Joe Con 2016 Sky Patrol Skystriker assembly video

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Fred Meyer

Our good friends over at TheBreauxShow have released a video showing the assembly of the Joe Con 2016 Sky Patrol Skystriker!

Much like the JBL staff, our good friends over at TheBreauxShow.com weren’t able to attend Joe Con 2016 in person. However, that didn’t stop intrepid videographer Mike Breaux from snagging an in stock Sky Patrol Skystriker from the Club Store.

This silver-hued beauty arrived late last week and to celebrate the Breaux Show put together a short assembly video of this Joe Con 2016 exclusive item. While the general construction of the jet is familiar to most Joe fans through its multiple releases over the past few years, the time-lapse video really shows off the color scheme and deco of the Sky Patrol Skystriker!

Check out the embedded video below and be sure to check out more videos over on The Breaux Show YouTube Channel!

Toys R Us SDCC G.I. Joe exclusives from the Loyal Subjects

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Fred Meyer

Toys R Us has revealed their SDCC exclusives including two new G.I. Joe Loyal Subjects vinyl figures!

Yesterday, ToyNewsI.com broke the news of the highly-anticipated Toys R Us SDCC exclusive list. Many of the usual suspects were represented– Transformers, My Little Pony, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, etc. However, in spite of the fact that this is a “quiet year” for G.I. Joe, one item on the list caught my attention:

G.I. JOE TIGER FORCE WRECKAGE AND BEACH HEAD 2-Pack from The Loyal Subjects

That’s right– Toys R Us will be offering a SDCC exclusive G.I. Joe Loyal Subjects vinyl two-pack featuring Tiger Force Wreckage and Beach Head.

Featuring the likeness of WRECKAGE and BEACH HEAD from G.I. JOE’S TIGER FORCE™ unit, these 3.2-inch tall vinyl figures feature 14 points of articulation, several accessories to help bring the action of this special subteam to life and come complete in a window box for display. Available only at the Comic Convention and online at Toysrus.com/ComicConvention.

Interesting… I’ll give props to both Toys R Us and the Loyal Subjects for their selection of some out-of-the-normal decos for these characters. I’m especially excited to see a new spin on the Joe Con 2004 Tiger Force Beach Head who, in spite of his garish color scheme, manages to look AWESOME! This figures will be available online at ToysRUs.com from July 21 – July 24 in limited quantities.

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Carded Pythona and Mike Power now at the Collector’s Club Store

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Fred Meyer

The Carded Pythona figures and the Mike Power – Atomic Man 1:16 renewal figures are now available at the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club store!

The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club really hit one out of the park this year with the Pythona membership renewal figure and attendees of Joe Con 2016 were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to by special carded versions while at the event in Loveland, CO a few weeks ago. Now, members who weren’t able to make the trek to Colorado also have the opportunity to snag a carded Pythona of their very own!

I won’t sugar coat it– I love this figure. (As you can tell from the review we posted about three weeks ago.) She’s absolutely worth owning – both as a modern construction figure and as piece of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero history. Considering that this is the first-ever figure of the Cobra-La Emissary/Assassin, this figure probably won’t stick around forever.

However, the Club isn’t just catering to the 1:18 crowd. The latest additions to the Club store also include two options for acquiring the KILLER 1:6 updated Mike Power action figure! The Atomic Man and his accessory set can be purchased individually or bundled together at a moderate savings.

If you’re going shopping, here are some handy direct links. (Good for you, bad for your wallet.) Each item is limited to one per membership.

Carded Collector’s Club exclusive Pythona – $38.00
Club exclusive Mike Power – The Atomic Man (figure only) – $65.00
Club exclusive Mike Power Field Mission Alpha accessory set – $45.00
Club exclusive Mike Power & Field Mission Alpha accessory set bundle – $100.00

Check out these and more exclusive items (Dr. Isotope anyone?) over at the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club store!

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Joe Con 2016: Sky Patrol Skystrikers in Club Store

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Fred Meyer

Joe Con 2016 is now one for the history books but we’ve got one last bit of news. The Sky Patrol Skystrikers are now available online!

That’s right Joe fans– the remaining inventory of the silver finish Joe Con 2016 Sky Patrol Skystrikers are now up for sale to anyone with a Club membership. They’re limited to two per member and each jet will set you back a cool $160.00 but for fans who were debating purchasing one on Ebay this is your chance to get one for retail!

Here’s the official verbiage describing this latest reissue of the G.I. Joe F-14 Tomcat:

LIMITED TO 2 PER MEMBERSHIP.

The Cobra Air Force won’t know what hit them with the Sky Patrol Sky Striker (XP-26) Combat Jet! This fantastic 3 3/4-inch scale aircraft has tons of moving parts and amazing detail. The Limited Edition convention exclusive Sky Patrol Sky Striker features a unique silver color scheme and has wings that sweep in and out, working landing gear and removable missile accessories.

Vehicle and accessories are packed in a silver metallic display box (Figure Not Included)

However, as the informercials say: “But wait, there’s more!” Continue reading →

SDCC 2016: Micronauts return in exclusive set!

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Fred Meyer

As we get closer to the full launch of the Hasbro Cinematic Universe, we’re hearing more and more mentions of the properties involved. Case in point: the Micronauts are returning to SDCC 2016!

As first reported by The Hollywood Reporter, this year’s Hasbro San Diego Comic Con exclusives will include a special reissue set consisting of three classic figures from the original 1976 – 1980 toyline that was released in the US by Mego. The original Micronauts line itself was based on the Takara Microman line that was sold in Japan beginning in 1974.

The Micronauts set will be available at the Hasbro booth at SDCC 2016 from July 21 – 24 and with limited stock available after the show at HasbroToyShop.com. They’ll also be making an appearance at Fan Expo Canada from Sept. 1-4 at the Metro Toronto Convention Center.

The SDCC 2016 Micronauts set includes modern reissues of three original line characters including:

While I would never considered myself a life-long Micronauts fan I’m just old enough to have had a few figures from the line as a kid– including Pharoid. Granted, I was probably too young to truly appreciate him (which explains why he’s missing ALL of his accessories now) but seeing him included in the set tugs on the nostaligic heartstrings in such a way that I’m going to do my darndest to try and acquire one of these SDCC 2016 Micronauts sets when they drop on HTS post-show. I still have enough vague memories of the old Micronauts commercials from TV to get excited about their inclusion in the Hasbro Cinematic Universe!

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

Posted on June 18, 2016 by Fred Meyer

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

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!

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 →

Joe Con 2016: Closer look at the SDCC G.I. Joe vs. Transformers set

Posted on June 17, 2016 by Fred Meyer

JBL’s Armchair Coverage of Joe Con 2016 continues!

Friday typically isn’t a “big reveal” day at the annual Joe Con and this year was no exception. Hasbro’s big panel doesn’t occur until 11:00am MST on Saturday and the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Roundtable event isn’t until 4:00pm MST as well. However that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t anything major to see today.

The good folks from Hasbro put a few pieces in the display case today from this year’s forthcoming SDCC exclusive G.I. Joe vs. Transformers set! It’s the first time that fans got an in person look at the upcoming releases of Powerglide as a Cobra Rattler and Soundwave as a Cobra HISS tank. It was also the first opportunity for Joe fans to see convention exclusive Scarlett and Zartan figures.

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I’ll admit– the items do look a bit better in these images than from the first batch of leaked images from ACToys.net. Still, for $99 the set seems like it’s missing something especially after the 2013 set included a Skystriker, a VAMP, and three figures plus the exclusive Ravage figure.

There are some additional pictures posted over at HISSTank.com as well. At this point I think it’s safe to say that part of Hasbro’s reveals for the Toys R Us exclusive line tomorrow will include a Cobra Rattler, a plane that hasn’t been released since the Target exclusive 25th Anniversary release.

Stay tuned to JBL for more coverage of Joe Con 2016 in Loveland, CO!

Joe Con 2016: Souvenir items revealed!

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Fred Meyer

Joe Con 2016 souvenir item images have arrived!

Joe Con 2016 registration night has begun and the Golden Ticket holders are picking up their sets. That means the line for the souvenirs at the Club Store is queuing up and we now have our first images of this year’s souvenirs! Thanks to Mike Tinnel of the G.I. Joe Discussion Facebook Group, I’ve mirrored some images below.

G.I. Joe Glider 2-pack featuring Skymate and Cloudburst – $75.00
Heli-Vipers 3-pack – $85.00
Sky Patrol Skysweeper jet – $68.00
Cobra Hydra jet with Aero-Viper – $85.00
Sky Patrol Skystriker – $160.00
Sky Patrol JUMP 6-pack – $55.00
Cobra JUMP 6-pack – $55.00
Parachute drop figure: FREEFALL – $35.00

Bonus Attendee Item: Sky Patrol Air Raid figure

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I have to say– ANOTHER Skystriker?!!! Plus a repaint of the RoC Skysweeper jet (which itself is a repurposed Firebat), a pair of Air Assault gliders, and faction-changed 2003 Skysweeper jet? Fans of the late 1990’s era are going to LOVE this set but the more military-minded folks might just consider saving their pennies.

We’ll have more images from Joe Con 2016 as they become available! Stay tuned for more Joe Con 2016 Armchair Coverage from JBL!

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

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Fred Meyer

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.

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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Joe Con 2016: Armchair Coverage Begins!

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Fred Meyer

Joe Con 2016 has officially begun!

Sadly, this year it wasn’t in the cards for the JBL admin to attend what is Fun Publications final year as administrator of the annual G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention. While I’ll miss not being able to catch up with some old friends and getting to see the new product reveals at Saturday’s Hasbro panel, it doesn’t mean that JBL will be going dark throughout the weekend.

Instead, we’ll be doing our best to provide comprehensive coverage of the event, thanks to the efforts of all of the other individuals attending. We’ll provide links to coverage as it goes up on sites from HISSTank.com, to ToyNewsI.com, and even our fellow “at home” correspondants over at GeneralsJoes.com.

Sure, you’ll get some commentary along the way but that’s just part of the experience. Coverage of this year’s event will be archived on the 2016 G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention page.

Now, on to the news!

Wednesday Golden Ticket Package Pickup:

Tonight was intended to be the Golden Ticket package pickup in which those individuals who spent the extra $300 to purchase the “Joe Con Speed Pass” get a first crack at their sets and at the bonus attendee exclusive item. However, it was announced by the folks from Fun Publications that their “shipment was delayed at customs and then held up due to a sick driver” and that, hopefully, items will arrive by tomorrow and the Golden Ticket pickup will be at 3pm, with the rest attendee registration beginning at 6pm MST.

The t-shirts and the comics were on hand but were not permitted to be released until the sets arrive.

That’s all we know for now… so stay tuned to JBL for more Joe Con 2016 coverage!