A chilling preview of FSS 7 Arctic Cobra Commander

We have another FSS 7 preview today, thanks to the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club.  The subject: Arctic Cobra Commander!

G.I. Joe Collector's Club FSS 7 Arctic Cobra Commander

COBRA SUPREME LEADER
Code Name: COBRA COMMANDER

(Inspired by the unreleased “arctic” action figure.)
Includes: removable helmet, holster with pistol,
advanced combat rifle, cobra staff, and figure stand.

 

So, the Arctic Cobra Commander is revealed at last– and he’s virtually identical to the cancelled figure from 2010.  (Check out this breakdown of the intended two-pack over at HISSTank.com.)  The color palate is a dead-ringer for that particular release.  Only the accessories are different– with the longer staff replacing the smaller scepter and the “advanced combat rifle” added to the gear.  (I have my doubts on how well old Snake Head will be able to hold that piece of firepower.)

Parts of the coat should look familiar as the Club used them previous in the 2012 Elite Guards from that year’s Joe Con set.

Overall it’s a nice compliment to the Arctic Mindbender released by the Club as a renewal figure a few years ago.

For those who are keeping score, here’s the roster of FSS 7:

  • Arctic Cobra Commander – based on the cancelled two-pack version
  • Budo – G.I. Joe Samurai
  • Crystal Ball – Cobra Hypnotist
  • Dreadnok Salvage Crew – Code name: Dreadnok Kaos
  • Dusty & Sandstorm (v3) – DiC era Desert Trooper and coyote
  • General Hawk (1991) – DiC era jet pack version
  • Ice Viper Officer – based on the Club’s Flaming Moth version
  • Kangor – International repaint of Big Boa
  • Stalker (Tundra Ranger) – DiC era cold weather version with kayak
  • Treadmark (aka Skidmark) – the Desert Fox driver returns
  • Tiger Force Kim “Jinx” Arashikage – based on the 2003 six-pack version
  • Tomax – inspired by the Shattered Glass/Sunbow look

The FSS 7 page is LIVE now!  The cost of the thirteen figure set (including the bonus piece) is $375.00 plus shipping. Place your order prior to December 4, 2017  and keep your eyes peeled to GIJoeClub.com for more previews.

Designer Bobby Vala interviewed at Hasbro Pulse

Hasbro Pulse has a brand new article posted – an interview with designer Bobby Vala.  The subject?  The Cobra Missile Command Headquarters!

Cobra Missile Command Headquarters mockupI’m not going to lie– I LOVE the Cobra Missile Command Headquarters.  First, I ranted about it here on JBL. In addition, I raved about it over on Just Another G.I. Joe Show.  It’s been a “Holy Grail” item for me for years and this year’s convention exclusive release was essentially a dream come true.  (Save for its limited availability- but that’s a story for another time.) Yet, I found myself wondering “Why this playset?  Why now?”

In a rare opportunity, this admin was able to sit down and discuss this iconic playset and the process of its reconstruction with Hasbro designer Bobby Vala.  He discusses the process of recreating this iconic piece of A Real American Hero history as well as the process of updating the included figures to modern specs.  Bobby’s passion for this project shines through in every answer. As a result, it’s obvious that this was truly a labor of love!

Check it out over on Hasbro Pulse!  Plus, if you’d like to see more features like this, let us know in the comments below!

Cobra Missile Command Headquarters box front

SDCC G.I. Joe exclusives available 8/14 at HasbroToyShop

Cobra Missile Command Headquarters box front

SDCC 2017 is in full swing and G.Hasbro’s annual G.I. Joe exclusives are very much on everyone’s mind!  However, it would seem that those of us who are stuck at home know just when the sought-after comic con items will be dropping on HasbroToyShop.com.

Yesterday, two product listings were quietly added to the website.

Included in each product description was the note “available 8/14”.  Apparently that day, the second Monday in August, will be when fans from around the globe will be hitting the site, frantically hitting F5 to refresh their screens in the hopes of completing their transactions before the items sell out. While the exclusives of the past few years have been pretty easy to obtain, there’s something about this year’s two G.I. Joe-related SDCC items that feels very different.

Hasbro IDW Revolution Comic Crossover Mega-Set

I’m not going to lie– I’m giddy over the prospect of BOTH of these sets, for very different reasons.  Nostalgia plays a heavy hand in my love for both sets but I’d be hard-pressed right now to choose one over the other if I had to prioritize dropping one in my cart first.  One one had there’s the AMAZING recreation/update to the Cobra Missile Command Headquarters but on the other hand there’s the IDW Hasbro Comic Crossover Mega-Set that includes Renegades Roadblock, ROM the Space Knight, and the Micronauts.  Decisions, decisions.

Regardless, August 14th is the day to put on your calendars kids!

And now you know…

Hasbro’s IDW Revolution Comic Crossover Mega-Set:

Cobra Missile Command Headquarters:

 

New G.I. Joe vs. Transformers set up for pre-order

Remember that new G.I. Joe vs. Transformers set featuring Dr. Biggles-Jones and Ninja Force Scarlett?

G.I. joe vs transformers 5-pack

If you’re on the edge of your seat waiting for this new G.I. Joe vs. Transformers set to see release wait no longer!  The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club has listed pre-orders for the next three exclusives in their ongoing Joe vs TF series.  However, be forewarned– the pricing on this set isn’t for the faint of heart.  In order to snag the big set, fans will have to shell out a cool $129.00!

Here’s what’s included:

Also up for pre-order are the two “Almost Human” figures– the synthoid body versions of Rodimus Prime and Arcee.  These tie in nicely with the Old Snake and Stealth BATs set released last year.  All three sets have an expected delivery date of “December 2016.”

Go get ’em while they’re hot!

Closer look at G.I. Joe vs. Transformers Ninja Force Scarlett

The June 2016 issue of the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club magazine is hitting member mailboxes and with it comes a better look at the forthcoming G.I. Joe vs. Transformers set Ninja Force Scarlett.

G.I. Joe Ninja Force Scarlett cover

So, how’s Scarlett looking?  To the eyes of this Joe fan, pretty good!  I see the Renegades Scarlett head and what appears to be the upper torso of the Retaliation Jinx combined with the arms of the SDCC Zarana figure.  The upper legs might be from the 25th Anniversary Scarlett and the boots, well, those are a mystery right now.  It looks to be a solid parts combination that does a pretty decent job of recreating the original 1993 Ninja Force Scarlett figure while still following the Club’s pattern of primarily reusing existing parts.

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Botcon 2016: New G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers set coming

A final G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers set has been revealed at Botcon 2016!

Fun Publications may be in its final year as the show-runner for both the annual Botcon and Joe Con events but that doesn’t mean that they’re slowing down on their exclusive products.  Yesterday at Botcon 2016, a brand new G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers set was unveiled– based on the launch of Transformers Generation 2 as it appeared in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero vol 1 #138 – #142!

GI Joe Vs. Transformers crossover set botcon 2016

Eagle-eyed fans will recognize the cast of this particular set but just in case you don’t, here’s the breakdown:

I’ve got to give the folks at Fun Publications credit– this is certain a more interesting-looking set than the second “Only Human” set featuring synthoid Arcee and Rodimus Prime.  Joe fans are going to want this set pretty much exclusively for the Ninja Force Scarlett figure and maybe the Dr. Biggles-Jones, the brilliant scientist who was featured heavily in those G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issues.  As far as Cobra Commander– it’s the same figure was last seen in the Dollar General series with some additional paint apps and equipped with the gun Megatron seen in the 2011 SDCC set.  I’m not a big enough Transformers fan to tell you if the Megatron and Ratbat figures are highly sought-after repaints or not.

No price point was announced but considering that Fun Publications is ending its license with Hasbro at the end of the year I’ll bet that these are available at Joe Con 2016.

What do you think of this latest G.I. Joe vs the Transformers offering?  Are you interested in these sets?  Will you be keeping all of the figures or selling off the Transformers?  Let us know in the comments below.

Old Snake & Stealth BAT Duo Review

G.I. Joe & the Transformers Old Snake & Stealth BAT duo

The Old Snake & Stealth BAT Duo two-pack review is live!

The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club blew the fandom’s collective minds at Joe Con 2015 when it was revealed that one of the pieces in their G.I. Joe & the Transformers series was a two-pack featuring Old Snake aka “Future Cobra Commander.”  Featured in the classic G1 Transformers episode “Only Human“, this 1:18 figure recreates the look of a familiar-voiced arms dealer who went by the moniker of “Old Snake” and who just happened to be in possession of Synthoid technology.  However, the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club took things a step further and packaged this distinctive villain with two repurposed Transformers Prime Soundwave figures in classic Battle Android Trooper deco.

The result: the Old Snake & Stealth BAT Duo two-pack!

Check out the guest review from Otto “The Otter” Phillips over in the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index and then let us know your thoughts on this set in the comments below!

Hunt for Cobra Commander two-pack review

G.I. Joe Hunt for Cobra Commander

The G.I. Joe Hunt for Cobra Commander two-pack review is now posted!

It’s been a bit of a busy week here at JBL HQ but that’s not stopping us from whittling our way through the new G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary two-packs!  This time, Fred takes a look at the Hunt for Cobra Commander set which pits the 2012 concept case Shipwreck up against a darker more sinister Cobra Commander.  These sets are just now hitting Toys R Us stores across the nation and full cases are STILL available at EntertainmentEarth.com for just $119.99.

Who will emerge victorious?  Do the red shoes help?  Should Deadpool make more cameos in reviews? Does it even matter?

Check out the Hunt for Cobra Commander Shipwreck and Cobra Commander reviews over in the G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Review Index!

FYI – We want your feedback!  Either drop us a comment below or post thoughts on this set and our review over at the JBL Facebook page!  (Seriously, we love to talk G.I. Joe!)

G.I. Joe Club Old Snake & Stealth BATS in stock!

Old Snake & Stealth BATS

The G.I. Joe/Transformers “Old Snake & Stealth BATs” set is now IN STOCK at the G.I.Joe Collector’s Club store!

The past few years have seen more G.I. Joe/Transformers crossovers than I would have thoguht possible including three SDCC exclusives from Hasbro.  This year Fun Publications, the company behind both the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club and the Transformers Collectors Club, announced two different crossover sets– one featuring Marissa Faireborne, the daughter of Flint and Lady Jaye, and a second featuring a beloved character from the Transformers episode “Only Human.”  In this episode, the villain Drath approached an indvidual named “Old Snake” for his synthoid technology, something that Cobra had used numerous times in the G.I. Joe cartoon.  Old Snake, as most fans will immediately recognize, was intended to be the future version of Cobra Commander! Continue reading

FSS 4 Billy Arboc is revealed!

No more words… FSS 4 Billy Arboc has been unveiled!

FSS 4 Billy Arboc

COBRA COMMANDER’S SON: BILLY ARBOC

(Based on the never before released G.I. Joe comic book character!)

Includes: NEW head, submachine gun, sword, grappling hook, and figure stand.

Note: Photoshop coloration make some parts look glossy but will not be that way on production figure.

 

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