Category Archives: Collector’s Club

All news pertaining to the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club and their events will be posted here.

FSS 6 Hardtop blasts into view!

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The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club is going full-bore with the FSS 6 previews including today’s reveal: Hardtop!

G.I. Joe FSS 6 Hardtop

G.I. JOE SPACE VEHICLE LAUNCH OPERATOR
Code Name: HARDTOP
(Inspired by the 1987 action figure!)
Includes: removable harness, pistol, wrench, tool case,
and figure stand.

Like so many of the FSS 6 reveals thus far, Hardtop contains few surprises.  Ever since the Club released FSS 2 Tollbooth I’ve been wondering when they’d get around to re-purposing that head for the Defiant launch vehicle operator.  This is the Club, after all, and they have a penchant for finding ways to reuse parts they’ve produced.

Continue reading →

G.I. Joe FSS 6 Night Stalker Commander revealed

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The G.I. Joe FSS 6 Night Stalker Commander preview is live!

G.I. Joe FSS 6 Night Stalker Commander

COBRA NIGHT STALKER COMMANDER
Code Name: COBRA OFFICER
(Inspired by the 2007 GIJoeCon action figure!)
Includes: removable helmet, harness, sub machine gun,
suppressed pistol, knife, and figure stand.

NOTE: These modern era club exclusive action figures will not be exact replicas of their vintage counterparts. All images are Photoshop mock-up representations, final product, accessories and/or colors may vary!

Honestly, is anyone surprised by this one?  At all?  Actually, his is a no-brainer considering that the Female Cobra Troopers released by the Club earlier this year were HEAVILY influenced by the 2007 Joe Con Night Stalkers.  The Club merely re-purposed the female trooper build in black (and painted the bloody knee pads this time.)  A quick gear swap makes the figure stand out a bit more.  Plus, there’s the addition of the Rise of Cobra Baroness arms to set her apart from the rank and file.

This begs the question… is the Club planning on using the Night Stalkers in either next year’s Joe Con set or in another figure 3-pack? Continue reading →

G.I. Joe FSS 6 Sub-Zero preview

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The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club has released the digital mock-up for FSS 6 Sub-Zero!

G.I. Joe FSS 6 Sub-zero

G.I. JOE WINTER OPERATIONS SPECIALIST
Code Name: MARK “SUB-ZERO” HABERSHAW
(Inspired by the 1990 action figure!)
Includes: removable hooded coat, harness, pistol, snow shoes,
machine gun with bi-pod, tranquilizer rifle, dart cartridges,
backpack, mortar with bi-pod, and figure stand.

NOTE: These modern era club exclusive action figures will not be exact replicas of their vintage counterparts. All images are Photoshop mock-up representations, final product, accessories and/or colors may vary!

Hmm… interesting…

Continue reading →

G.I. Joe FSS 6 announcement and roster revealed!

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The signup for G.I. Joe Collector’s Club FSS 6.0 is  now LIVE!

G.I. Joe FSS 6

With 33 days remaining until JoeCon 2017, the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club revealed the pricing, roster, and subscriptions of FSS 6.0 on Friday.  Rather than waiting for the annual Collector’s Club round table for the reveal, the GIJCC opened the sign-up period right away!  Fans have until June 2, 2017 to sign up at the all-in price of $375 + shipping.  (Up from last year’s $336 + shipping.)

G.I. Joe Collector's Club FSS 6.0

G.I. Joe Collector’s Club FSS 6.0 roster

(Image compiled by Andrew Gaska for the G.I. Joe and 1:18th Facebook Group)

So, here’s the official release from the folks at the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club: Continue reading →

G.I. Joe FSS 5 General Flagg & Sneak Peek Reviews

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The G.I. Joe FSS 5 General Flagg & Sneak Peek reviews are LIVE!

G.I. Joe FSS 5 General Flagg Sneak Peek shipment 4

The best laid plans of mice and men…

After FAR too long of a delay, Chris and I take a look at the fourth shipment of the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Figure Subscription service 5.0.  This set of figures was sent to subscribers back in March and contained General Flagg and the classic 1987 deco of Sneak Peek.  Unfortunately, that pesky “real life” got in the way for both of the reviewers and so these reviews were delayed until now.  (I’ll be adding additional photos to Flagg over the weekend. Pesky day jobs really sucked away some quality “hobby time” during the past month.)

General Flagg (the younger one) is rocking his 1994 deco while Sneak Peek is back for his second GIJCC release in his classic original colors.  This marks one more addition to the update rosters for both 1994 and 1987.  Now only Fast Draw is missing from the original ’87 single carded G.I. Joe team members.

Were these two figures worth the wait?  Are they a bargain at the FSS price?  Do either of the reviewers acknowledge Deadpool’s conspicuous absence this month?

The answers to these burning questions and more are found in the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index!

Super Joe returns at the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club store

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Super Joe has returned and he’s at the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club store!

Super Joe last adventure

In the history of G.I. Joe, no chapter may be more obscure than Super Joe.  The line followed the popular 12″ Adventure Team era which ran from 1970 – 1976 was a response to the rising price of oil and the increasingly popularity of science fiction and space opera, thanks to the premiere of Star Wars.  As a result, G.I. Joe was transformed into Super Joe, an 8 inch tall warrior armed with a light-up vest and alien opponents.  The series ran from 1977 – 1978 when it disappeared from store shelves with little fanfare.  This appeared to be the end of the line for the Super Joe concept– until the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club announced two new exclusive 12″ scale items in the Club Store.

Yes, it would seem that Super Joe has returned.  Sort of…

Here’s what’s available:

Super Joe Commander w/Terron:

superjoe500px

The Super Joe Commander is an homage to the classic 1977 figure— minus the signature light-up chest harness.  The figure retains the signature jumpsuit and the classic beard but instead has to make due with a hand-held flashlight.  Sure, it’s a far cry from the original accessory but let’s be honest– tooling up an entirely new harness for what is essentially a one-off figure isn’t exactly viable for the niche 1:6 G.I. Joe fan base.  However, Joe’s not alone as he comes with a miniature version of Terron, the dreaded light-sensitive monster that was a signature piece of the classic 1970’s line.  Terron is a lot smaller than fans may remember and, in all honesty, appears to be a repaint of the Safari Ltd Desert Dragon that is available at online retailers.

Darkon-Gor:

darkon500px

Okay, I’m going to give the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club props for this design.  The original Gor was a reptillian monster with a light ray in his chest and who was dubbed “King of the Terrons.”  Darkon was a green-skinned humanoid billed as “half human/half monster”.  In essence, he was a green release of the Super Joe Commander with no backstory offered to explain his bizarre moniker.  The Club, every thrifty, merged these two concepts with that of their 2013 1:6 convention set “Secret Mission to Dragon Island” to produce Darkon-Gor.  Essentially, the James Bond-inspired villian from that set, Sebastian Gorman, has been transformed into this bizarre half-man/half-monster concept– allowing the club to reuse the Joe Con head sculpt once more.  Darkon-Gor comes with a recreation of the original Darkon’s lightning bolt weapon.

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While I’m not a huge Super Joe fan myself, I find these sets fascinating.  As a kid I apparently had a Super Joe Commander– something I discovered decades later while cleaning out boxes at my parents house.  However I was only four years old when the line debuted and have no memory of this at all.  Still, while these aren’t the Club’s usual vintage-obsessed near-recreations, they do some fairly close to the mark in terms of capturing the feel and style of the original Super Joe line.  Plus, by moving Super Joe from 8″ to 12″ they help this errant part of G.I. Joe history find a more permanent place in the 1:6 scale mythos that the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club has been building for the past several years.

Now if only some Super Joe concepts would make it into a future 1:18 Figure Subscription Service!

The pair of these figures will set collectors back a cool $154.00 plus shipping and are available for preorder at the G.I. Joe Club store.

And now you know…

G.I. Joe FSS 5 Darklon & Salvo reviews!

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Two more G.I. Joe FSS 5 figures get the review treatment this week: Darklon & Salvo!

G.I. Joe FSS 5 Shipment 3 darklon salvo

What is this?  Could it be?  Have the admins publisihed two MORE G.I. Joe FSS 5 reviews this week?  You bet your sweet Evader it’s true!!!  Fred and Chris are back with a look at the two latest figures to arrive from the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Figure Subscription Service: Darklon & Salvo!

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more mis-matched parir of characters from the latter half of the A Real American Hero run than these two.  One is a distant cousin of Destro whose fashion sense could best be described as “thrift store chic as assembled in a darkened room.”  The other is a towering anti-armor trooper whose basic philosophy on firepower is emblazoned on his hand-lettered t-shirt.

So what do our intrepid reviewers think of the G.I. Joe FSS 5 dynamic duo of Darklon and Salvo?  Does Darklon improve upon the original 1989 design or is it another faithful club recreation?  Does this second build of Salvo better satisfy the expectations of fans? (After all, the first Salvo build went over like 2016 Joe Con JUMP pack souvenir sets.)  Heck, does Deadpool return after his glaring omission in the last two reviews?

Head on over to the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index and check out what two long-time Joe fans think of both Darklon and Salvo!

Joe Con 2017: Meet Cobra BAT v1.8

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The final 1:18 Joe Con 2017 preview has been posted – the Cobra BAT v1.8!

gi joe con 2017 Cobra BAT v1.8

COBRA BATTLE ANDROID TROOPERS:
B.A.T. V1.8

– 25th Anniversary Style/Fully Poseable Action Figure.
– Modern Era Character Update with NEW Head Sculpt!
– EIGHT Army Builder action figures in this exclusive set
– Includes removable Chest plate, interchangeable Hand
attachments: Sword, Claw, Flamethrower, Laser weapon,
Backpack, Pistol, and Cobra Logo Stand.

(Note: Photo depicts action figure mock-up and final product may slightly differ.)

This is how the Joe Con 2017 previews end… not with a BANG but with a whimper.

The final preview is live and fans finally get a look at the Cobra Battle Android Trooper v1.8.  I’ll be blunt– it’s exactly what I was afraid it would be.  The Cobra BAT v1.8 is merely the existing 25th Anniversary Cobra BAT with the head of the BAT Squad Leader, which is essentially that of the classic 1991 Battle Android Trooper. The only real new addition to the BAT’s kit is the blade that was last released with the FSS 4.0 Inferno BAT.

This year’s “Force of Battle 2000” set is going to include eight of the Cobra BAT v1.8 and one Cobra BAT Squad Leader.  Normally, nine reuses of the same tooling might be a good thing– if the the figure was a highly sought after piece.  However, there have been so many re-releases of the Battle Android Troopers in recent years that I find it hard to believe that anyone out there is actively clamoring for more of them.  Heck, there have been TWO re-releases in the 50th Anniversary line alone!  (2014 Arctic Ambush and 2016 Cobra Legions Urban camo.)

Essentially, this new BAT v1.8 is a repaint of the BAT Squad Leader.  Call me crazy but that just feels uninspired and, quite honestly, lazy.

Unless the Club is saving all of their production budget for the souvenir exclusive items, this year’s set feels pretty lackluster from a character standpoint.

In case you’re keeping score, here’s the roster and all of the previews shown thus far:

Battle Force 2000:

Cobra:

According to the convention brochure, this year’s Joe Con 2017 boxed set will retail for $410.00.  Also, there’s no word on souvenir pricing at this time although it’s a safe bet that prices will remain at or around levels seen in both 2015 and 2016.  With so many vehicle drivers in the mix it’s a sure bet that the souvenirs this year will be mostly vehicles.  The question remains– which vehicle molds will be repainted and reused?

For more information on this year’s event at Walt Disney World, visit GIJoeCon.com!

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Joe Con 2017: Battle Force 2000 Blocker revealed

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A new week and a new Joe Con 2017 preview.  Meet Battle Force 2000 Eliminator driver Blocker!

G.I. Joe Con 2017 Battle Force 2000 Blocker

G.I. JOE BF 2000 TEAM:
David “Blocker” McCarthy

– 25th Anniversary Style/Fully Poseable Action Figure.
– 1st Modern Era Release of Character based on 1987 design.
– NEW Head Sculpt and includes removable Vest,
Tactical Shotgun, original XL-13 Laser weapon,
with G.I. Joe Logo Stand.

(Note: Photo depicts action figure mock-up and final product may slightly differ.)

Just like that we’ve now seen every member of the Joe Con 2017 iteration of Battle Force 2000.

Blocker’s not bad… It looks like we’ve got another Club use of the Retaliation G.I. Joe Trooper web gear to recreate the original 1987 Blocker torso.  I see my least favorite Pursuit of Cobra Snake Eyes lower legs as well.  We do get a brand new head sculpt for the figure– but it appears to be missing the visor found on the original figure.  Really?  That’s kind of big omission but the Club seems to be going with head sculpts that require ZERO additional attachments these days– most likely to keep costs down.  Thank goodness that cost savings was passed on to the Joe Con 2017 attendees.  Oh wait…

Overall, it’s a decent approximation of the original vintage figure.  Plus, there’s the recreated 1987 sidearm that the Club has tooled up for each member of the team.

With this preview we’re down to the preview of the new BAT v1.8 — of which there will be eight included in the set.  (Let’s hope it’s good.)

In case you’re keeping score, here’s the roster and all of the previews shown thus far:

Battle Force 2000:

Cobra:

According to the convention brochure, this year’s Joe Con 2017 boxed set will retail for $410.00.  Also, there’s no word on souvenir pricing at this time although it’s a safe bet that prices will remain at or around levels seen in both 2015 and 2016.  With so many vehicle drivers in the mix it’s a sure bet that the souvenirs this year will be mostly vehicles.  The question remains– which vehicle molds will be repainted and reused?

For more information on this year’s event at Walt Disney World, visit GIJoeCon.com!

G.I. Joe FSS 5 shipment 3 is inbound!

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G.I. Joe FSS 5 subscribers should start checking their mailboxes – shipment 3 is incoming!

G.I. Joe FSS 4 shipment

It’s that time again– when a new G.I. Joe FSS shipment hits the porches and mailboxes of subscribers everywhere!  However, after an error with the warehouse, fans are getting one shipment early.  Shipment 3 has deployed… well ahead of shipment 2 and, thanks to Alyosha of BrokenArrowToys.com, we’ve got an early look at just who is in the box.

For those of you that wish to remain spoiler-free, click no further.  To paraphrase the old pirate maps: “Here there be G.I. Joe FSS spoilers…” Continue reading →