G.I. Joe FSS 5 Darklon & Salvo reviews!

Two more G.I. Joe FSS 5 figures get the review treatment this week: Darklon & Salvo!

G.I. Joe FSS 5 Shipment 3 darklon salvo

What is this?  Could it be?  Have the admins publisihed two MORE G.I. Joe FSS 5 reviews this week?  You bet your sweet Evader it’s true!!!  Fred and Chris are back with a look at the two latest figures to arrive from the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Figure Subscription Service: Darklon & Salvo!

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more mis-matched parir of characters from the latter half of the A Real American Hero run than these two.  One is a distant cousin of Destro whose fashion sense could best be described as “thrift store chic as assembled in a darkened room.”  The other is a towering anti-armor trooper whose basic philosophy on firepower is emblazoned on his hand-lettered t-shirt.

So what do our intrepid reviewers think of the G.I. Joe FSS 5 dynamic duo of Darklon and Salvo?  Does Darklon improve upon the original 1989 design or is it another faithful club recreation?  Does this second build of Salvo better satisfy the expectations of fans? (After all, the first Salvo build went over like 2016 Joe Con JUMP pack souvenir sets.)  Heck, does Deadpool return after his glaring omission in the last two reviews?

Head on over to the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index and check out what two long-time Joe fans think of both Darklon and Salvo!

G.I. Joe FSS 5 shipment 3 is inbound!

G.I. Joe FSS 5 subscribers should start checking their mailboxes – shipment 3 is incoming!

G.I. Joe FSS 4 shipment

It’s that time again– when a new G.I. Joe FSS shipment hits the porches and mailboxes of subscribers everywhere!  However, after an error with the warehouse, fans are getting one shipment early.  Shipment 3 has deployed… well ahead of shipment 2 and, thanks to Alyosha of BrokenArrowToys.com, we’ve got an early look at just who is in the box.

For those of you that wish to remain spoiler-free, click no further.  To paraphrase the old pirate maps: “Here there be G.I. Joe FSS spoilers…” Continue reading

G.I. Joe FSS 5 sign-up is LIVE!

This isn’t a preview announcement– G.I. Joe FSS 5 sign-up is now LIVE!

G.I. Joe FSS 5 logo

That’s right– no more waiting.  If you want to be a part of G.I. Joe FSS 5, you can sign-up any time between NOW and September 2, 2016!  Of course, membership in the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club is required for purchase.  This year’s sub will set subscribers back a cool $336.00 + shipping in either one lump payment or three installments of $112.00.   (There is an extra transaction fee for the installment plan, per the Club’s usual policy.)

So, if you’re at all interested in this year’s wave of 12 stated figures plus the mysterious 13th bonus character, head on over and sign-up today!

Here’s the official announcement straight from the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club:

The GIJCC Figure Subscription Service 5.0 is an optional separate purchase if you are an active member of the G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club. You can subscribe now through September 2nd deadline!

The cost of the 12 figure subscription service is $336 (+ shipping for 6 shipments). You can pay all at once or in three installments of $112 (billed to your credit card). When you subscribe and choose pay by Installment, you will be billed for the first two month’s shipments. Then sometime during the second month of shipping you will be billed for the 3rd and 4th months’ shipments and sometime during the 4th month of shipping you will be billed for the final 2 months’ shipments. Upon subscription completion, you will receive a bonus carded 13th mystery figure with the last shipment.

Please note that for the installment payment option, there is a $6 service charge per billing while the pay in full option has one $6 service charge. Please also note that for installment buyers, there is an additional charge each time a billing is attempted if your card is not approved. If your card has been declined and we have to re-bill, we will only be able to retry your billing three (3) times before your subscription is cancelled. Each retry has an additional fee added to your total charge (please see the Terms and Conditions.)

This Figure Subscription Service is a “build to order process” so you can order as many as you like, until the order period closes. At that time, we will not process any additional subscriptions and we may/may not have additional figures in the club store at a higher per figure price.

Please note that these are Photoshop mock-ups and the final product may vary. Also note that the colors are approximate as some may look glossy and everyone’s computer screen has a different look/calibration. Final figures colors/names/accessories may vary from the above descriptions and pictures.

Thanks for posting this on all your boards!  Order now!

Brian

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G.I. Joe FSS 5 Darklon preview is live!

Another day, another G.I. Joe FSS 5 preview featuring Darklon!

G.I. Joe FSS 5 Darklon

IRON GRENADIER COURIER: DARKLON
(Based on the classic 1989 action figure!)

Includes: removable harness, scabbard belt with sword, re-tooled projectile rifle, auto pistol, courier case, pistol, and figure stand.

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

Holy 1989 homage, Destro! This Darklon is straight up an homage to the original version of the character from the A Real American Hero line.  Right off the bat, I’m seeing a reuse of the convention exclusive Darklon from 2012 head sculpt– which makes perfect sense to me.  I’m also seeing the legs of the 25th Anniversary Iron Grenadiers Destro which adds a nice bit of MARS cohesion.  As far as the rest of the build, it’s hard to tell with this heavily photo-shopped mock-up.  Still, it’s a decent look for the G.I. Joe FSS 5 build of Darklon.

With three reveals in three days, is the sign-up coming soon?

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)

Keep your eyes peeled to GIJoeClub.com and JBL for more G.I. Joe FSS 5 reveals!

Joe Con 2016: G.I. Joe Collector’s Club news & FSS 5 lineup

The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club has completed the Joe Con 2016 Roundtable panel and it was a doozy!

G.I. Joe Collector's Club logo

Perhaps the biggest news of Joe Con 2016 concerning the Club came from the Hasbro panel held earlier in the day where it was revealed that Hasbro has decided to continue its relationship with Fun Publications through 2018.  Despite rumors and all evidence to the contrary earlier this year, the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club has a two-year lease on life! Whatever transpired in the months since the Club announced that all memberships would end on December 31, 2016 it certainly seemed to be beneficial for the folks at Fun Publications.  (Did the Save G.I. Joe petition have any impact?)

Next year’s convention will be June 15 – 18, 2017 at Walt Disney World!

Hasbro announcement

However, the most pressing question on the minds of most G.I. Joe fans out there was “What is the line-up for FSS 5?

Here are the “Quick Notes” from today’s panel…. including this year’s FSS announcement!

Introduction:

Brian Savage, David Lane, Lanny Lathem, and Pete Sinclair take the stage.

  • Contract for the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club has been extended for two more years. The Club, FSS, and convention will continue through 2018.
  • Membership renewals will turn back on later this week.
  • If your membership ran out in May & June, go to the store, login, and add it to your cart. It should reapply to your account.
  • Contract was initially NOT renewed. However, this was changed and Brian thanked the fandom for their support, including the petition from Joe Colton.  Derryl DePriest is acknowledged as the person who turned things around for the Club.
  • The renewal only took place in the last two weeks.

Sky Patrol discussion: Continue reading

2016 SDCC G.I. Joe Exclusives still in stock at HTS!

SDCC Crimson Strike pack

The 2016 SDCC G.I. Joe exclusives are still listed as IN STOCK at HasbroToyShop.com!

Color me a bit surprised on this one.  Yesterday was “HTS Day” for many Joe fans who found their browsers perpetually directed to HasbroToyShop.com, hoping for a chance to snag one of the 2016 SDCC G.I. Joe exclusives at the retail price.  Around 10am CST yesterday, the products went live and the site’s bandwidth was overwhelmed.  However, after a few hours the digital dust cleared and something interesting happened.

The 2016 SDCC G.I. Joe exclusives were still IN STOCK.

The same is true as of Wednesday morning.  So, if you’re looking for either of these sets and passed on the frenzy yesterday, use the links below and grab the 2016 SDCC G.I. Joe exclusives hassle-free!

If you’re still on the fence about either of these, check out JBL’s reviews of both the Crimson Strike Pack or the Kre-O Construction Commandoes in the Exclusives Review Index!

SDCC Kre-O Slaughter’s Marauders Review

SDCC Kre-O Slaughter's Marauders

The 2015 SDCC Kre-O Slaughter’s Marauders set has been reviewed!

When it comes to both Sgt. Slaughter and Kre-O, I know of no bigger fan than Todd Weinzierl of JBL’s sister site Magnum6Delta.com.  So, when it came time to review this set I had to seek out the expert– and luckily he was willing to share his thoughts on the SDCC Kre-O Slaughter’s Marauders set that has taken the fandom by storm this summer.  After all, many fans thought that they’d never see Hasbro have the opportunity to produce another Sgt. Slaughter figure again!

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New images of the SDCC Kre-O Slaughter’s Marauders set!

SDCC 2015 Kre-O Slaughter's Marauders inserts

The Kre-O Slaughter’s Marauders set has taken the fandom by storm since images first dropped online earlier this week.  Now, thanks to the good folks at Hasbro and Hunter PR, we have even more images of this amazing set.

Here’s the offical press release from Hasbro with all of the details:

KRE-O GI JOE SLAUGHTER’S MARAUDERS VS DESTRO’S IRON GRENADIERS Set

(Ages 6 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $49.99/Available through HasbroToyShop.com or Booth #3213 at Comic-Con International in San Diego)

ATTEN-TION! Sgt. Slaughter makes his KREON debut to lead the MARAUDERS into battle against DESTRO and the IRON GRENADIERS in this special edition set! Comes with 12 KREON figures — including BARBECUE, FOOTLOOSE, DARKLON, VOLTAR, and, in another KREON debut, DESTRO in his infamous leopard-print coat. Also includes pieces to build a SGT. SLAUGHTER TRIPLE T tank! This special edition set comes packed in special throwback “boxed set” packaging resembling your favorite ’80s & ’90s VHS cassettes, complete with Sgt. Slaughter and DESTRO file cards and art that re-creates classic G.I. JOE packaging! You’ll have a blast with this set, AND THAT’S AN ORDER!

Following the convention, a limited number will be available on HasbroToyShop.com.

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SDCC Kre-O Slaughter’s Marauders Set Confirmed

SDCC Kre-O Slaughter's MaraudersKre-O Slaughter’s Marauders are invading SDCC 2015!

Back at Joe Con 2015, the Hasbro team revealed several 50th Anniverary-themed SDCC exclusives for this year’s con.  However, they hinted that one more “very special set” was coming.  Attendees speculated briefly over what it might be but, in all honesty, it was quickly forgotten in light of the on-hand items shown.  (GUNG-HO!)  A few days ago, an image leaked out that seemed to indicated that a Kre-O set based on Sgt. Slaughter was coming.

Now, thanks to the intrepid folks over at Uproxx, we have confirmation that Kre-O Slaughter’s Marauders are coming!  Not only that, but Sgt. Slaughter himself will be on hand on Saturday July 11, 2015 at the Hasbro booth for two separate autograph signings.  Having had the privilege of meeting the man himself again last year at a logo baseball park, I can say that fans are in for a real treat with the Sarge himself attending!

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JoeCon 2012: More in hand images from the G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention

Photonut and Madmac braved the line for the Club store last night and were able to snag the convention exclusives for this year.   Being the Joe fans that they are those items were immediately freed from their plastic prisons and pictures were snapped!  Here’s what they brought back:

Annihilator 3-Pack (LE 650)

 

IG Ground Assault 2-Pack (LE 1,000) — the Sergeant Major & Darklon

 

 

OG Attack Helicopter (LE 600)

 

Soviet Convoy Truck w/ 3 Tops (LE 500)

 

No sign of the Cobra Stealth Paratrooper which won’t show up until the parachute drop later this morning.  Personally, I’m willing to bet we see a Retaliation Cobra Trooper given the short time that the Club had to put the drop together after the rescheduling of the movie’s release date.

More pics as they come in!