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
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!
Podcast: What’s on Joe Mind episode #54
The guys at What’s On Joe Mind have been going at it for over a year now! Covering a full slate of topics from figures to voice actor interviews to convention news, this is the longest running Joe podcast on the web. (Even if they never post their updates here!)
Check out the synopsis of episode #54, including a surprise bit by a hack website admin.
This week we step back into the shadowy depths of the fandom to find the person responsible for the very cool, but very outlawed fan made video game, GI Joe: The Attack on Cobra Island. A crack team of WOJM investigative reporters, seasoned by watching 20/20 tracked down the lead designer of the game, known to us as Lord Skiff (aka Range Viper). Skiff, or Skiffer as Mike likes to call him, agreed to a clandestine interview. TO protect his privacy, Skiff asked that we disguise his voice. He’s an every day collector and fan just like you and me. Find out what he has to say about his game, the C&D issued by Hasbro’s lawyers and its foggy future. Rounding out the first half of the program, our buddy and admin of JoeBattlelines.com, Fred Meyer (aka Leo T. Dragon) gives an indepth review and historical lession of the 2002 JoeCon Crimson Strike Team set. Following halftime we were joined by Michael (aka Counterpunch) co-host of the Seibertron.com Twincast Podcast to discuss the atmosphere at BotCon and some of the differences and similarities of the opposing fandoms. You’d be surprised at what we discover. After our good byes with Counterpunch, we dip into the mailbag for some JoeCon related questions. In the news, Chuck GUSHES about the new YoJoe.com layout. The rest of us admit, it is AWESOME! THe GIJCC unveils Stormavik and the first figure of the opposing faction – you get our reactions. All this and a ton more, PLUS we debut our new ORIGINAL theme music by composer Mat Howlett!! The countdown to JoeCon 2012 continues! Join the fun, won’t you?
Apparently they’ll let anyone contribute!
Check it out below:
JoeCon 2012: Convention brochure is now online
Amidst a flurry of activity over the 2012 Convention set reveals, the Collector’s Club has posted the official convention brochure online.
Details from the brochure of interest are:
- The Oktober Guard team will consist of Daina, Colonel Brehov, Shrage, Stormavik and the yet-to-be revealed Horrorshow and General Iron Bear.
- The American Heroes package (attending 1:18 set) will be $345 for members and $405 for non- members. (This effectively makes all non-members into members. Go fig…) Bagged sets are $210 and require the purchase of a convention set.
- The Homefront Heroes package (non-attending 1:18 set) is the same as the American Heroes package.
- The controversial “Golden Ticket” concept is back again this year– allowing attendees who pay an extra premium the ability to pick up items early and three times the normal purchase quantities on exclusives. 75 will be available in 1:18 format and 25 for 1:6 format. The cost of the “Golden Ticket” is an additional $300 on top of the convention admission price.
- Quantities of the Operation Bear Trap set are 600 produced boxed sets and 325 bagged sets for both attendees and non-attendees.
- A special screening of G.I. Joe: Retaliation will be available for $29. Attendees will receive a full-size movie poster from Paramount Pictures.
The entire convention brochure is available here in PDF format.
Normally I’d keep this posting objective but it’s time to step on my soap box regarding the “Golden Ticket” concept. I wasn’t surprised last year when the ticket concept debuted last year as it seemed an EASY way for the Collector’s Club to milk out additional revenue while providing very little in terms of additional produced items. However, $300 for something that allows to purchase more items at ever-increasing Collector’s Club prices seems like a blatant cash grab. Sure, no one is forcing those individuals to pay for the “Golden Ticket” but the very concept really hits home the fact that the Collector’s Club is never and has never really been a true club “of the fans, by the fans.” It’s a business– one that has a history of baffling decisions that almost seems to alienate as much of the membership as it embraces.
We’ve long suspected that the 1:18 sales bankroll the 1:6 product for the club and the numbers on the “Golden Ticket” and the convention sets bring that point home. I’ve no doubt that the Collector’s Club will sell all 75 of the “Golden Tickets” and that most of the sets purchased from those ticket holders will end up on Ebay at a vastly inflated rate. That’s the real rub of the whole situation– the Club is catering more and more to the top tier of its membership with the deeper pockets than it is the vast majority of its members. Years ago, when I was working in retail our store had the then “gotta have it” Christmas item: the Furby. Rather than letting a few customers buy out our ENTIRE inventory, our store manager set a store limit: 2 per customer. The idea was to make as many of our customers happy as possible rather than catering to just our top-tier folks. In light of ALL of the mishaps that the Club has had in just 2012 alone including missed deadlines on the Figure Subscription Service, late newsletters, and the credit card hack that affect MANY of its members (including this admin) I find it hard to see how the Club is really doing anything in try to keep the vast majority of its membership happy. Helping items to sell out faster to fewer individuals isn’t going to help win over any of the disgruntled members– even if those individuals are paying nearly convention-set prices for the privilege of spending more.
Bad form, Master Collector. Bad form.
Joecon 2012: Voltar revealed!
Heeeeeere’s Voltar:
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.
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!
JoeCon: Iron Grenadier Elite Guard revealed
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!
JoeCon: Iron Grenadier Heavy Trooper and Elite Trooper revealed
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:
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!
Netflix: EVERY Sunbow episode now on Netflix Streaming
What a whirlwind this past weekend was! From the insane awesomeness that was The Avengers on the big screen to Free Comic Book Day, most genre fans were enjoying a pretty booked schedule. However, once again Netflix manages to be the icing on the cake for a near perfect weekend.
As of last night, all 65 episodes of Sunbow’s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero animated series are available on Netflix Streaming! That’s right– from the first episode of the MASS Device to “Into Your Tent I Will Silently Creep”, every animated adventure from the first series is available by PC, Xbox LIVE, PS3, and Wii.
If that doesn’t make a lot of Joe fans happy I don’t know what will…
JoeCon2012: Stormavik revealed
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!
Introducing YoJoe v 2.0 – the original Joe archive site just got better!
If you’re like most Joe fans, YoJoe.com is domain that you visit fairly often. It’s the original and most comprehensive database of G.I. Joe-related materials on the internet with every figure, vehicle, and accessory cataloged and photographed for reference. Sometimes it was a bit cumbersome to navigate but that was just part of the YoJoe experience. After all, the site’s basic format has been unchanged since the late 90’s.
However, the staff over at YJ wasn’t content to just sit on their collective status quo. Enter: YoJoe 2.0!
Introducing YoJoe! 2.0
Concise, Streamlined Pics and Information
Archive updates have been pretty quiet around here over the last few months, but it’s been busy behind the scenes. Today we’re excited to announce the beta rollout of a brand new version of YoJoe.
The first part of the rollout is the 3 3/4″ Action Figure Archives. It’s a totally new index layout that lets you navigate by text-link or thumbnail, with fewer page loads to get to the figures you want to see and a lot more information all together in one place.Figure version lists are easier to navigate and all relevant pictures are on the same page. Filecard images? Card backs? All Geared Up pics? You no longer have to navigate away from the archive entry to view them.
And this is only the start. Over the coming weeks and months, we’ll continue to overhaul the other sections of the site, until every corner of YoJoe is up to date. Faster loading pages, clean and sleek layouts, and better images.
We’ve already added in new figure entries for you to look at. Take a look at the new archives and let us know what you think. Remember, this is a beta. If you like it, let us know. If you see a problem or a mistake or ways to improve it, let us know. If you have better pics, send ‘em in. You’ll get full photo credit if we use them.
Welcome to YoJoe! 2.0
Congrats guys! The cleaner navigation and instant access to figure thumbnails is a HUGE improvement! I can only imagine how many hours of blood sweat and tears went into this but the hard work has paid off. The site looks great and will continue to be my default online reference until the last o-ring in my collection snaps!