Category Archives: Toys

News related to the G.I. Joe toy line.

SDCC 2012: In hand pics of red Jinx

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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.

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Alexx Shorts: Renegades 4-Pack

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I know you have an ache in your bones for more Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, and Duke!  Still, even if that’s a complete lie, why not come in and check them out anyway?

Alexx Shenanigans: Techno-Vipers?

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It’s been a month (and a little more) since I last reviewed something, so I thought it only fair that I…um…not review anything.

Joecon 2012: At last, General Iron Bear

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The second-to-last convention figure has been revealed– the all-new General Iron Bear!

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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!

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Joecon 2012: Voltar revealed!

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Heeeeeere’s Voltar:

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Wow– didn’t see this one coming at all.  Destro’s General was only ever given ONE figure in the classic ARAH era and that was back in 1988!  This version works– in a way that the IG’s weren’t for me.  Featuring a good mix of existing and new tooling this is pretty darned fantastic update to a fairly obscure ARAH-era character.  (Who’d have thought the Accelerator Suits would see some new use?)  Seriously– from the colors to the parts chosen, this is about the best possible parts combo for the character outside of a 100% newly tooled figure.

It just makes you wonder if someone is going to start producing 1:18 vultures to go with him.

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Well played, Collector’s Club.  Well played.  Just two more figures to be revealed!

For more information about the 2012 Collector’s Convention, visit GIJoeCon.com!

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JoeCon: Iron Grenadier Elite Guard revealed

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Another convention figure has been revealed– an Iron Grenadier Elite Guard:

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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.

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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!

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JoeCon: Iron Grenadier Heavy Trooper and Elite Trooper revealed

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Two reveals in two days from the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club from their 2012 1:18 convention set.

First up, we now have details regarding the “official storyline” of the set- now dubbed Operation Bear Trap:

“By popular demand, the 2012 convention set stories and enemy factions are revealed…

OKTOBER GUARD Box Set: The 1990s brought us many captivating Cold War stories but this one was kept Top Secret for over two decades! Recently declassified documents revealed the original Oktober Guard (G.I. Joe’s Russian and Warsaw Pact equivalent) team’s “Special Mission” in Siberia to rescue their captured General from the ruthless Iron Grenadiers in OPERATION: BEAR TRAP!”

Secondly, we have our first look at the two “troop builders” in the set- the Iron Grenadier Elite and Iron Grenadier Heavy troopers:

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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.  However, from a play standpoint, the IG Heavy Trooper is going to be a virtual statue from the waist down as was the case with the Resolute Destro.  The IG’s are a nice addition to any collection but I find myself FAR more excited about the Oktober Guard than I am for these guys.

Lastly, GeneralsJoes.com is reporting that Destro will NOT be making an appearance in this year’s set.

For more information about the 2012 Collector’s Convention, visit GIJoeCon.com!

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Amazon.com Renegades & Retaliation 4-packs are “in stock”

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UPDATE: The Renegades pack is once again BACK in STOCK but this seems to change daily.   (5/11/2012)

Mondays… the nemesis of most individuals seldom brings good news.  However, this Monday might be a bit different for Joe fans.

Amazon.com has listed BOTH of their exclusive 4 packs as “in stock” as of this morning with a list price of $39.99.  Sadly, that’s essentially high retail price for each of the figures but there are some advantages.  In the case of Retaliation the pack provides a means for Joe fans to get their hands on the figures well before the official end-of-May release day.   For Retaliation fans, it’s a chance to get different deco’s of 3 primary characters and an all new 4th character in the form of the Red Ninja!

Non-affiliate links are below:

G.I. Joe Retaliation Sneak Peek 4-pack

  • Duke
  • Roadblock
  • Snake Eyes
  • Cobra Commander (black deco)

G.I. Joe Renegades 4-pack

  • Duke
  • Snake Eyes (with trench coat)
  • Storm Shadow
  • Red Ninja
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“Dollar Store” Joes take the fan community by storm!!

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If you’ve not heard the news in the past week, some of the most anticipated new Joe products to hit shelves in the near future AREN’T related to the film G.I. Joe: Retaliation.  Revealed by Gyre-Viper over the JoeDeclassified.com, there is apparently a series of 6 new-style construction figures that will be hitting “discount stores” later this year.  I’ve mirrored a few of the images here but I highly encourage everyone to check out the full slate of images over at JoeDeclassified.com.

The initial assortment appears to consist of the following figures:

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However, it doesn’t stop there– it appears that there will be running color changes for all six figures including one that highly resembles the driver of the Pile Driver T’Gin-Zu!

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Check out all the rest of Gyre-Viper’s pics and the discussion over at following threads on the JoeDeclassified.com forums:

At the end of the day, these leave me far more excited than most of the forthcoming G.I. Joe: Retaliation figures hitting later next month.  Great-looking parts use, figure stands, and repaints that give us even more obscure characters all combine into a SOLID WIN!  Now if only these would start hitting stores!

JoeCon 2012: Schrage revealed!

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The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club continues their 2012 1:18 convention set reveals with Schrage!

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The Oktober Guard infantryman from East Germany is looking pretty spiffy in his first 25a-style construction!  He’s even clutching his beloved AK-47 and sports some very detailed web gear with what appears to be a sculpted canteen!  In fact, this figure looks as if he’s stepped right off the pages of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero issue #6 in which the Soviet team debuted.

Honestly– if this is any indication of how the rest of this set is going to turn out, I’m going to be one happy Joe fan when my non-attending con set arrives in the mail.

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