Totally different subject, but I had a thought the other day when I saw the new 3-packs in person for the first time, including yet another Firefly, Snake Eyes, and Storm Shadow (meaning I essentially got one 3-pack worth of new figures).
A while back, they did repaint figures of Scarlett and Storm Shadow to homage Glinda (Pilot Scarlett) and Ninja-Ku (Ninja-Ku Storm Shadow).
So, if they insist on repeatedly offering these three characters over and over, how about some new paint schemes that mimic Brazilian or other foreign figures from the 80s? Not the same old black for SE, white or grey for SS, and grey/blue or olive for Firefly. There were several different Snake Eyes repaints in Brazil (various riffs on "Invasor," IIRC, since the Invasor was a Cobra army builder). Wouldn't you feel less ripped off if Mouse and Airborne came with "Invasor Snake Eyes" who had a cool red and silver paint scheme? Sure, it's totally wrong for the character, but it'd be an homage for the adult collectors, and Hasbro thinks kids like bright, weird colors anyway. Why not have Desert Camo Firefly and Ninja-Ku (movie) Storm Shadow in that other pack? Hell, release that fucking Storm Shadow in dark green or dull purple; as long as it's not bright neon, that basically means another ninja character using the same damned sculpt they're going to stick in there anyway without having to paint it yourself.
Or, shit, finally make an update of that damned second Firefly figure from the vintage line.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
Moderators: Zero, John Madden, Bob Ross, General Zod, Richard Simmons, Batman
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anarky
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Re: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
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Ran
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Re: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
Yes, they could be a little more creative with their repaints.
Blind Master - Yes, I'll probably get this one. Kind of wish I got the comic pack.
Jinx - Yes. Probably the closest thing I'll be able to get to a Jinx figure since the rest are exclusives.
Red Ninja - Maybe....or probably. Will this be #3? One from Wave 1 and another from the 3 pack. From the trailer, it looks like a bunch of them end up falling to their death.
Night Viper - Not sure yet.
The night landing craft looks pretty cool and I plan on buying one, possibly two.
Other good news...My wife went by a Target I checked on Monday. They lowered the price on the VAMP from $31 to $19.99, and she bought it for me.
Blind Master - Yes, I'll probably get this one. Kind of wish I got the comic pack.
Jinx - Yes. Probably the closest thing I'll be able to get to a Jinx figure since the rest are exclusives.
Red Ninja - Maybe....or probably. Will this be #3? One from Wave 1 and another from the 3 pack. From the trailer, it looks like a bunch of them end up falling to their death.
Night Viper - Not sure yet.
The night landing craft looks pretty cool and I plan on buying one, possibly two.
Other good news...My wife went by a Target I checked on Monday. They lowered the price on the VAMP from $31 to $19.99, and she bought it for me.
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anarky
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Re: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
How many Red Ninjas? You counting the 25th Anniversary versions, too?
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Ran
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Re: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
I was only counting the new movie line. There was a Red Ninja in Wave 1, another coming out in Wave 4, and there was one in the first wave of 3 packs with Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow.
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anarky
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Re: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
The Dark Ninja is sort of an EU Red Ninja, too.
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Ran
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Re: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
I supposed I may have known that if they still cam with file cards.
Actually, I have no idea how any of the ninjas fit into Cobra. I assumed they worked for Storm Shadow.
Actually, I have no idea how any of the ninjas fit into Cobra. I assumed they worked for Storm Shadow.
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anarky
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Re: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
Sorry for the double post, Grimlock, even though I know you secretly love the taste of my nuts.
You haven't gotten to the Red Ninjas in the comics yet, right? They're pretty disposable cannon fodder, mostly. Not saying they're not badass (one in particular much further into the comic run is a seriously scary mofo), but they tend to die fighting Snake Eyes, or, later, Storm Shadow, Jinx, and Scarlett (and, unfortunately, dipshit Nunchuk, dipshit T'jbang, and disphit Dojo). At first, they have no backstory and seem like Storm Shadow's personal Cobra troopers, but they're an offshoot of the Arashikage that's turned on the teachings of the Hard and Soft (and Young and Blind, for that matter, but definitely not the Faceless, because he's an asshole, and also for something that'd be a real spoiler and not a beating-around-the-bush spoiler like the rest of this) Masters. Later, they team with Slice and Dice, who never seem to have any origin at all, which is kind of sad, because explaining where the fuck ninja masters come from is sort of a big deal given how rare they are, and even the dipshits on the Joe Ninja Force had brief origin stories. Did I mention the Joe side of the Ninja Force equation is made of up dipshits? Because, cool-looking or not, they're all dipshits.
OH! WAIT! vynsane.com tells me you just posted so this isn't a double post anymore.
Here's a bit more on where the ninjas fit in:
The Arashikage Clan seems like they're mostly honorable ninjas, the way real-life ninja masters want them to be seen (which is likely a bit whitewashed and therefore still slightly off the mark). This won't be much of a spoiler, but Storm Shadow's uncles, Hard Master and Soft Master, are the heads, and SS is the Young Master. Blind Master is another American serviceman (IIRC, from WWII) who trains with them. I won't spoil the secret of the Faceless Master if you've not already seen me discussing it with Rollo; it pops up early and simmers for something like five or six years before you get the answer, and it's sort of a doozy.
Snake Eyes (called "Silent Master" in the Devil's Due continuation, but nowhere else) trained alongside Storm Shadow after he served in Vietnam and his entire family died in the US. I won't spoil the details. Jinx is SS's cousin, though I don't think it ever said whose daughter she is. Scarlett has extensive ninja training she received from SE (and later SS and Jinx), but isn't technically a ninja. Billy trained under Storm Shadow and is a full-fledged ninja.
Zartan is technically not a ninja, but has some training, and was an apprentice swordsmith under Onihashi. He wanted to retire from being a professional mercenary/assassin/thug/dickhead and make swords for the rest of his life, but was blackmailed... I don't want to say more.
Fuck Paramont, Roadblock is not a ninja.
The Joe Ninja Force (and a civilian named Tyrone) all had shitty origins tied in with various Arashikage. In Devil's Due, Wade Collins' son trained under SE and became Kamakura on the reunited Joe team.
Quick Kick is not a ninja, just a soldier who's awesome at martial arts. Budo was never addressed; like I said, having ninjas stretches reality only a little since they were always outlaws, but having a samurai stretches it a lot. I think he only appeared in one issue
The Red Ninjas, like I said above, are an Arashikage offshoot. It's a minor spoiler, but it turns out they've always been loyal to the Faceless Master, who is never in focus in photos and was a visiting "professor" from the Koga Clan (which is based on a real-world ninja clan of the same name that most likely hasn't existed for over a century or more).
The Night Creepers' origin is never explained, but they're a mercenary group (I actually think they're Swiss, of all things, likely a joke of sort on Hama's part) who are equally adept in the corporate boardroom or on the battlefield. Their code names are based on a foreign alphabet (I think Hebrew), and their leader is Aleph (after the first letter in that alphabet). They basically break into Cobra HQ to demonstrate how awesome they are to CC, then work for Cobra from that point until they sort of disappear.
Ninja Vipers, IIRC, never appeared in the comic, but were explained on filecards as being trained by Storm Shadow. Not sure how that fits in given that SS was never truly a Cobra in the Marvel Joeverse.
Slice and Dice, like I said, sort of popped up out of nowhere. They're actually kinda of cool, despite their goofy looks and code names, but no clue where they came from. I think one of the toy pack-in comics by Hama, set at some undefined time n the Devil's Due universe, has them hunting either Storm Shadow or Faceless Master because he's a traitor to the Arashikage, which would mean they're affiliated somehow (I'm guessing higher-up Red Ninjas). Since that was, at the time, the official continuation of the Marvel version and this was written by Hama, I'd consider it the canon origin for them even if the events where this comes to light aren't canon anymore.
The Blue Ninjas you haven't met, and don't show up until the IDW relaunch a couple of years ago. They are simultaneously the most absolutely ridiculous and badass ninjas in the bunch, and they hate Cobra, just because they're all-around assholes (for reasons I won't disclose yet).
Not sure if there were other ninjas. God, I feel like a geek typing shit like this out.
You haven't gotten to the Red Ninjas in the comics yet, right? They're pretty disposable cannon fodder, mostly. Not saying they're not badass (one in particular much further into the comic run is a seriously scary mofo), but they tend to die fighting Snake Eyes, or, later, Storm Shadow, Jinx, and Scarlett (and, unfortunately, dipshit Nunchuk, dipshit T'jbang, and disphit Dojo). At first, they have no backstory and seem like Storm Shadow's personal Cobra troopers, but they're an offshoot of the Arashikage that's turned on the teachings of the Hard and Soft (and Young and Blind, for that matter, but definitely not the Faceless, because he's an asshole, and also for something that'd be a real spoiler and not a beating-around-the-bush spoiler like the rest of this) Masters. Later, they team with Slice and Dice, who never seem to have any origin at all, which is kind of sad, because explaining where the fuck ninja masters come from is sort of a big deal given how rare they are, and even the dipshits on the Joe Ninja Force had brief origin stories. Did I mention the Joe side of the Ninja Force equation is made of up dipshits? Because, cool-looking or not, they're all dipshits.
OH! WAIT! vynsane.com tells me you just posted so this isn't a double post anymore.
Here's a bit more on where the ninjas fit in:
The Arashikage Clan seems like they're mostly honorable ninjas, the way real-life ninja masters want them to be seen (which is likely a bit whitewashed and therefore still slightly off the mark). This won't be much of a spoiler, but Storm Shadow's uncles, Hard Master and Soft Master, are the heads, and SS is the Young Master. Blind Master is another American serviceman (IIRC, from WWII) who trains with them. I won't spoil the secret of the Faceless Master if you've not already seen me discussing it with Rollo; it pops up early and simmers for something like five or six years before you get the answer, and it's sort of a doozy.
Snake Eyes (called "Silent Master" in the Devil's Due continuation, but nowhere else) trained alongside Storm Shadow after he served in Vietnam and his entire family died in the US. I won't spoil the details. Jinx is SS's cousin, though I don't think it ever said whose daughter she is. Scarlett has extensive ninja training she received from SE (and later SS and Jinx), but isn't technically a ninja. Billy trained under Storm Shadow and is a full-fledged ninja.
Zartan is technically not a ninja, but has some training, and was an apprentice swordsmith under Onihashi. He wanted to retire from being a professional mercenary/assassin/thug/dickhead and make swords for the rest of his life, but was blackmailed... I don't want to say more.
Fuck Paramont, Roadblock is not a ninja.
The Joe Ninja Force (and a civilian named Tyrone) all had shitty origins tied in with various Arashikage. In Devil's Due, Wade Collins' son trained under SE and became Kamakura on the reunited Joe team.
Quick Kick is not a ninja, just a soldier who's awesome at martial arts. Budo was never addressed; like I said, having ninjas stretches reality only a little since they were always outlaws, but having a samurai stretches it a lot. I think he only appeared in one issue
The Red Ninjas, like I said above, are an Arashikage offshoot. It's a minor spoiler, but it turns out they've always been loyal to the Faceless Master, who is never in focus in photos and was a visiting "professor" from the Koga Clan (which is based on a real-world ninja clan of the same name that most likely hasn't existed for over a century or more).
The Night Creepers' origin is never explained, but they're a mercenary group (I actually think they're Swiss, of all things, likely a joke of sort on Hama's part) who are equally adept in the corporate boardroom or on the battlefield. Their code names are based on a foreign alphabet (I think Hebrew), and their leader is Aleph (after the first letter in that alphabet). They basically break into Cobra HQ to demonstrate how awesome they are to CC, then work for Cobra from that point until they sort of disappear.
Ninja Vipers, IIRC, never appeared in the comic, but were explained on filecards as being trained by Storm Shadow. Not sure how that fits in given that SS was never truly a Cobra in the Marvel Joeverse.
Slice and Dice, like I said, sort of popped up out of nowhere. They're actually kinda of cool, despite their goofy looks and code names, but no clue where they came from. I think one of the toy pack-in comics by Hama, set at some undefined time n the Devil's Due universe, has them hunting either Storm Shadow or Faceless Master because he's a traitor to the Arashikage, which would mean they're affiliated somehow (I'm guessing higher-up Red Ninjas). Since that was, at the time, the official continuation of the Marvel version and this was written by Hama, I'd consider it the canon origin for them even if the events where this comes to light aren't canon anymore.
The Blue Ninjas you haven't met, and don't show up until the IDW relaunch a couple of years ago. They are simultaneously the most absolutely ridiculous and badass ninjas in the bunch, and they hate Cobra, just because they're all-around assholes (for reasons I won't disclose yet).
Not sure if there were other ninjas. God, I feel like a geek typing shit like this out.
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Ran
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Re: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
I kind of stalled out on the comics after Vol. 3. I'll get back to them eventually.
So the figure that came with the new VAMP only has 5 points of articulation. Theoretically, no problem. From the pictures, I figured I could take off the vest and head and put it on another body. Wrong. The way the head is molded, it includes part of the neck, so it doesn't look right. The vest and body have a weird ridge and groove in them to make them fit together. The ridge on the inside of the vest means it won't fit on a regular body.
Walmart near me finally got the new figures. After looking more closely at Flint, I noticed he does come with a beret.
It looks like Target I went to restocked Wave 1.
So the figure that came with the new VAMP only has 5 points of articulation. Theoretically, no problem. From the pictures, I figured I could take off the vest and head and put it on another body. Wrong. The way the head is molded, it includes part of the neck, so it doesn't look right. The vest and body have a weird ridge and groove in them to make them fit together. The ridge on the inside of the vest means it won't fit on a regular body.
Walmart near me finally got the new figures. After looking more closely at Flint, I noticed he does come with a beret.
It looks like Target I went to restocked Wave 1.
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anarky
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Re: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
Saw the Ninja Whatever VAMP repaint yesterday at Target and the Tread Ripper tank at WM today. Passed on both. The VAMP had clearly been re-taped, and, around here, that's pretty much a given that someone, for some reason, opened it and returned it, possibly without all the parts. The Tread Ripper, well, I was on foot (out taking a walk and decided to go in for the AC) and didn't want to carry it all the way home.
Also, check out this image from the Tread Ripper. Awesome as shit.
Also, check out this image from the Tread Ripper. Awesome as shit.
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Ran
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Re: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
The Easter Bunny gave me 3 packs of those mini-Joes. Roadblock, Snake Eyes, Lady Jay, Joe Colton, Ghost Ninja Henchman, and Nightclaw the Panther.
Joe Colton looks like the original 12" toy. The Ghost Ninja looks like Raiden from Mortal Kombat, but instead of having a face, he just has a skull. I couldn't find any background stories on the Ninja or Nightclaw.
They are cool, but I doubt I buy more.
Joe Colton looks like the original 12" toy. The Ghost Ninja looks like Raiden from Mortal Kombat, but instead of having a face, he just has a skull. I couldn't find any background stories on the Ninja or Nightclaw.
They are cool, but I doubt I buy more.
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Ran
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Re: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
At first I was kind of pissed that the modern Iceberg figure was going to be an exclusive. Now that they have shown loose shots of him, I don't care. It isn't the best looking figure.
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anarky
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Re: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
Meh. I consider all these club and con exclusives to be customs. Though I wouldn't mind getting Big Boa and Iron Klaw (particularly since it looks like Hama's making the Red Shadows canon in the "real" Joeverse). I noticed BBTS had Dice as their most expensive; all the parts for him have been released a few times over in various sets.
And Iceberg is kinda shit. At least this figure of him.
And Iceberg is kinda shit. At least this figure of him.
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Ran
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Re: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
http://www.hisstank.com/gi-joe-news/con ... ase-12118/
Hasbro showed some "concept figures":
Leatherneck
Rock "N" Roll
Lady Jaye
Heat Viper
G.I.Joe Storm Shadow
Flint
Beachhead
Gung-Ho
Gung Ho, Rock N' Roll, and Leatherneck are pretty nice. Rock N' Roll's torso looks like it is missing something. Beachhead and Flint are ok, but they look like previous releases.
Hasbro showed some "concept figures":
Leatherneck
Rock "N" Roll
Lady Jaye
Heat Viper
G.I.Joe Storm Shadow
Flint
Beachhead
Gung-Ho
Gung Ho, Rock N' Roll, and Leatherneck are pretty nice. Rock N' Roll's torso looks like it is missing something. Beachhead and Flint are ok, but they look like previous releases.
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anarky
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Re: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
Agreed. Storm Shadow's a bit of an unnecessary rehash, but I can see how they want to keep him in production. Jaye looks like a cross between classic, Renegades, and Retaliation--nice combo. HEAT Viper is giving me a serious nerd boner.
I think what R&R is missing is his big fucking ammo belt. That looks like R&R V2, so he'd need some accessories not shown here.
I think what R&R is missing is his big fucking ammo belt. That looks like R&R V2, so he'd need some accessories not shown here.
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Ran
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Re: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
You know what might wrong with R&R's? His head is either too big or his body isn't buff enough.