Today is SDCC exclusive day at HasbroToyShop!

Today is the day that the SDCC exclusive items will be listed at HasbroToyShop!

SDCC 2016 Hasbro exclusives

That’s right– today’s the day in which toy collector’s across the globe hit HasbroToyShop.com, constantly refreshing their connections in the hopes that the links will become active.  It’s the day when F5 keys everywhere cry out in anguish…

Or maybe not!

Here’s a list of some of the most relevant items on today’s list:

NOTE: Product is LIVE NOW!

2016 SDCC exclusive Hasbro items:

Here’s a link to the full list of SDCC exclusive Hasbro items at HasbroToyShop.

So, good luck today in obtaining the SDCC exclusive items you’re after!  In previous years, they’ve gone live around 11:00am CST on HasbroToyShop.com but that’s just pure speculation.

SDCC 2016: G.I. Joe vs Transformers exclusive set official images

Just earlier this week fans got their first look at the SDCC 2016 exclusive G.I. Joe vs. Transformers set that will be released later this summer.   Now, thanks to SDCCBlog.com we have our first official images of this set that features Powerglide, Soundwave, Scarlett, and Zartan.

G.I.-JOE-AND-THE-TRANSFORMERS-Set_pkg

According to the blog post, this set will retail for $99.00.  No word on quantities available but it’s safe to assume that some quantity of the sets will be available over on HasbroToyShop.com after the show is over.

Again, it’s not a bad set– the fourth in a series that began with a G.I. Joe vs Transformers Cobra Commander & Starscream, continued with a Soundwave/Shockwave/Destro/BAT set, and originally concluded with a Jetfire/Baroness/Ravage/Bludgeon/Snake Eyes/Blaster set in 2013.  However, it would be nice to have Transformers that, well, actually transform!

We’ve mirrored all of the G.I. Joe vs Transformers images below but you can see pics of all of Hasbro’s SDCC 2016 exclusives over at SDCCBlog.com!

2016 SDCC G.I. Joe vs. Transformers exclusive revealed?

SDCC 2016 gijoe vs transformers cover

A new G.I. Joe vs. Transformers exclusive is apparently coming to SDCC 2016.

In the age of the internet, it has become increasingly more difficult to keep things under wraps.  Case in point, we’re apparently getting a brand new fourth G.I. Joe vs Transformers set featuring Scarlett, Zartan, a HISS Tank version of Soundwave, and a Cobra Rattler version of the Autobot Powerglide.

Pics dropped this weekend over on ACToys.net thanks to user Vincentzl and they hold back nothing.  If these are truly representative of the film product, the set appears to contain:

Interesting… Continue reading

Zack Hoffman, the Voice of Zartan, Will Be Attending Retro Con 2014!

Zack Hoffman voice of Zartan

Retro Con 2014, the annual celebration of all things 80’s, has just announced that Zack Hoffman, the voice of Zartan in the Sunbow animated series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, will be appearing at the two day event!

We’re happy to announce the addition of Zack Hoffman to our guest list! Zack is best known for giving voice to master of disguise ‘Zartan’ on the original 1980′s GI Joe cartoon created by Marvel Sunbow Productions!

Zack has also recorded hundreds of commercials throughout a career spanning over 30 years in the industry. In addition you may recognize him as the movie director in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, when Pee Wee reclaims his bike after briefly impersonating a nun!

Most recently Zack has created his own One Man Show call Tuxedo Man, with another entitled The Last DJ coming soon! Check out his website to follow all his works past and present!

Zack will be on hand all weekend to sign autographs free of charge. We only request you limit your items signed to 2 or 3. We thank Zack immensely for agreeing to come out for the show!!

He joins fan-favorite author Mark Bellomo, renowned voice actor Larry Kenney (Lion-O, Thundercats), and internet movie host Mr. Lobo on the guest list.  For its third convention, Retro Con will expand to a full two days to September 27 – 28 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA.  Last year’s guests including Sunbow voice actor Neil Ross and the “godfather of G.I. Joe” Larry Hama!

For more information, visit RetroCons.com or follow them on Twitter at @Retrocons!

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: A Real American Hero – 1990’s style!

G.I. Joe Ninja Force

Until the debut of G.I. Joe: Retaliation, our favorite Real American Heroes have had a dubious association with live action productions.  The Rise of Cobra didn’t exactly reignite the fires of the fandom and, aside from some fan films, the team really hadn’t dipped its toe in the pool any further.

However, there are a few near-forgotten gems from the 1990’s from when the line was in direct competition with toy lines such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  It was the age of “EXTREME” everything and Ninja Force was the headlining sub-team on the covers of the comics.  It was also when Hasbro attempted live-action portrayals of the Joes in television commercials.  (Frankly, I think the guys from the Cobra 1st Legion have better costumes!)

Check out this “Ninja Force” gem and feel free to leave your own thoughts below:

34 Days until G.I. Joe Retaliation – Zartan

Twitter user Twitziller continues his “40 Reasons to Be Excited About G.I. Joe Retaliation” series with today’s image: Zartan!

Sequels are tricky things.  Sometimes they emulate the source material too much with a sense of “been there, done that” and other times they divulge wildly from the original, with mixed results.  With G.I. Joe Retaliation, director Jon M. Chu was faced with a difficult task as the original film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra left many plot threads dangling at the end.  Zartan, altered by nano-mites, had successfully replaced the President of the United States.  (This was the entire point of the first film.)  Would the sequel acknowledge this rather big thread or go its own way.

It would seem that former approach was chosen as the trailers make no bones about the fact that Zartan is still impersonating POTUS– in a big way.  In fact, all of the events shown in the trailers seem to be a continuation of the plot lines that were begun in the first film.  Zartan appears front and center and we even get a glimpse of Arnold Vosloo (even if it is just a quick CGI morph) that shows audiences that the fact of Cobra’s “Master of Disguise” will be dealt with in the film.  Now, if only he keeps on whistling “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow…”

33 more days until this film EXPLODES on the big screen!

Press images of Pursuit of Cobra wave 2 figures!

The good folks at Hasbro have sent over some press images of the next wave of the Pursuit of Cobra, due in stores October 2010.  Among the latest additions to the line are the Arctic Destro, Jungle Viper, and Recondo figures first glimpsed at the 2009 G.I. Joe collector’s convention.

I’ve been hanging back on G.I. Joe for the past few years.  Sure, I bought a great deal of the Rise of Cobra figures but the same-ness of the design from character to character just didn’t win me over.  So far I have to admit that I’ve been impressed by what I’ve seen released for Pursuit of Cobra.  Sure, there are still movie tie-in design elements found throughout, but many of these figures are just well thought out.  Personally, that Recondo figure has me very intrigued.  Yes, yes it does and even though I think the hi-tech gillie suit of the Jungle Viper will most likely limit his poseability, the overall aesthetic is very very sharp.

Check out the images in the gallery below.