Is the Marissa Fairborn & Afterbreaker two-pack worth your hard-earned cash? Did Otto finally convert over to being a full-time Transformers fan? The answers to these questions and more can be found over at the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index!
Of all of the 50th Anniversary sets available this year, the Social Clash was one of the most anticipated by fans. Featuring the mass market release of the “Concept Case” Lady Jaye as well as a re-release of the Baroness, this two-pack was part of the “second wave” of product hitting both Toys R Us and BigBadToyStore.
Were these two ladies worth the wait? Or was it a case of the anticipation being greater than the realization? Check out the Social Clash review over in the G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Review Index and find out one Joe fan’s opinion!
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.
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.
I’ve mirrored them below but I’d also encourage everyone to stop by their Facebook page and give ’em a “Like” to stay abreast of the latest GIJCC news!
Also, check out the continually updated JBL Toy Fair 2014 Coverage as the day progresses!
As the holiday season approaches, consumers everywhere are left with the dilemma of what to get for those friends and family members on their respective lists. Even more perplexing can be the question: “What do you get for the G.I. Joe fan on your holiday list?” Well, thanks to Joe fan and published author Mark Bellomo, this might have become a lot easier.
As of last night, Mark opened the floodgates and has listed a plethora of Joe-themed goodness up on internet auction site Ebay. However, what makes a lot of these items truly unique is that they are signed by the “godfather of G.I. Joe Larry Hama”– and many of them come from his private collection! In corresponding with Mark he’s revealed at even more items are coming– just keep an eye out on his eBay page for future updates.
Normally this type of news wouldn’t make the front page here at JBL but for a chance to own something truly unique– a piece signed by Larry Hama himself– well, we’ll make an exception.
Yet, as as they say in the infomercials: “But wait, there’s more!” There is something even cooler on Ebay as well– Larry Hama himself has listed the original cover sketch for IDW Publishing’s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #195! With just over a day remaining, here’s a great chance to own a real piece of G.I. Joe history with a piece that features Shockwave, Lady Jaye, and the ever-popular Roadblock!
Wow– one of the single greatest events of JoeCon 2013? That would be the Sunday voice actor panel with two of the greatest stars of the Sunbow G.I. Joe animated series– Bill Ratner and Mary McDonald-Lewis. That’s right, the voices of the original Flint and Lady Jaye were on stage together and they didn’t disappoint!
To open the Sunday panel, Bill and Mary took the stage and performed an impromptu script reading with a little help of Fun Publication’s own Pete Sinclair. The story was entitled “Flint & Lady Jaye Have a Baby” and detailed the events of a G.I. Joe mission in which Lady Jaye reveals that she’s expecting. After foiling the efforts of Cobra and returning to headquarters, they decide upon a name for their daughter– Marissa. It was a nice homage to both the Sunbow G.I. Joe and Transformers animated series and marked the first time that the two had performed their respective signature characters since production on the original series ended. Honestly– it was a fan written script performed at a convention and it still caused me to grin from ear-to-ear when two of my favorite animated characters seemingly returned to life in an auditorium in Indianapolis. In many ways, it was like being a kid again and rushing home from school to catch the animated adventures of Flint and Lady Jaye each weekday afternoon.
Following the performance, the two took audience questions and related a number of anecdotes about the production of the original Sunbow series. (Who knew Michael Bell carried a “man purse” or that Chris Latta was always late coming back from lunch?) Mary Mac and Bill both discussed the differences between voice acting and stage acting as well as their fondness for the days of radio performances. In the end, the hour went by far too quickly and the audience gave these two a standing ovation. 2013 marks the first ever JoeCon appearance for either of them and it would be fantastic to see their return in the future.
To catch-up on what these two talented voice actors are working on currently, visiting the following links:
Lady Jaye became an essentially part of my personal G.I. Joe universe with her first appearance in G.I. Joe: The Revenge of Cobra! Debuting at the same time as her paramour Flint (as well as Shipwreck, Mutt, etc), the Covert Operations specialist proved herself to be smart, capable, and more than a little sassy! She was the kind of strong confident female that brands like She-Ra aspired to have. Whereas the female characters in Rise of Cobra were portrayed in relation to other mail character, G.I. Joe Retaliation shows Lady Jaye as an extremely strong and capable addition to the team. She’s a qualified marksman as well as a master of covert operations and infiltration and, if the trailers are any indication, Adrianne Palicki brings her to life with the respect the character deserves!
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!
If you’re a fan of the Sunbow G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series you’ll want to be at this year’s G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention! Just added to the guest list is Bill Ratner- better know as the voice of Flint, the team’s premiere warrant officer! Ratner will be joining Mary McDonald-Lewis (Lady Jaye) for what is sure to make for some exciting panels and fan interaction! I mean– who didn’t like Flint? (Plus, some of us remember Mr. Ratner from the Variety Arts Radio Network productions of The Adventures of Doc Savage!)
Check out the official announcement from the Club below:
01/28/2013 – We are thrilled to announce an additional guest to the GIJoeCon line-up. On hand for the entire weekend will be Bill Ratner, voice of Flint from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Heroanimated series!
Check out our special guest showcase and read their project bio’s…Click here! All will be scheduled for discussion panels and autograph sessions over the convention weekend.
Mr. Ratner was a guest on the popular What’s On Joe Mind podcast– featured in Episode #70!
Much like the Renegades images– this set just makes me a bit sad. Some of the figures shown are ones that I was looking forward to since the 30th anniversary line-up was announced. Sadly, they’re now falling into the category of unproduced G.I. Joe figures that are headed into the concept case of obscurity.
Three of the most anticipated but now unproduced G.I. Joe figures for this fan?
Kwinn
Flint
Lady Jaye
Even the much-lamented Data Viper is a figure that piqued my curiosity. However, as of now, none of these figures are slated to see release– save for hopefully Kwinn.
Check out Photonut’s Day 1 unproduced G.I. Joe images below:
