Tag Archives: JBL Review

Review: Figure Subscription Service Cobra Sniper Black Out!

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G.I. Joe Collector's Club Figure Subscription Service Cobra Sniper Black Out

It’s another Figure Subscription Service review– this team featuring Cobra Sniper Black Out!!!

Black Out debuted in 2003 as part of the Spy Troops series of G.I. Joe figures and immediately grabbed the attention of fans because of his compelling file card story.  He was the dark counterpart to the G.I. Joe team’s own Barrel Roll– the “bad brother” who went over the forces of Cobra and was implicated in the disappearance of his own sister.  It’s the kind of plotting that would make for an interesting movie and another shining example of the importance of file cards in the G.I. Joe line.  Thanks to the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club, Black Out was made available to those who signed up for the first Figure Subscription Service as the mystery 13th figure and shipped at the same time as his brother Barrel Roll!

Does the Black Out figure measure up to the standards of the Figure Subscription Service?  Is he up to the task of carrying out his feud with Barrel Roll in collections everywhere? Check out the review in the Collector’s Club Review Index and find out one Joe fan’s opinion!

Figure Subscription Service Skullbuster Reviewed!

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Figure Subscription Service Skullbuster

Another day and another Figure Subscription Service review!  (Hmm… this could be habit forming!)

The purple-clad leader of the Cobra Range Vipers comprised the second half of the most recent FSS shipment and it’s his turn on the review stage.  Sure he’s got an unorthodox color scheme that seems more at home on Eternia but he’s also got the firepower to back up his choice of attire!  We’re now four figure into the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Figure Subscription Service 2.0 and I have the feeling that the best is yet to come.

How did Skullbuster from the Figure Subscription Service fare in the eyes of two G.I. Joe site admins?  Hit the Collector’s Club Review Index and find out!

Review: Figure Subscription Service Widescope!

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G.I. Joe Collector's Club Figure Subscription Service Widescope

Figure Subscription Service Widescope & Lamont

The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Figure Subscription Service shipments have been hitting in rapid fire recently!  It was barely month ago shipment #1 dropped an all-Tiger Force deployment in the mailboxes of subscribers and shipment #2 arrived just before the Thanksgiving holiday!

New figures mean new reviews here at JBL and this time I’ve pulled in some help!  Chris “Werecat” Chung has jumped in to help discuss the latest addition to the generation 3 G.I. Joe figure roster: Widescope and his trusty pal Lamont!

What do two reviewers think of this newest SWAT team member from the Figure Subscription Service?  Hit the Collector’s Club Review Index and find out!  Also, check back tomorrow as Chris and I take on the Range Viper Commander better known as Skullbuster!

Review: Figure Subscription Service Tiger Force Shipwreck

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G.I. Joe Figure Subscription Service Tiger Force Shipwreck

After a long dry spell it would seem that the floodgates of new G.I. Joe products have been opened!  The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club recently shipped out the first installment of their Figure Subscription Service 2.0 and now the second shipment is on its way!  So, as fans are keeping an impatient surveillance on their mailboxes, JBL takes a look at the second half of the first shipment of FSS 2.0 – Tiger Force Shipwreck!

Can the G.I. Joe team’s salty sailor pull off the Tiger Force color scheme in generation 3 construction?  Check out the Collector’s Club Review Index and find out one Joe fan’s opinion!  (Feel free to leave your own comments below.)

Review: Figure Subscription Service Tiger Force Airtight

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Figure Subscription Service Tiger Force Airtight

When it comes to new product, G.I. Joe fans are in the middle of a dry spell.  That last Retaliation wave only contained 3 new figures and is proving as elusive as finding a sasquatch in the middle of New York City.  However, last week the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club shipped the first two figures from their second Figure Subscription Service.  Here’s where I spoil the surprise– it was an all Tiger Force shipment!  I was initially pretty luke-warm about these two figures when they were announced however, sometimes having a figure in hand can make all the difference.

So, how does Airtight hold up? Check out the review of Tiger Force Airtight in the Collector’s Club Review Index here at JBL!  Look for Shipwreck to drop by Monday!

G.I. Joe Retaliation Wave 3.5 reviews are coming…

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“The best laid plans of mice and men”… it seems to be a mantra around JBL lately.

I had been planning on getting reviews posted of G.I. Joe Retaliation wave 3.5 shortly after Coil Con IV as I was able to procure a good supply from Kokomo Toys.  However, WordPress issues and work wackiness seemed to be facets of a multi-pronged attack by Cobra to prevent any new content from going live on the site.

Thankfully– the site seems to be functioning normally now and things at the office have died down a bit.  (What?  This ISN’T my day job?!)  So, it’s back to shooting images and getting the reviews ready.   So far wave 3.5 seems to be limited to online stores with limited sighting at retail.  In my area (Central Illinois) the line has been dropped by both Target and Kmart (yes, we still have a few) while Walmart has scaled it back to just a pair of pegs reserved for the figures.  Toys R Us has yet to restock and hopefully won’t just jump to wave 4.

It’s an interesting time to be a Joe collector as the movie’s delay until March seems to have thrown off Hasbro’s entire time frame for product.   The three new figures in wave 4 are going to prove particularly elusive as they’re packed in a case with figures that have been out for months now.  The sole troop builder the Cobra Night Viper is starting to command premium prices on Ebay and many online stores are already sold out.

However, all is not bleak on the western toy front– the GIJCC’s FSS 2 should be shipping before too long giving fans SOMETHING new to add to their collection and Hasbro’s Derryl DePriest promised that Toy Fair 2014 will hold a few surprises for fans.    It gives us all a chance to catch our breath after the onslaught that was G.I. Joe Retaliation– a line that was produced in far more conservative numbers than it’s cinematic predecessor.

So, reviews will continue here in the coming weeks.  I’ve got some back-end work to do on the review page templates to make them “less archaic” but there’s a ton of product sitting in my “to do” pile that is just begging for some attention.  (Plus now that I have Kwinn in hand I really want to review the Club’s Dr. Venom figure!  “The bear is angry with the weasel!”)

So, stay tuned to JBL.  More new content IS indeed coming!

g.i. joe retaliation wave 3.5

JBL Reviews the G.I. Joe Retaliation Extended Action Cut Blu-Ray

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G.I. Joe Retaliation Extended Action Cut

Yesterday was a great day for the Joe Community– the release of the G.I. Joe Retaliation on Blu-Ray and DVD.  True, the film had been available digitally for two weeks but this was the first chance for fans to be able to run out and purchase a tangible copy of the film for their home library.  As with most major home media releases, there were a bevy of different retailer exclusives from steelbook cases to bonus feature discs of interviews.   (Most of these are broken down excellently by Justin over at YoJoe.com in his DVD/Blu-Ray Buyer’s Guide.)

However, only one version really caught my attention– the Extended Action Cut offered by Best Buy which promised more action and about 15 minutes of footage that wasn’t shown in theatres.  So, in the midst of the rain I ran out over my lunch hour and snagged a copy and, after what seemed like an eternity at the office, sat down to watch it last night.

How was it?  Read JBL Reviews the G.I. Joe Retaliation Extended Action Cut Blu-Ray and find out this Joe fan’s opinion.

G.I. Joe Retaliation reviews from around the Joe community

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G.I. Joe Retaliation March 28

While tomorrow is the official release date, a few theater chains across the US had early screenings of G.I. Joe Retaliation last night and more showings this evening.  With showings come comments and reviews– many from site owners and long-time Joe fans.  In order to give fans a fair picture of the overall community vibe for the movie, I’ve collected Joe site and Joe fan reviews below.  These aren’t from paid media outlets but rather from folks just like you and I.  Just remember, everyone is entitled to their opinion– even if it isn’t necessarily in step with your own.

Note: some of these will contain spoilers to varying degrees.   Read at your own risk.

G.I. Joe Retaliation Reviews:

I’ll add more as I find them.  If you know of a Joe site with a review of the film, toss me a comment below and I’ll add it to the list!

JBL reviews G.I. Joe Retaliation

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G.I Joe Retaliation movie poster

To borrow a phrase from one of the recent Star Trek series “It’s been a long road, getting from there to here.”  Two years since Rise of Cobra and then an unexpected nine month delay before G.I. Joe fans were treated to a second attempt at a big screen franchise of their favorite Real American Heroes.  Nearly three years since G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra tore apart the G.I. Joe fandom and tarnished the image of the once-dominant brand as a kitschy modern day remake of Mega-Force.  This time, however, things appeared to be different.  Director Jon M. Chu, better known for his Justin Bieber documentary, set to direct a script from the talented duo that brought us Zombieland.  Admittedly, all were fans of the incredible comic run by the “godfather of G.I. Joe” Larry Hama and promised a film that was more true to its comic roots than RoC.  However, I’d heard that song and dance before but tonight felt different.  The lights dimmed and I sat with friends in a surprise early birthday celebration organized by my wonderful girlfriend Amanda.  Was this a film to redeem the brand, the fandom, and reignite the enthusiasm of many disheartened fans?

Read on and find out one Joe fan’s opinion…

JBL Reviews G.I. Joe Retaliation  (mostly spoiler-free)

 

Feel free to add your own comments below!

JBL Review: G.I. Joe Retaliation Cobra Trooper

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g.i. joe retaliation cobra trooper

 

G.I. Joe Retaliation is hitting theaters nationally as early as Tuesday night.  With that in mind, JBL continues its reviews of the movie line with the Retaliation Cobra Trooper!  While not entirely screen accurate, this figure from the first wave came complete with a removable helmet and a working parachute that hearkens back to the action figures of the 80’s.  However, with wave 3 containing a screen accurate Cobra Trooper in the form of the Cobra Combat Ninja, is this figure worth picking up?

Check out the review in the G.I. Joe Retaliation Review Index and find out one Joe fan’s opinion!