Joecon 2012: At last, General Iron Bear

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Fred Meyer

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!

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Joecon 2012: Voltar revealed!

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Fred Meyer

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!

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JoeCon: Iron Grenadier Elite Guard revealed

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Fred Meyer

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!

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Joecon 2012: Brekhov revealed!

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Fred Meyer

Even with Botcon in full swing, the Collector’s Club manages to drop a surprise on Joe fans today.

Feast your eyes on Colonel Ivan Nikolevich Brekhov, commander of the Oktober Guard and hero of the USSR! The good colonel has been without a new figure since G.I. Joe comic pack #6 and the club seems to rely heavily on the Rise of Cobra Destro figure to bring him to life. Of all of the figures shown thus far, this one seems to be the most “off model” and yet still manages to capture the essence of the plucky Soviet soldier. I don’t think I can recall ever seeing the good Colonel with his collar fastened and the tie is at odds with his often “rumpled” appearance. Brekhov always struck me as a soldier who cared more about results than a spit-and-polish appearance. Still, it’s good to see him released in updated plastic form.

I wonder what his beloved aunt Ludmilla thinks of this?

With three down in terms of reveals, can Stormavik and Horrorshow be far behind? Will Dragonsky make an appearance?

Keep your eyes on the 3 3/4″ Set Previews Page for more details!

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GIJCC: Footloose is shipping and CC monitoring for members!

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Fred Meyer

Last night the Collector’s Club dropped a “one-two-punch” email into the inbox of its membership. The first piece of news is that the 2012 renewal figure of Footloose is starting to ship to members who renewed by the March deadline. That’s right– the second Infantryman of the G.I. Joe is on its way soon!

The second item is that GIJCC members should be on the lookout for a letter coming via mail. Inside is an individual code redeemable for a year of free credit card monitoring. It’s a very unexpectedly proactive step that the Club has taken– one that is most likely generated by the volume of criticism over the handling of the recent data breach that affected members of both Fun Pub’s major clubs.

The full contents of the email are posted below:

Here are the latest updates from the G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club:

SURPRISE! This week we started mailing the FREE membership figures for 2012! We were able to get these manufactured much earlier this year, so off they go to you! It will take several weeks for them to reach all of the membership, so please be patient. If you don’t receive your figure by the end of May, please let us know.

In your April issue of the Club Magazine, you will find a letter that offers: credit card fraud counseling; instructions on how to place a credit alert on your accounts; and a free one-year subscription to a Credit Monitoring and Identity Theft Recovery Service that we have purchased on your behalf.

If you have received any evidence of fraud on your credit cards, please call and make a report with the 800 number listed in the letter for the recovery services.

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Deadline for GIJCC renewals is STILL March 16th

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Fred Meyer

It’s been no secret that the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club has fallen on some pretty hard times lately in terms of public relations. First, there have been the continual delays in launching the Figure Subscription service. Secondly, the convention date and hotel were changed weeks after being formally announced. Mostly recently, members of both the G.I. Joe and Transformers Collector’s Clubs have been reported fraudulent charges used at Fun Publications in the past few years. The club was slow to respond but finally acknowledged the issue last week — by suspending online ordering capabilities.

The big question on EVERYONE’S mind has been — what are we supposed to do about renewals? March 16th is the deadline to renew membership in order to receive either the 12″ Man of Evil or the 4″ Footloose action figure premiums.

Yesterday, Brian Savage set out the following email stating that, regardless of any security issues, the March 16th deadline is firm.

This update is going out to all members:

Due to the issue with processing credit cards we have currently suspended your ability to renew and join the club online. The deadline is coming March 16th for you to be eligible to receive the 2012 free club exclusives.

On Monday, we will have a pdf online on the club site for membership renewals and new memberships that you can mail in with a check or money order. We will process your membership as soon as they arrive.

Please note that the March 16th deadline is a hard deadline (in house) so please make sure any mail is in the postal system by March 9th.

If you want to receive the free club exclusive Footloose or Man of Evil, your membership must be active as of March 16th. At the bottom of this email you will find your expiration date. If it is after March 16, 2012, you are good to go for the 2012 figure.

Also, please log into the club club site <https://www.gijoeclub.com/club/> and ensure you have the figure selected you want to receive for this year, either 3 3/4″ or 12″.

Thanks for your support and patience during this difficult time.

Brian

Questions/comments about this announcement should be directed to admin2@funpubinc.com .

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New Orleans is the location for the 2012 G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Fred Meyer

The annual G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention is returning to New Orleans in 2012!!

Just announced by the Club, the 2012 con will be held from June 21 – 24, 2012 in the “Big Easy”, according to an announcement posted at GIJoeCon.com! Not since 2006 has the convention been held down in Gung-Ho’s home turf and the last time was quite the success with Sgt. Slaughter on hand! For a blast from the past, check out JBL’s coverage of the 2006 Co n!

Registration and details to follow on GIJoeCon.com!

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Follow JBL on Twitter for 2011 convention coverage

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Fred Meyer

Yes, the admin of the site is stuck at home this year but JBL staff will be on site to provide updates from the 2011 Collector’s Convention in Orlando! CmderinChief (aka “Gary”) is live and one the scene in Florida and between drinking mojitos and chasing Mickey around, he’ll be manning JBL’s Twitter feed!

Follow Gary’s exploits on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/joebattlelines!

The con is nearly here… let the commercials begin!

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Fred Meyer

This is old news but appropriate considering that the 2011 Collector’s Convention with the now-sold out “Mission Brazil II” sets is this week.

You won’t see this on TV nationally but check out Hasbro’s commercial for the annual Joe Con!

2011 G.I. Joe SDCC exclusives images

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Fred Meyer

Hasbro really knocked one out of the park this year with their SDCC exclusives! Based on Devil’s Due Press’ first volume of “G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers”, this year will see the release of a non-tranformable “Starscream” Skystriker as well as a pilot version of Cobra Commander. However, the icing on the plastic cake comes in the form of the Commander’s accessory– MEGATRON himself!!!

Even though I won’t be attending SDCC, I’ll be doing my darnedest to get my hands on one of these!

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JoeBattleLines

G.I. Joe news, action figure reviews, and discussion

Tag Archives: Conventions

Joecon 2012: At last, General Iron Bear

Joecon 2012: Voltar revealed!

JoeCon: Iron Grenadier Elite Guard revealed

Joecon 2012: Brekhov revealed!

GIJCC: Footloose is shipping and CC monitoring for members!

Deadline for GIJCC renewals is STILL March 16th

New Orleans is the location for the 2012 G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention

Follow JBL on Twitter for 2011 convention coverage

The con is nearly here… let the commercials begin!

2011 G.I. Joe SDCC exclusives images

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