Carded Pythona and Mike Power now at the Collector’s Club Store

The Carded Pythona figures and the Mike Power – Atomic Man 1:16 renewal figures are now available at the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club store!

G.I. Joe Collector's Club Pythona carded

The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club really hit one out of the park this year with the Pythona membership renewal figure and attendees of Joe Con 2016 were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to by special carded versions while at the event in Loveland, CO a few weeks ago.  Now, members who weren’t able to make the trek to Colorado also have the opportunity to snag a carded Pythona of their very own!

I won’t sugar coat it– I love this figure.  (As you can tell from the review we posted about three weeks ago.)  She’s absolutely worth owning – both as a modern construction figure and as piece of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero history.  Considering that this is the first-ever figure of the Cobra-La Emissary/Assassin, this figure probably won’t stick around forever.

However, the Club isn’t just catering to the 1:18 crowd.  The latest additions to the Club store also include two options for acquiring the KILLER 1:6 updated Mike Power action figure!  The Atomic Man and his accessory set can be purchased individually or bundled together at a moderate savings.

If you’re going shopping, here are some handy direct links.  (Good for you, bad for your wallet.)  Each item is limited to one per membership.

Check out these and more exclusive items (Dr. Isotope anyone?) over at the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club store!

 

 

G.I. Joe Collector’s Club unveils Pythona!

Pythona is revealed!!!

Today is the last day to sign up for a 2016 membership to the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club and the folks at Cattle Barron Drive have pulled out all of the stops in encouraging people to sign up by showing off a prototype for Pythona!

Not a digital mock-up.  Not a render but a painted sample of Pythona!

G.I. Joe Collector's Club Pythona

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Changes to G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Memberships in 2016?

G.I. Joe Collector's Club

Are changes coming to G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Memberships beyond 2016?

It was reported earlier today over at Allspark.com that there are changes coming to Transformers Collector’s Club memberships in 2016.  To be more specific, regardless of when a member enrolls, all memberships will expire on December 31, 2016.  This has also led to speculation on their forums about the future of the annual BotCon convention which is currently managed by Fun Publications.

Given the interconnected nature of the Fun Publications organizations, it didn’t take long for speculation to begin about the nature of the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club memberships as well.  Sure enough, a quick check of a membership page uncovered this new piece of verbiage at the bottom of the membership description:

Please note that at this time we are only accepting memberships and renewals for the 2016 calendar year.  All memberships will end with the December 2016 issue.  For example:  if your  membership renewal has a February start date, you will receive the FREE membership figure in the late spring along with 11 monthly issues.   If your membership renewal has a March start date, you will receive the FREE membership figure in the late spring and 10 monthly issues.

Really?  So, no matter when someone enrolls in 2016, their membership ends in December.  Which means that the cost of a membership is the same, regardless of the number of issues of the newsletter received.

So, what does this actually mean?  Is the Club transitioning their memberships to a calendar year model?  Or, does this mean that Fun Publications will no longer be the entity behind the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club going forward?  Or, is it merely verbiage that was ported over from the Transformers side of the organization by accident.  We’ve reached out to Fun Publications and we’ll let you know what we find out going forward.

Right now there’s no OFFICIAL word as to what the future will hold for the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club and the annual memberships.  We can only wait and see what information, if any, the Club chooses to disseminate in the coming weeks.

EDIT: We reached out to directly to Brian Savage at the GIJCC who was good enough to send us back a prompt response.

All I can tell you is exactly what you read online.  There is no additional information at this time.


So for now, this is all we know but I’m sure the coming weeks and months will reveal more information.

Arctic Dr. Mindbender Review

arctic dr. mindbender

I never thought I’d own an Arctic Dr. Mindbender figure.  More importantly, I never thought I’d want to own an Arctic Dr. Mindbender figure.

When this figure was announced at the 2014 G.I. Joe Collector’s Club, my reaction was less than enthusiastic.  After all, who would want a figure based on a character’s appearance in just a few short scenes in the animated G.I. Joe: the Movie?  Plus, hadn’t Mindbender already been released back in 2009?  Was there really a need to update him?  Apparently, there was and the result is surprisingly… well, you’ll have to read the review to find out this Joe fan’s opinion!

Check out the Arctic Dr. Mindbender review in the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index!

Review: 2012 G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Footloose

G.I. joe Collector's Club footloose

JBL has a brand-new guest review of the 2012 G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Footloose renewal figure!

No, you didn’t step through a wormhole and land back in 2012!  Long-time G.I. Joe fan (and hopefully frequent JBL contributor) Otto “The Otter” Phillips offered to lend a hand and contribute some guest reviews to help fill in the backlog here at JBL HQ!

His first feature is a childhood favorite that received an updated version as the 2012 G.I. Joe Collector’s Club membership renewal figure.  Was Otto happy with this figure?  Did it live up to the nostalgia of his childhood?

Check out the review over at the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index and find out one Joe fan’s opinion!

Were you a fan of Footloose?  Would you like to see more contributions from Otto?  Let us know in the comments below!

G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Membership Cross Country Review

G.I. Joe Collector's Club Cross Country

 

The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Cross Country figure is here!!!

I’ve been waiting for this figure to hit my mailbox ever since it was first announced.  I can’t really explain it but the concept of an updated Cross Country with new parts from Boss Fight Studio had me more excited than a Joe fan at opening night of G.I. Joe Retaliation!  Even though I was never a huge fan of Cross Country as a kid this version looked like sheer plastic perfection.

So was he worth the wait?  Check out the review in the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index and find out one Joe fan’s opinion!

Review: 2013 G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Iceberg Incentive Figure

G.I. Joe Collector's Club Renewal figure Iceberg

There’s nothing like a cold front to put a Joe fan in the mood for an arctic trooper!  Case in point: my G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Iceberg Renewal Incentive figure arrived last year on the hottest day of the year thus far.  It was June and the mercury was about to escape from the thermometer– so I wasn’t really thinking that it was an idea time to review poor ole Iceberg.

Flash forward a few months and it’s freezing outside!  In other words– it’s PERFECT weather for an Iceberg review!

Was this figure worth the cost of renewing my membership in the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club for an additional year?  DOes Iceberg turn into a killer whale when dipped in water? Check out the review in the Collector’s Club Review Index and find out one Joe fan’s opinion!

Cross Country Announced as G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Renewal Figure

G.I. Joe Collector's Club Cross Country 2014

It’s that time of year again– when the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club reveals the membership renewal figures for the forthcoming year in an attempt to encourage fans to sign-up/renew their membership.   After a string of successful endeavors over the past few years including Dial-Tone, Footloose, and Iceberg the club pulls out all of the stops with this year’s reveal of HAVOC driver Cross Country!

Based on the debut 1986 version of Cross Country the figure looks pretty darned solid in this fan’s eyes and I’d be remiss if I didn’t sense the involvement of Boss Fight Studios in this design somewhere.  According to the Club:

2014 CROSS-COUNTRY (3 3/4-Inch Modern Era Action Figure)

CROSS-COUNTRY is the G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club FREE Membership Incentive Figure for 2014! This FREE figure will be sent to any G.I. Joe Club member that chooses the 3 3/4-inch figure option and whose membership is active by March 16th, 2014.

This club exclusive CROSS-COUNTRY action figure features a NEW head sculpt, NEW vest with holster, figure stand, classic file card and accessories, including: assault rifle, pistol, and NEW vehicle wrench. Members can expect to receive this bagged figure with all his accessories in late spring/early summer of 2014!

It’s a nice recreation/update of the original figure that brings Cross Country firmly into the Generation 3 era of 1:18 construction.  I do miss the character’s goofy grin that was so prevalent on the original 1986 design but I can live without also seeing his “chipmunk cheeks” recreated as well.  (Seriously, it looked he either had the mumps or was storing nuts for the winter in there!)  What is more surprising is that the GIJCC revealed the release of the “HAVOC Mk II” as an optional accessory for purchase later.  Essentially just a repainted Snowcat I’m not certain how it will go over with a membership that has already purchased two Figure Subscription Service waves in the past year.  Consider me definitely down for Cross Country and a probable “pass” on the HAVOC Mk II.

All of the renewal information for both 1:18 and 1:6 can be found at the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club links below.

Deadline for GIJCC renewals is STILL March 16th

It’s been no secret that the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club has fallen on some pretty hard times lately in terms of public relations.  First, there have been the continual delays in launching the Figure Subscription service.  Secondly, the convention date and hotel were changed weeks after being formally announced.  Mostly recently, members of both the G.I. Joe and Transformers Collector’s Clubs have been reported fraudulent charges used at Fun Publications in the past few years.  The club was slow to respond but finally acknowledged the issue last week — by suspending online ordering capabilities.

The big question on EVERYONE’S mind has been — what are we supposed to do about renewals?  March 16th is the deadline to renew membership in order to receive either the 12″ Man of Evil or the 4″ Footloose action figure premiums.

Yesterday, Brian Savage set out the following email stating that, regardless of any security issues, the March 16th deadline is firm.

    This update is going out to all members:

Due to the issue with processing credit cards we have currently suspended your ability to renew and join the club online. The deadline is coming March 16th for you to be eligible to receive the 2012 free club exclusives.

On Monday, we will have a pdf online on the club site for membership renewals and new memberships that you can mail in with a check or money order.  We will process your membership as soon as they arrive.

Please note that the March 16th deadline is a hard deadline (in house) so please make sure any mail is in the postal system by March 9th.

If you want to receive the free club exclusive Footloose or Man of Evil, your membership must be active as of March 16th.  At the bottom of this email you will find your expiration date.  If it is after March 16, 2012, you are good to go for the 2012 figure.

Also, please log into the club club site <https://www.gijoeclub.com/club/> and ensure you have the figure selected you want to receive for this year, either 3 3/4″ or 12″.

Thanks for your support and patience during this difficult time.

Brian

Questions/comments about this announcement should be directed to admin2@funpubinc.com .