G.I. Joe Classified Series (1:12)

ThunderDan19

Here Comes the Boom!!!
Founder
Mar 14, 2011
10,800
980
113
49
VA
Torpedo’s just got that slimming wetsuit color scheme going for him. 😝

I also imagined CH as yuge like GH or RB. I think the smaller to fit in a future vehicle theory has a lot of merit.

Looking forward to getting that RnR as well and then finishing him out. I’d be happy to take any modern/futuristic helmets and plate carriers (even guns) you have no use for. Name your price or I’m willing to send you my spare Cobra trooper, if you could use another - since they are relatively close to retro, in exchange if that would help make it worthwhile for you.
 

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
Torpedo’s just got that slimming wetsuit color scheme going for him. 😝

I also imagined CH as yuge like GH or RB. I think the smaller to fit in a future vehicle theory has a lot of merit.

Looking forward to getting that RnR as well and then finishing him out. I’d be happy to take any modern/futuristic helmets and plate carriers (even guns) you have no use for. Name your price or I’m willing to send you my spare Cobra trooper, if you could use another - since they are relatively close to retro, in exchange if that would help make it worthwhile for you.

RnR's helmet is relatively modern, but if there is a helmet from a particular figure or a plate carrier you have your eye on, just let me know and I'll see what I can dig up. I'm awash in Vala gear too.

Remember how they did it for 25th...
That would be shitty if they forced us to buy a PP Copperhead with a normal Moccasin / Sting Raider (I'll never get used to that name).
 

ThunderDan19

Here Comes the Boom!!!
Founder
Mar 14, 2011
10,800
980
113
49
VA
RnR's helmet is relatively modern, but if there is a helmet from a particular figure or a plate carrier you have your eye on, just let me know and I'll see what I can dig up. I'm awash in Vala gear
1689555846697.jpeg
I like the helmets on RnR and Grunt, but I’d like to give RnR a plate carrier too. It needs to be a fairly slick and minimal one to go under the bullet belts. This is probably the closest I’ve seen to what I imagine, but I don’t really even need the pouches, sheath or radio. I‘m not familiar enough with Vala to know if they come off or if there might be a better option. But modern helmets and PCs like Grunts are pretty much the look I want for my modern Joes, but with modern carbines instead of his M-16 or the cartoon laser.

Are you looking at options to get (close to) the OG style helmets w/ visors? I haven’t seen anything very close to those as of yet, but there’s probably somebody out there 3D printing them or something.
That would be shitty if they forced us to buy a PP Copperhead with a normal Moccasin / Sting Raider (I'll never get used to that name).
History repeating at Hasbro? Nah... 😆
 

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
View attachment 16316
I like the helmets on RnR and Grunt, but I’d like to give RnR a plate carrier too. It needs to be a fairly slick and minimal one to go under the bullet belts. This is probably the closest I’ve seen to what I imagine, but I don’t really even need the pouches, sheath or radio. I‘m not familiar enough with Vala to know if they come off or if there might be a better option. But modern helmets and PCs like Grunts are pretty much the look I want for my modern Joes, but with modern carbines instead of his M-16 or the cartoon laser.

Are you looking at options to get (close to) the OG style helmets w/ visors? I haven’t seen anything very close to those as of yet, but there’s probably somebody out there 3D printing them or something.

History repeating at Hasbro? Nah... 😆
I have several plate carriers from Vala in various colors, but none are going to be slim enough to fit under those bullet belts. The BBs are one piece (glued together), and they fit pretty snug on RnRs torso. Just to get them out of the way for painting last night, I had to remove his head and both arms at the biceps.

You're either going to have to modify them in the back to get the right look in the front, or you're going to have to come up with some alternate BBs (i.e. make your own from the long strand that comes with each RnR figure).

I can send you a vala carrier, or I can wait and send you a Joe one as soon as I get my plethora of spare Grunts. But either way, you're going to need to make your own bullet-X. Maybe I'll have some spare strands when my extra RnRs arrive.

I have modern helmets with visors that I got from various GridIron kits. That's what I used to outfit all my Vala O13 customs. And I also have some classic upscaled ARAH helmets from someone on etsy (I can't recall at the moment). I haven't tried them out yet, as I suspect they won't fit right for any noggin with non-buzzed hair.

EDIT: Don't laugh. I just now noticed that I put RnRs bullets in the gun backwards. D'oh!
 

ThunderDan19

Here Comes the Boom!!!
Founder
Mar 14, 2011
10,800
980
113
49
VA
Yeah, I was figuring I’d need to do some cut and paste with the bullet belts and possibly the plate carrier to get a decent looking combo. No way the original crossed ones would be big enough, but I figured my best bet would be to start as slick as possible with the PC, cut the belts and then do any patching in the back.

I like the idea of the modern helmets made to look similar to the OG. Seems like a good compromise if the Etsy ones don’t fit.
 

ThunderDan19

Here Comes the Boom!!!
Founder
Mar 14, 2011
10,800
980
113
49
VA
...or they just wanted to grab another day of accelerated sales... if that many more backers exist.
Lol, this. A little longer for the FOMO to ferment and more time for non-US participants to toss their money in as well. Even if there are a lot fewer jumping on tomorrow than today, it's still all gravy by now.
 
  • Like
Reactions: nacho

ThunderDan19

Here Comes the Boom!!!
Founder
Mar 14, 2011
10,800
980
113
49
VA
Thanks for the reminder! I went ahead and pre-ordered that AV you skipped. :p Who's hot and bothered and why?

As for the DF, like I mentioned above, Hasbro is more than happy to keep the orders coming in a little longer without adding any additional value because it's all profit at this point.
 

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
People seem to be drooling over the black/red AV... and there is much wailing and gnashing of teeth for those that missed out on the limited number available on Pulse (b/c people fear ordering from WM because of their delivery issues).

As one tfw commentor stated "Walmart still having Collector Con stuff 3 hours later feels like they're just feeding their cancellation fetish." hahahahaha

I ordered mine on both Pulse and WM, and whoever delivers first is the winner.
 
Last edited:

ThunderDan19

Here Comes the Boom!!!
Founder
Mar 14, 2011
10,800
980
113
49
VA
Sounds like miserable people just being miserable to me. WM should be the place most would have to go to get a WM exclusive figure. You'd think they'd be happy that the figs are still available hours later. Plus, they aren't the particularly mashable carded figs WM seemed to want to bag vs box. Meh, people... 🤷‍♂️

Oh, and Torpedo made it to me today. Pretty nice figure. Not much I can really do with him until the Eel shows up though. I just have him posed on one of my fancy stands like he's swimming for now. We'll see how it holds up.
 

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
Yeah... they never did deliver my retro Storm Shadow and Zartan. I finally just ordered them on the website and cancelled the PO. And they fulfilled half of my SE & CG orders with the other half delayed until mid-august. So I suppose we'll see. And of course, I'm still sitting on the POs for Range Viper and Big Ben (both custom fodder) scheduled for early Sept... fingers crossed. It's definitely a mixed bag with WM though.

Target's no different though. Been waiting on Club Obi-Wan Indiana Jones (from ToD opening scene) for months. PO just sitting there. Last week, I stopped in a target on the way home from Raleigh, found the figure and it was already on clearance for $12. WTF Mattel! You'd think if your business model was selling stuff for a profit and not just taking orders, you'd be inclined to take AND fulfill the orders. But what do I know. :cautious:
 
  • Like
Reactions: ThunderDan19

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
Dragonfly hit 24.6k... not bad considering the HISS only hit 26.7k, and it was way more of an army builder and doesn't take up as much space.

Hopefully this will cement to hasbro and fandom that well done iconic arah homages in this scale are a slam dunk if they bring their A-game.

With every successful campaign, I feel worse for the hardcore SW fans who seem to have the worst brand team. The haslab magic sauce eludes them.
 

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
I had seen the teaser for the CGs, but I've been busy and didn't catch the reveal of the whole wave.

I have all of the first two waves. They look like they stepped out of an animation cell. They're clearly 7" scale, not 6", so they don't fit with classified at all. The articulation is not as good as Classified, but it's not bad. Main difference is just single joined knees and elbows, so definitely not bad.

If you want realism... run away fast. If you want nostalgia mainlined directly into your veins, with extra heads/expressions, toony decos, and tons of episode-specific accessories, then they're pretty damn awesome. I haven't photographed mine yet because I'm really waiting to get more than eight figures (4 joes, 4 cobras). Wave three has the blueshirt, so that'll really help fill out the ranks a bit... or at least give the illusion of an army.

And back to our discussion yesterday of people over-reacting to not being able to order WM exclusives on Pulse... WM just now cancelled my two Range Vipers from the last round of exclusives for no reason. Just an email saying that my order had changed, and when I looked, the Range Vipers were zeroed out. Zero explanation. This is the WM way.

EDIT: I'm clearly not alone, as half of TFW had their range vipers messed with. They didn't technically cancel them, just took the price to zero... and I doubt that means they're shipping them as a free bonus to my Big Ben. It's rather ironic that they're screwing with the PO's from the last collector's con while simultaneously taking PO's for the new con.
 
Last edited:

ThunderDan19

Here Comes the Boom!!!
Founder
Mar 14, 2011
10,800
980
113
49
VA
Wow, I guess I should have been a little more empathetic. I don't recall ever having had a real issue with WM, besides their really poor search function on the website and weird stocking habits. I cancelled on them for the retro CG and SE, but the others I ordered arrived with only minor damage to the cards. Now there are tons of those two figures clogging up pegs there.

I guess we'll see if my CAV holds. I was a little later in the day getting it ordered and I remember it said there had been 1000+ sold. They are still up for pre-order now, so who knows. I have no concept of just how many figs WM gets for its exclusives, but I hope they'd be smart enough to close out the pre-orders when they run out (asking a lot, I know :rolleyes: ).
 

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
In your favor is the fact that they aren't shipped based on when they were ordered. The two retro SEs I received were from my third order. The first two are still as yet unfulfilled. You probably have as good a chance as the bots that ordered in the first nanosecond.

Hope the error holds and we all end up with free Range Vipers... but I'm not holding my breath. After I win the lotto tonight, I won't care. All my joes will cost $200 and come from asia two months before anyone here gets anything. :devilish:
 
Last edited:
  • Haha
Reactions: ThunderDan19

ThunderDan19

Here Comes the Boom!!!
Founder
Mar 14, 2011
10,800
980
113
49
VA
I got my RnR today and he looks pretty darn good! I'm tempted to leave him as is, but I also think he'll look that much better with an armor kit. He's got plenty of extra bullet belt to splice on the back to get them around it. Have you gotten a chance to see what leftover gear you have that you don't care to use? I may well armor up Duke too. He could definitely benefit from a helmet and a PC in place of that silly sash.
 

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
It appears I have three colors of Vala PC: green, grey, and a grey-ish brown/khaki. They all have radios - some with long antennae, some with short antennae. The knives and magazines are removeable, but the knife sheaths, pouches, and magazine carriers are glued on but easy enough to slice off.

I have some Vala helmets too, but I haven't dug them out yet.

PC-1.jpg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Videoviper

ThunderDan19

Here Comes the Boom!!!
Founder
Mar 14, 2011
10,800
980
113
49
VA
Those look great! Huge improvement with CG. Just don’t let Clutch spend too much time around the ladies. He has a history of making inappropriate comments.

As for the gear, I’m interested in whatever you don’t have any use for - helmets, PCs and modern/future Joe CS weapons. I doubt I have anything to trade that you don’t already have multiples of, but I’ll be happy to pay for at least a couple of the green PCs, and maybe one each of the others and similarly with the helmets.
 

ThunderDan19

Here Comes the Boom!!!
Founder
Mar 14, 2011
10,800
980
113
49
VA
Thanks, Brother! I'm in your debt. If, by some strange twist of fate, there ever is something I might have that you don't but need, hit me up.

It always makes me happy when collectibles (toys) get displayed rather than end up sitting in storage. I think the Toy Story movies have left their impression on me. :LOL:
 
  • Like
Reactions: nacho

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
The eye camo makes him look like he's wearing a domino mask like the Riddler. Flint is not a batman villain!

What's more astounding is that they didn't give him the updated short sleeves or non-shin-guard boots. It's a lazy bastard repaint at it's finest, and it looks as such.... and I say that as a Flint fan. Flint >>> Duke... but both of them are hot garbage in TF form.
 

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
I really thought I was going to be able to skip the HISS fireteam, but alas, no. I could do without the abundance of red accents, but I can't pass up what is effectively night patrol trooper/officer and a dark range-viper that will instantly become one of the OG Plauge members, Body Bags.

1689867018806.jpeg

1689867018320.png
 

Attachments

  • 1689866956726.png
    1689866956726.png
    2.3 MB · Views: 1
Last edited:

ThunderDan19

Here Comes the Boom!!!
Founder
Mar 14, 2011
10,800
980
113
49
VA
I don't know/remember Plague, so I don't have any attraction to these. I also don't really get the brain helmet look. It just seems counterintuitive for me, very exposed looking.
 

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
The Plague are the main cobra "elite" squad during the DDP America's Elite series that wrapped up the Joe comic Marvel continuity before Hama returned at IDW to pick up where he left off. Thus it's almost like an alternate timeline that split off the main one at Marvel issue 155. The last 20-ish issues of that series are the best overall Joe story I've ever read. The "Cobra" series with Chuckles was more shocking, but in terms of gritty war comics, America's Elite is awesome. I want to read it again now.

The Plague is comprised of the best of the best of a bunch of different specialties... I almost equate them to the dark version of the O13. There is an eel, a snow serpent, a laser viper, an AVAC, a range viper, a night creeper ninja, the Interrogator, Munitia, a defected Joe, a sand viper, a SAW viper, a CG, and a hot-shot new cobra recruit... and probably a few more I forgot. They all are individual characters with new codenames, and they all dress in black/dark grey.

1689872059306.png

Yeah, range vipers... I don't know if that's the shape of their helmet or if that's supposed to be actual brain, or if there is some kind of plexiglass shield? I'm not an expert on them, but I assume it has something to do with experimental enhancements to make them survive in the wilderness better?

But regardless, the all-black one is a badass.
 

ThunderDan19

Here Comes the Boom!!!
Founder
Mar 14, 2011
10,800
980
113
49
VA
Huh, that's wild. I don't think I'd ever heard of them before now. Sounds like a pretty cool concept, and a good way to add a more potent threat than the run-of-the-mill Cobra minions.

The artwork in the pic is interesting as well. Is that watercolor?
 

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
Huh, that's wild. I don't think I'd ever heard of them before now. Sounds like a pretty cool concept, and a good way to add a more potent threat than the run-of-the-mill Cobra minions.

The artwork in the pic is interesting as well. Is that watercolor?
I think it's a photoshop simulation of watercolor, but yeah definitely gives the artwork a little texture. IIRC, the pencils are by Mike Bear, and he does a great job, but I don't recall the colorist.

While it's probably worth reading the far more comic-booky Image & DDP Joe series first, just to get the whole picture, America's Elite's final couple of years, culminating in the WWIII storyline is sublime Joe fiction. And it's an actual ending to the saga, not a to-be-continued or one of those deals where everything's back to normal next week. It puts a hard ending on the Marvel run in an emphatic way that is both exciting and startling at times, but ultimately satisfying.

If you find a thumb drive in your package, you'll know what it is...
 
  • Like
Reactions: ThunderDan19

ThunderDan19

Here Comes the Boom!!!
Founder
Mar 14, 2011
10,800
980
113
49
VA
Lol, that sounds exciting! I ended up stopping with the website I had been using when it stopped displaying the comics. I can't remember what number it was off hand though.

You da man!