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

[nacho]

It'll fund no problem. Based on historical trends, it'll ramp up at the end, unlocking LJ and likely the Bivouac. The real danger comes if/when it seems that Flint won't unlock. There is potential for a backslide of people bailing over Flint, but not likely enough to threaten base funding or LJ. But I could see a scenario where it backs out of the bivouac tier... probably won't, but it could.

When I was watching the 3POA stream the other day, they were all speculating that it would be the poorest performing Classified haslab but to a one, they each predicted a final number in the 15-22k range. I think 15k is optimistic, as I see it teetering on 14k... and I could see it having a surge after unlocking Flint or a backslide if it looks like he won't. But the stats don't support it hitting anywhere close to 20k. That's a math-challenged prediction.

 

[ThunderDan19]

I've never followed any of the non-Joe Haslabs, but it seems this is the first time the CS has to face the prospect of significant back-outs and such a slow rise. I don't know if you recall this with any other HLs from other lines or not. Maybe SW?

But, while not nearly as popular as previous CS HLs, I think greed will probably win out in the end and supporters with enough disposable cash to be able to be without $1k for a year will buy their 3 at the end of the campaign, hoping to fund their keeper by scalping spares. At least that is what we are seeing right now on ebay and mercari with the Rattler and figs.

Will it be enough to get Flint though? I think you are right that it could go either way, depending on momentum. I still wonder if they will try to sweeten the pot like they did with the HISS. Considering the price point, I feel like they might still have a little wiggle room.

 

[nacho]

Yeah, the Rancor was the most high-profile failure that had legit "backlash". The black-lady lightsaber and Cookie Monster failures were just from complete lack of interest. But the rancor... people backed it, and as the tiers were revealed (not shown at the beginning), people got more and more pissed because instead of getting the Rancor Keeper (how do you leave him out?!) and Ooola the slave girl, they gave people a rereleased Gammorean Guard (on exclusive cardback! ), little cardboard cutouts of rocks, and another Jedi Luke as unlocks.

People were rightly pissed and pulled out. The thing consistently went backwards for a couple of weeks. Finally at the 11th hour, they threw in a Keeper figure, but it was too little, too late. The campaign made a late surge, but it couldn't overcome all the ill-will and backsliding that had occurred. It was a huge black eye for the SW brand team.

Joe isn't in that territory with the 'Cat. People know up front what the tiers are. I fully expect that if Flint isn't going to unlock that a few people will back out, especially those that might be buying multiples and expecting to use the extra figure sales to offset some of the cost. Haslab figs typically go for $50-$150 depending on popularity. So missing out on a figure is a huge blow to the value proposition for people planning to part them out.

But I can't imagine a scenario where THAT many people rage-quit enough to jeopardize the base offering or LJ. There are no surprises here, so I think the final number falls in the 11-15k range, and it hinges on how likely people think Flint is at the end. I'm going to see it through to the final whistle, but if Flint doesn't fund, I'll just back out after it's over. You have like 2 weeks to cancel, and I'm not fussed about having a temporary $350 charge on my card. Big whoop.

 

[Videoviper]

One of the Haslabs I forget which one, it made its bonus goal, at the end of campaign then enough people backed out to not make that last goal.

To Hasbro’s credit they did include that goal.
From a business perspective these things probably cover the cost of all planned goals in the initial cost.

 

[ThunderDan19]

I should be receiving Breaker this week. His arrival will relegate version one to (modernized, bearded) Sparks I guess.

 

[nacho]

Mine shipped today, says it'll be here Wed. I'm waiting on the retro greenshirt to make Sparks. Bradley Cooper is going in the bin-of-misfit parts.

 

[nacho]

CLAW shipped today. I only ordered one, as I'm not sure how much I'm going to love this larger Classified version, but if it's good, I might acquire a couple more down the line.

Still radio silence on the Rattler. I called HP the other day over a ML figure that got lost in transit, and while I had them on the phone, I asked about the Rattler. They said they're simply shipping in batches and to be patient. I figured as much; shipping 28k giant boxes is probably no small task for a relatively small outfit like HP.

Working out the kinks on the 3d printer. After a handful of false starts, disasterous results, and lots of wasted filament, I'm finally getting the hang of it. Learning the nuances of the machine as well as the slicer software and its 783 settings is no small task, but I'm getting there. It's just slow going, and I'm printing far slower than the machine is supposedly capable of, partly for better quality, and partly because the material I'm using (ABS) is particularly challenging to work with. Hope to produce something worthy of showing off in a few weeks.

 

[nacho]

Breaker arrival!

 

[Videoviper]

 

[nacho]

Ordered an SDCC Cold Slither set. I'm not 100% sold on needing these, but I put in a PO anyway. I assume they'll sell out... and my Pulse Premium subscription runs out after today, and I'd rather wait as long as possible to re-up. Knowing hasbro, they'll announce some POs at SDCC that will force my hand sooner than later.

Edit: apparently the CS set sold out in about a minute, so I should feel lucky to have gotten an order in. Who knew?!

 

[nacho]

CLAW arrived today, gonna bust it out this weekend.

SDCC news:

Renders:
- Steeler / Short-Fuse 2-pack - Steeler looks great, Short Fuse is a hot mess. Thrilled and pissed.
- Ghost Viper w/ Dire Wolf - hard pass

Name Only reveals:
- Lifeline - sure
- Iceberg - sure
- Hit & Run - hell yeah
- Night-Viper - yes... could have sworn his name-only had been revealed previously
- Big Lob - no thanks... unless he gets "Ollie's cheap" and I decide I want to recreate some movie scenes. He would instantly join Sarge and Bazooka's bullet sponge brigade.

Teaser:
- White spikey thing, assumed to be Golobulus's shoulder pad

Upcoming POs on Tues 7/29:
- Wetsuit
- Mainframe
- Sci-Fi
- Grim Viper (nope)
- Desert Scorpion w/ pet (nope)
- Steel Corps w/ Outpost (Pulse Excl) - repaint of Outhouse Viper's port-o-john... hard pass

 

[nacho]

I just got a tracking number from Pulse for Cold Slither!

(and still no rattler...

)

 

[ThunderDan19]

My Breaker showed up while I was away (naturally) - I'll probably open him up tonight if I have a minute - and I got a "shipping soon!" message from WM for my BACC and MW (yay!). Will comment on the new reveals when I get a chance to see the renders.

I'm still mildly disappointed but not that surprised that the SC still hasn't funded. I looked it up when I went to check out the SW HL, and now don't feel too bad. It's apparently now time for HL to disappoint fans across all the lines I see...

 

[nacho]

Law & Order showed up today from Amazon. Seems like the Joe factory-swap logjam is starting to break.

My Breaker showed up while I was away (naturally) - I'll probably open him up tonight if I have a minute - and I got a "shipping soon!" message from WM for my BACC and MW (yay!). Will comment on the new reveals when I get a chance to see the renders.

I'm still mildly disappointed but not that surprised that the SC still hasn't funded. I looked it up when I went to check out the SW HL, and now don't feel too bad. It's apparently now time for HL to disappoint fans across all the lines I see...

I'm glad you got the "shipping soon" notice on those guys, but I'd take that with a grain of salt. Amazon and Pulse are still saying October.

They sent me one of those on my Ultimates Red Laser, and a month later, no shipment, no stock, and their website had them being sold by a 3rd party. AFAIK, they never filled any of the orders, just let them sit there ignored. Some people swear that he never actually got released, and I'd believe them if I didn't own one from the aforementioned 3P seller. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

WM is on my "No PO" list alongside DeepDiscount, unless it's an exclusive, in which case I know they'll be getting stock. Even so, I normally try to put in a backup order with Pulse if I can, just because I've been burned more than once.

 

[ThunderDan19]

I'm kind of enjoying that different things are showing up at different times from different retailers. It kinda makes it a little less predictable and a little more exciting. I'm hoping my L&O will ship from WM early as well (right now says 9/1)!

I see that DD changed the expected dates for TV and CG to 8/12 now. They have Budo at 8/8. It'll be interesting to see who makes it first.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Law & Order showed up today from Amazon. Seems like the Joe factory-swap logjam is starting to break.


I'm glad you got the "shipping soon" notice on those guys, but I'd take that with a grain of salt. Amazon and Pulse are still saying October.

They sent me one of those on my Ultimates Red Laser, and a month later, no shipment, no stock, and their website had them being sold by a 3rd party. AFAIK, they never filled any of the orders, just let them sit there ignored. Some people swear that he never actually got released, and I'd believe them if I didn't own one from the aforementioned 3P seller. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

WM is on my "No PO" list alongside DeepDiscount, unless it's an exclusive, in which case I know they'll be getting stock. Even so, I normally try to put in a backup order with Pulse if I can, just because I've been burned more than once.

My backup is regularly checking to see if DD goes "In-Stock" on anything new each day. If they do, I'll order from them and then drop the WM PO for sure. As of now, I just have each PO'ed with the one that's got the earliest dates.

I just got an AMZ gift card so I may switch L&O to AMZ if I don't seen anything else there that I need more. Stay tuned...

Edit:
Yep, I cancelled with WM and ordered from AMZ. Should have him by Saturday. I figured I might as well, since I get him/dog for less than the price of a regular fig with the gift card and will get them a month sooner.

 

[ThunderDan19]

I watched the reveals and, since you already wrote them out nicely, I'll just piggyback yours (in yellow).

CLAW arrived today, gonna bust it out this weekend.

SDCC news:

Renders:
- Steeler / Short-Fuse 2-pack - Steeler looks great, Short Fuse is a hot mess. Thrilled and pissed. - I have the same reaction, happy that we are finally getting these, pissed that they likely were produced right now because they were probably meant for a HL MOBAT that they decided to move away from, and are seeing the reduction of interest accordingly. I will probably get them for nostalgia. Actually, no I won't, at least not unless they are seriously discounted. They are not even modernized like Breaker so I have not use for them without the MOBAT.
- Ghost Viper w/ Dire Wolf - hard pass - also a hard pass, seriously Vipers for Crystal Ball? Beyond stupid.

Name Only reveals:
- Lifeline - sure - yep
- Iceberg - sure - might wait for a discount on him. It'll depend on how well kitted he is.
- Hit & Run - hell yeah - absolutely
- Night-Viper - yes... could have sworn his name-only had been revealed previously - yes, his name has been out there for sure, in the rumor mills if nothing else.
- Big Lob - no thanks... unless he gets "Ollie's cheap" and I decide I want to recreate some movie scenes. He would instantly join Sarge and Bazooka's bullet sponge brigade. - zero chance over here. Reminds me as much as Cobra La does of shark jumping day.

Teaser:
- White spikey thing, assumed to be Golobulus's shoulder pad - geez I hope not. Haven't they lost enough momentum with the SC?

Upcoming POs on Tues 7/29: - I don't think I'll be PO'ing any of these. Will likely get the Joes and GV when they hit the streets or after I get some gift card money maybe.
- Wetsuit
- Mainframe
- Sci-Fi
- Grim Viper (nope)
- Desert Scorpion w/ pet (nope)
- Steel Corps w/ Outpost (Pulse Excl) - repaint of Outhouse Viper's port-o-john... hard pass

Oh, and Pythona is also an absolute pass (in case you were wondering )

 

[nacho]

Ordered Sci-Fi, Wetsuit, and Mainframe from AMZ... didn't even bother with Pulse.

Skipped the Joe Outhouse, Desert Scorpion, and Ghost viper. Those three all feel like filler. I don't understand the people excited to pay $47+tax for a 90's viper with a scorpion doorstop, and that modular port-o-john looks terrible in Joe colors too. Whether you buy one or six, it still looks like some kind of cobbled up Fortnite toilet.

AMZ says 9/1 on the '86 trio... pretty surprised they're arriving that quickly.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Yeah, I think that might be an oops. They have the actual release date as 1/1/26, like everybody else. Be awesome if they could deliver them that fast!

It's better for me that they come along a little later though as it will give me more time to build up more guilt-free play money before they drop. I will definitely be picking up SF and GV (likely the only version of RV I will ever own, based on current prices). I'll probably pick up MF eventually, maybe WS, but he's lowest on the list of ones I am actually likely to get, at least until they release a Hydro-Viper for him to battle. DS and the playset were never in the mix for me. Giant "real" scorpions don't exist in my Joeverse.

Is it just me or is Yo Joe July actually a little more satisfying than YJ June was? It just feels a little less... recycled.

 

[nacho]

Hahahaha, I read it wrong... it was originally listed at 9/1.... 2026. Now it's scheduled for the first of the year like everyone else. I knew that was too good to be true

 

[nacho]

ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?!?!

 

[ThunderDan19]

That was quick! That's a MIP piece if I've ever seen one.

 

[nacho]

It was fast, as most people haven't even gotten an order in yet (on sale again 11pm Friday?!).

No way I'm not unboxing it... I just need to assemble that stage I ordered a few months back.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Did you get ahold of mics for them to use? I heard one guy griping that they didn't give them mics to use. Maybe a 3D print option if you hadn't already gotten them.

 

[nacho]

Good question. I think I have some mics from something else, but who knows if I can find them in one of the various parts bins... but I guess I could print some.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Well, I knew getting the RAM and then the Stinger would eventually lead to something extreme…

The nostalgia of my favorite plane as a kid caught up to me and… I ordered a Rattler.

I had a minor windfall from some recent OT and Mercari was running a 15% off sale (ending tonight), and the price was the best I’ve seen on there or eBay. I‘m out the door (price, shipping, tax, fees) for $325. Does not include the figs. I will absolutely need to get ahold of a Wild Weasel (which won’t come cheap), but I have no deep interest in the other figs, so I’ll work on finding the best I can do for him in the coming weeks and be satisfied with that.

I held out as long as I could, but I’m confident, barring some extreme falling off of the aftermarket pricing in the near future, I would not have done better by waiting. I even ran it by the wife (who coincidentally just recently got a new iPhone). So I’m okay with it.

 

[nacho]

You'll get yours before I do! WTF Mattel!

 

[ThunderDan19]

Right? But I'm confident you'll have WW before I get mine (plus you'll have the other two figs - but, hey, mine does include the patches... ). I might have to wait for a significant cooling off period before I get WW for my self-imposed sub-$100 price. My original intent was to try to be sub-$400 for the Rattler/WW combo, but had to jump on the sale or was unlikely to even get the Rattler alone for that.

On another note, I'm pretty confident WM will not be delivering BACC and MW today, since they haven't even started the fulfillment process. Oh well, it was unlikely for sure. We'll see if they even update their fulfillment date or if it will just sit there with 8/1 for another couple months. I've been hitting up DD each day to see if anything is coming into stock there or not. They've already sniped a couple of my WM POs, and, at this rate, may end up with all of them.

As for L&O with AMZ, they also haven't moved on fulfilling that one for me by tomorrow, but they've been known to package and deliver in short order in the past, so I am a little more confident about that actually still happening. We'll see.

 

[nacho]

Yeah, I hear you about WW. He'll be hella $$$ for a while. I joked the other day that I look forward to the meltdown when we finally get a mass re-release, and they do it in PP colors.

Just last week, I finally picked up a second HISS Driver, just so I could have one on my shelf at home with the rest of the cast while still having my original in the HISS at the office studio. I'd like to have another WW for the same reason, but I suspect that being a named character, he'll never get very cheap until another version comes out.

But I had just the opposite epiphany, as I just decided I don't care about the SnowCat $355 worth. I'm pretty sure it's not hitting all the tiers, and snow Lady Jaye isn't any good to me without Flint. And if it happens to hit them all, I'll pick up the figures later. They are the part I was most excited about, not the half-track or lean-to. I just don't want to support the half-assery of this campaign for a comically YUUUGE vehicle when I just don't care very much. It was a poor choice to begin with, waaaaay down my want list. So I'm out on that one.

 

[ThunderDan19]

I’m sure you won’t be the last. I just went to look at it and half expected it to be headed in reverse, as more folks come to the realization that it is unlikely to hit all the tiers. I really think they should have gone cheaper (say $275), had 4 figs like the DF or just have done the MOBAT with Steeler, Zap and Short-Fuze, like it seemed they were going to do originally. I don’t think their focus group is very representative of the market at large, and it’s costing them.

 

[nacho]

Agreed, I think the focus groups are shit (who are these people?!), but I also think the options they give the group are goofy. If you read about them, the choices practically dictate the outcome of the focus group. When you put non-fans of the franchise in the focus group, they automatically won't pick the tank because "boring", and then when the other options are weird shit from late-stage ARAH, of course the SnowCat is going to win. It doesn't mean it's "what fans want".

Ramen, FansHobby, and GridIron are my new haslabs. How do the 3P companies know what people want, but hasbro can't find its ass with two hands and a flashlight?

 

[ThunderDan19]

Has Gridiron figured out rubberized wheels? If so, that Stryker-like APC looks pretty awesome. It’s pricey, but way cool, especially with that turret! Not exactly a direct surrogate for a Joe vehicle, but would be right at home crewed by variations of 60th troops.

 

[nacho]

Not yet. Just yesterday, I got some VAMP upgrades from GridIron, including new wheels. They're definitely 3d-printed hard plastic, but the stock ones are so bad I had to suck it up.

I think the FansHobby AWE is the most "classic" in design, but it *should* have rubber tires. It's not as aggressive as the GridIron, but it's far better looking than the hasbro one. I ordered one hasbro that I plan to customize, and one FH that will likely be my go-to.

FansHobby 1/12 VE-03 Strike Vehicle - Show.Z Store
FansHobby 1/12 VEA-01 Missile Launcher Set for VE-03 Strike Vehicle - ShowZ Store

 

[ThunderDan19]

Got Law & Order today from AMZ and got them out and set up. Pretty cool set. The only disappointment is that the harness on Order has holes presumably meant for attaching pouches, but they simply don’t work. Pouches will not attach. Otherwise, while not the coolest Joes ever, they’re a solid set.

No acknowledgment at all from WM on the overdue preorders for BACC and MW. I’m half expecting DD to get stuff first, so that’s where my attention is right now.

I‘m seeing retro CG and TV starting to show up on Mercari, so those might actually be the next ones to come into stock. Still didn’t see any sign of 60th Joes last night at Ollie’s, but did see retro CC, Viper, Trooper and Stalker at Target. They seem late to that wave.

 

[nacho]

I got L&O last week but haven't busted them out. It's kinda weird that they made Law a ginger... given that he's hispanic and the ARAH version had brown hair... while Crankcase WAS a ginger in '85 and the JoeClass figure has brown hair. Do they just throw darts? Are they unaware that the internet will show them the correct colors to use?

 

[ThunderDan19]

Yeah, Law was odd in that his ARAH hair was light to medium brown and his name is hardly Latino, but he was portrayed that way in the movie. I remember that surprising me even as a kid. I‘m very surprised that they didn’t just follow the movie for this one, as that seems to be the way they are leaning in general lately. Ginger seems a little extreme, but maybe they are trying to be “inclusive.“

I kinda feel like the team’s actual unfamiliarity with the ARAH line from back in the day is really showing lately.

 

[nacho]

I'm going to have to paint the hair on Law and Crankcase. There is no excuse to get them wrong, especially when they release this close together. It feels like the factory got notes for both at the same time and mixed them up.

 

[ThunderDan19]

So WM did finally cancel my POs for BACC and MW today because of “inventory issues.” Better late than never I guess. I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing and watch DD and AMZ for the next releases to come into stock.

 

[nacho]

Sorry to hear it. WM is the worst about that stuff. Unless it's an exclusive or in-stock, I won't order from WM.

 

[ThunderDan19]

I’m just glad they at least resolved it rather than just letting it ride. They‘ve been ok for me overall, but I knew their predicted drop date for this wave were highly unlikely. DD’s are too, but they’ve delivered early once before, so we’ll see. Either way, I’ll be ready to jump when the time comes.

Big day on Tuesday when the Rattler is supposed to arrive, so I‘ve still got my CS buzz going, for now.