G.I. Joe Zombie Initiative Reviews – Cobra Forces

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Fred Meyer

JBL’s G.I. Joe Zombie Initiative review continues as we count down the days to Halloween!

This week, we’ve covered the ECO-Force and the Zombie Hunters but today we head into a darker corner of the Zombie Initiative. It’s an area full of mad scientists, evil soldiers, and, of course, the animated dead! While the G.I. Joe forces in the set are tasked with finding a cure or containment of the Compound Z infected, Cobra has only one goal – to spread the Zombie Initiative as far as they can! Only when the infected have weakened the populace will Cobra make its move!

Check out the new reviews of the Cobra Lab Rat, Repulsor & Dawg, the Toxo-Vipers, and the Toxo-Zombies! They’re all posted in the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index!

Plus, check back tomorrow as Chris and I round out the week with the Zombie Initiative souvenir extras!

Also, just a reminder that the Zombie Initiative boxed set is still available at the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club store!

G.I. Joe Zombie Initiative Review – Zombie Hunters

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Fred Meyer

The countdown to Halloween continues with another review from the 2014 G.I. Joe Zombie Initiative convention set! Today, meet the ragtag group of exterminators who are tasked with extermination– the Zombie Hunters!

A ninja, a survivalist, and a security team commander walk into an infestation zone. It sounds like the opening to a macabre anecdote that might be told to friends on Halloween. Instead, trio of T’Jbang, Outback, and the Steel Brigade Commander are assigned to wade into the hordes of infected and thin their numbers. The ECO-Force team was tasked with finding a cure but the Zombie Hunters have only one goal – eliminate the threat of the Zombie Initiative the only way they know how…

Are these soldiers up to the task? Do they have a prayer of reining in the threat of Compound Z? Check out the next installment of the G.I. Joe Zombie Initiative convention set review and find out two Joe fans’ opinions! It’s posted at the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index!

Just a reminder- this set is still listed as “in stock” over the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club store if you’d like to snag your very own Zombie Initiative! Check back tomorrow for the next installment in our Halloween countdown!

G.I. Joe Zombie Initiative Review – Eco-Force

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Fred Meyer

JBL is counting down the days until Halloween with a look at the Zombie Initiative!

Each day from now until All Hallows Eve this Friday, Chris and I will be delving into the 2014 G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention set – the Zombie Initiative! It’s a varied set filled with evil scientists, zombie hunters, and the unfortunate infected that make up the hordes of the walking dead! The best part is that the set is still available at the G.I. Joe Club store if you’re still looking to pick one up for yourself!

Today’s reviews focus on that group of brave scientists and soldiers tasked with finding a way to cure the infected of the Zombie Initiative! That’s right– I’m talking about the E.C.O.- Force! Check out the reviews of Clean-Sweep, Flint, and Ozone in their generation 3 builds over in the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index!

Check back tomorrow as JBL unveils the next installment of the Zombie Initiative in our Halloween Countdown!

G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Eagle’s Edge Review

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Fred Meyer

It’s a new week with a new G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary review! This time JBL takes on the Eagle’s Edge three-pack featuring General Hawk, Leatherneck, and a brand-new Destro!

It’s an interesting mix of old and new– a mix of G.I. Joe Retaliation and Pursuit of Cobra as Hasbro attempts to celebrate a half century of “America’s Moveable Fighting Man.” I won’t lie– there’s some good, some bad, and some ugly but it’s still three classic characters in one reasonably-priced retail three-pack that’s currently available at both Toys R Us retail locations and online at Bigbadtoystore.com.

Check out the individual reviews in the G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Review Index!

Plus, check back this week as JBL debuts a series of Halloween-themed reviews tomorrow! Plus, the Social Clash review is coming soon!

G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Reviews Return!

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Fred Meyer

It’s been a bit but the G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary reviews continue with the first two two-packs in the line– the Heated Battle and the Night Marksmen!

I’ve been sitting on these for a while now– digesting what may be some of the last new 1:18 Joes from Hasbro for a while. As with much of this ~~32nd Anniversary of A Real American Hero~~ 50th Anniversary of G.I. Joe line, it’s a case of “what was old is new again.” These two packs feature three characters who have seen prior releases and one that makes his debut in the generation 3 style of construction.

So, were Blowtorch, Low-Light, HEAT Viper, and Night Viper worth picking up?

Head on over to the G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Index and check out one Joe fan’s opinion!

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!

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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SDCC Danger at the Docks to Hit TRU.com on July 24

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Fred Meyer

It’s almost time for SDCC 2014!

Next week is the 2014 San Diego Comic Con! It’s a celebration of genre-related goodness with everything from panels featuring the latest movies to forthcoming toy lines on display. It’s also a time when exclusive products are made available through manufacturers and retailers. The G.I. Joe brand is no stranger to this concept– with a history of SDCC exclusive items sold through HasbroToyShop.com including the “Pimp Daddy” Destro, Sgt. Slaughter, and Jinx figures and even some G.I. Joe/Transformers cross-over items. This year, however, the place to check out at the con is the Toys R Us booth!

As reported earlier here at JBL, Toys R Us will be offering an exclusive version of the forthcoming 50th Anniversary “Danger at the Docks” set at the Entertainment Earth Booth (#2343) featuring Flint in his classic colors as well as the first-ever Generation 3 update of the desert VAMP Mk 2. However, this item will also be available online starting on July 24, 2014!

That’s right– this set, along with a host of other items including this admin’s sought-after movie-accurate TMNT figures, will be available at the following link on July 24, 2014!

http://www.toysrus.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=11433485&sr=1&origkw=sdcc

So get ready to hit those F5 keys and set your browser bookmarks! July 24th is going to be an interesting day to shop online!

Please note: there is also a standard “urban” version of this set available as part of the 50th Anniversary line which will be available at brick & mortar Toys R Us stores later this Summer/early Fall.

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G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Items Hit Ebay

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Fred Meyer

It was bound to happen sooner rather than later. Ebay seller viperskingdom has listed several items from the forthcoming 50th Anniversary collection up for auction. I’ve mirrored some of the images below but all of his auctions may also be found HERE.

First, the pictures, then some commentary….

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Okay, I’m just going to go straight to the elephant in the room– the incredibly poor paint applications seen on the Lady Jaye figure. Really– that’s one of the worst paint decos I’ve seen since the 2000 relaunch of the brand with the G.I. Joe vs. Cobra era. This is the same head that was used by the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club for the Night Force Lady Jaye that was a 2013 Joe Con convention souvenir which means that fans have already seen how this head can turn out. They’ve now got something to compare this “G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary” version to. (I still argue that it’s really the “32nd Anniversary of ARAH”.) Those same fans have also come to expect a certain level of quality from Hasbro produced items.

This isn’t it. It’s like QC just took the night off and let the interns take a shot at painting.

As for the rest of the line? Well, quite honestly– it’s uninspired. Rather than celebrating the wide half-century history of a brand that redefined action figures for generations the marketing folks at Hasbro cobbled together a collection of repaints and some concept vault figures and called it a night. While the more recent Joe fans might like the offerings, this long time Joe fan finds them lazy, uninspired, and downright insulting to the collectors of the 1:6 era that put G.I. Joe on the map in the first place.

Sure, there’s going to be a Snow Wolf and a “mostly new” Leatherneck, but overall this line is nothing even close to what it really should have been.

Check out the rest of viperskingdom’s current G.I. Joe auctions on Ebay.

Last Call for G.I. Joe Collector’s Club FSS 3.0

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Fred Meyer

Today is the day– the final day to sign-up for the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club FSS 3.0. In order to provide that final incentive, the Club released the following “group shot” yesterday.

Yes, it’s just a composite image of the previews shown thus far but it provides the only real “at a glance” look at what subscribers will receive over the forthcoming months.

It’s an interesting roster– with many Nocturnal Fire alumni, three Cobra-affiliated ninjas, a member of Action Force, and the final member of the Stall family whose saga played out in the file cards of the G.I. Joe vs. Cobra era.

As an addition teaser, the Club showcased hard resin prototypes of three of the unique headsculpts from the line that were designed by the insanely talented Boss Fight Studio team. Seen below are the sculpts for Bombstrike, Big Ben, and the Crimson Guard Immortal.

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It’s not a cheap subscription– with the subscription running $315.00 if paid in full with additional charges for both shipping and credit card processing. (Or paid in three installments of $105.00 each.) However, if you really want to obtain these figures and don’t want to have to deal with the hassle of tracking them down individually the subscription is the way to go– and the only way to guarantee receipt of the “mysterious 13th figure”.

To subscribe, visit the sign-up page for the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Figure Subscription Service 3.0 today.