2016 G.I. Joe figures up for pre-order at BigBadToyStore.com

Looking for the new 2016 G.I. Joe figures and don’t have ready access to a Toys R Us?  Look no further!

2016 G.I. Joe two-packs

When Hasbro first announced the 2016 G.I. Joe line-up it was stated that these figures would hit retail “November 2016.”  In spite of this fact, pre-orders for that line have been virtually non-existent.  However, over the past few days sightings have started pouring in from various Toys R Us locations ranging from Louisiana to Texas to Illinois where the release date seems to have been broken.

Yesterday, online retailer BigBadToyStore opened up pre-orders for the 2016 G.I. Joe line— from individual two-packs and three-packs to full sets and even cases of the three packs.

The FULL inventory is available here.  However here are two quick links that will get you “one of each” of each set available.  (Note, these aren’t affiliate links.  JBL makes NOTHING from any orders placed by clicking on these.  We’re just trying to help out the community any way we can.)

G.I. Joe 2016 Vs two packs:

G.I. Joe 2016 Squad 3-packs

  • All Cobra packs and all Joe packs
  • Cobra Legion: BAT, SAW Viper, Female Cobra Officer (with pony tail)
  • Special Forces: NF Outback, NF Lt Falcon, Shooter! (w/ rifle case and rifle)

SDCC 2016 Hasbro exclusives to hit HTS on August 9, 2016

SDCC 2016 is fleeting memory but the hunt for the Hasbro exclusives is only just beginning for many fans.  According to the updated FAQ at HasbroToyShop.com, the remaining inventory of SDCC 2016 Hasbro exclusives will be available online on August 9, 2016.

SDCC 2016 Hasbro exclusives

As stated in this morning’s FAQ update, all exclusives will be available under the “Exclusives” category starting on August 9, 2016.  In addition, the per-person limits that were enforced at SDCC 2016 will apply to all online transactions as well.

sdcc 2016 hasbro exclusives FAQ

So there you have it.  Depending upon the availability and the timing, a great many fans of Hasbro properties will be frantically hitting the F5 key that day in order to try and snag the latest 2016 exclusives.  (This particular fan is eyeing both the G.I. Joe vs. Transformers set as well as the Marvel Legends Collector’s Vault set.  Man, I NEED more Howard the Duck in my life! Plus, MICRONAUTS!)

It’s a pretty full-slate this year with Hasbro showcasing more of their lines (and upcoming properties) than this fan can recall the Pawtucket toymaker doing in previous years.

Here’s the full list of SDCC 2016 Hasbro exclusives: Continue reading

SDCC 2016: Micronauts return in exclusive set!

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!

SDCC 2016 MICRONAUTS CLASSIC COLLECTION Set

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!

Joe Con 2016: Hasbro’s G.I. Joe 2016 lineup announced!

Hasbro unveiled their G.I. Joe 2016 plans and YoJoe.com was LIVE from Joe Con 2016 with a Facebook LIVE session directly from the  panel!  We’ve got the embedded video below after the notes.

Hasbro G.I. Joe 2016

We’ve got some hastily transcribed notes below.  Expect a cleaner article with some commentary later tonight as part of the Saturday Armchair Coverage round-up!

Hasbro Writer’s Room:

  • Combination of television/movie/comic book writers. Hasbro is very proud of the talent they have amassed.
  • Creation of a shared universe combining their intellectual properties. Officially dubbed “Hasbro Cinematic Universe”—separate from IDW.  Intended as multi-film story arc.  Goal is to start to develop shared and combined stories.  Derryl was able to spend two weeks with the writers and get to work with them on shaping this shared universe.

Joe vs Transformers SDCC set:

  • Deco is decal-based. Includes Joe, Cobra, Autobot decals. This way the toys can be whatever you want them to be in your own collection.
  • Soundwave is the 5th most-popular Decepticon but hard to justify now as a cassette tape. (Same with Megatron.)

Hasbro Pulse Crossword Puzzle includes all characters listed below:

  • Stiletto
  • Scarlett
  • Zartan

Derryl – Joe is in quieter year.  Harder to get resources to produce more figures during those years. In those years, previously tooled harder-to-find figures are ideal for re-release.  100% of tooling budget is used for NEW figures.

Toys R Us G.I. Joe 2016 line-up: (November 2016)

  • Focus on figures vs vehicle sets which were slow sellers
  • Two packs will be in a 10 pack case—ALL EVENLY PACKED!

Continue reading

Have you figured out the G.I. Joe 2016 lineup yet?

Who will be included in the G.I. Joe 2016 lineup?

We’re just a few days away from the Hasbro panel at Joe Con 2016 in Loveland, CO and that means we’re just a few days of way from discovering what exactly is the G.I. Joe 2016 line-up of figures.

Hasbro g.i. joe 2016 lineup crossword

On June 3rd, those clever marketing devils over at Hasbro published a crossword puzzle at Hasbro Pulse.  This matrix was comprised of all of the figures to be released by Hasbro in the G.I. Joe at Toys R Us this year.  However, the kicker was that there were no clues given.  Only one row was filled in and that was the name of the Kindle World’s Fan’s Choice character Stiletto.

It’s been a few weeks since this crossword was posted and fans have had time to put in their guesses.  Given past history it’s a safe bet to assume that some of these names will come from the now-infamous Concept Case displays of both 2012 and 2013.  So, who does that leave for the G.I. Joe 2016 lineup? Continue reading

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!

2016 SDCC G.I. Joe vs. Transformers exclusive revealed?

SDCC 2016 gijoe vs transformers cover

A new G.I. Joe vs. Transformers exclusive is apparently coming to SDCC 2016.

In the age of the internet, it has become increasingly more difficult to keep things under wraps.  Case in point, we’re apparently getting a brand new fourth G.I. Joe vs Transformers set featuring Scarlett, Zartan, a HISS Tank version of Soundwave, and a Cobra Rattler version of the Autobot Powerglide.

Pics dropped this weekend over on ACToys.net thanks to user Vincentzl and they hold back nothing.  If these are truly representative of the film product, the set appears to contain:

Interesting… Continue reading

The Hasbro Cinematic Universe is getting closer!

For months, we’ve been hearing discussion of a Hasbro Cinematic Universe and fans have been curious as to what direction this will take.  Will storylines and familiar characters from properties like MASK, G.I. Joe, Visionaries, the Micronauts, and even ROM: The Spaceknight really be merged?  Or will they all merely occupy the same narrative space, much like the comic book teams of the Avengers and the X-Men did up through the early 2000’s?

Well, yesterday, we got not one but TWO news drops that shed some really light on the future of the Hasbro Shared Universe concept!

IDW Publishing’s Revolution:

idw revolution event

Entertainment Weekly published an interview with IDW Publishing Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall yesterday that discussed a five-issue biweekly series that will launch in September entitled “Revolution”.  The premise– a story that brings together ALL of the company’s Hasbro-licensed properties into a single storyline.  That’s right: G.I. Joe, the Transformers, the Micronauts, ROM, Action Man, and MASK will all be featured in this unifying story event.

Even more telling is the fact that after Revolution, all of these series will see new number one issues and a new status quo, according to Ryall, who also insists that this isn’t a reboot. Continue reading

HASCON: Is Hasbro planning their own brand convention?

United States Patent & Trademark Office

HASCON is coming?

There’s been a lot of speculation over the fate of the annual Joe Con after it was revealed that Hasbro was ending its relationship with Fun Publications, the company that licensed the annual Botcon (Transformers) and Joe Con (G.I. Joe ) events.  Many fans wondered if there would even continue to be annual Hasbro-authorized events. Over the past weekend, Hasbro filed a trademark with the US Patent Office that might shed some light on the future of these brand events.

Thanks to the intrepid newshounds over at TFwiki, it was revealed that Hasbro officially filed for the trademark on “HASCON”.  The purpose of this trademark, according to the trademark office filing is:

Organizing and conducting conventions, exhibitions, fan clubs and gatherings for entertainment purposes and in the fields of toys, animation, comic books, fantasy, gaming, popular culture, science fiction, television and film.

It’s not a lot of information but it shows that Hasbro is at least intending to move forward in some fashion with a continuation of conventions.  What’s more interesting, at least to this Joe fan, is that this appears to be the only trademark filed.  There’s nothing for any derivation of “Joe Con”, “Bot Con” or even “Pony Con”.  (Say what you will– but the Pony fandom is HUGE.)

With only one seemingly comprehensive trademark filed is Hasbro testing the waters at having events that showcase all of their brands in one place?  Or is this merely a preemptive measure designed to secure a copyright before anyone else files for it?  Right now, we have very little information to go on.  However, it’s also way too soon to jump to any detailed conclusions.  Joe Con 2016 is scheduled for the end of June and I doubt any formal announcement would be made before that even has concluded.

What do you think of this development?  Would you be in favor of more unified Hasbro brand events?  Would you rather have your conventions separated by product line?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or over on our Facebook page.

i can haz hascon