Cobra 1st Legion is on the move at local events!

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Fred Meyer

The Cobra 1st Legion is on the move once again! These dedicated cosplayers have wowed the fandom in the past not only with their amazing costumes but also with the high-quality photo shoots they’ve produced at locations such as Alcatraz Island! However, this 200 member strong group isn’t just content to show off their uniforms– they’re also focused on increasing positive awareness of the G.I. Joe brand and focused on giving back to their communities!

The Legion has several events coming up in the near future– both entertainment and community driven! You’ll be able to spot their members at the following:

Baltimore Comic Con – September 7
Knightcon : Star Cars & Heroes – September 7 – Castleford UK
G.I. Joe & Toy Expo – September 8 – Sacramento CA with special guest Robert “Sgt. Slaughter” Remus
RetroCon 2013 – September 14 – Oaks, PA
Coastal Cleanup Day – September 21 – Berkeley, CA
Food Drive for the Alameda County Community Food Bank on November 23 (Location TBD)
3rd annual toy drive for the Children’s Hospital of Oakland from December 1 – 15 (Location TBD)

For more information on the Legion, visit their Facebook page Cobra 1st Legion or Cobra1stLegion.com and find out more about this dynamic group of individuals spreading the word about our favorite Real American Heroes!

NJCC giveaway Mirage revealed! Limited availability on August 18, 2013!

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Fred Meyer

The New Jersey Collector’s (NJCC) returns to Cherry Hill this Sunday and they’ve got a full slate of giveaways/door prizes including another awesome fan-produced figure: Mega-Marine Mirage!

The figure you’re looking at is completely fan-produced– courtesy of the talents of guys like Kevin Watts, raginspoon,CobraStickers.com, and the casting master, nova. An update to the original 1993 Mega-Marine figure, Mirage takes a 20 year old figure design and brings it firmly forward into the 21st century with style!

Here’s the word from the convention organizers, quoted from HissTank.com:

We are now just a few days away from the August 18th Summer NJCC, here is full gallery 40+ images of NJCC Mirage!

Mirage was introduced in 1993 as part of the Mega Marines subline of G.I. Joe A Real American Hero! Make sure to check back to see the full figure with card art and sticker sheet.

New Jersey Collectors Con Summer Show Date August 18th 2013!

Holiday Inn Cherry Hill – New Jersey
2175 West Marlton Pike (Rt. 70), Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
Sunday, August 18th, 2013

The door prize announcements will start at 9AM and conclude at 3:30PM with our last door prize announcement.

9AM TRANSFORMERS CONSTRUCT-A-BOTS BUNDLE
10AM MARVEL LEGENDS SDCC 2013 THUNDERBOLTS SET
10AM SDCC GOLD PIMP DADDY DESTRO
11AM G.I. JOE vs TRANSFORMERS SDCC 2013 BOX SET
12AM MY LITTLE PONY SDCC EXCLUSIVE DJ PON-3
1PM BLACK SERIES BOBA FETT & HAN SOLO IN CARBONITE SDCC 2013 BOX SET
2PM MARVEL UNIVERSE DEADPOOL CORPS SDCC 2013 SET
3PM FORTRESS MAXIMUS ENCORE 23
3PM SDCC GOLD PIMP DADDY DESTRO
3:30PM TRANFORMERS SDCC 2013 METROPLEX BOX SET
3:30PM PX-01 GENESIS

I’ll be honest here– this figure is a knock-out in my opinion. It’s a modern update of a classic design that is still immediately recognizable as Mirage! The overall parts combo works to produce a figure that shows that fan-produced customs can meet if not exceed the quality of Hasbro-produced pieces at times. My only regret with this figure is that I have no way to attend the con this weekend and therefore won’t be able to snag one. For those of you who are lucky enough to do so, appreciate him for the 1:18 piece of plastic awesome that he is!

This is just proof that when the “A-Team” of nova, raginspoon, cobrastickers, and Kevin Watts come together on a project good things will happen.

Check out some pics of this amazing figure below:

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SDCC 2013: G.I. Joe vs. Transformers set revealed!

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Fred Meyer

The 2013 San Diego Comic Con exclusive G.I. Joe vs. Transformers set has been announced via USA Today and trust me, this SDCC set is a doozy!

Listing at only $99 and available at the HasbroToyShop.com booth, this year’s set includes the following:

Jetfire (modified Skystriker)
Hound (modified 25th Anniversary VAMP)
Snake Eyes
Baroness (new head sculpt!)
Ravage (with leash)
Blaster (with 3 cassettes)
Bludgeon (based on the forthcoming Budo body!)

Just looking at this list it’s easy to see that Hasbro is going for broke with what is billed as the “epic conclusion” to their series of G.I. Joe vs. Transformers exclusives. With two larger vehicles, three figures, and a slew of new accessories it’s easily the most impressive piece in the series. (Last year’s Shockwave HISS w/ Destro and Constructi-BAT was no slouch, however.) For the cost, this set is a STEAL!

For me, one of the high points of the entire set is the Baroness and Ravage which hearkens back to the cancelled statue that was based on early artwork from Dreamwave’s G.I. Joe vs. Transformers crossover comic series. The new Baroness head is awesome and, well, Ravage has been one of my favorite Transformers since G1 debuted! Plus, the VAMP has been and always will be my favorite G.I. Joe vehicle– throwing in Jetfire just makes this set PURE WIN to me. The use of the forthcoming Budo body to produce Bludgeon is just the icing on the cake. (Nice work by John Warden and the guys in Pawtucket on this one!)

Check out Brian Truitt’s article on USAToday.com for some great quotes from both John and Derryl DePriest about this set and start making plans now to snag this one– I have the feeling that Hasbro could never produce enough to meet the demand this time!

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New Jersey Collectors Con figure revealed as G.I. Joe’s Salvo!

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Fred Meyer

Fans of custom figures in the G.I. Joe community are probably familiar with the name “Kevin Watts.” Know for his imaginative parts use and mind-blowing painting skills, Kevin is the mastermind behind the Canv-HISS project showcased at the 2013 G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention. He’s also the project lead behind last year’s amazing Metal-Head fan figure that was given away at the New Jersey Collector’s Convention. Well, it would seem that Kevin and his talented crew of customizers are back in action once again– and have revealed this year’s NJCC exclusive giveaway figure.

Salvo!

Right now, I really really HATE Kevin. I had the same reaction after last year’s Metal-Head figure. It’s not because it’s a bad figure or anything like that. It’s due to the simple fact that there is no way I’ll be able to obtain one of these. The figures are door-prizes– given away to attendees of the NJCC and are not officially sold in any other capacity. Also, they’re custom figures produced by hand– meaning that the production run is INSANELY low. I was fortunate to see a “prototype” of this figure at Joe Con this year and I can say that is doesn’t disappoint.

If you’re in the area, here’s information on the NJCC:

New Jersey Collector’s Con

Holiday Inn Cherry Hill – New Jersey
2175 West Marlton Pike (Rt. 70), Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
Sunday, April 28th, 2013

NJCC Facebook page.

More information on this figure and the event can be found over at HissTank.com.

2013 JoeCon: The final summary of the G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention has been posted!

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Fred Meyer

The 2013 G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention has come and gone and the summary of this year’s JoeCon has been posted.

I’ve updated the G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention page with the latest con summary including links to all of the previously posted content as well as a final wrap-up of all things that I observed in Indy. It’s not a complete record of EVERYTHING– simply because that wouldn’t have been possible. For example, I missed out on the What’s on Joe Mind taping because of a call from Madmac41 that the Concept Vault figures had been put on display. So, any omissions are not intentional slights– but rather a reflection of the fact that one person can only be in one place at a time.

Also, due to some registration wackiness, my convention set will be arriving when the Homefront Heroes sets ship. However, I’ve got some quick images up and reviews of the souvenir items will begin THIS WEEK! (Lady Jaye is most like going up first.)

It was a great overall experience to reconnect with so many friends I’ve not seen in years.

Anyway, check out the 2013 JoeCon Summary directly or hit up the G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention Index to peruse previous years!

2013 JoeCon: Hasbro panel detail summary

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Fred Meyer

If you’ve been you’ve been following the JoeCon coverage here at JBL over the past few days– thank you! It’s been several years since I’ve been both at a con and an active part of the Joe community and there was some personal apprehension about coming back to this event after being away for nearly 4 years. However, I can honestly say that it’s good to be back in action again.

Earlier today, I posted live coverage of the Hasbro panel on Twitter. What follows here is a more detailed summary of the information that was presented earlier.

Hasbro had a very small presence at JoeCon this year. Consisting solely of Derryl DePriest and John Warden and a single display case, fan weren’t quite sure what to expect. In fact, the Dynamic Duo from Pawtucket opened their presentation by saying that they were showing the same slide show that was used at Toy Fair and that nothing new would be presented. However, some good information came out of their discussion.

In terms of G.I. Joe Retaliation, the highly anticipated wave 3 will be available later this year– and it’s looking like late July/early August. The order has been sent to the factories in China and production has begun. Figures like Kwinn, Data Viper, Ultimate Duke, Ultimate Roadblock, and Ultimate Flint will be hitting stores with a great deal of fan and retailer anticipation. During this part of the discussion, John Warden broke down some interesting facts for the wave.

Continue reading →

2013 JoeCon: The rest of the custom figures on display!

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Fred Meyer

I promised yesterday that I’d go back and take pictures of the remaining custom figures on display at JoeCon. Thankfully, there was enough of a break in the schedule today that I was able to fulfill that particular promise. Again, the custom work by these folks is not to be underestimated! Just some truly brilliant and exciting pieces shown here in Indianapolis.

G.I. Joe customizers– my hat goes off to you all!

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2013 JoeCon: Hasbro’s concept case v2

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Fred Meyer

This year at JoeCon many fans seemed disappointed that Hasbro didn’t have more to showcase in terms of new product. During the Hasbro panel, it was announced that there was nothing new to see due to the six month delay of the release of G.I. Joe Retaliation. So, attendees steeled themselves and found other news to be excited about.

I was sitting in the “What’s On Joe Mind” panel when my cell phone rang. It was Madmac41 telling me to get my keester down to the dealer’s room and bring my camera. So, I sauntered down, spotted him, and then dropped to my knees in awe. (Literally.) There, in the midst of the Hasbro case were new “concept case” figures and right smack dab in the middle of them was the greatest Marine to ever grace the team’s roster: GUNG-HO! (Suck it, Leatherneck.) Seriously– completely unannounced and unexpected.

There’s no guarantee that these figures will get made but are merely presented as means of gauging interest. So, this is one of the few times that I’ll ask anything of the fandom– if you have the opportunity, drop the name GUNG-HO at every opportunity. After all, he was one of the core characters in the Sunbow series as well as Larry Hama’s Marvel run.

With no further comments, here are the 2013 Concept Case figures:

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JoeCon 2013: G.I. Joe dioramas galore

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Fred Meyer

In a previous JoeCon post I gushed for a bit over the custom G.I. Joe figures on display at the show. If you thought the gushing was over, think again as this post covers one of my other favorite things here– the diorama displays.

This year at JoeCon there was no big Hasbro G.I. Joe display— no towering Cobra Mountain or bridge swarming with red ninjas. However, that doesn’t mean that dioramas were in short supply. Leave it to the G.I. Joe fans to step up once more and produce an impressive array of FAN-GENERATED dioramas that showcase just how much creativity exists in our fan community.

I won’t go into details over all of them but there were two displays that stand out in my mind even several hours later. The first was the Kre-O USS Flagg display. That’s right– someone produced a building block version of the Joe aircraft carrier– complete with fan designed jets and slew of Cobra troops. It was a BEAUTIFUL piece that makes me wish that the Kre-O takes off to such an extent that a real set of this would be possible at retail. Hey, a guy can dream, right?

The second stand-out piece was an AMAZING G.I. Joe vs. Cobra battle atop multiple steam punk vessels floating over a sea of clouds. No, I’ve not been hitting the rum at this late hour– there was a battle among the clouds that was being waged a veritable “who’s who” of Joe characters– all in steam punk form. This setup has to be seen to be truly appreciated for the work of art that it is. Trust me when I say that I’ll be going back a few more times just to marvel at the incredible versions of Destro, the Baroness, Beach Head, and Cobra Commander that adorn this particular display. (Oh yeah, and the rotors actually WORK!)

So, without further adieu (because I need sleep at this late/early hour), the pictures:

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JoeCon 2013: Custom figures, part 1

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Fred Meyer

One of my favorite parts of any JoeCon is the display of custom figures up for judging. I’m not a customizer myself. (Just a hack writer who likes to shoot pics of figures and offer opinions under the guise of a “review.”) However, I am in awe of the creativity and inventiveness of the G. I. Joe fan community when it comes to customs. Whether it be a simple repaint or a complete transformation of one figure into another, the individuals that showcase their talents here deserve ever ounce of recognition that the community can give them.

So, you’re sitting there saying “enough gushing– GET ON WITH IT!” I couldn’t agree more so below are most of the custom figures that were on display on Friday. I was shooting these as judging was happening and could only get half so look for another update tomorrow.