Tag Archives: JBL Review

JBL Review: G.I. Joe Retaliation wave 3 Lady Jaye

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G.I. Joe Retaliation Lady Jaye

G.I. Joe Retaliation reviews continue here at JBL with Lady Jaye!  Actress Adrianne Palicki brings Lady Jaye to life in the big budget film debuting March 29, 2012!  Based on the incredibly poseable G.I. Joe Resolute Scarlet body, Hasbro gives fans the first figure female figure from the new movie line.  Currently packed “one per case” she’s proving surprisingly elusive right now.  So, is she worth the effort to find at retail?  Read on and find out one Joe fan’s opinion!

Check her out in the G.I. Joe Retaliation Review Index!

Is it March 29th yet?

JBL Review: G.I. Joe Retaliation Firefly!

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G.I. Joe Retaliation Firefly

When G.I. Joe Retaliation hits theatres in just shy of two months, fans will see the return of Duke, Snake Eyes, as well as the introduction of several new faces for the Joes in the form of Flint, Lady Jaye, and Roadblock.  Cobra, on the other hand, only sees one familiar character make his cinematic debut: the mercenary Firefly!  A long time favorite of fans, the Cobra Saboteur is brought to life by actor Ray Stevenson– recently seen in other genre films like Thor and Punisher: War Zone.

The good folks at Hasbro included Firefly, complete with actor likeness, in Wave 2 of the G.I. Joe Retaliation toy line which is just now hitting toy shelves.  So, is this new incarnation of Firefly, complete with Blast Board, worth adding to any Joe collection?  Check out the review at the G.I. Joe Retaliation Review Index and find out one Joe fan’s opinion!

On a side note, I’ve finally got most of my photo set-up put back together post-move so expect more reviews of Retaliation figures in the coming days!

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

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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!)

JBL Review: More G.I. Joe reviews coming soon… really!

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Yeah, remember a few weeks ago that whole promise of “one G.I. Joe  review a week”…

Sounded pretty good, didn’t it?  Yet– there is a decided lack of new reviews posted in the past two weeks.  You might even find yourself wondering- “What happened?”

Trust me– more reviews are coming.  Sadly a plumbing issue took place at Casa del JBL… right over the photo setup!  Everything is fine now but the delay cost me some time that I’m working to get back.  Just check out the gallery below to see a few preview images of some of the figures that will be covered in the next two weeks here– including some fan favorites that were long overdue for an update!

After that– I’ll be “hopping around” a bit in terms of new reviews.  This means that we’ll be dipping back into the classic Gen 1 G.I. Joe A Real American Hero line as well as the Gen 3 “Modern Era” figures as well.  The past few years have left me with quite a backlog of product both opened and unopened that needs to be freed from its plastic prisons!  So, if there’s something that you’d like to see JBL cover in a review– shoot me a line or post a reply below and I’ll add it to the queue.  (See, I do take requests!  Just no “My Little Pony” stuff… no Bronies here!)

Anyway, enjoy the preview images and keep your eyes posted on JBL!  There’s more new content coming!

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[Show as slideshow]

 

JBL Review: G.I. Joe Retaliation Trooper

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G.I. Joe Retaliation G.I. Joe Trooper review

What? Another new review at JBL? Isn’t this site supposed to be dead?

Another new review has indeed been posted– and this time it’s the G.I. Joe Retaliation G.I. Joe Trooper!  (This figure might get the award for using the term “G.I. Joe” more than any other in its title.)  Originally released in June in time for the film’s intended release, these figures won’t bee seen again at retail until some time in February.  However, the old adage about “absence makes the heart grow fonder”… especially in the case of this addition to the rank and file of the Joe team.  Besides, doesn’t that helmet look familar? It’s almost “spartan” in its appearance…

So, is this figure worth a purchase when he returns to shelves in February?  Check out the newly built (and currently very empty) G.I. Joe Retaliation Review Index and read the review for yourself!

Also, feel free to sound off as to what you’d like to see covered next?  The SDCC Shockwave HISS Tank?  The 2012 Collector’s Convention Oktober Guard?  More Retaliation figures?  Your feedback is very much wanted as JBL gets back up to speed!

SDCC: G.I. Joe exclusive Kim Arashikage (standard version) reviewed!

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2012 SDCC Jinx

As the theme song from the dreadful series “Enterprise” starts out: “It’s been a long time…”  (Nearly four years since I’ve penned a figure review to be exact.)

This year’s San Diego Comic Con exclusive has landed– on her feet as a ninja should!  Lucky attendees of the SDCC were able to snag an updated version of Kim Arashikage (aka “Jinx” to her friends and teammates) at the HasbroToyShop.com booth.  Released in two different versions, Jinx features Generation 3 tooling and articulation– and even a movie-accurate head sculpt on her variant version.  However, she’s also proven to be a true ninja– elusive to acquire on HTS.com! 

So, is this figure worthwhile?  Check out the 2012 SDCC Kim Arashikage review and see what this Joe fan thinks!

Also– note that Jinx isn’t linked anywhere but on the main page of JBL currently.  As part of a return to the review-writing world I’ve got a few maintenance issues to take care of in terms of the site organization.  Look for a new “exclusives” index to be launched soon as well as a section dedicated to the G.I. Joe Retaliation line!

JBL: The site, reviews, and a promise…

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It’s been 4 years since JBL showed real signs of life as an active participant in the fan community.  However, things are changing around here and I thought I’d offer up an explanation of what happened and what the site will be going forward.  (Knock on wood.)

Those of you who’ve known me for a long time know that I’m actually not the most social of individuals.  It’s just one of those things– I tend to keep drama and things to myself rather than dump it other people.  After all, we’ve all got our own problems, right?  As recent as four years ago, JBL bordered on a full-time job for me.  I was compiling the Daily News five nights a week, monitoring the forums, and writing reviews of everything from classic Generation 1 A Real American Hero figures from the 80’s to Generation 3 25th Anniversary figures.   What started as a hobby had developed into a site and from there developed in something that was slowly taking over my waking hours.   It was a labor of love– an outlet for a passion dedicated to a group of characters that inspired me all throughout the 80’s.  That was when “real life” began to intrude.  My energies were split in too many directions and I had things outside of Joe that required more and more of my attention.  Aging parents, changing jobs, and health issues both personal and family-wise… all became more immediate than a site dedicated to “little plastic men.”  As such, the site suffered as I stepped away more and more.

As they say at the beginning of every episode of Supernatural, that was “Then:”… Let’s talk about “Now:”.

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JBL Review: Marauder Gun-Runners Wave 6

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Wow… it’s been nearly 4 years since I’ve been able to say this but I’ve posted a new review as of last night.  Marauder Gun-Runners Series 6 has hit the fandom in recent weeks and it was enough to pull on aging reviewer out of retirement.  Chock-full of modular weapons and a cornucopia of rifle accessories, Joe fans are sure to find SOMETHING in this wave to appeal to collection needs.

However, don’t just take my word for it.  Head on over to JBL’s newly updated Marauder Gun-Runners Review Index and check out the 3 page review of wave 6!