25th Anniversary GI Joe

[Neova]

Just checked out the list at hisstank. Pretty cool list to work off of!

So would the two pack comic sets be good or should those be avoided as well for Wave 1-3?

When I have time, I'm going to head to TRU HK and see what I can find.

Edited April 16, 2008 by Neova

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

So would the two pack comic sets be good or should those be avoided as well for Wave 1-3?

When I have time, I'm going to head to TRU HK and see what I can find.

The comic packs are hit and miss. If you want the mail-in Doc, you need 6 comic packs. Make sure their packaging is not double taped on the back, as people steal the proof of purchases from the comic packs. The comic packs I recommend are the following:

All of wave 3(hooded Storm Shadow/Battle damaged Snake Eyes, Tomax/Xamot, Wild Weasel/Ace, Scarred Cobra Officer(Scarface)/Crimson Guard with removable mask).

2 from wave 2(Dreadknok set, Hawk(w/crotch fix)/Scarlett

Hooded/cloaked/caped Storm Shadow and Battle damaged Snake Eyes are the best versions of said characters in the line, to me. By buying these 6 sets, provided you do not already have Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, you will only be buying one duplicate figure(Scarlett). You will also have enough proof of purchases to buy Doc. The crotch fix is identifiable by the shape, which is more of a "y" as opposed to a "v". The comic packs from wave 1 that showed up in wave 2 have the crotch fix, and as far as I know, thats the only identifying factor.

As for skipping wave 1-3, it all depends on how much you like the characters. I bought most of wave 1. For Flint, you can wait, since a fixed version is likely to come out, either this year or next, and the upcoming Tiger Force one has the fixes that the previous one does not. If you want a Classic Zartan, wait for the new one thats coming out. Same with Serpentor, Classic versions of both are to be out later this year. I think a more accurate v2 Snake Eyes, and v2 Storm Shadow is dependent on whether or not they get voted into the top 10 on Hasbro's Hall of Heroes poll. Nonetheless, I still think a black v2 Snake Eyes is inevitable. As much as people like the commando version better, v2 is the most iconic, and his new look in the movie is based on it. Stalker is a great figure, and there are currently 3 versions:yellow, green(classic), and green with fixed crotch. Skip Lady Jaye, since a better cartoon/hatless version is coming later in a DVD pack. There is an upcoming Firefly in the wave 4 comic packs with new vest/backpack/gun, and darker color scheme(fans complained about the wave 3 single carded one saying he was too light, but the lightness did not bother me at all, in fact I barely noticed it). Red Ninja comes single carded, or in a Snake Eyes vs Red Ninja set with 4 Red Ninjas, one of them being a Leader with different paint scheme, and bandolier, this is a TRU exclusive. The Red Ninjas in that set lack Cobra symbols. So you can use those as the good Red Ninjas. All varieties of Red Ninjas are worth getting, however the Cobra single packed one is best, since the red is much more vibrant. Shipwreck is worth getting but his left arm is clenched permanently in a fist. If you don't like the different paint apps on the Cobra Trooper or Officer, you can skip those, they are just repaints of whats in the battle packs.

So to sum it up, its all about which characters you like the most. Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow repaints are a given. Wave 5, and the 3 new characters from wave 6 are worth getting(there were carry over figures in wave 6 also, the 3 new ones are Torpedo, battle armored Cobra Commander, and Rock n' Roll, Rock n' Roll has the unfixed Duke arms, which SUCK). Wave 5 completely blew me away with regards to quality, solidity, and durability.

Wave 1 of the comic packs is not worth getting provided you get the wave 2 versions with the fixed crotch. Also the wave 3 comic pack version of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow is way better than the wave 1 version.

[Ladic]

picture of scarlett

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/36416

Edited April 16, 2008 by Ladic

[Southpaw Samurai]

picture of scarlett

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/36416

Saw that earlier on AICN and even with time, all I can think is "Needs more color." I'm not even talking fan boy 'needs to be cartoon/comic/toy accurate color' either... they could paint some of it lime green and I'd be happier with it than its current 'Hollywood black'. Heck, I'd be happier if it was a solid color of something other than black... could be a dark blue or maybe a purplish color. Just something to be a bit more livelier. Black isn't even the most ideal night camouflage, so that's not the excuse. I know it sounds like I'm saying her hands are too small or something, but this is just more a visual aesthetics thing than a fan boy thing. Even if this wasn't a completely new intellectual property, I'd still be saying that too much black in everyone's costumes is boring.

Then again, I head someplace that her suit's sort of a physical stat-boosting suit like they wear in the Crysis game.... and, if so, she very much looks like she belongs in the movie adaptation of that game... wait, isn't this a G.I.Joe movie?

[David Hingtgen]

Even the X-Men movie costumes at least had each character's "traditional" color in SOME amount, as piping/seams.

At this rate--what will Storm Shadow look like?

[baronv]

Maybe her suit is a "stealth suit" for a scene in the movie. It probably may change depending on the operation, more costumes in the film = more toy variations.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

At this rate--what will Storm Shadow look like?

Most likely in white, he is a Cobra in the movie. According to the toy list we have at hisstank, the movie will have accelerator suits in addition to regular costumes. It hasn't been said whether or not the image is of an accelerator suit, or Scarlett's regular costume. Also, the 2 Snake Eyes pics unveiled a few weeks back featured different accessories on the torso, so throughout the film, each character may have different uniforms and accessories.

[grss1982]

picture of scarlett

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/36416

DAMN!!! She looks hot.

But why black, and not her original colors?

The suit worn reminds me of Crysis.

[Spider-X]

Hey Guyz,

I did some photoshopping on the released pics of G.I.Joe... Here are Snake Eyes and Scarlett together in a

lil wallpaper I put together... By the way, I gave Scarlett some of her original colors... Enjoy!

Edited April 17, 2008 by Spider-X

[Neova]

Shin,

Thank you for the detailed summary! Makes it easier for me when I'm hitting the shelves over here. Will advise on what I find here. I'll be more than happy to assist you guys with any TRU exclusives if I find it.

The comic packs are hit and miss. If you want the mail-in Doc, you need 6 comic packs. Make sure their packaging is not double taped on the back, as people steal the proof of purchases from the comic packs. The comic packs I recommend are the following:

Hooded/cloaked/caped Storm Shadow and Battle damaged Snake Eyes are the best versions of said characters in the line, to me. By buying these 6 sets, provided you do not already have Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, you will only be buying one duplicate figure(Scarlett). You will also have enough proof of purchases to buy Doc. The crotch fix is identifiable by the shape, which is more of a "y" as opposed to a "v". The comic packs from wave 1 that showed up in wave 2 have the crotch fix, and as far as I know, thats the only identifying factor.

As for skipping wave 1-3, it all depends on how much you like the characters. I bought most of wave 1. For Flint, you can wait, since a fixed version is likely to come out, either this year or next, and the upcoming Tiger Force one has the fixes that the previous one does not. If you want a Classic Zartan, wait for the new one thats coming out. Same with Serpentor, Classic versions of both are to be out later this year. I think a more accurate v2 Snake Eyes, and v2 Storm Shadow is dependent on whether or not they get voted into the top 10 on Hasbro's Hall of Heroes poll. Nonetheless, I still think a black v2 Snake Eyes is inevitable. As much as people like the commando version better, v2 is the most iconic, and his new look in the movie is based on it. Stalker is a great figure, and there are currently 3 versions:yellow, green(classic), and green with fixed crotch. Skip Lady Jaye, since a better cartoon/hatless version is coming later in a DVD pack. There is an upcoming Firefly in the wave 4 comic packs with new vest/backpack/gun, and darker color scheme(fans complained about the wave 3 single carded one saying he was too light, but the lightness did not bother me at all, in fact I barely noticed it). Red Ninja comes single carded, or in a Snake Eyes vs Red Ninja set with 4 Red Ninjas, one of them being a Leader with different paint scheme, and bandolier, this is a TRU exclusive. The Red Ninjas in that set lack Cobra symbols. So you can use those as the good Red Ninjas. All varieties of Red Ninjas are worth getting, however the Cobra single packed one is best, since the red is much more vibrant. Shipwreck is worth getting but his left arm is clenched permanently in a fist. If you don't like the different paint apps on the Cobra Trooper or Officer, you can skip those, they are just repaints of whats in the battle packs.

So to sum it up, its all about which characters you like the most. Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow repaints are a given. Wave 5, and the 3 new characters from wave 6 are worth getting(there were carry over figures in wave 6 also, the 3 new ones are Torpedo, battle armored Cobra Commander, and Rock n' Roll, Rock n' Roll has the unfixed Duke arms, which SUCK). Wave 5 completely blew me away with regards to quality, solidity, and durability.

Wave 1 of the comic packs is not worth getting provided you get the wave 2 versions with the fixed crotch. Also the wave 3 comic pack version of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow is way better than the wave 1 version.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Shin,

Thank you for the detailed summary! Makes it easier for me when I'm hitting the shelves over here. Will advise on what I find here. I'll be more than happy to assist you guys with any TRU exclusives if I find it.

No prob man! Another rule of thumb, is that Hasbro tends to retool or repaint each new mold/tooling/piece, at least once. Very rarely do they stray away from this. For example the first battle pack Snake Eyes. The minute I saw it, the first thought in my head was, "I bet they will repaint him black". I was right, he was repainted in black for wave 5. Even before then, he was the base figure for wave 1, with new head and came with sword and Timber.

After wave 5, he was in the first wave of comic packs in blue. Then in wave 3 comic packs, battle damaged, with new tooling on the torso/arms. Then in the TRU Red Ninja battle pack.

Another example is the upcoming wave 7 Snake Eyes. It can easily be repainted and released as the 2000 version of Snake Eyes. The old v3(which the new wave 7 is based on), was repainted in black with metallic blue trim, and a tampo printed gijoe logo on the right thigh, for a 2000 2 pack. Coincidentally enough, that was my first time owning the mold, and I unexpectedly liked the figure a lot(one of my favorites now).

[Mog]

Guess I'm gonna have to eat my words again in this thread....

I picked up the Joe "Senior" Officers 3-pack a few days ago, and ol' Grunt really isn't all that bad. Thankfully, they didn't give him the dreaded Duke arms or its rolled-up sleeves (Instead, I believe they swapped in the Cobra trooper arms).

Grunt's hands are a little annoying but semi-workable, and yeah, I would have preferred if his uniform was a little more dark, olive-drab than semi-bright green. But after giving him a sand-paper shave (he looks a bit too scruffy out of the box), he works just fine. He now looks like the clean-cut, standard grunt (pun intended) that I remember from my childhood.

I'm also a bit surprised by how much I like the General Hawk that comes in this set. Must be something about the simple military fatigues/uniform. For whatever reason, the get-up also inspired me to do up this little custom/modification:

Not exactly perfect, I know. But I wasn't too impressed with how the bomber jacket looked on the upcoming General Hawk (in my opinion, just too small and tight for the figure). The 3-pack Hawk looked like he needed a little something extra, I preferred the look of a bulkier bomber jacket, and I wanted to try my hand at modifying (read: SEWING!! ) some soft goods materials.

[Metal_Massacre_79]

I know it's been said before in this thread, but this is really bad here. I went to both Target and Walmart tonight, and out of nearly 20 comic packs, every single one was opened and had the "Doc" sticker stolen. Be careful when choosing a comic pack and make sure that BOTH of the plastic tabs that wrap around the cardboard are nice and tight and that there aren't two layers of tape over them.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

(Instead, I believe they swapped in the Cobra trooper arms).

Thats what they did, and those elbows can bend at a ninety degree angle too, if pushed just a bit further.

I'm also a bit surprised by how much I like the General Hawk that comes in this set. Must be something about the simple military fatigues/uniform. For whatever reason, the get-up also inspired me to do up this little custom/modification:

He reminds me of a Patton for the joes. Thats the main reason I want the figure.

The 3-pack Hawk looked like he needed a little something extra, I preferred the look of a bulkier bomber jacket, and I wanted to try my hand at modifying (read: SEWING!! blink.gif ) some soft goods materials.

That looks good man, its very reminiscent of the same material used for wave 3 comic pack Storm Shadow's cloak. That inspires me to try sewing up ninja clothes for my Sigma 6 Storm Shadow collection.

I know it's been said before in this thread, but this is really bad here. I went to both Target and Walmart tonight, and out of nearly 20 comic packs, every single one was opened and had the "Doc" sticker stolen. Be careful when choosing a comic pack and make sure that BOTH of the plastic tabs that wrap around the cardboard are nice and tight and that there aren't two layers of tape over them.

That sucks man, I am sorry to hear. I've noticed numerous stolen proof of purchases, and figure swaps in my area, with the joe comic packs, star wars comic packs, and star wars evolutions sets.

[Mog]

That looks good man, its very reminiscent of the same material used for wave 3 comic pack Storm Shadow's cloak. That inspires me to try sewing up ninja clothes for my Sigma 6 Storm Shadow collection.

Thanks Shin! Actually, the soft goods material is from the Jedi cloak that comes from the Anakin/Vader Evolutions pack. The stuff's too damn shiney to be a Jedi cloak. (The material they used for the TAC Mace and other recent Jedi makes a much, much better cloak in my opinion.....and it photographs better too).

But the shiney material works well enough for a faux-leather bomber jacket.

[Vermillion21]

Applied the decals on my Target exclusive vehicles tonight ... they look awesome!!

I'm really impressed with these, and for $9.99 each, a great deal!!

[Vermillion One]

I am suprised at how much I liked the Night Specter. I knew I would want the AWE striker and HISS tanks, but when I saw the NS in person I had to pick it up too.

[Metal_Massacre_79]

Good news:

HI William,

Thank you for contacting Hasbro, Inc. We appreciate your bringing this to our attention.

If your figures did not have the stickers, you may send in the proof of purchase from each figure in place of the sticker.

We appreciate having the opportunity to assist you.

[Vermillion21]

Wow, that is good news. I'll be impressed if Hasbro honors their email statement about getting the mail-in Doc.

I actually just sent my order in.

Also, someone on Hisstank.com found an online toy store listing that suggests the Night Spector will be reissued as the white SHARC with DeepSix, and the next Cobra vehicle will be the Firebat. Cool.

[David Hingtgen]

Firebat would be nice, never had one. Anyways---any rumors of a 25th Ann. dress blues Gung-Ho? That was one of my all-time fave figures back when.

[Southpaw Samurai]

Firebat would be nice, never had one. Anyways---any rumors of a 25th Ann. dress blues Gung-Ho? That was one of my all-time fave figures back when.

The Firebat was a very cool toy. Looked cool, was accurately displayed in the cartoon, and was just slick... the whole Terrordrome was just a fun playset... and I say that even though my brother and I got it when I was personally moving out of my G.I.Joe phase. Its only downside was that it was huge and couldn't be broken down like the original Joe base or the Flagg (never had the carrier, but a friend did). Even though I really don't want to buy vehicles that can't be used for figure holders and/or will take up space, I might have to get the Firebat....

The Dress Blues Gung-ho was certainly one of the more unique and cool looking figures and it inspired me go for the role of a Marine in the school Christmas Pageant shortly after he came out... my mom based the costume more on him than the photo we found of a Marine uniform. The only problem with that Gung-ho as a toy was trying to explain why he was running around doing stuff in his tidiest outfit... you KNOW Gung-ho would've at least opened the jacket up (and probably tore open his shirt as soon as bullets started flying ). He makes a great display figure though. Hasbro should do him up, but also give us somebody in Army, Navy, and Air Force dress uniforms... heck, and throw in Cutter in a Coast Guard outfit. Would make a nice set and if they did it so the hats weren't part of the head, it might appeal to those who would want to customize a bunch of Joes in their Sunday best.

After my personal concern over getting the Target exclusives (which I almost didn't want until the chance of not getting them came to mind... ), two of my local Targets are almost swimming in them.... and we're down to three Buzzers, 1 Duke/CC pack, and 2 Duke/Scarlett packs at my nearest one, so we might be seeing a restock finally. I'll keep an eye out for the figures people have mentioned in their wish lists here.

Edited April 23, 2008 by Southpaw Samurai

[Axelay]

OK, aside from Gung-Ho, I don't know why that never crossed my mind before. Other GI Joes in their dress uniforms would be absolutely awesome.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

any rumors of a 25th Ann. dress blues Gung-Ho? That was one of my all-time fave figures back when.

Haven't heard anything yet. I think its in the realm of possibility. It would be way better than the anniversary Gung Ho presently on shelves, thats for sure.

[Dax415]

hey guys, wasn't sure if this was brought up before but i'm up in Northern California and the prices for Joes just shot up!! Walmart is now $6.89 a figure and several Target's in my area are now pulling the prices from the shelves.....not sure what they are going to do. Anyone else see such a price hike?

[David Hingtgen]

Apparently Hasbro's wholesale price to retailers went up 25%, BBTS I think said something about it.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

hey guys, wasn't sure if this was brought up before but i'm up in Northern California and the prices for Joes just shot up!! Walmart is now $6.89 a figure and several Target's in my area are now pulling the prices from the shelves.....not sure what they are going to do. Anyone else see such a price hike?

I got word of it today from a target employee at HissTank. Target rose their price to match Walmart. A Walmart employee chimed in weeks back, saying the joes might be "loss leaders", so walmart hiked up the price, while keeping Star Wars figure prices unchanged, due to their popularity and upcoming movie/cartoon series, which is expected to be proftable. There is speculation that Star Wars figures might go up a dollar soon regardless. Overall the increasing price of oil is not helping either.

[Memphis Egyptologist]

The Dress Blues Gung-ho was certainly one of the more unique and cool looking figures and it inspired me go for the role of a Marine in the school Christmas Pageant shortly after he came out... my mom based the costume more on him than the photo we found of a Marine uniform. The only problem with that Gung-ho as a toy was trying to explain why he was running around doing stuff in his tidiest outfit... you KNOW Gung-ho would've at least opened the jacket up (and probably tore open his shirt as soon as bullets started flying ). He makes a great display figure though. Hasbro should do him up, but also give us somebody in Army, Navy, and Air Force dress uniforms... heck, and throw in Cutter in a Coast Guard outfit. Would make a nice set and if they did it so the hats weren't part of the head, it might appeal to those who would want to customize a bunch of Joes in their Sunday best.

Ages ago, when I first saw the Dress Blues Gung-ho, I wondered what he was supposed to fight Cobra with given that all he had was that dress sword of his. Maybe his strength? Now I know it was an attempt to portray a Marine in dress blues, but IIRC wasn't there a 12" Gung-ho in blues with at least an M-16/M-203 combo or something?

[Southpaw Samurai]

"St.Paul, MN - Capt. Carl Greer, better known to many as simply 'Doc', arrived back at the local G.I.Joe headquarters today after an undisclosed amount of time as a captive of Cobra. Doc seems to have suffered his captivity relatively well, displaying a little weight loss in the face, some elbows that can't bend fully, and apparently wearing adult diapers. Doc has been a long term member of the special forces unit known as G.I.Joe, functioning as the team's medic despite being a fully trained and competent general surgeon. In the early nineties it was believed that he had died on a mission, having suffered at least five machine gun rounds to his head. However, it appears that he was just 'in a coma' and now is doing much better. Doc will return to active duty soon. Meanwhile, G.I.Joe intelligence is trying to determine why Doc was being ransomed by Cobra not for money, release of prisoners, or some other goal, but for stickers and 'flag points'. Experts believe Cobra recently discovered some old mail-in offers for equipment and is hoping to procure them with said points."

My Doc arrived today (well maybe yesterday or Wednesday, but didn't have time after work to pick him up from the Post Office). There's already pictures around, so I won't waste anyone's time or bandwidth, but I'm mostly happy. Doc was one of my second tier favorites as a kid. This is a good version that includes all his goodies, including his stretcher. He also has a flare pistol, which is nice (I was worried they may include an actual gun, which would be a no-no for Doc the pacifist). His head is a little small and the helmet sits a little high, giving him a less serious look, but it's not bad. His face is a little thinner than his original toy and his card painting/comic appearance. He unfortunately uses most of Duke's body, so you have the rolled up sleeve elbow issue as well as a wide crotch. Duke's torso otherwise works with the pockets and stuff and makes a good substitute for not having a unique body of his own. I almost wish they didn't try to pretend Duke's wings weren't there. Capt. Greer graduated airborne school, after all, so why not have the pin? He comes carded in a extra plastic clam shell in a white box. The box has a huge G.I.Joe logo, the words 'G.I.Joe Doc' on it and is unsealed, so be careful if you live near people who might be interested in such if the postman leaves it at your door.

Overall, he's a good figure. Very close to the original and the elbows and crotch aren't as big of a deal for someone who won't be in as many action poses. I'm glad he made it to the collection and I have to agree with someone from another board that said it's good he wasn't released to the masses as he'd probably be sharing space with Buzzer if he had been. As a mail-in, he's available, but only to those who want him. I'm almost tempted to shoot for another as his head would make a decent Short-Fuze custom with the glasses he wore in the comics.

Edited April 26, 2008 by Southpaw Samurai

[Metal_Massacre_79]

Any word on if or when they plan on making a Dusty figure? That was always a favorite of mine (the first version was, but I thought the other 10 versions sucked ass).

[Metal_Massacre_79]

having suffered at least five machine gun rounds to his head. However, it appears that he was just 'in a coma' and now is doing much better.

Almost like taking a snake spear directly into the heart and falling into a coma. Nice nod to the movie, Hasbro.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Any word on if or when they plan on making a Dusty figure? That was always a favorite of mine (the first version was, but I thought the other 10 versions sucked ass).

I think he was on CoolToyReview's fan voted top 10, the top 2, Tomax/Xamot have already been released, so I think its only a matter of time.

[Southpaw Samurai]

Any word on if or when they plan on making a Dusty figure? That was always a favorite of mine (the first version was, but I thought the other 10 versions sucked ass).

Dusty needs to be done. V1 in particular. Dusty was one of those figures that looked cool, yet also looked relatively 'normal'. And today the 'standard looking GI in desert camo' would be a nice figure represent a good number of the U.S.'s currently active troops. I know that a desert camo might also be considered 'bad taste' or whatever from some people, but even if you dislike the war, it's still a nice homage. And to top it off, Dusty was generally a cool character.

Somebody had a Duke on ebay that was painted up in something between correct U.S. desert camo and the desert camo 'Hall of Fame' 12" figure from the early 90's and I was sooooo tempted to bid on it just to get a piece of matching cloth to turn him into Dusty....

[Southpaw Samurai]

Almost like taking a snake spear directly into the heart and falling into a coma. Nice nod to the movie, Hasbro.

That was all my own writing, poking fun at exactly what you're referencing. I'm sure some people at Hasbro wouldn't mind making fun of it, but I'm not so sure it'd be released so blatantly.

I came back to the Joe comics for that little sprint where Hasbro told Hama, "Kill away with anyone we're not making." and he went on a spree. It was shocking to see Joes getting mowed down.. although at least the first batch or so actually both proved a point and made for a few good moments (like Cobra Commander originally freaking out that someone killed the Joes when he meant 'get rid of them' as in to dump them and keep on moving.

Still, poor Doc just went out so brutally...

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Damn that SAW Viper really did go ape. I've actually never read that issue, but heard of it. Its referenced a lot.

The deaths in the Marvel comics actually meant something, as opposed to DDP's useless shock value deaths.

Anyone else here surprised/impatient that Wave 7/wave 3 comic packs have yet to hit?

[Metal_Massacre_79]

I've seen a lot of the second wave of the first round here (fixed crotch, two pegs on the stand). I also found that TRU was hit with the sticker thieves as well. I'm trying to inform them of what's been going on, and so far they've all been receptive to it.