Hasbro Studios titles back on Vimeo!

The Hasbro Studios library of titles is now back on Vimeo!

hasbro studios on vimeo

It was just a week ago that the staff at JBL HQ noticed that the Hasbro library of titles had been removed from online streaming site Vimeo.  This was roughly a year and a half after the Pawtucket-based toymaker announced that the online video site would be the exclusive host for their digital content, both streaming and downloadable.

Thankfully, as of yesterday, it would appear that all of the previously available titles are back.  Fans of Transformers G1, Transformers Prime, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, G.I. Joe Renegades, and even Jem, are able to purchase or rent individual episodes and seasons.  The titles are available for direct download or streaming via the website or mobile app.

Whew!  I won’t lie– this admin is happy to see the content back again.  Over the past few months, we’ve discovered that Sunbow G.I. Joe is one of the few things that calms my future nephew when he’s cranky!  At 10 months, he’s already shown a clear penchant for Cobra Commander!

So, there’s no time like the present to snag your favorite Hasbro titles on Vimeo.  C’mon– portable Sunbow G.I. Joe is AWESOME!

Hasbro Studios titles quietly depart Vimeo

As of this week, all Hasbro titles are no longer available on Vimeo for purchase or rental.

Vimeo logoNearly a year-and-a-half ago, online video content site Vimeo became the exclusive digital home for the Hasbro Studios animation library.  Titles such as the classic 1980’s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Transformers (Generation 1), and Jem were available for both rental or purchase.  They were joined by other series like My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, G.I. Joe: Renegades, and Transformers Prime.  Accessible via website or mobile app, the Vimeo deal was a bold new step for Hasbro which had only previously hosted digital content on Netflix.

hasbro studios vimeoAs of Monday this week, the Hasbro Studios page on Vimeo told a very different story.  All content appears to have removed from the site, for either purchase or rental.  Users who had previously purchased animated episodes or series may still access them, but will also see a disclaimer attached.

g.i. joe gone vimeoFor those who have purchased Hasbro Studio titles, the question remains: how long will users continue to be able to access that content?  Vimeo titles may be downloaded DRM-free but, given the file size of both the Sunbow G.I. Joe and Transformers G1 series, this is not a simple task.  We’ve reached out to both Hasbro PR and Vimeo but have yet to receive an answer back at this time.

With a new Transformers movie hitting theaters this summer, is Hasbro seeking a new digital partner for their content?  Or is the Pawtucket toy maker seeking to develop its own online portal for content access going forward?  As of now, all we know is that the Vimeo run was nice while it lasted.  (My fiance’s nephew loves to watch animated Sunbow G.I. Joe on my phone.)  We’ll post more information as we have it but, for now, it seems that Hasbro’s partnership with Vimeo has come to an end.

Transformers the Movie 30th Anniversary Blu-Ray is coming!

Shout Factory will release a Transformers 30th Anniversary Blu-ray and DVD on September 13, 2016!

Transformers 30th anniversary blu-ray

Transformers: The Movie debuted on August 8, 1986 and changed the franchise forever.  In addition to thrusting the timeline forward from the 1980’s to 2005, it was the film that (spoiler alert) killed off the franchise’s core heroic character Optimus Prime!

Featuring a star-studded cast that included Judd Nelson, Eric Idle, Leonard Nimoy, and Orson Welles in his final role as the planet-eating titan Unicron, Transformers: The Movie was to be the first of a series of Hasbro/Sunbow films to hit theatres around the world.  However, poor box office receipts of this and the My Little Pony film, caused Hasbro to shift the release of G.I. Joe: The Movie to home video instead.

In the intervening years, the film has garnered true cult status and has become a favorite of Hasbro, Transformers, and Sunbow fans around the globe!  Plus, who can forget the soundtrack which featured song’s like Stan Bush’s “You’ve Got the Touch” and Weird Al Yankovic’s “Dare to be Stupid”?

This marks the first new region 1 release of the film since 2006’s 20th Anniversary edition and the first time the film has ever been offered on Blu-Ray. This also marks the first time that the film will be available in digital format. No word on what additional special features will be included at this time.

The new 30th Anniversary editions are currently up for pre-order at Amazon.com:

You can check out the official listing for Transformers: The Movie on ShoutFactory.com.

SDCC 2016: G.I. Joe vs Transformers exclusive set official images

Just earlier this week fans got their first look at the SDCC 2016 exclusive G.I. Joe vs. Transformers set that will be released later this summer.   Now, thanks to SDCCBlog.com we have our first official images of this set that features Powerglide, Soundwave, Scarlett, and Zartan.

G.I.-JOE-AND-THE-TRANSFORMERS-Set_pkg

According to the blog post, this set will retail for $99.00.  No word on quantities available but it’s safe to assume that some quantity of the sets will be available over on HasbroToyShop.com after the show is over.

Again, it’s not a bad set– the fourth in a series that began with a G.I. Joe vs Transformers Cobra Commander & Starscream, continued with a Soundwave/Shockwave/Destro/BAT set, and originally concluded with a Jetfire/Baroness/Ravage/Bludgeon/Snake Eyes/Blaster set in 2013.  However, it would be nice to have Transformers that, well, actually transform!

We’ve mirrored all of the G.I. Joe vs Transformers images below but you can see pics of all of Hasbro’s SDCC 2016 exclusives over at SDCCBlog.com!

Old Snake & Stealth BAT Duo Review

G.I. Joe & the Transformers Old Snake & Stealth BAT duo

The Old Snake & Stealth BAT Duo two-pack review is live!

The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club blew the fandom’s collective minds at Joe Con 2015 when it was revealed that one of the pieces in their G.I. Joe & the Transformers series was a two-pack featuring Old Snake aka “Future Cobra Commander.”  Featured in the classic G1 Transformers episode “Only Human“, this 1:18 figure recreates the look of a familiar-voiced arms dealer who went by the moniker of “Old Snake” and who just happened to be in possession of Synthoid technology.  However, the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club took things a step further and packaged this distinctive villain with two repurposed Transformers Prime Soundwave figures in classic Battle Android Trooper deco.

The result: the Old Snake & Stealth BAT Duo two-pack!

Check out the guest review from Otto “The Otter” Phillips over in the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index and then let us know your thoughts on this set in the comments below!

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

G.I. Joe vs. Transformers SDCC 2013 exclusive set

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!

JBL Review: 2012 San Diego Comic Con G.I. Joe/Transformers Shockwave!

San Diego Comic Con exclusive Shockwave Destro Bat

The design team at Hasbro has established a new tradition for their San Diego Comic Con exclusives- G.I. Joe/Transformers crossover sets!  Last year it was Starscream as a Skystriker and Cobra Commander with Megatron.  This year the team took that concept and cranked the dial up to “11”!  Not only did this year’s set include the G.I. Joe Retaliation HISS tank turned into Shockwave, but it brought Destro, a BAT, and familiar-looking tape recorder along for the ride!

Check the JBL review of the 2012 G.I. Joe/Transformers exclusive set over at the newly launched Exclusives Review Index!

(See, I told you more reviews were coming!)

Custom spotlight: G.I. Joe meets Transformers in this awesome Soundwave custom!

I have a confession to make– like a lot of GI Joe fans, I’m a bit of a closet Transformers fan.  Granted, my favorite era of Transformers was “Beast Wars” which may or may not hinder my “bot cred” but I’m also a fan of early G1 as well.  There’s something oddly classic about those first few series of Autobots and Decepticons that utterly transports me back on the nostalgia train to the early 80’s.  So, you can imagine my shock/delight/utter joy when I first saw this image on the web the other day:

Insanely talented customizer, friend of JBL, and all around great guy Pierre Kalenzaga (aka “Airmax” from RTM) recently unveiled one of the most AWESOME custom mash-ups I’ve ever seen.  Taking the classic G1 Soundwave design and transposing it into 1:18 scale GIJoe form, he’s created a masterpiece of custom work.  Even better– he made 5 of them!!  (At this time TWO of them might still be available for sale.)

Here’s Pierre’s original comments on the figure (which includes custom Lazerbeak and features a real working lenticular on the chest):

To all my toy friends – just wrapped up this custom project. Five custom carded GI Joe scale Soundwave figures with Laserbeak drones. Four of them are for sale ($80). If you’re interested, please drop me a line. Spread the word :0)

You can check out more of Airmax’s work at his personal website AirmaxAnimated.com!

I simply cannot love this custom design enough!!

 

2011 G.I. Joe SDCC exclusives images

sdcc 2011 gi joe vs transformers starscream cobra commander

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!