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

[nacho]

Kneepads are practical, and I understand including them when they "modern update" character decos... although I think they ruin the nostalgia-factor aesthetics to a degree. Same with the plate carriers and other tactical vests... practical but too "COD:Modern Warfare" for my taste. But the shin guards... ooof. My joes do not play gay sports like soccer. Get that nonsense out of here.

 

[ThunderDan19]

My largest victim... er project, Dusty. I had upgraded his web gear a long while back, but wasn’t fully satisfied, as he still seemed under protected and under accessorized for a combat-ready desert trooper. I also recently watched a video that listed him as one of the worst figs of the line, so I decided that, now that I have an abundance of kit available, not my Dusty. He needed to be fixed.

Ironically, the armor kit is not from the new batch. It’s from the old batch I was gifted a while back. The color better matched Dusty’s other gear than any of the new. Just needed a quick sharpie swipe to remove the Union Jack, as my boy D is all American! I also added a battle belt (from the new kit) so Dusty finally has a secondary weapon and added some additional supplies as well.

Overall, I‘m quite happy with the result, so much so, that I‘ve lost whatever interest I had in v.2.

Oh yeah, I also got Hydro-Viper and Dawn this evening and was able to free them both from their packages. Dawn joined SE’s ninja commando squad and HV just gets a spot at the edge of the “underwater” scene, awaiting his future date with Deep Six. I’ll be on the lookout for a primary weapon for him since H’bro decided he still doesn’t need one.

As for Dawn’s backstory - in my world she was recruited by Jinx and Scarlett into the new Arashikage as a probie in the Joe team after a combat tour in the USAF followed by a stint in one of the three letter agencies. She had already earned several black belts prior to joining the clan, gaining proficiency while in the employment of Uncle Sam as well as in her spare time. SE and SS took her to the next level adding lethality to her resume.

In training, Dawn showed outstanding skill at ambush, particularly at night, where she seemed to appear out of nowhere to surprise her opponents and win battles before they could even react. She possesses superior night vision and stealth, earning her the nickname Pansa (Panther). She decided she liked the Spanish version better and took Pantera as her codename once she was fully accepted onto the Joe team. Storm Shadow still calls her by her Japanese name.

 

[nacho]

View attachment 17786

My largest victim... er project, Dusty. I had upgraded his web gear a long while back, but wasn’t fully satisfied, as he still seemed under protected and under accessorized for a combat-ready desert trooper. I also recently watched a video that listed him as one of the worst figs of the line, so I decided that, now that I have an abundance of kit available, not my Dusty. He needed to be fixed.

Ironically, the armor kit is not from the new batch. It’s from the old batch I was gifted a while back. The color better matched Dusty’s other gear than any of the new. Just needed a quick sharpie swipe to remove the Union Jack, as my boy D is all American! I also added a battle belt (from the new kit) so Dusty finally has a secondary weapon and added some additional supplies as well.

Overall, I‘m quite happy with the result, so much so, that I‘ve lost whatever interest I had in v.2.

Oh yeah, I also got Hydro-Viper and Dawn this evening and was able to free them both from their packages. Dawn joined SE’s ninja commando squad and HV just gets a spot at the edge of the “underwater” scene, awaiting his future date with Deep Six. I’ll be on the lookout for a primary weapon for him since H’bro decided he still doesn’t need one.

As for Dawn’s backstory - in my world she was recruited by Jinx and Scarlett into the new Arashikage as a probie in the Joe team after a combat tour in the USAF followed by a stint in one of the three letter agencies. She had already earned several black belts prior to joining the clan, gaining proficiency while in the employment of Uncle Sam as well as in her spare time. SE and SS took her to the next level adding lethality to her resume.

In training, Dawn showed outstanding skill at ambush, particularly at night, where she seemed to appear out of nowhere to surprise her opponents and win battles before they could even react. She possesses superior night vision and stealth, earning her the nickname Pansa (Panther). She decided she liked the Spanish version better and took Pantera as her codename once she was fully accepted onto the Joe team. Storm Shadow still calls her by her Japanese name.

Yeah, the base Dusty figure was pretty meh. If only he'd had some kneepads!

However, I modified mine substantially too. He got the gridiron kit with a much better helmet, helmet skirt, gun, and backpack. I also redid the paint on his face (using a clean tigerforce Dusty head) and the camo on his body to have larger/darker blotches... more like the vintage figure. And I dyed his boots, belt, and webgear black, because that's correct.

With all my mods, he's one of my favorites, but the base figure was a total miss... as if they hadn't discovered google and only had a vague memory of what the character was supposed to look like.

In my head, I don't have an elaborate new backstory for Dawn... just that in my world, SE's memories are no longer in her brain, but she has residual muscle memory of all the ninja stuff, so she's basically a high-grade arashikage student. And she doesn't go by SE... just Dawn. At some point, I might give her a new codename, but honestly, I'm hoping that Hama does that officially. I think it cheapens her existence to make her just a girl-derivative of SE rather than a valid individual character. That seems like something Hama would address eventually.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Yeah, I am surprised he hasn’t, considering how long she has been around already, and how often she is featured. I like her a whole lot better now that I’ve given mine an actual identity, rather than just as “girl SE.”

How weird would it be to have all the memories of an older dude who has all that trauma on top of all the normal women’s hormonal chemistry? And now with the whole leftover implanted trigger… Yeesh, poor thing! C’mon, Larry. Help a girl out!

 

[ThunderDan19]

Woo. That's ugly. The original proportions were not great and these new ones are worse. Hard pass.

Hasbro G.I. Joe Classified Series Sgt Slaughter and the Triple T Vehicle

Listen up, maggots. It's snake stompin' season, and I'm here to announce the perfect addition to the G.I. Joe Classified Series ? ME, Sgt Slaughter and the Tr

toynewsi.com

 

[nacho]

HAHAHAHAHAHA, that is so fugly.

I wasn't buying one no matter what, b/c stupid concept, but if I were a big fan of the original, I'd be pissed. That was clearly done by the same half-wit that designed the fugly AWE Striker.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Latest buzz:

https://toynewsi.com/278-64978

https://toynewsi.com/278-64981

I'm interested in neither. I know it's true-ish to the original, but Psych-Out's headset makes him look like Lobot with hair. Add the "Psionic" tech that must be pared against the DIRE tech (which I also have no use for) and he is an easy pass. And I wasn't paying $100 for oversized SNAKE armor when it was the original color, so a repaint for likely even more was never going to happen.

Great that we are getting lots of offerings lately. Unfortunately, I have little to no interest in much of it.

In other news, I drilled out the blast effect holes in the Despoiler to allow me to use the blue laser effects from the Rattler. It looks great and is a way better fit than the dorsal turret on the Rattler in my opinion. I just used regular colored blast effects there to match the missile and nose gun. Win win!

I'm debating drilling out the engine nozzle holes on the Despoiler to introduce the rocket blast effects I have leftover from HD/MH, but I'm afraid they may be too underwhelming to justify the permanent mods. Right now I have it supported on a cell phone stand with ground blast effects below the engines, so that will have to do until I commit or not.

 

[nacho]

I have two of the regular SNAKE (and a pair of the S7 classic SNAKE), but I don't have much use for a red version... you know how I feel about rando crimson repaints. The twins get crimson guardsmen, that's it. Lawyers and accountants with secret red outfits in their closets don't need full-garrison firepower.

That being said, I can imagine a scenario where it goes on deep discount and I pick one up to use with my growing Red Shadows faction, as the red SNAKE "escape armor" was a prominent thing in UK Joe lore.

As for Psyche Out... eh, I'll probably order one only for it to get canceled by the WM website gremlins. He was a dud character in '87, and he's still a dud. But I would never use his tech the way they describe it on the filecard. I'd just use him for psyche profiling and maybe some kind of sound/audio disorientation weapon. Like you say, the anti-DIRE angle is pretty useless when you skip all the DIRE stuff. Then again, I have a Crystal Ball and simply ignore his DIRE stuff too. They're both losers, but as I often say, *someone* has to die first... on both sides.

I will say that P-O's night force deco is less retina-burning than his classic deco, so that might be a plus. I'm having a hella-busy few weeks, so I'm not likely to be at my desk when the POs go live. If I get one, I get one... if I miss out, no big whoop. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[ThunderDan19]

I did not have this on my bingo card. He's actually got a different (plastic front this time) box from the original as well. (Not sure why there are Big Ben pics and the old box pics in the article):

https://toynewsi.com/278-65075

Word apparently got out quickly as the PO's are already sold out. I'll probably buy him if he every comes back into stock. I did PO "Rugged" Duke today as I needed some other stuff from WM and needed to get to the free shipping threshold.

 

[nacho]

I saw the RV listing next to Psyche-Out on HP this morning, but I didn't pay much attention to it. I got my small 3-man squad RV allotment in the first go-round. He's a "not bad" figure, definitely above average for the 90s, but I'm surprised he got a rerelease.

The Big Ben pics are likely leftover from where they were released together the first time. They just heard "RV" and attached the same folder of pics to the article without looking at them.

 

[ThunderDan19]

First look at the LC fig and package:

https://toynewsi.com/278-65083

She looks pretty good. Again, not my most favorite version, but a solid representation of this version.

Edit: More info for LC:

https://toynewsi.com/278-65095

VAMP Mk II also looking good! Interesting though that there appear to be two permanent sunroofs. That's a choice.

 

[ThunderDan19]

This was a fun watch at 2x, if a little hard to hear at times:

https://toynewsi.com/278-65093

Big reveal that probably surprised very few was the upcoming Thunder Machine MTO. First impression from the render is that it has proportionality problems, kind of like the AWE Striker. Maybe it's just the addition of the rocket pods (gotta have those ). I'm hoping we'll see some pics without those so I can make a good informed decision before buying or not. I'm sure they'll have plenty of pics with the listing come fall/winter.

Other name only reveals:
Hard Ball, HEAT Viper, Daina (October Guard), Battle Ready Shipwreck (may finally supplant mine) and a new Dreadnok character named Flatline. They also named/confirmed the Ninja Force SE/Jinx set, which I thought everybody knew about already.

They also announced that this coming year the retros will be themed around the Movie's 40th anniversary. That could be good or bad I guess, but all 9 of the retros released in 2027 are supposed to be of characters featured in the movie.

 

[nacho]

This was a fun watch at 2x, if a little hard to hear at times:

https://toynewsi.com/278-65093

Big reveal that probably surprised very few was the upcoming Thunder Machine MTO. First impression from the render is that it has proportionality problems, kind of like the AWE Striker. Maybe it's just the addition of the rocket pods (gotta have those ). I'm hoping we'll see some pics without those so I can make a good informed decision before buying or not. I'm sure they'll have plenty of pics with the listing come fall/winter.

Other name only reveals:
Hard Ball, HEAT Viper, Daina (October Guard), Battle Ready Shipwreck (may finally supplant mine) and a new Dreadnok character named Flatline. They also named/confirmed the Ninja Force SE/Jinx set, which I thought everybody knew about already.

They also announced that this coming year the retros will be themed around the Movie's 40th anniversary. That could be good or bad I guess, but all 9 of the retros released in 2027 are supposed to be of characters featured in the movie.

Movie retros... we're already getting Falcon this year. Chuckles seems like a lock for retro '27... and Serpentor is almost a sure thing.... and a better v2 Roadblock seems likely. But that's only three.

I'm guessing USA Sarge will get released in the last wave after everyone buys the TTT and doesn't like the fig that comes with it. Who else from the movie? Jinx is getting another figure next year, so a retro feels unlikely. Law doesn't need one, as he'd be identical. Tunnel rat could get improved colors and boots maybe?

Overall, I feel like getting nine movie retros is a stretch. Maybe they start putting arctic themed toon figures in the retro line, might augment the Snowcat Flint and LJ. Snow CC, Destro, Baroness, Mindbender, coma Duke, etc?

---------
As for the other stuff... that Thunder Machine is fuuuuuuuuuugly. Just last week I predicted that we'd get a TM and that they'd wreck the proportions and fubar the aesthetics for no good reason. I was 100% correct. I don't think FOMO can get me to order that POS just for Thrasher (I'm assuming it comes with Thrasher). They need to jettison that designer into the sun. Ruined the AWE striker, the Chameleon, and now the Thunder Machine. How much do we have to endure this person's staggering lack of talent?

EDIT: Word on the street is that Thrasher will be sold separately... so that's a huge relief. I'll stick with my vastly superior-looking 3d printed version of the TM.

 

[ThunderDan19]

From what they said, the TM will not include a fig (I believe they said to help keep the cost lower) and Thrasher would be sold separately. I want to say I’ve seen at least one or two very good 3D printed TMs out there so you should be able to put that new equipment to work making a better one and still get Thrasher for retail.

As for the movie retros, I think maybe you’re onto something with the parka’ed figs. That would go along with the Snow Cat / Arctic HISS winter theme we’ve been told to expect. Maybe we’ll get some main line sausages and ice trays.

Dang if LC isn’t wildly popular. I just missed PO’ing her on WM and then EE, and never even saw her listed in stock on AMZ. I ended up getting in just under the wire at BBTS and will be paying the extra $10 (higher retail plus shipping) for not anticipating that much demand. I had expected her PO to be at NYCC and didn’t notice that it was today until the news blurb popped up.

I saw where someone said AMZ was sold out almost immediately - makes me wonder if they had a technical issue. The rest were one after the other within an hour or so. I don’t think Hasbro anticipated this kind of demand. I wonder if maybe they’ll have to have a second PO for NYCC.

 

[nacho]

Yeah, I didn't know she was going up today, and for some reason I thought she was a Pulse exclusive (she's clearly not). I just happened to be at my desk when the email from Pulse came through just after five o'clock, and I snagged three of them... two for me, one for my college roommate who used to play TR with me back in the day. I assumed I'd order from amazon and cancel the pulse order, but like you say, AMZ sold out in seconds... probably bots.

And I managed to conveniently swing by my desk this morning around 10 and got stupid P-O from pulse so I wouldn't have to worry about WM auto-canceling it on me. He's really underwhelming, but he's an '87 guy, soooo... he needs representation.

 

[ThunderDan19]

I'm not super psyched that my BBTS order is now showing "waitlist." I really hope that they do the Hooded CC thing and offer a second PO right away, especially if it seems like scalpers were using bots to scoop up the PO's. I'd be more than happy to drop my more expensive "waitlist" order for a solid one from any of the cheaper retailers with free shipping.

The upcoming retro wave seems solid. I definitely plan to get Flash to add to the display. The others I already have better versions of, but would like to add to the wallpaper if they go on sale down the road.

https://toynewsi.com/278-65131

 

[ThunderDan19]

So maybe there was something to AMZ having a technical issue before, or maybe they just opened it up again, but LC came available again(?) there so I PO’ed that one and cancelled my waitlisted PO at BBTS. No more waitlist uncertainty and saved the markup and shipping cost on an already overpriced (apparently not enough to quell interest though) item. Balance has returned to the force…

 

[nacho]

Nice, I'll likely cancel my pulse order too. Might as well get 5% back from amazon.

 

[nacho]

Ordered Flash, Falcon, and She-Blueshirt from AMZ today. That Flash looks stellar. I so feared they would find a way to Lenny him up, but other than the lower part of the pants being pseudo-shin guards, he's nearly perfect.

 

[ThunderDan19]

I’ll eventually get Flash to open and likely try to get the others for wallpaper if they get cheap enough or if I come into enough play money. Right now I have plenty out in POs so I’ll be patient with these.

I also ordered a spare set of legs from Cover Girl v.1 for Lara Croft. I’m hoping to make her look a little more like the more practical 2013 version, which happens to be my favorite one. We’ll see how well it works out. Worst case I change them back if they don’t look right.

 

[nacho]

That's funny, I had the exact opposite reaction. I was wishing they made her bustier and gave her red round little sunglasses, as the modern game look is too tame and generic for my tastes. My roomie and I played the heck out of TR I, II, and III back in the late 90s. Lara doesn't look right to me any other way.

It certainly feels like Hasbro was trying to straddle the line between the two iterations. While it's hard to argue the figure doesn't look great as-is, it doesn't perfectly scratch that itch for either camp.

As for Flash, it's hard to say. Some retros languish while others come and go in the blink of an eye. I think Flash has enough flair to appeal to old school greenshirt fans as well as the "greenshirts are boring" crowd. I definitely expect him to get scarce before the other two.

Falcon looks like they reverted to the v1 head that everyone hated... or they screwed up repainting the v2 head, hard to say. Either way he can't catch a break. After three figures, you just assume they're done trying and he's destined to look derpy.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Yeah, as per usual, I like my characters closer to "realistic." That's why I gravitated to Joe some 40 odd years ago and that's why I still choose it over Marvel, MotU, SW, TF, etc. Even with my video game choices, I've always preferred the more "real world accurate" ones over the really far out ones. I'm fully onboard with pushing the "near future" tech elements or other explainable performance upgrades, but only so far. The wilder and more gimmicky the game, the less immersed and therefore interested I am.

I think this version of LC is basically the hybridized one that they are featuring in the new TR game that is coming soon, and I don't hate it. I think I liked the 2013 version better because she seemed more appropriately dressed/outfitted overall for jungle/mountain exploration than any of the previous "sexy" versions with her short shorts and/or bare midriff. But I may end up right back with the release version if CG's pants aren't a good enough replacement, as they are the only ones I could see even coming close to working. And I'm still ok with that, but I'm compelled to try.

It still cracks me up when I rewatch Jumanji 2 when the girl character points out how ridiculous her outfit is while the male characters' kits are all practical and purposeful. Don't get me wrong, I fully understand why game devs make their female characters "hot" to attract gamer boys to buy the game and play it. Ruby Roundhouse, and Lara Croft for that matter, are very easy on the eyes. But I actually found the 2013 version of LC to be that much more attractive overall since I wasn't being distracted by the ridiculousness of her intentionally deciding to wear short shorts and a halter to go exploring in a jungle full of snakes and bugs and bad guys. JM2CW.

As for Flash, I definitely won't be sleeping on getting him, as like you mentioned, he's a great mix of OG and modern and has been highly anticipated for quite a while. I think he'll likely end up a lot like retro Duke, where he'll be around for a minute and then dry up as pretty much everyone adds him to their collection. The other two are just potential wallpaper for me. Though, speaking of attractive female characters, what is it about those Valkyries and female CGs? Is it a woman in uniform thing?

 

[nacho]

Oh, I'm not surprised that you want Lara to be realistic. I'm not new here

Regardless of franchise or era, I think I'm just enamored with whatever version I liked first or have the most exposure to. I like my O13 to be mostly-realistic... I like my Dreadnoks to be punk... I'm ok with my cobras being a little more fantastical... simply because that's "correct" in my brain. So if LC explores tombs in Daisy-Dukes in the games I play, then that's what I want my figure to wear. I take the notion that if I get too hung up on "realism" then all of this falls apart. Every franchise requires a healthy does of "suspension of disbelief", whether it's Joe, TF, TR, MOTU, Marvel, SW, etc.

But that's the beauty of being able to curate and customize collections. Everyone gets to be the master of their own sandbox.

I agree that Flash will be plentiful until he suddenly isn't. He'll definitely follow the retro Duke trajectory. We won't be seeing him on clearance during Prime Days '27.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Came into a little play money so I locked in Flash and (re)locked in "rugged" Duke, at AMZ this time. I was very close to pulling the trigger on the remaining Renegades, but couldn't get myself to pay $57 (down from $60!) for these second tier characters. Sarge and Mercer went lower so I think these are destined to as well. I'll pick them up when they hit the $40s.

This at least has me set for my "must haves" except for Range-Viper, who remains at the mercy of WM. I didn't really regret missing him the first time around, but now that I have Grim and Saw-Vipers, he would fit in nicely with that crew. I also have ideas for his extra weapons, so hopefully Hasbro will provide enough volume to actually meet demand this time around.