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Tag Archives: Figure Subscription Service

G.I. Joe FSS 6 announcement and roster revealed!

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The signup for G.I. Joe Collector’s Club FSS 6.0 is  now LIVE!

G.I. Joe FSS 6

With 33 days remaining until JoeCon 2017, the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club revealed the pricing, roster, and subscriptions of FSS 6.0 on Friday.  Rather than waiting for the annual Collector’s Club round table for the reveal, the GIJCC opened the sign-up period right away!  Fans have until June 2, 2017 to sign up at the all-in price of $375 + shipping.  (Up from last year’s $336 + shipping.)

G.I. Joe Collector's Club FSS 6.0

G.I. Joe Collector’s Club FSS 6.0 roster

(Image compiled by Andrew Gaska for the G.I. Joe and 1:18th Facebook Group)

So, here’s the official release from the folks at the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club: Continue reading →

G.I. Joe FSS 5 General Flagg & Sneak Peek Reviews

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The G.I. Joe FSS 5 General Flagg & Sneak Peek reviews are LIVE!

G.I. Joe FSS 5 General Flagg Sneak Peek shipment 4

The best laid plans of mice and men…

After FAR too long of a delay, Chris and I take a look at the fourth shipment of the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Figure Subscription service 5.0.  This set of figures was sent to subscribers back in March and contained General Flagg and the classic 1987 deco of Sneak Peek.  Unfortunately, that pesky “real life” got in the way for both of the reviewers and so these reviews were delayed until now.  (I’ll be adding additional photos to Flagg over the weekend. Pesky day jobs really sucked away some quality “hobby time” during the past month.)

General Flagg (the younger one) is rocking his 1994 deco while Sneak Peek is back for his second GIJCC release in his classic original colors.  This marks one more addition to the update rosters for both 1994 and 1987.  Now only Fast Draw is missing from the original ’87 single carded G.I. Joe team members.

Were these two figures worth the wait?  Are they a bargain at the FSS price?  Do either of the reviewers acknowledge Deadpool’s conspicuous absence this month?

The answers to these burning questions and more are found in the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index!

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

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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!

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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 Shipment 1 is inbound!

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The first shipment from G.I. Joe FSS 5 is heading to subscribers!

G.I. Joe FSS 5 logoIt’s that time again– when subscribers to the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Figure Subscription Service eagerly start checking their mailboxes and front porches on a daily basis.  That’s right Joe fans, G.I. Joe FSS 5 shipment 1 is on its way and, thanks to Alyosha of both Broken Arrow Toys and the newly-formed Chicken Fried Toys, we’ve got images of this first shipment!

For those of you who wish to remain “unspoiled” in this age of information overload, turn back now.  We’re going to highlight just exactly who is in this first shipment.

G.I. Joe FSS 4 shipment

Continue reading →

G.I. Joe FSS 5 new Salvo build? Let’s hope so!

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Let’s be honest– the G.I. Joe FSS 5 Salvo preview went over with the fandom like G.I. Joe Extreme.  The fandom was nearly-unanimous in its condemnation of the sub-bar design and took the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club forums to make their collective voice heard.

Thankfully, it appears that the folks at the Club have listened.  This afternoon, the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club released this updated image and information:

G.I. Joe FSS 5 Salvo update

For Salvo, we tried many different combinations rather than a straight up repaint. After reviewing some of your suggestions, we’ve selected another option to show you a new figure build before we have final feedback on tool availability.

So, keep your fingers crossed!

Let’s be honest– the first Salvo build was, well, awful.  Under-sized and uninspired, it took the concept of “good enough” design to a new low.  For this version, the Club pretty much went with the fandom’s suggestion of a straight repaint of the Retaliation Roadblock build— and it looks MILES better!  Just take a look at a quick side-by-side comparison:

G. I. Joe FSS 5 Salvo comp

Yes, there’s no guarantee that the new build will be approved for use by Hasbro BUT the Club must be pretty confident of the odds if they released this image to an already unhappy fandom.   To this Joe fan’s eyes– there is NO comparison.  The version on the right is the clearly superior build both in terms of size and with regard the lettering found on the t-shirt.

Now, let’s just wait until we have confirmation that this WILL be the official G.I. Joe FSS 5 Salvo build!

To subscribe to the FSS, head on over to GIJoeClub.com and stay tuned to JBL for more G.I. Joe FSS 5  news!

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)
fss5ambushcape
fss5charbroilweb
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G.I. Joe FSS 5 reveals Shattered Glass Xamot

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The final reveal is here!  Reflect upon the G.I. Joe FSS 5 design for Shattered Glass Xamot!

G.I. Joe FSS 5 Shattered Glass Xamot

So here it is– the Shattered Glass Xamot figure.  (Posted late due to some server issues yesterday.)

I’ll be honest– I like him.  I like him quite a lot but not for the reasons that the GIJCC might have intended.

The “Shattered Glass” storyline ran in the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club newsletter’s Adventure Team comic for around 12 installments.  In this tale, the members of the Adventure Team were catapulted into a parallel universe in which Cobra was essentially the resistance to a tyrannical government led by Joe Colton and overseen by G.I. Joe.  What started off as an Adventure Team story quickly descended into a series of ARAH cameos in a riff on the “Worlds Without End” classic Sunbow episode that really went on far too long in this Joe fan’s opinion.

G.I. Joe Sunbow Tomax Xamot

One of the best parts, however, was seeing Xamot presented in a suit that was VERY similar to the office attire that he and his brother wore in the classic Sunbow series.  That’s right kids– forget “Shattered Glass” and all of its muddled plotlines.  This is the Extensive Enterprises version of Xamot that many of watched each weekday afternoon during our youth!  For that reason alone, I’m totally excited about this figure, which uses the same basic build as the Marvel Universe Professor X figure or, more recently, the Club exclusive Joe Colton from the Zombie Initiative convention set.

Now, can we hold out hope that a matching Tomax is the 13th figure in G.I. Joe FSS 5?  (Or is that too logical for the GIJCC?)

To subscribe to the FSS, head on over to GIJoeClub.com and JBL for more G.I. Joe FSS 5  news!

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)
fss5ambushcape
fss5charbroilweb
fss5darklon2web
fss5cobraviper
fss5raptorweb
fss5salvohasweb
fss5sneakpeekweb
fss5steelravweb
fss5scoopweb
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G.I. Joe FSS 5 unveils Steel Raven

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With only one more reveal to go, the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club unveils the G.I. Joe FSS 5 Steel Raven!

g.i. joe fss 5 steel raven

S.K.A.R. INFANTRY OFFICER: STEEL RAVEN
(Based on the G.I. Joe: Extreme animated series character and GIJCC comic stories!)

Includes: removable hat & jacket, sub machine gun, auto pistols x 2, computer pad, and figure stand.

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

Interesting… very interesting.

I’m going to admit it now– I don’t know much about the character of Steel Raven.  I know that she had 2 – 3 appearances in Season 1 of G.I. Joe Extreme before becoming a more prominent character in Season 2. (Despite the fact that I own a fan-produced copy of the series on DVD I’ve only ever watched a few episodes of the series.) I also know that she’s been featured more recently in the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club magazine comics as part of the “runaway Mindbender” story.  Aside from this, she’s a bit of a blank slate for me– and that’s just fine.  After all, wasn’t part of the original mandate of the FSS to produce figures that fans may have never seen before?

The parts combination seems pretty solid.  I’m not quite feeling the disparity in the placement of the brown for her overcoat between the upper and lower torso but that could just be a result of the Photoshop mockup.  It’s hard to tell if that’s the same head that was used for Crimson Asp from the 2013 Nocturnal Fire set or not.  (My gut instinct says that the Club would have called out any newly tooled parts had they been used.)  Still, overall I’m digging it.

To subscribe to the FSS, head on over to GIJoeClub.com and JBL for more G.I. Joe FSS 5 reveals and news! Continue reading →

G.I. Joe FSS 5 sneak peek of Sneak Peek

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The G.I. Joe FSS 5 previews continue with a sneak peek of Sneak Peek!

G.I. Joe FSS 5 Sneak Peek

 

G.I. JOE ADVANCED RECON: SNEAK PEEK
(Based on the classic 1987 action figure!)

Includes: removable helmet & vest, assault rifle, binoculars, field radio,
modern era design periscope, and figure stand.

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

It’s a foregone conclusion when the Club releases a sub-team version of a new character that the standard release will follow before too long.  Case in point: Tiger Force Sneak Peek is now returning as standard version Sneak Peek.  However, rather than a straight repaint, the  Club opted to make some changes.  The figure’s web gear has been changed and, to my eyes, it’s actually less of a match for the original 1987 design than the vest used in the recent Tiger Force release.  I’m not entirely certain what the reason was for the change but it is what it is.  (It looks a bit short in the picture.)  Otherwise, it’s a decent update albeit one that once again reuses the 25th Anniversary Airborne head. #Twinning indeed!

Plus, it’s STILL better than Salvo!

To subscribe to the FSS, head on over to GIJoeClub.com and JBL for more G.I. Joe FSS 5 reveals and news! Continue reading →

G.I. Joe FSS 5 drops the scoop on Scoop!

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The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club drops another G.I. Joe FSS 5 preview today and it’s Scoop!

G.I. Joe FSS 5 Scoop

G.I. JOE COMBAT JOURNALIST: SCOOP
(Based on the classic 1989 action figure!)

Includes: removable vest, radio, broadcast camera, microphone, assault rifle, knife, pistol, and figure stand.

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

Back in 1989, the minds behind G.I. Joe introduced the concept of an embedded reporter to America’s daring highly-trained special mission force.  Based on NBC reporter Mike Leonard, the 1989 release of Scoop was distinctive for both his bright yellow jumpsuit (a fashion trend later co-opted by April O’Neil?) and his giant TV camera.

For the G.I. Joe FSS 5 version, we’re seeing the familiar Resolute Duke web gear placed over the top of what appears to be the Retaliation Firefly torso with PoC Lifeline body parts combination and topped off with the 2016 Joe Con Sky Patrol Airborne head.  Toss in the 25th DVD pack #5 TV camera and you’ve got the makings for good ole Scoop!

I’m hoping that the colors are just off on this preview as Scoop’s jumpsuit looks WAY more orange than yellow.  As these are just photoshop mock-ups that is likely to be the case.  Otherwise, this would appear to be an attempt at a Tiger Force take on the team’s reporter.  While I miss the removable helmet of the original figure, this one is pretty decent.

It’s still a better looking build than yesterday’s Salvo reveal!

To subscribe to the FSS, head on over to GIJoeClub.com and JBL for more G.I. Joe FSS 5 reveals and news! Continue reading →