TF Views

Yep.

Pics here:
http://generalsjoes.com/2015/04/11/high ... n-reveals/

SDCC EXCLUSIVES (Available: July 2015)
G.I. JOE CRIMSON STRIKE: Available in the Hasbro Toy Shop booth at San Diego Comic-Con. Features the Cobra Scythe jet and the G.I. Joe Chimera. Includes Grunt, Ralph “Steeler” Pulaski, A.V.A.C. & Alley Viper Office figures. Approximate Retail Price: $99.99.
G.I. JOE DESERT DUEL: Available from Toys “R” Us at the Entertainment Earth booth at San Diego Comic-Con. Features the F.O.E. Striker and the Cobra Basilisk. Includes Night Fox, Philip “Chuckles” Provost, Elite Horseman and Cobra Air Trooper. Approximate Retail Price: $59.99

TOYS “R” US EXCLUSIVES (Available: August 2015) (also available at BBTS)
G.I. JOE DESERT DUEL: Features the F.O. E. Striker and the Cobra Basilisk. Includes Philip “Chuckles” Provost and the Elite Horseman. Approximate Retail Price: $49.99
G.I. JOE SILENT STRIKE: Features the G.I. Joe Skystriker taking on the H.I.S.S. Tank. Includes Brad “Ace” Armbruster, Sightline, H.I.S.S. Gunner and Driver, filecards and accessories. Approximate Retail Price: $59.99
G.I. JOE OUTNUMBERED TEAM PACKS (Approximate Retail Price: $19.99)
Chase for the MASS Device: Includes Conrad” Duke” Hauser, Cobra Commander, Cobra C.L.A.W.S. Trooper, filecards and accessories
Sneak Attack: Includes Bazooka, Firefly, Specialist Dusty, filecards and accessories
Vanishing Act: Includes Torpedo, Hit & Run, Zartan and accessories
Rock Rampage: Includes Alpine, Rock Viper, Cobra Shock Trooper, filecards and accessories

G.I. JOE VERSUS 2-PACKS (Approximate Retail Price: $14.99)
Marine Devastation: Includes Gung-Ho vs. Cobra Shadow Guard with filecards and accessories
Hunt For Cobra Commander: Includes Shipwreck vs. Cobra Commander with filecards and accessories
Classic Clash: Includes Spirit Iron-Knife vs. Storm Shadow with filecards and accessories
Troop Build-Up: Includes Steel Brigade vs. Iron Grenadier with filecards and accessories
Swamp Steam: Includes Blowtorch vs. Croc Master with filecards and accessories


As it is: I'm interested in about 1/3 to half of this, in weird ways. That big orange HISS is dumb as shit, but I want the Skystriker, Ace and the new guy (who is a tribute to a Big Name Fan who passed away in February--that's super classy shit). Definitely want Chuckles and sorta want the AWE Striker he comes with, since despite being repainted about 50 times since 2008, I still don't have one, and this one is all Mad Max'd out, why not? Chuckles' head sculpt is also specifically moulded after his IDW appearance in Costa's Cobra series, so that's boss.

Of the threepacks, I'm only vaguely interested in a few individual figures, so I'll either pick up the sets and shuck the extras off to eBay, or do the opposite and buy the individuals there. I only sorta want Hit&Run (soft spot for the character), and Zartan is possibly the best representation of his classic outfit. Alpine is on the same level as that, but at least his packmates are cool. I have no interest in Gung-Ho ("Look at all your different coloured hats!!") or the Spirit/Storm Shadow and Shipwreck/CC packs. Definitely interested in a Steel Brigade/Iron Grenadier troop builder pack, might pick up a pair or even three of those, plus I definitely want the Blowtorch and Crocmaster pack for their "was almost unproduced for literally years" factor.

Now here's the big question: How healthy is this for Joe as a brand? I mean, new stuff is good, right?

I loke that Croc Master with his weird ass red gator.

Aside from the oddity of those HISS releases, including the Joe one (da fuq?), these look fairly decent as sets go, it's nice to see new tooling for some of the weapons as well. But there's no real demand for the product as evident by last year's 50th anniversary product stalling, and seeing the Snowcat get released yet again, seeing another SDCC set with the Skystriker, it seems like this is a line that cannot shake off its inability to connect with a new market. Compare that to kids actually buying TF Generations figures, kids are drawn into Transformers and buy classic characters right now, but they haven't connected with GI Joe in a while now because GI Joe hasn't connected with them. ARAH is great, tons of characters and vehicles and weapons, but it's 30+ years old and the new toy lines and movies just aren't reaching a new audience.

A big problem is the distribution. I have only seen these at mass retail in Toys R Us. If somebody happens to be passing the toy aisle at Target (while shopping for something else), they are not going to find these.

ARAH is great, tons of characters and vehicles and weapons, but it's 30+ years old and the new toy lines and movies just aren't reaching a new audience.

The movies suck. There. I. Said. It.

They are generic summer action movies with more branding and merchandise. That will sell a certain amount of merchandise. But, it will not sell the sort of merchandise that a viable property would be expected to sell. There is not media support to speak of. Hasbro needs to fund a cartoon.

And, as much as I hate to say it, then need to pitch comics a little lower. Even if a kid goes to the comic store, the comics are not kid friendly. Most of IDW's Joe comic output is not something that Hasbro would necessarily want on shelves at Toys R Us or Target. IDW needs to split the Joe comics. Keep one pitched at adults (preferably the Costa book) and another pitched at all ages (PG and lower). I hate to advocate for worse comics. But, pack-ins might help. (Hasbro did some good in-house pack-ins back in '09.)



Other exclusives revealed:
http://joebattlelines.com/2015/04/12/jo ... al-figure/

The Marrissa Fairborne and Old Snake figures appeal. Law and Order are sentimental favourites of mine. But, I am not likely to buy in at Club prices.

The SDCC sets listed above look good. (I would be willing to go in for that Cobra Jet and pilots.)

The prices on those TrU exclusives though... Ugh. Those vehicles are cast out of tooling that is 30+ years old. Why the hell are the prices so high?

The two and three packs are a bit more reasonable.

The Rock Rampage set appeal for the sake of getting the Shock Trooper and Rock Viper. (Alpine is a bonus at that point.)

Marine Devastation: The Shadow Guard looks good.
Hunt For Cobra Commander: Cobra Commander packed with a sentimental favourite. Yup, I am in.
Classic Clash: Probably my favourite of the wave. The one I am most likely to hunt for.
Troop Build-Up: The Steel Brigade trooper is very nice. The Grenadier....not so much.
Swamp Steam: Meh. Not sure why they are making another Blowtorch when they already released the character last year. (Plenty of better options to counter Croc Master.) Croc Master looks good though.

Chuckles' head sculpt is also specifically moulded after his IDW appearance in Costa's Cobra series, so that's boss.

What, so he looks dead? (Sorry. Sorry. Needed to say it.)

Dammit, now I want that figure.

Now here's the big question: How healthy is this for Joe as a brand? I mean, new stuff is good, right?

Moribund.

Figure it this way, I am a long time fan. And, my biggest interaction with the brand is with the Costa run of comics. And, I do not really "read" those as "GI Joe" so much as I read them as comics. Admittedly, I do that with "Transformers" as well. But, with Joe, it is even more so.

As JT said, kids buy in on TF. They do not buy in on Joe.

Dominic wrote:A big problem is the distribution. I have only seen these at mass retail in Toys R Us. If somebody happens to be passing the toy aisle at Target (while shopping for something else), they are not going to find these.

Your take is backwards, the reason you don't see them in Target is because they didn't sell, so Target stopped ordering it. TRU is trying to use any exclusives it can to trick collectors into seeing the company as a viable collector resource, no matter the expense or risk, it seems.

The movies suck. There. I. Said. It.

They are generic summer action movies with more branding and merchandise. That will sell a certain amount of merchandise. But, it will not sell the sort of merchandise that a viable property would be expected to sell. There is not media support to speak of. Hasbro needs to fund a cartoon.

The 2nd movie wasn't so bad, it felt and looked enough like GI Joe to me. I didn't love it, it was only ok, but part of that is the baggage it carried from the first film. But delaying it a year didn't help with market momentum, and they really didn't know how to market it.

Hasbro probably needs a new direction for Joe if it cannot get a cartoon based on the ARAH theme that really connects with a new audience soon.

And, as much as I hate to say it, then need to pitch comics a little lower. Even if a kid goes to the comic store, the comics are not kid friendly. Most of IDW's Joe comic output is not something that Hasbro would necessarily want on shelves at Toys R Us or Target. IDW needs to split the Joe comics. Keep one pitched at adults (preferably the Costa book) and another pitched at all ages (PG and lower). I hate to advocate for worse comics. But, pack-ins might help. (Hasbro did some good in-house pack-ins back in '09.)

Unfortunately, comics are selling in the 10s of thousands, not really enough to make an impact on the kiddie set driving new interest to the brand, so it seems pointless to aim down right now. That said, there's nothing "worse" about making a GI Joe franchise that has broad appeal if it's not pandering.

Other exclusives revealed:
http://joebattlelines.com/2015/04/12/jo ... al-figure/

The Marrissa Fairborne and Old Snake figures appeal. Law and Order are sentimental favourites of mine. But, I am not likely to buy in at Club prices.

Oof, making Marissa Fairborne and Old Snake club-exclusives is an obvious cashgrab move, but I can't say it's not worth the attempt since they're circling the drain anyway. The BAT from Prime Soundwave is kinda not bad.

The prices on those TrU exclusives though... Ugh. Those vehicles are cast out of tooling that is 30+ years old. Why the hell are the prices so high?

I have to assume shelf real estate expense plus low production numbers are being offset by high prices. This is where a numbered edition (small) would help offset a pricetag.

The 2nd movie wasn't so bad, it felt and looked enough like GI Joe to me. I didn't love it, it was only ok, but part of that is the baggage it carried from the first film. But delaying it a year didn't help with market momentum, and they really didn't know how to market it.

I missed having "boom boom pow" during the closing credits. I wanted to hear "people in the place, if you wanna get down" as I left the movie house. They really blew it if you ask me.

Scourge wrote:I loke that Croc Master with his weird ass red gator.

Me too! Him and Blowtorch were supposed to come out in POC back in 2010, 2011 or so, as a running change variant, but it never happened, so I'm glad that they (finally) got them out somehow.

JT wrote:Aside from the oddity of those HISS releases, including the Joe one (da fuq?)

I think the "storyline" for this pack of stuff is that Joe and Cobra are stealing vehicles from each other. The green HISS's acronym is CHIMERA and I don't remember what it stands for, but I'm fairly sure it blatantly references the fact that it's stolen Cobra tech.

these look fairly decent as sets go, it's nice to see new tooling for some of the weapons as well. But there's no real demand for the product as evident by last year's 50th anniversary product stalling, and seeing the Snowcat get released yet again, seeing another SDCC set with the Skystriker, it seems like this is a line that cannot shake off its inability to connect with a new market. Compare that to kids actually buying TF Generations figures, kids are drawn into Transformers and buy classic characters right now, but they haven't connected with GI Joe in a while now because GI Joe hasn't connected with them. ARAH is great, tons of characters and vehicles and weapons, but it's 30+ years old and the new toy lines and movies just aren't reaching a new audience.

I don't mind the Snowcat being around again, although I wish it was just in traditional colours since I'm trying to get my hands on one right now! But you're completely right on all fronts here.

Dom wrote:A big problem is the distribution. I have only seen these at mass retail in Toys R Us. If somebody happens to be passing the toy aisle at Target (while shopping for something else), they are not going to find these.

Of course you'd only see them at TRU...the 50th line was a TRU exclusive, like these. I think the line is in hibernation until the next movie.

And, as much as I hate to say it, then need to pitch comics a little lower. Even if a kid goes to the comic store, the comics are not kid friendly. Most of IDW's Joe comic output is not something that Hasbro would necessarily want on shelves at Toys R Us or Target. IDW needs to split the Joe comics. Keep one pitched at adults (preferably the Costa book) and another pitched at all ages (PG and lower). I hate to advocate for worse comics. But, pack-ins might help. (Hasbro did some good in-house pack-ins back in '09.)

I'm not sure I would word it the way you do, but yes, I agree that the comics--if they're the focal GI Joe media product, which they are that this point--should be aimed at a broader audience. Hama would probably be best for that, if he weren't on his permanent nostalgia wagon book. (Although I have actually heard that the book is doing some...new and interesting things? Integrating the Red Shadows into its continuity, apparently, and there's these tech ninjas running around? Should I start reading this?)

The Marrissa Fairborne and Old Snake figures appeal.

I want to like Old Snake. Maybe the more I see him, the more I'll like him.

The prices on those TrU exclusives though... Ugh. Those vehicles are cast out of tooling that is 30+ years old. Why the hell are the prices so high?

$60 for four figures and two mid-sized vehicles is not that bad. Taking into account that an individual 4" figure at Joe's complexity level costs $8-10 now across the board, it makes sense. And the AWE Striker has some new stuff on it!

JT wrote:The 2nd movie wasn't so bad, it felt and looked enough like GI Joe to me. I didn't love it, it was only ok, but part of that is the baggage it carried from the first film. But delaying it a year didn't help with market momentum, and they really didn't know how to market it.

The original/extended cut that came out on the Blu-ray was a lot better, had a few more connective things that really worked and made the characters feel more like characters. (That whole scene where Roadblock is talking about how he's not gonna bury anyone else? Not in the theatrical cut. Only there. What the fuck? It was in every single trailer and commercial.)

They are moving forward with Joe 3, which will again have a different writer and director (unfortunate, since I thought Chu could have really grown into his role if they gave him another film to do it in, and if he directed some more action flicks inbetween) so maybe the third time is the charm. I just hope they don't full on reboot the cast for a third time though (although I could probably deal without Bruce Willis phoning in a paycheck role and being weirdly sexist. At least the characters in the movie acknowledged that he was being shitty.)

Hasbro probably needs a new direction for Joe if it cannot get a cartoon based on the ARAH theme that really connects with a new audience soon.

Renegades was actually awesome once you got past its horrific art style. Unfortunately, I think a lot of the people involved are kind of "too close" to the brand at this point to really take the departure that it would need, if that makes any sense. (I know that I would start by aging up Duke to be, well, the age he would be if he was in his 20s in 1984, so, nearing his 60s at this point, and make him the desk commander for Joe as a team.)

Oof, making Marissa Fairborne and Old Snake club-exclusives is an obvious cashgrab move, but I can't say it's not worth the attempt since they're circling the drain anyway. The BAT from Prime Soundwave is kinda not bad.

Remember--the club is deciding to make these, not Hasbro. The Joe club is actually thriving right now, because they produce literally half the Joe product per year, and have since 2012. At this point, it's actually weirder to not own at least one of the club exclusives than it is to have them. (I have two, and I'm a cheap fucker!)

Is there gonna be another movie?

They really need to just replace all of the inevitable military in the next TF movie with GI Joe. Make a hasbro shared universe like the MCU and the upcoming DC films. Then piggyback that shit off into an Inhumanoids film.

Not sure that the movie licensing would allow for TF and Joe to meet on screen.

But, you know what would make an awesome Hasbro movie that would allow TF, Joe, the Inhumaniods and Jem to put in appearances?

"Hector Ramirez: the Movie"

Admit it, you would buy a ticket or three.

I'm not sure I would word it the way you do, but yes, I agree that the comics--if they're the focal GI Joe media product, which they are that this point--should be aimed at a broader audience. Hama would probably be best for that, if he weren't on his permanent nostalgia wagon book. (Although I have actually heard that the book is doing some...new and interesting things? Integrating the Red Shadows into its continuity, apparently, and there's these tech ninjas running around? Should I start reading this?)

The problem is that IDW's Joe comics generally range from PG13 to R. They would have to tone down a bit.

Hama's current Joe book is apparently changing (actually, picking) direction. The current "Death of Snake Eyes" has not been terribly impressive so far. But, it might turn out better by the end.

If you want Joe comics, I would say go for Costa's "Cobra" run or some of the old DDP series.

Dominic wrote:Admit it, you would buy a ticket or three.

I'd rent out a fucking theater so I could masturbate in peace.