G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero

[Rollo Tomassi]

You know whats funny? I get the Marvel SuperHero Squad and the TF Robot Heroes. And I think the Cobra figures look AWESOME, but I have NO DESIRE to get the li'l Joes.

Unfortunately, you have to buy the Joes to get the badguys...

[anarky]

I snagged the Target Ultimate Battlepack tonight. They had one on the shelf, and I figured better to not chance availability on Black Friday (when it's supposed to be released) and get it even if I was a bit on the fence. At $62.99, it's a bit more than originally reported.

But, for that, you get (at going prices):
Red HISS + HISS Driver straight reissue ($17)
Blue "Trouble Bubble" + Cobra Commander (look to be a straight reissue) (~$8.50, figuring this combo would be half of a $17 set)
Destro (Iron Grenadier sculpt with original costume colors) ($7)
Cobra Vehicle Gunner (a dark grey Trooper with a few extra accessories) ($7)
Stalker (with the JUMP Jetpack, but in the darker colors of the original figure) ($7)
Short-Fuze ($7)
MOBAT + Steeler (totally new version, though a repaint/kitbash) (unprecedented in the new line, but I'm guessing $30-$35 because it's bigger than the two $25 planes and is motorized)

So, all said, it's about $83.50 - $88.50 worth of stuff (depending on how much an individual MOBAT with figure would go for), which is a good deal. Figure in the figures that are unnecessary (and assuming vehicle drivers would be about $3.50, just as a total guess because I know the Trouble Bubble wouldn't be less than the cost of the figure it comes with, and that's the highest even price where that would be the case), and it's still right at $61 worth for just the new stuff (not counting Steeler as new even though he sorta is, and not including the HISS Driver since you'd need one anyway). Not bad.

[RoIIo Tomassi]

I actually purchased a single carded G.I. Figure this weekend. Target had them TPR for $4.99 so I got a V2 Snake-Eyes.

[anarky]

I got Croc Master, a BAT, and a Cobra Bazooka Trooper at that price. That's all I've seen other than legions of Barbecues and Bazookas. I hope they get more new figures in before the sale ends, or, at the very least, clear out some of the pegwarmers so they have space for new stuff later.

[anarky]

Hasbro has free shipping. I chanced placing an order for:

Cobra Diver
Cobra Eel
Para-Viper
Cobra Trooper (red mask)
Mutt/Junkyard
Python Patrol CG
SHARC/Deep Six
Pyramid of Darkness
Arise, Serpentor, Arise

All are supposed to ship within one day. We'll see how much of it I actually get. Paying $3 more than Target per figure seems a smart thing to do, since they ain't getting nothing and there are too many people after what they are getting. Aside from us really hardcore geeks, who wants Croc Master?

[anarky]

So, I'm in better shape than I thought. Assuming that stuff all ships, I only need between now and the time the line dies because of movie merchandise (and not counting any surprises):

Zartan II
Airborne
Flint in Cobra Disguise (this would've been a pass, but he has an interchangeable head, so he'll be a different sort of Cobra Trooper)
Wraith (I'll get if I see it, but not lose sleep if I don't)
Ninja Viper (big maybe--a teal Storm Shadow seems weird... and, if I get that, I might get Ninja-Ku, too)
Blowtorch
Recondo
Dr Mindbender
Chuckles
Alley Viper
Zap
Resolute Cobra Trooper (maybe)

Scrap-Iron vs Wild Bill (goddammit, three fucking Wild Bills in a year?)
Fred VII and Gung Ho
Beach Head and Mainframe
Snake Eyes and Hard Master
Shockwave vs Destro
Tunnel Rat vs Shredder Storm Shadow
Arctic Cobra Commander vs Arctic Scarlett
Snake Eyes vs Night Creeper (why, why, why, is an army-builder only with another fucking Snake Eyes?)
Duke vs Lamprey
Crimson Trooper and Iron KLAW (Maybe--what the hell is this? Sounds like that GIJoe Extreme shit.)
Hawk vs Clear Zartan
Alpine and Snow Job
Snake Eyes vs Armore (Who? I'm guessing new name, old character?)

Firebat
Cobra Fang/Cobra CLAW
Moccasin
Sky Hawk
Sting
Arctic HISS (gotta admit, I dig these HISS variants for some reason)
FLAK/Cobra CLAW
Camo Armadillo/???

Best of the 80s Cartoons DVD set

Sounds like a lot, but this is almost everything through probably March or April, at which point the line will die for a year or so. I'm not listing any Resolute stuff beyond army builders that likely will look just fine with other figures and the comic packs (which have Shockwave and Tunnel Rat, who are exactly like the RAH versions). I'm probably also passing on the Valor vs Venom DVD set (depending on what the DVD contains), as well as the two upcoming Joe and Cobra boxes (though some of those resculpts are a tad tempting).

I take it back, I guess this is a lot. But I'm not getting any movie stuff, so it'll be all good next year when I'm sitting back and not spending money on toys.

[anarky]

Quadruple post! Either I'm the only person reading this thread, or Grimlock is working overtime on my hairy nuts tonight!

toysrus.com has the Firebat Jet with AVAC in stock for $15.99. And it's free shipping on orders of $50 or more. Unfortunately, that's all they have that I'd want, and it's sorta cost prohibitive to pay almost half again in shipping costs.

[Rollo Tomassi]

Never say you aren't buying something until you see it. The Movie toys might be cool. (I'm thinking Movie Snake Eyes specifically)

[anarky]

Well, I don't have them down as "planned." I could see getting a Snake Eyes if he's really cool. But it's not something I'm planning on now.

And I can say I won't get any Transformers: Fall of the Risen toys. The first movie was so astoundingly bad, I doubt I'll even see it.

[Ran]

I saw the Wraith figure at Walmart. They also had Croc Master, the Artic Snake Eyes, Airborne Cobra trooper, Duke (or was it Flint?), and the Cobra trooper with RPG. Wraith looks like those body guard droids from ROTS. Is he from the comics? I don't remember him from the vintage figures of cartoons.

[Rollo Tomassi]

Wraith was introduced in the Devil's Due series. He is a mercenary with a camouflage body armor.


The rumor is that DDP President Josh Blaylock invented a super-hero and couldn't find an outlet for him, so he shoehorned it into the GIJoe book.

[anarky]

That sounds right, since he had super powers and whooped Snake Eyes' ass. Yet another reason the Devil's Due series jumped the shark harder than the Fonz himself after about a year.

[Ran]

I saw that Target Ultra Battlepack this weekend. The MOBAT is probably the same mold that was used in the 80s. My brother had it, but for some reason, I remember it eing bigger. Pretty nice, especially if you were going to spend $20 a month on HISS Drivers anyway.

[anarky]

Got Mutt/Junkyard, SHARC/Deep Six, Cobra Diver, Python Patrol Crimson Guard, Pyramid of Darkness DVD set, Arise Serpentor DVD set, red-masked Cobra Trooper, and the Para-Viper in the mail today. And, a truly fortuitous coincidence: I told my wife about a week ago that there was one current Joe figure I'm missing (Wraith), but I wasn't too set on him. I said if I saw him on the front of a peg, I'd get him. So guess who was on the front of a peg at eye level this afternoon.

I don't care a rat's ass about Wraith as a character, but he looks cool. In fact, he looks similar enough to the final design of the BAT from the Marvel comic that he'll be the android leader my three BATs need.

[anarky]

Found motherfucking Blowtorch today! He was always my fave as a kid. Him and Recondo. He's not one of my faves as an adult, but, still, the nostalgia made me all giddy.

Also picked up today the Resolute Cobra Trooper, an extra Cobra Commander II and CG/Scarface packs (I think I mentioned I figured it'd be cheaper per usable figure to go ahead and customize Fred VII rather than dropping $10 for the comic pack, since the Gung Ho is worthless and it's a reprint comic--plus the red details on Fred are wrong). And, surprisingly enough, a second Cobra Legions set. K-Mart had "GIJoe 5-packs" on sale for $14.99. It was supposed to be the DVD sets, but I was surprised to find a lone Cobra Legions set behind them, and it rang up at $15. Three more army builders, and that Stinger Driver Cobra Officer isn't available separately at all. (This way, I'll have a few extra guys to fill gunner stations in HISSes and to ride shotgun in the Stinger).

Passed on Resolute Duke and Cobra Commander. They're awesome, especially the Commander, but I'm passing on all the Resolute stuff aside from Cobra army builders that'll fit in with the old-style characters, and the comic packs that come with classic characters.