-inspired head sculpt, he’s a marked departure from both what has come before and from the rest of the military-themed toy line. Plus, he’s wearing elk antlers– which seems like something more out of Naruto than a traditional samurai would wear. Of course, that’s just my opinion.
Check out the press images from Hasbro below and hit up YoJoe.com for more awesome coverage!
I’m a bit tardy on posting this but the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club has unveiled the “man behind the mask” for their forthcoming Charbroil convention figure! Take a look and see if he looks familiar:
The GIJCC has shown us once again that a simple swap of color palate can produce an entirely new character. Eagle-eyed fans will recognize this as the Hydro-Viper from the stunning Defense of Cobra Island 7 pack released a few years ago that was recently reused as the Figure Subscription Service Dice figure!
I’ll admit it– the change in hair color works. (The Dice image is courtesy of GeneralsJoes.com.) It helps to differentiate Charbroil from Dice enough that they don’t appear to be twins at first glance. Sure, it’s a cost-saving method by the Club to reuse an existing figure tool for the head but it’s one that works for the most part. It’s nowhere near as bad as the case of limited genetics that was the original 1982 line-up!!
For more information on the 2013 G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention, visit GIJoeCon.com!
No need for a lot of text… if you’re planning on attending the 2013 G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention in Indianapolis, IN from March 4 – 7, 2013, you can register online now!
