Coil Con V is September 13, 2014 in Indianapolis!

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Fred Meyer

It’s that time of year again– Coil Con V is happening in just over a week!

Nothing says “end of summer” like Coil Con, the fan-run convention that brings together G.I. Joe collectors from across the Midwest! This year’s event promises to be bigger and better than ever as the event has outgrown its previous venue in Kokomo, IN (at ever-amazing Kokomo Toys) and instead takes over the Wyndham Indianapolis West Hotel in Indy!

In addition to a toy drive to benefit the Child Life initiative at the Indianapolis Children’s Hospital, this year’s event will feature a host of vendors, the door prize/raffle table, and the always exciting travelling exhibit of JoeDeclassified.com. Plus, if you’ve not already seen it, check out this preview of Shrike, this year’s exclusive Coil Con figure! (JBL received permission to mirror the images below.) He’s the creation of Coil Club designers Jay Hunger & Brian Kauffman and will be part of a 2 figure set that’s limited to only 40 pieces!

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This year’s roster of guests includes:

Sean Forney – comic artist, SMComics.com
Bryan K. Borgman – creator, Kaiju Kaos minatures game
James Kavanaugh – author, R.A.H.C. Guide
Gary “Gyre-Viper” Head – JoeDeclassified.com archivist & fandom Elitist
Gary Godsoe – show-runner of What’s on Joe Mind podcast
Mike Irizarry – co-anchor on What’s on Joe Mind podcast

Check out the Coil Con V event page over at CoilCon.com for the full details and make preparations to join your fellow Joe fans in Indy in just over a week!

Plus, check out these photos from last year’s event held at Kokomo Toys! C’mon– you KNOW you want to go!

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JBL takes the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Fred Meyer

It was bound to happen sooner rather than later. Last night, I was called out for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

Unless you’ve been living in a case in Cobra-La lately, you’ve probably heard about the Ice Bucket Challenge. It’s a virus campaign to raise awareness (and funds) for ALS research. More commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a debilatating neurodegenerative disease that can cause muscle atrophy. There is currently no cure.

In order to raise awareness, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was created to increase public awareness for the condition. Individuals are asked to post a video online calling out their friends and other celebrities, challenging them to either donate or dump a bucket of ice water on their head within 24 hours of receiving notice. The campaign, however, has morphed beyond its original intent and now people are both donating and, well, getting soaked.

So, in accepting the challenge from my good friend Mike Breaux of TheBreauxShow.com, I’m tossing out a challenge to a few personal friends as well as some folks in the G.I. Joe community and beyond.

From What’s On Joe Mind, I’m calling out my friends Mike Irizarry and Gary Godsoe— neither of whom have yet been challenged. Also, I’m tossing challenges out to one of my favorite authors Mr. Larry Hama and wrestling/G.I. Joe legend Sgt. Slaughter!

You all have 24 hours to post your videos, donate to ALS, or both!

Here’s a donation link:

https://www.als.net/iamworthit/?f=hr

If you really want to see it– here’s a very soggy admin in a very cold pool this morning:

Rest in Peace Robin Williams

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Fred Meyer

Sometimes listening to the news isn’t such a good thing. Robin Williams, star of stand-up and screens large and small, died yesterday of an apparent suicide.

I realize that this is pretty dark stuff for a website dedicated to what was once a child’s toy line. However, Robin Williams was one of those figures whose passing deserves mention. He was a dynamic tour-de-force– someone whose boundless energy couldn’t be contained by a mere stage and screen performance. Rather, it infected every single person in his audience and left them smiling.

From his early appearances as Mork on the sitcom Happy Days to his most recent television role on the cancelled CBS series The Crazy Ones he displayed a wit and an intelligence that was unparalleled among his peers. Growing up, I was amazed that the intricate tapestry of topics he wove in his landmark stand-up performance “A Night at the Met“. From the then-current state of the Middle East to his thoughts on fatherhood, he was capable of taking a performance from profane to profound in just a matter of moments. He wasn’t just a comedian whose routines relied on vulgarity but rather an intellectual who merely had no filters whatsoever.

A favorite role of mine was possibly one of his oddest career choices and yet one that perfectly embodied the limitless capabilities of this dynamic individual– that of the title character in Robert Altman’s 1980 musical comic adaptation Popeye. Universally panned by critics, Williams’ performance showed that the actor threw himself into the role 110% and the result is one of the most underrated moments in his career. While I enjoyed other films like Fisher King, Dead Poet’s Society, Good Morning Viet Nam, and even the World According to Garp, it was always Popeye that was a favorite. (With Toys being a close second.)

After a lifetime of battling depression, Mr. Williams ended his time on this earth yesterday. He was 63 years old. While comedians and actors rise in prominence all of the time, none will ever outshine the genius of Robin Williams.

So long, Robin. Thanks for the laughs and for the tears. You will be missed.

SDCC 50th Anniversary Danger at the Docks Review

Posted on August 3, 2014 by Fred Meyer

Last week the SDCC 50th Anniversary Danger at the Docks sets went up on ToysRUs.com and this site admin was lucky enough to snag one! It finally arrived last week and that means it’s time for a brand new review here at JBL! Was this set, which features the VAMP Mk 2 and Flint in their original color schemes worth it? Or, was it another case of “wash, rinse, repaint?”

Head on over to the brand new 50th Anniversary Review Index and check it out the review of the SDCC 50th Anniversary Danger at the Docks to find out one Joe fan’s opinion!

Guardians of the Galaxy Showings Start TONIGHT!

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Fred Meyer

One of the advantages of owning your own website is you can talk about whatever you want. So, in taking a break from G.I. Joe for a moment, I’m here to talk about the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Early screenings for the film start tonight and this particular admin cannot wait! Seriously, 7:00pm CST is so incredibly far away right now!

For those of you who have been living in a cave and haven’t heard of the Guardians of the Galaxy, it’s the latest installment in the insanely awesome Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, instead of focusing on Earth where the action has been dominated by the Avengers, director James Gunn is taking the audience out into space and is following the actions of Star Lord, a human from earth who has no idea what his place in the universe is. However, with the help of a talking gun-toting raccoon, a brawling tree with a heart of gold, a maniac bent on revenge, and the deadliest assassin in the galaxy, he’s about to confront his destiny head-on, all while jamming out to some 1970’s AM rock-n-roll. C’mon, what’s NOT to love? It’s like Farscape with the budget of Star Wars!

The film’s based on the incarnation of the team that formed up in 2008 and promises to be one heck of a ride. In fact, over at RottenTomatoes.com, the film’s rating (at the time I’m writing this) is holding steady at 91% fresh. (6 “rotten” reviews out of a total of 67 posted thus far.)

So, if you’re tired of reading about the current state of G.I. Joe and want to “get away from it all”, check out the Guardians of the Galaxy this weekend. I know I will. (Possibly multiple times!)

You’re welcome…

In Hand Images of the SDCC Danger at the Docks Set!

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Fred Meyer

The SDCC Danger at the Docks sets have shipped from ToysRUs.com and JBL admin Madmac41 received his set yesterday.

I have to say that I hate him for it! Oh jealousy, you are truly a green-eyed monster.

After a quick phone conversation, I was able to get a few thoughts on the set:

Flint is built using the Resolute head and the Retaliation 3-pack torso.
The plastic on the vehicles, like much of the 50th product, is softer. Apparently he’s had some issues with the rear axle.
The Night Landing weapons crate appears to contain an updated version of Road Pig’s wrist crossbow.
Overall, he’s pretty happy with the set and would like to see a Cobra Stinger re-release soon!

Check out the images of the SDCC Danger at the Docks set below. These were posted to the JBL Facebook page earlier this afternoon. My set is scheduled to arrive tomorrow so I have the feeling tomorrow night will be spent putting together a review as fast as my greedy little fingers can type!

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Toys R Us Danger at the Docks Available NOW!

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Fred Meyer

UPDATE: As of 10:30am CST on 7/24 these are now SOLD OUT.

Just a quick update– the SDCC exclusive Danger at the Docks set is up at ToysRUs.com right now! Limit one per person!

Go get ’em! A ’85 color scheme Flint and a VAMP Mk II await! (Oh, and that Night Landing isn’t too shabby either!)

SDCC Exclusive G.I. Joe Danger at the Docks set

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SDCC 2014: Gentle Giant G.I. Joe Debuts in December

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Fred Meyer

Gentle Giant Ltd, a company known for their realistic scanning technology and upscaling of classic vintage figures, surprised G.I. Joe fans everywhere with a new line of up-scaled 1:18 Joes based on the original 1982 Joes. That’s right– Gentle Giant G.I. Joe figures are coming!

According to the intrepid reporters over at ToyNewsI.com, the line debuts this Holiday season with the release of the 12″ Grunt in a special footlocker package. Subsequent releases will continue in 2015 and will be available on “authentic” G.I. Joe cardbacks.

Figures shown at SDCC thus far include:

Grunt
Zap
Stalker
Snake Eyes
Rock n Roll

Honestly, I don’t know how I feel about Gentle Giant G.I. Joe figures– especially up-sized version of the o-ring figures. After all, it’s the 50th Anniversary of the original 1964 Joes– not the 1982 figures. While I’m sure that there is a market for these and that the initial offerings will no doubt sell decently, I have the feeling that this will only appeal to a very small segment of an already fragmented fandom and will most likely end before more of the later fan-favorite characters can be produced. I’d love to be wrong about this but my ~~gut~~, uh, o-ring tells me otherwise.

You can view the original article, as well as a ton of great SDCC coverage, over at ToyNewsI.com!

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3DJoes.com Kickstarter is Now LIVE

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Fred Meyer

The staff at JBL are big fans of the website 3DJoes.com. (Let’s not forget its sister site Vintage3DJoes.com!)
Running a website is a labor of love and, for the most part, it’s a strictly not-for-profit endeavor. All of those costs that go into keeping a site up and running are typically absorbed by the site owner unless he or she happens to generate some ad revenue. Or, if you’re very very clever like Carson Mataxis, you can sell some truly AWESOME posters to help offset the costs.

Unfortunately, to produce such high quality posters also costs money– which is where the 3DJoes.com Kickstarter comes in. Here’s the announcement from Carson:

For two years I’ve been building 3DJoes.com, the ultimate G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero archive! 3DJoes is the only interactive, three dimensional museum of G.I. Joe A Real American Hero nostalgia. Best of all, it’s ad-free.

To help pay for the site, I’ve created three awesome posters (check them out here). I’ve taken a HUGE gamble each time I’ve printed one of these posters. The last couple posters have gone on a credit card and they have each taken over four months to break even. I simply cannot put another poster on credit, but that won’t stop me!

I’m ready to make three more, and I need your help! Each poster costs $3,000 to produce. SO, I’ve set the goal at $3,300 (to cover Amazon and KS fees) and hope to at least produce one of the following posters. If we hit the first stretch goal ($6,600), we’ll make two, and if we hit the second stretch goal ($9,900), we’ll make all three!

As always, I’m impressed with the level of detail that Carson puts into restoring each image to optimum quality. If you’ve seen his previous work, you’ll know that the final product is the best possible version of each piece of art. Now, imagine that level of meticulous detail applied to the vehicle artwork, or the 1986 – 1987 Joes, or even smaller pieces like post cards of the “To The Rescue” or “Yo Joe!” posters. Or, if artwork isn’t necessarily your cup-o-Joe you can walk away with a fantastic embroidered hat– just for supporting a truly terrific fan resource.

Even better– top-tier supporters can walk away with some of their items autographed by two of the minds behind the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero era — Larry Hama and Kirk Bozigian!

With 42 days to go, the project already has 42 backers and has raised $2,816.00 of its modest $3,300.00 goal. Let’s push that over the top and ensure that 3DJoes.com can keep on spinning! The deadline to contribute is September 3, 2014 at 8:01pm CST.

Show what support you can and let ’em know that the fan community supports 3DJoes.com!

3DJoes.com Kickstarter Project