G.I. Joe FSS 8 Blizzard will treat you right!

Posted on April 23, 2018 by Fred Meyer

The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club has unveiled the digital mock-up for the FSS 8 version of Arctic Attack Soldier Blizzard!

G.I. JOE ARCTIC ATTACK SOLDIER
Code Name: GREG “BLIZZARD” NATALE
(Inspired by the 1988 action figure.)
Includes: removable arctic coat, sniper rifle, backpack,
skis x 2, ski poles x 2, boot cleats x 2, and figure stand.

Hmmm… so Blizzard isn’t what I expected. At all…

The signature design element of the original 1988 Blizzard (to my eyes) was his uniquely-designed removable helmet. Rather than a hood or a stocking cap, this guy went full bore with a combat helmet and attached googles. It gave him a tactical look that set him apart from being written off as “just another guy in a thick coat.” Continue reading →

GIJoeCon 2018: Hardball swings for the fences!

Posted on February 9, 2018 by Fred Meyer

The GIJoeCon 2018 previews continue with a look at the Slaughter’s Marauders take on Hardball!

SLAUGHTER’S MARAUDERS
MULTI-SHOT GRENADIER: HARDBALL

– 25th Anniversary Style/Fully Poseable Action Figure.
– First Modern Era Release of Character in SM design.
– Includes removable hat, harness, pistol with suppressor,
knife, re-tooled multi-shot grenade launcher, backpack,
and G.I. Joe Logo Stand.

“Multi-Shot Grenadier”… that makes me laugh. It should be “guy with a grenade launcher so big he’s going to blow up the world!!!”

Man, I love the character of Hardball! Ever since I first encountered his vintage 1988 version I had an affinity for the character. He was never the most popular Joe nor did he get any screen time in animation. Still, a guy who carries a launcher that large is a force to be reckoned with and the Club did just fine with this build! Continue reading →

G.I. Joe FSS 7 Budo stands with honor!

Posted on November 24, 2017 by Fred Meyer

The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club gives fans a Black Friday surprise in the form of FSS 7 Budo!

G.I. JOE SAMURAI WARRIOR
Code Name: BUDO
(Inspired by the 1988 action figure.)
Features NEW head sculpt!
Includes: Samurai helmet, removable chest armor,
belt, sais x 2, swords x 2, and figure stand.

YES!!!! FSS 7 Budo has finally been revealed!

Okay, it’s time for an unpopular opinion: I’m not a fan of the 2013 Retaliation Budo figure. It’s not a bad figure by any stretch of the imagination but it’s design is that of a historically accurate samurai– which isn’t what 1988’s Budo was all about. The original figure was less “The Last Samurai” Ken Watanabe and more of a melding of traditional samurai with the modern world. As such, that figure never worked for me. Continue reading →

G.I. Joe FSS 7 Skidmark stops you in your tracks!

Posted on November 14, 2017 by Fred Meyer

The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club continues the FSS 7 previews with a look at Treadmark… uh… SKIDMARK!

G.I. JOE ASSAULT VEHICLE DRIVER
Code Name: TREADMARK
(Inspired by the 1988 action figure.)
Includes: removable vest, assault rifle, pistol,
combat knife, and figure stand.

Holy orange hunting vests, Batman! Skidmark looks pretty good!

Okay, I’m just going to clarify this here and now. While the stand says “Treadmark” we all know who this is. It’s Skidmark; in fact, it’s a direct homage to the one and only 1988 Skidmark release. His code name was changed– maybe for legal reasons or maybe because his original name makes Joe fans giggle like a bunch of second graders. Regardless, I’m just going to call him Skidmark from this point on. Continue reading →

Joe Con 2017: Is a Hardball release in the near future?

Posted on June 16, 2017 by Fred Meyer

Could a Collector’s Club release of fan favorite 1988 Joe Hardball be coming in the near future?

Joe Con 2017 is in full swing now and last night’s souvenir pickup for attendees provided a slew of images of this year’s exclusive figures. Among those items is Corrosao, inspired by the Brazilian repaint of Battle Force 2000 team member Dee-Jay, from the Ultimate Enemies 2-pack. Normally, in cases like this, all eyes are focused on the figure but in this case, it’s the accessory that caught my eye.

G.I. Joe Con 2017 Ultimate Enemies Corrosao

Ultimate Enemies Corrosao
Photo by “The Legendary” Tom Brooks of Reasonably Intelligent Rambling

Does that large blue grenade launcher look familiar? Take a good look– it should:

That’s right, Joe fans! Corrosao is packing a freshly-tooled blue version of Hardball’s signature grenade launcher! Given the Collector’s Club’s penchant for never using a newly-tooled part just once, this is a pretty strong indicator that Hardball could FINALLY be seeing a return to action figure format! This could mean that our 1988 roster is getting that much closer to completion in the generation 3 construction.

Now, this begs the question: where would he fall into the Club’s release schedule? FSS 7.0? Annual membership renewal figure? Joe Con 2018 convention set? Hopefully we’ll find out the answer to this at tomorrow’s Collector’s Club Round Table panel.

Regardless, this is one of the most exciting bits of potential news to come out of Joe Con 2017 thus far, at least to this Joe fan!

G.I. Joe FSS 6 Jonas “Ghostrider” Jeffries is revealed

Posted on May 23, 2017 by Fred Meyer

Check out the G.I. Joe FSS 6 preview of Jonas “Ghostrider” Jeffries

G.I. JOE STEALTH FIGHTER PILOT
Code Name: JONAS “#########” JEFFRIES
(Inspired by the 1988 action figure!)
Features NEW cloth scarf. Includes: removable scarf, goggles,
jacket, pistol, sub machine gun, and figure stand.

I’ll say it now– using the name “Ghostrider” and then promptly losing access to it was the best thing that ever happened to the pilot of the X-19. Suddenly, instead of being yet another Joe pilot, he was the guy whose name no one could remember. In an instant, the forgettable pilot became unforgettable– at least to this Joe fan.

However, let’s talk about this figure’s build… Continue reading →

G.I. Joe FSS 5 Shipment 1 is inbound!

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Fred Meyer

The first shipment from G.I. Joe FSS 5 is heading to subscribers!

It’s that time again– when subscribers to the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Figure Subscription Service eagerly start checking their mailboxes and front porches on a daily basis. That’s right Joe fans, G.I. Joe FSS 5 shipment 1 is on its way and, thanks to Alyosha of both Broken Arrow Toys and the newly-formed Chicken Fried Toys, we’ve got images of this first shipment!

For those of you who wish to remain “unspoiled” in this age of information overload, turn back now. We’re going to highlight just exactly who is in this first shipment.

Continue reading →

Meet Charbroil in first G.I. Joe FSS 5 preview

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Fred Meyer

The G.I. Joe FSS 5 previews have started with a first-look at Charbroil!

Here’s the details from the Club:

G.I. JOE FLAMETHROWER: CHARBROIL
(Based on the classic 1988 action figure!)

Includes: removable helmet, flamethrower, flamethrower tanks backpack
with connection hose, flame burst attachment, pistol, and figure stand.

NOTE: All images are Photoshop representations, final product, accessories and/or colors may vary!

This one pretty much a no-brainer for the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club to release in G.I. Joe FSS 5. Essentially, Charbroil is the same build as his previous 2013 Nocturnal Fire version, simply rendered in his original 1988 color scheme. The Club took a similar approach with their FSS releases of Repeater, Muskrat, Hit & Run, Spearhead & Max, and Psyche-Out back in FSS 3. Interestingly enough, I could have sworn that it was mentioned that at the 2016 Collector’s Club Roundtable at Joe Con that his helmet would NOT be removable so this is a nice surprise.

There’s still no word on when the sign-up period for G.I. Joe FSS 5 will be begin but now that the floodgates have opened for reveals we have to anticipate it being sooner rather than later.

The G.I. Joe FSS 5 Roster:

Concealment Specialist – Ambush
Flamethrower – Charbroil (Classic deco)
Iron Grenadier Courier – Darklon (more modernized version than previous convention version)
G.I. Joe Strategic Commander – General Flagg (similar to Battle Corps version)
Cobra Battle Corps Cobra Viper – based on Iron Anvils from 2015 Convention version
Anti-Armor Trooper – Salvo (more Pursuit of Cobra styled, based on existing tooling)
Combat Journalist – Scoop (using the Sky Patrol Airborne head sculpt from this year’s con set)
Cobra Falconer – Raptor
Advanced Recon – Sneak Peek (based on FSS 4 Tiger Force version)
SKAR Infantry Officer – Steel Raven (based on Club magazine comics – FEMALE character)
Cobra Shattered Glass Xamot (from the Club Comic Adventure Team storyline with new head sculpt)
Z-Force Mechanic Gaucho (pairs with Jammer)

For more information, keep your eyes peeled to both JBL and GIJoeClub.com!

G.I. Joe FSS 3 Hit & Run Review

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Fred Meyer

The G.I. Joe FSS 3 Hit & Run figure has finally been reviewed!

As Chris and I play catch-up on the last of the FSS 3 figures, Hit & Run steps into the spotlight. When the character was first announced as part of the subscription roster, fans were ecstatic at the prospect of having a more detailed update to this particular character. The initial teaser image released by the Club, however, created quite a stir in the certain parts of the fandom. As a result, the Club released a second mock-up which included the figure’s signature face and arm camouflage as well as a different set of web gear for the FSS 3 Hit & Run.

Did those changes work? Is this the Hit & Run that some fans have desired for years? Do Fred and Chris agree on this figure or do we have a 50/50 split opinion? Will I stop posting questions and get on with it?

Check out the review by clicking on the image above or by visiting the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index! Afterwards, let us know what YOU think of this figure by sharing your opinions in the comments below.

G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Previews FSS 3.0 Repeater

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Fred Meyer

Better late than never, the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club starts off the week with another preview of Figure Subscription Service 3.0. Feast your eyes on the G.I. Joe machine gunner Repeater!

As with many of the Nocturnal Fire characters in this series, Repeater is back to basics! Based on the G.I. Joe Retaliation Ultimate Roadblock body, this figure is generation 3 version of the original 1988 Repeater!

Owners of the 2013 Night Force Repeater raved about the figure design when it was used in that year’s Joe Con set. The bulky body design gave the character a lot more body mass than the original but that was fitting for a soldier who wielded the massive steadicam machine gun that came in the convention set. This time around, however, Repeater has been downsized just a bit and is merely a “machine gunner”.

He’s got a slick painted SAW but I can’t help but miss the character’s signature weapon more than just a little. Fans have been mixed in their reactions to some of the recent FSS 3.0 reveals from the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club so it remains to be seen if this will get the same attention that Hit & Run’s missing face paint did. Still, it’s a nice update on the original, even if his kit looks a bit light.

If you’ve not already subscribed to the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club FSS 3.0, you’ll want to do so before June 30, 2014!