Registration is now LIVE for those planning to attend the 2012 Collector’s Convention in New Orleans, LA. Those interested in non-attending packages have been told to “wait a few days.”
To sign up, visit the Registration page now!
Here’s the package matrix once again:
And… the Operation Bear Trap set images:
If you’re a member of the Collector’s Club then you no doubt have been receiving a steady stream of emails with updates on the status of online registration for the 2012 Collector’s Convention in New Orleans. With the con happening in just over a month, many fans are eager to sign-up and stake their claim on one of the anticipated Operation Bear Trap convention sets.
According to the latest word, registration should go live some time today:
Hello all!
Well, once again I have to tell you registration is not going to be up today. I’m going to give them all day tomorrow to retest the system so we will try again on Wednesday. There are some individual browsers that are creating java issues with required fields and we don’t want your information to come in incomplete as this could hinder your registration being approved.
Again, just to make sure when it does go live that your registration is error free, please review the new package matrix and the FAQs.
Thanks for your patience.
See you in NOLA!
Brian
Keep your eyes peeled on the 2012 Convention page for more information.
SDCC exclusives can be a tricky thing. Figures like the 25th “Pimp Daddy Destro” were easy to get if you wanted the silver version but the variant gold head proved far more elusive. Sgt. Slaughter was HIGHLY sought after and yet the Convention Cobra Commander is still relatively easy to find. (Let’s not mention Zarana– she’s a sore spot for some collectors… especially after the BigBadToyStore.com Dreadnok 7 pack made her an essential piece to complete any Dreadnok collection.)
At Toy Fair 2012, Hasbro unveiled their SDCC exclusives which included two versions of Kim Arashikage– better known to fans as “Jinx”. Over at JoeDeclassified.com, Gyre-Viper has gotten his hands on an early sample and has posted a gallery of images of the red version. I’ve mirrored a few below but I’d suggest checking out the thread over at JoeDeclassified for more.
Overall she looks pretty solid! It’s an interesting mix of new and existing Storm Shadow parts. While I don’t know about the white version yet, I’ll most likely be tracking down this red version come late summer.
I believe it was the great Montgomery Scott in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock who said: “The more complicated the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.”
Attending Joe Con and determining what package to get used to be relatively simple. You merely asked yourself a few simple questions and if you answered “yes” to any, you proceeded to the next one. These were simple statements like:
However, with all of the various options the Collectors Club has tacked on over the past years, things are apparently more complicated– so much so that the Collector’s Club has decided that a product matrix is necessary to make sense of it all. Released yesterday was the following Excel chart that takes into account both 1:6 and 1:18 scale and all of the options available for each– including the infamous “Golden Ticket” option.
I’ve mirrored the chart below but you can see the original HERE.
For more information on the rapidly approaching 2012 Collector’s Convention in New Orleans, check out GIJoeCon.com.
The Collector’s Club sent out the following email regarding online registration for the 2012 Joe Con in New Orleans– stating that initial online registration will be for ATTENDING registrations only.
Hello all!
Registration will not be online today. We are in the middle of a server migration that we must have installed before we start registration. If the website is offline off and on, please don’t worry.
Just a few notes. When the server comes back up, we will be loading a package matrix so that you can better understand what feature goes with each package.
In addition, when we start registration, it will only be for attending packages, a few days later we will start with the non-attending packages. We need to ensure that everyone who wants to come to the show can get a package.
DO NOT REGISTER FOR AN ATTENDING PACKAGE IF YOU ARE NOT COMING. PACKAGES ARE ONLY CONVERTIBLE AT OUR DISCRETION AND MAY BE CANCELLED IF YOU TRY TO CONVERT. ONLY ADMIN CAN CONVERT YOUR PACKAGE.
You can also pre-order convention T-Shirts and Hats at the same time.
If you have friends that are planning to register as members, they will need an active membership. You can paste this link so that they can sign up with the club. You cannot process a membership at the same time as your registration as these are two completely different systems. Go here to sign up for a new membership.
In addition, we reserve the right to limit quantities.
We hope to see all of you there for G.I. Joe Con 2012!
See you in NOLA!
Brian
What’s interesting is that just last week the Club published the convention brochure which stated that there were 600 produced sets and 325 bagged sets. Realistically, that means that 325 individuals would be able to purchase a boxed and bagged set combo while 275 individuals would be acquiring a boxed set only. It’s understandable that the Collector’s Club would want to be able to satisfy everyone who attends the convention and expects to be able to acquire a convention set. However, unless the vast majority of the Club’s membership is attending the convention, it means that a lot of Joe fans are going to miss out on the opportunity of owning a set of truly iconic (and demanded) classic Joe characters. As an organization, you would think that the Collector’s Club would want to keep the majority of its members happy and wanting to renew year after year. After all, one of the definitions of a Club is:
an organization that offers its subscribers certain benefits, as discounts, bonuses, or interest, in return for regular purchases or payments: a book club; a record club; a Christmas club.
Ladies & gentlemen, allow me to present Stepan Drukersky aka HORRORSHOW!
Comic Pack #7 marks the only time that Horrorshow has ever been released in figure form! I’m a HUGE o-ring fan but even I have to admit that the Club really did save the best for last with this figure. Now, I’m not 100% certain but I’m seeing what appear to be parts from everyone from Shadow Tracker to the Resolute Cobra Commander when I look at this image and it works! Without a massive amount of new parts, there really is no other way to bring Horrorshow to life in Gen 3 form that I could see. Great new headsculpt and a fairly on-model update to one of my favorite classic Joe characters.
He is most definitely NOT “UGLY!!” (Gung-Ho might still feel he’s a dumb Russian bear, but that’s another story.)
Let’s be honest– even with the (in my opinion) lackluster Iron Grenadiers this set is still made of pure WIN!
For more information on registration and convention details, visit the 2012 Joe Con page!
The second-to-last convention figure has been revealed– the all-new General Iron Bear!
A brand-new character and apparently the subject of Operation Bear Trap, the good comrade general makes some decent use of the torso of the Arctic Trooper Snake Eyes figure from the 25th Anniversary collection. The head sculpt appears to be all new and we have what appears to be a set of Resolute legs and Sgt. Slaughter’s baton. Overall, it’s not a bad parts combo but the good general has a VERY young-looking face which very well could make him the Doogie Hauser of the former Soviet army. Compared to Brekhov and the others, he looks more like a cadet than a full on general. Perhaps “Iron Bear” is the English translation for “Baby Face”? I’m not entirely sold on the code name choice which seems a bit mundane but the overall aesthetic isn’t horrible. I still find it far easier to be excited for this new character than I do for the Iron Grenadiers in the set.
Only Horrorshow remains to be seen now. (C’mon Fun Pub… don’t screw this one up!)
For more information about the 2012 Collector’s Convention, visit GIJoeCon.com!
Another convention figure has been revealed– an Iron Grenadier Elite Guard:
As stated the other day, the MARS troopers are based on a cancelled Iron Grendier pack showcased a year ago and borrow heavily from the Resolute pool of available molds. Visually, it’s an interesting take on the Laird Destro’s personal army with the long coats and apparent cold weather gear. Here’s a pic of that cancelled pack when it was shown at JoeCon courtesy of GeneralsJoes.com.
This is where I’m conflicted. One one hand, it’s great to see the cancelled set finding new life with the Club. It helps keep their development costs down and it allows fans an opportunity to snag these figures, albeit at a higher cost. On the other hand, the IG’s in long coats are going to find their movement severely restricted from the waist down. Also, this is rapidly turning into “the Rainbow Coaltion” of MARS as we’re merely getting a collection of long-coated IG’s in different colors. (Yes, I realize the tooling is different but at first glance the color is what stands out the most.) I’m still finding myself FAR more excited about the already-revealed Oktober Guard than I am for the Iron Grenadiers in this set. Let’s hope that Horrorshow and Dragonsky get a reveal. Soon.
(Let’s also hope that the Club can get the online ordering up soon. The con is approximately just a month and a half away now.)
For more information about the 2012 Collector’s Convention, visit GIJoeCon.com!
Even with Botcon in full swing, the Collector’s Club manages to drop a surprise on Joe fans today.
The latest reveal is Stormavik, stalwart of the Oktober Guard and soldier of the former Soviet Union!
Not seen since Comic Pack #7, Stormavik is looking pretty solid in his G3 update! Compared to Brekhov, who was rather off model IMHO, this Russian paratrooper looks as if he’s stepped right off of the comic page! It’s just another reason this convention set is shaping up to made of pure AWESOME!
Keep your eyes on the 3 3/4″ Set Previews Page for more details!
Even with Botcon in full swing, the Collector’s Club manages to drop a surprise on Joe fans today.
Feast your eyes on Colonel Ivan Nikolevich Brekhov, commander of the Oktober Guard and hero of the USSR! The good colonel has been without a new figure since G.I. Joe comic pack #6 and the club seems to rely heavily on the Rise of Cobra Destro figure to bring him to life. Of all of the figures shown thus far, this one seems to be the most “off model” and yet still manages to capture the essence of the plucky Soviet soldier. I don’t think I can recall ever seeing the good Colonel with his collar fastened and the tie is at odds with his often “rumpled” appearance. Brekhov always struck me as a soldier who cared more about results than a spit-and-polish appearance. Still, it’s good to see him released in updated plastic form.
I wonder what his beloved aunt Ludmilla thinks of this?
With three down in terms of reveals, can Stormavik and Horrorshow be far behind? Will Dragonsky make an appearance?
Keep your eyes on the 3 3/4″ Set Previews Page for more details!