GIJoeCon 2018: Convention sets are still available!

GIJoeCon 2018 is now 91 days away and this year’s exclusive sets are still available!

GIJoeCon 2018 bannerOkay, that headline is slightly misleading.  The 1:18 Python Peril: Marauders to the Rescue 15 figure convention sets had previously sold out during the preview period. That’s right– before fans even had the reveals for all nine figure builds, the sets (both attending and non-attending) were gone! Apparently, announcing that this was the final year for a Fun Publications run event was good for sales!

The folks at the GIJCC, however, were able to secure an additional run from the factory and more Python Patrol vs. Slaughter’s Marauders sets were produced– both for Homefront Heroes and convention attendees.

As of this morning, those sets are STILL available!

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GIJoeCon 2018: Python Patrol HEAT Viper lights it up!

The GIJoeCon 2018 previews are coming fast and furious! Today’s reveal: the Python Patrol HEAT Viper!

GIJoeCon 2018 Python HEAT Viper

PYTHON PATROL
HIGH EXPLOSIVE ANTI-TANK TROOPER:
H.E.A.T. VIPER

– 25th Anniversary Style/Fully Poseable Action Figure.
– Modern Era Update of Character based on 2003 design.
– THREE Army Builder action figures in this exclusive set.
– Includes removable harness, bazooka shells x 6, bazooka,
connection tube, backpack, and Cobra Logo Stand.

Hmm… not quite as “hot” as I was hoping for…

The recipe for the Python Patrol HEAT Viper is pretty simple.  Take the 2014 50th Anniversary HEAT Viper and apply an approximation of the 2003 Python Patrol HEAT Viper color scheme.  I say “approximation” because this one is close but there’s something off about it. Continue reading

G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Reviews Return!

G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary HEAT Viper

It’s been a bit but the G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary reviews continue with the first two two-packs in the line– the Heated Battle and the Night Marksmen!

I’ve been sitting on these for a while now– digesting what may be some of the last new 1:18 Joes from Hasbro for a while.  As with much of this 32nd Anniversary of A Real American Hero 50th Anniversary of G.I. Joe line, it’s a case of “what was old is new again.”  These two packs feature three characters who have seen prior releases and one that makes his debut in the generation 3 style of construction.

So, were Blowtorch, Low-Light, HEAT Viper, and Night Viper worth picking up?

Head on over to the G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Index and check out one Joe fan’s opinion!

G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Items Hit Ebay

G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Social Clash Lady Jaye Baroness

It was bound to happen sooner rather than later.  Ebay seller viperskingdom has listed several items from the forthcoming 50th Anniversary collection up for auction.  I’ve mirrored some of the images below but all of his auctions may also be found HERE.

First, the pictures, then some commentary….

Okay, I’m just going to go straight to the elephant in the room– the incredibly poor paint applications seen on the Lady Jaye figure.  Really– that’s one of the worst paint decos I’ve seen since the 2000 relaunch of the brand with the G.I. Joe vs. Cobra era.  This is the same head that was used by the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club for the Night Force Lady Jaye that was a 2013 Joe Con convention souvenir which means that fans have already seen how this head can turn out.  They’ve now got something to compare this “G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary” version to.  (I still argue that it’s really the “32nd Anniversary of ARAH”.)  Those same fans have also come to expect a certain level of quality from Hasbro produced items.

This isn’t it.  It’s like QC just took the night off and let the interns take a shot at painting.

As for the rest of the line?  Well, quite honestly– it’s uninspired.  Rather than celebrating the wide half-century history of a brand that redefined action figures for generations the marketing folks at Hasbro cobbled together a collection of repaints and some concept vault figures and called it a night.  While the more recent Joe fans might like the offerings, this long time Joe fan finds them lazy, uninspired, and downright insulting to the collectors of the 1:6 era that put G.I. Joe on the map in the first place.

Sure, there’s going to be a Snow Wolf and a “mostly new” Leatherneck, but overall this line is nothing even close to what it really should have been.

Check out the rest of viperskingdom’s current G.I. Joe auctions on Ebay.