GI JOE 30th Anniversary

[Skiman]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

It's the like the gum that last forever, on one would invent that

 

[thenammagazine]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

Not sure if "built to last" is even a concern for companies any more... Built to sell is more like it, and the 25th anni Joes did just that.

It's the like the gum that last forever, on one would invent that

No, but when you compare the quality with what we got as kids, it's really awful.

 

[Bardoon]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

This would have merit if there weren't new commercials with kids in them and the toys weren't in WalMart, Target and TRU, amongst the other "kid" toys. The fact that they're now directly infusing the ROC/POC line with the same figures (BBQ, Firefly, etc.) further proves this. They're marketing the line at kids and Hasbro is hoping to entice some of the nostalgic adult collectors. And based on those grounds alone, these toys are cheaply made compared to what we got as kids. Which I wouldn't be surprised if that was the intent in today's money-driven society. A broken toy, or one that is designed to break eventually, equals another toy purchased and more money in the Hasbro coffers. They're just not built to last like the vintage RAHs.

We all have our own preferences. Much like you did with loving the ol' 80's RAH stuff. I am a late 80's/early 90's Joe kid so my first Snake-Eyes was the '88 v3 SE which I loved and I also even loved some of the old "day-glo paint" G.I. Joe figures. That being said, your preferences on what is best is going to vary from me, to you, to Joe-Bob or to whomever. I personally prefer the figures now because of the additional detail to paints, the better sculpting detail, the superior amount of articulation,etc. while it's clear you want something "built to last" or you cherish the old memories, whatever-it-is and that's perfectly fine.

You are 100% right that G.I. Joe is marketed towards kids as they are the largest chunk of the target audience. While more recently than ever Hasbro has learned to value the "collector market". Store retail is the MAIN distribution center for ALL TOYS. Regardless whether it is G.I. Joe, Transformer, Star Wars, Pokemon, Marvel or whatever. TOYFAIR is NOT directed at the fans, it is for RETAIL sellers! It is put on to interest retail stores (and some other outlets) to BUY huge production runs of a company's products.

When Wal-Mart and Target buy large stocks of G.I. Joe for their stores...Hasbro made their sale right there. It's up to the retail store to hope a customer will BUY them to help recoup losses. When some items just don't sell, retailers WILL take notice and will drop lines from their stores. This is exactly what happened to G.I. Joe "Valor vs. Venom". It started selling VERY poorly and many retail stores stopped carrying them. It was only because of fan/collector support that Hasbro did the "Direct To Consumer" (DTC) line and after that decided to try out the 25th Anniversary line, which turned out to be a great success.

 

[thenammagazine]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

We all have our own preferences. Much like you did with loving the ol' 80's RAH stuff. I am a late 80's/early 90's Joe kid so my first Snake-Eyes was the '88 v3 SE which I loved and I also even loved some of the old "day-glo paint" G.I. Joe figures. That being said, your preferences on what is best is going to vary from me, to you, to Joe-Bob or to whomever. I personally prefer the figures now because of the additional detail to paints, the better sculpting detail, the superior amount of articulation,etc. while it's clear you want something "built to last" or you cherish the old memories, whatever-it-is and that's perfectly fine.

You are 100% right that G.I. Joe is marketed towards kids as they are the largest chunk of the target audience. While more recently than ever Hasbro has learned to value the "collector market". Store retail is the MAIN distribution center for ALL TOYS. Regardless whether it is G.I. Joe, Transformer, Star Wars, Pokemon, Marvel or whatever. TOYFAIR is NOT directed at the fans, it is for RETAIL sellers! It is put on to interest retail stores (and some other outlets) to BUY huge production runs of a company's products.

When Wal-Mart and Target buy large stocks of G.I. Joe for their stores...Hasbro made their sale right there. It's up to the retail store to hope a customer will BUY them to help recoup losses. When some items just don't sell, retailers WILL take notice and will drop lines from their stores. This is exactly what happened to G.I. Joe "Valor vs. Venom". It started selling VERY poorly and many retail stores stopped carrying them. It was only because of fan/collector support that Hasbro did the "Direct To Consumer" (DTC) line and after that decided to try out the 25th Anniversary line, which turned out to be a great success.

I wasn't discrediting you for liking the new stuff. I did state the sculpts are better, the gear (although oversized) is more accurate to real weapons, and the paints are better. But the overall quality is cheaper. If they were constructed out of as durable a plastic as the older figures it would be a home run. But they're not.

 

[DPrime]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

I wasn't discrediting you for liking the new stuff. I did state the sculpts are better, the gear (although oversized) is more accurate to real weapons, and the paints are better. But the overall quality is cheaper. If they were constructed out of as durable a plastic as the older figures it would be a home run. But they're not.

Agreed - the original line is still foremost in my mind as the best incarnation of GI Joe ever made (well, at least the first half of it was, but the latter years had some gems too).

Still, as a collector who doesn't really "play" with them, the durability doesn't mean that much to me these days.

My biggest beef with the 25th line is the lack of inconsistency. Hasbro seemed to have cut a lot of corners with many figures, using way too many re-used parts to rush out product. While a lot of people don't care about a figure like Crankcase, for example, I do. I really appreciate how virtually every new character (past the '82 line-up, anyway) was a brand new sculpt, even minor vehicle drivers like Crankcase.

When they could have reused parts effectively - for example with the '82 line-up - they dropped the ball on most figures. Even a tiny change - for example sculpting rolled up sleeves early on (how much use would those parts have gotten?), would have made a world of difference. Some of the O13 look perfect - namely Snake Eyes, Flash, Scarlett and Zap. Some look pretty good but have minor flaws - Hawk (hands and gear), Stalker (hands and weapon), Clutch and Rock and Roll (both suffering from "Duke arms") - but some are outright terrible, like Grunt, Short Fuse and Breaker. Grand Slam (who should have had another head at least) didn't even get a proper V1 version.

I really hope Hasbro revisits the line down the road and gives some characters "improved" new sculpts, like what they do with Star Wars constantly...

 

[Macross-Junkie]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

"Attention All Freaks"

I came across a great find today, and you may be able to as well. For those of you that have BIG LOTS stores in your town, you may want to check them out. While browsing around my BIG LOTS here in Fayetteville N.C. I came across several dozen G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary figures and some G.I. Joe Resolute figures, priced at $4.00 each. They had the following figures...

Cobra RPG Trooper
Cobra Eel
Cobra Para-Viper
Flint In Cobra Trooper Disguise
Zartan With Swamp Bike
Matt Tracker
Scarlett Counter Intelligence
Artic Snake Eyes
Mutt & His Dog
Gung Ho
Stalker
Snow Job
Resolute Cobra Commander
Resolute Cobra Trooper
Resolute Duke

It was a great find, and if all BIG LOTS are getting G.I. Joe figures in stock, it might be great for army builders like myself, or just for someone who missed out the first time around.

This was something I had to let my fellow freaks know about...

 

[karamazov80]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

Thanks for the heads up. I would definitely hoard me some Zartans if I saw them for that price.

 

[SuitedJacks]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

"Attention All Freaks"


Cobra RPG Trooper
Cobra Eel
Cobra Para-Viper
Flint In Cobra Trooper Disguise
Zartan With Swamp Bike
Matt Tracker
Scarlett Counter Intelligence
Artic Snake Eyes
Mutt & His Dog
Gung Ho
Stalker
Snow Job
Resolute Cobra Commander
Resolute Cobra Trooper
Resolute Duke


This was something I had to let my fellow freaks know about...

Thank you for sharing...I went to the Big Lots in Hermitage,Tn (subburb of nashville) and found:
Cobra RPG Trooper
Cobra Eel
Cobra Para-Viper
Flint In Cobra Trooper Disguise
Zartan With Swamp Bike
Matt Tracker
Scarlett Counter Intelligence
Cobra bazooka Trooper
Airborne

 

[teemu]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

seems like big lots only has wave 11

 

[JediMike71]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

We have a BIG LOTS store here. I've never been there, but I will definitely check it out now! I really want a Zartan with his swamp bike! I used to have the "vintage" one as a kid in the 1980s! Thanks for the tip!

 

[Cryoguns]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

We have a BIG LOTS store here. I've never been there, but I will definitely check it out now! I really want a Zartan with his swamp bike! I used to have the "vintage" one as a kid in the 1980s! Thanks for the tip!

Just be aware the new swamp skier looks a little...stunted

 

[thenammagazine]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

Just be aware the new swamp skier looks a little...stunted

Like 1/2 the size. But it's not the size of the skier, it's how Zartan uses it.

 

[DPrime]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

So... Anyone pay attention to the Joe Convention?

Did you see the upcoming Low Light and resculpted Snake Eyes V1??? Pretty cool stuff.

Like 1/2 the size. But it's not the size of the skier, it's how Zartan uses it.

lol. It's actually not bad for the Combat Heroes Zartan, if you like that kind of stuff...

 

[Cryoguns]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

So... Anyone pay attention to the Joe Convention?

Did you see the upcoming Low Light and resculpted Snake Eyes V1??? Pretty cool stuff.

Yup, both of those are "must haves" on my list Lowlight was especially impressive. And it looks like they may have added a new wrist joint so that it moves up and down rather than just side to side?

 

[Silent December]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

Finally opened my "now and then" Polar Bear and took some pics

 

[Deak Starkiller]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

I like the centerfold pic.

 

[Silent December]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

that Snow job is one sexy beast!

 

[Deak Starkiller]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

Ha...Snow Job.

 

[EXOTICLEX]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

reading the beginning of this thread is hilarious....

 

[Skiman]

Re: GI JOE 25th Anniversary

Is that vintage SJ, I need a better one...? Mine has had some glory in his life.