Reminder: SDCC 2017 exclusive items to hit HasbroToyShop.com Monday

On Monday, August 14, 2017 MOST of the Hasbro SDCC exclusive items will hit HasbroToyShop.com!

broken f5 button

“And there came a day unlike any other…”

No, we’re not talking about the first ever team-up of Marvel’s Avengers! Monday is going to be Summer Exclusives Day at HasbroToyShop.com.  That’s right– it’s that “magical time” (Read: FRUSTRATING) day in which fans from across the world will all be hitting HasbroToyShop.com and using their F5 keys to refresh their browsers in order to get the items they want.

Have no fear, Joe fans!  While we don’t know WHEN everything is going to drop– we do now WHAT the URL’s of the exclusive items will be.  To save yourself some time and some hasty item searches, here are all of the items and the pricepoints on each that will be dropping on Monday:

You can also see the FULL ITEM LIST if you’re looking for more than one item.

NOTE: Each item appears to be limited to 2 per household. (Save for the Magic set and Optimus Prime which is 1 per household.)

Good luck to everyone who is hitting the site tomorrow.  May you all get everything that you’re after!

SDCC G.I. Joe exclusives available 8/14 at HasbroToyShop

Cobra Missile Command Headquarters box front

SDCC 2017 is in full swing and G.Hasbro’s annual G.I. Joe exclusives are very much on everyone’s mind!  However, it would seem that those of us who are stuck at home know just when the sought-after comic con items will be dropping on HasbroToyShop.com.

Yesterday, two product listings were quietly added to the website.

Included in each product description was the note “available 8/14”.  Apparently that day, the second Monday in August, will be when fans from around the globe will be hitting the site, frantically hitting F5 to refresh their screens in the hopes of completing their transactions before the items sell out. While the exclusives of the past few years have been pretty easy to obtain, there’s something about this year’s two G.I. Joe-related SDCC items that feels very different.

Hasbro IDW Revolution Comic Crossover Mega-Set

I’m not going to lie– I’m giddy over the prospect of BOTH of these sets, for very different reasons.  Nostalgia plays a heavy hand in my love for both sets but I’d be hard-pressed right now to choose one over the other if I had to prioritize dropping one in my cart first.  One one had there’s the AMAZING recreation/update to the Cobra Missile Command Headquarters but on the other hand there’s the IDW Hasbro Comic Crossover Mega-Set that includes Renegades Roadblock, ROM the Space Knight, and the Micronauts.  Decisions, decisions.

Regardless, August 14th is the day to put on your calendars kids!

And now you know…

Hasbro’s IDW Revolution Comic Crossover Mega-Set:

Cobra Missile Command Headquarters:

 

Sharpshooter recreates G.I. Joe Retaliation trick shot

Remember this scene from G.I. Joe Retaliation?  You know– where Roadblock and Duke have a post-operation shooting contest to determine whether Roadblock takes his next promotion or if Duke babysits Marvin’s daughters?

Well, it seems that professional sharpshooter Kirsten Joy Weiss wanted to put the scene to a Mythbusters-style test and determine if it was possible to shoot out the flame from a candle.   Was she successful? Continue reading

G.I. Joe Retaliation Ultimate Roadblock Review

G.I. Joe Retaliation Ultimate Roadblock

It’s no secret that Roadblock was the focal point of the G.I. Joe Retaliation marketing efforts.  Simply put: you don’t put someone like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in a film and then ignore his presence.  This also means that the accompanying toy line is going to be chock-full of Roadblock figures– each with something just a bit different to make them unique from the rest.  Such is the case of the wave 3.5 release of “Ultimate Roadblock” which attempts to be the most screen accurate version of the character to date.

So, is this really the “Ultimate Roadblock” or just “yet another Roadblock”? Is he worth a purchase after the wave 2 Battle Kata Roadblock version?

Head on over to the G.I. Joe Retaliation Review Index and check it out!

Holiday shopping alert – Larry Hama signed items and cover sketch!

G.I. Joe A Real American Hero 195 cover sketch by Larry HamaAs 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.

Check out the Joe goodness that is listed!

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!

 

New G.I. Joe carded artwork poster available from 3DJoes.com!

3DJoes.com 1982 - 1985 card art poster project.

3DJoes.com 1982 – 1985 card art poster project.

Here at JBL, we’re suckers for good G.I. Joe artwork and the website 3DJoes.com.  So, imagine the utter glee that was experienced by one admin in particular when the following announcement went up on 3DJoes regarding their recent carded artwork poster project!

Carded 3DJoes” posters are here!

The first “Carded 3DJoes” poster is here! It features every single carded figure from 1982-1985. That’s 49 unforgettable Joes and Cobras on one 24″x36″ poster!Paper details: All 3DJoes posters are printed on 65 lb. sterling premium gloss paper stock. According to my printer, 65 pound paper is the thickest you can use and still roll them without creasing or damaging. It wont easily crease, pinch, or wrinkle. These posters are definitely frame worthy, but the paper is thick enough that if you just want to tack them up, that will work too.

Printing details: We use a four color printing process (CMYK), not digital. Four color prints are much higher quality than digital laser prints. To see behind the scenes at the printer, check out my “3DJoes of the 80s” album on Facebook.

Cost: All 3DJoes posters are an even $20 a piece, plus an estimated $9 for shipping. Comic/Collectibles dealers: please contact me for bulk purchase discounts. Orders of 20 or more are half off!

Why: Proceeds will help pay the $80/month that I’m paying to Arqball for their pro subscription. More info on that here: Pricing » Arqball Spin Blog  Fan response has been great and visitors enjoyed 47,000 spins last month, so hopefully I’ll sell plenty of posters!

Wow!  1982 – 1985 were considered by many to be the peak years of the original A Real American Hero toy line.  These were the years that introduced fans to most of the line’s core characters from Snake Eyes to Cobra Commander to Firefly to Shipwreck to the Dreadnoks!  49 nine of your favorite characters stunningly reproduced on heavy card stock in a gorgeous 24 x 36 image?  This promotion already had me at “poster” but the fact that this is also helping to offset site maintenance costs for 3DJoes.com just makes it a complete no-brainer!Seriously– we’re moving into third quarter now and that means holiday shopping has begun.  (Or, at least, you might want to think about getting started.)  What better gift for the Joe fan in your life than one of these posters hanging proudly on the wall of their office/den/Joe room!

Check out the “Carded Joes 82 – 85” page over at 3DJoes.com for ordering information!

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

“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

2 days to G.I. Joe Retaliation – battle kata gear

Twitziller nears the conclusion of his “40 Reasons to Be Excited for G.I. Joe Retaliation” series with “battle kata gear.”

G.I. Joe Retaliation battle kata gear

Honestly this is a tricky one to write up because it’s not really overtly featured in the film.  The Battle Kata Roadblock figure showcased the full extend of the variable weapons system wielded by Roadblock rather effectively.  It’s a dynamic concept and one that can offer a soldier in combat more options than they can shake a stick at.  Plus, it’s hard not to look at the image above and think just how cool that pistol is.

Check out the rest of Twitziller’s series of images below.  Tomorrow is RETALIATION DAY!!!

7 days until G.I. Joe Retaliation – Roadblock

Twitziller is counting down the final seven days until G.I. Joe Retaliation with today’s reason to be jazzed: ROADBLOCK!

day 7 - roadblock

As a kid, I had a core group of favorite Joes– and the center of the group where Gung-Ho and Roadblock!  In some ways they were the Riggs & Murtaugh, Butch & Sundance,  .  On of my favorite stories featuring them was in Marvel Comics G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero vol 1 #39 – #41 which involved a mission to Sierra Gordo.  Two of my favorites were front and center– what’s not to love?!

When it came time to play one of the largest Joes in the sequel film, Paramount went to one of the biggest names in entertainment – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.  It’s a brilliant move as who else would be able to wield the giant M2 (as seen above) and yet still exude the charisma to play the team’s resident heavy machine gunner and chef?  The Rock brings with him not only a fan base but a strong confident portrayal of a fan-favorite character with the action-hero chops to back it up.  Seriously– the casting director should get one heck of a Christmas bonus for this!

Now if only Gung-Ho can join him in the sequel!

Check out the rest of Twitziller’s images below:

Review: G.I. Joe Retaliation Battle Kata Roadblock

G.I. Joe Retaliation Battle Kata Roadblock

G.I. Joe Retaliation reviews continue here at JBL!

He’s large and in charge and he just might be carrying the “people’s heavy machine gun!”  That’s right– I’m talking about an action figure based on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s portrayal of Roadblock in G.I. Joe Retaliation!  In the second wave of figures Marvin S. Hinton is dubbed “Battle Kata Roadblock” based on his innovative modular weapon system.  He’s also sporting a full Arashikage tattoo on his forearm.  So, has Roadblock gone over to the “Ninja Side”?  Is this figure worth the $9.99 sticker price?

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