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

[nacho]

Thunder Machine up for PO... and it's still fugly.

And unlike the arctic HISS, they're collecting the TM money at the end of the PO window. So it's basically a haslab without the MOQ and tier perks.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Yeah, bolting on the missiles definitely does not help the disproportion from the original. I'm pretty sure I will fully pass on this $125 ugly, driverless critter. I've seen better looking 3D printed ones.

 

[nacho]

Yeah, bolting on the missiles definitely does not help the disproportion from the original. I'm pretty sure I will fully pass on this $125 ugly, driverless critter. I've seen better looking 3D printed ones.

*I* have printed better looking 3D printed ones.

I also don't know why the surface of this MTO looks less like junkyard parts and more like some kind of rhino skin. The weird texture only adds to the weird proportions and goofy add-ons.

But I cannot get past the front-end looking horizontally squished, and the gatling guns look like they couldn't chamber anything bigger than a .22LR.

Whoever designed this did not understand the assignment.

 

[ThunderDan19]

*I* have printed better looking 3D printed ones.

I also don't know why the surface of this MTO looks less like junkyard parts and more like some kind of rhino skin. The weird texture only adds to the weird proportions and goofy add-ons.

But I cannot get past the front-end looking horizontally squished, and the gatling guns look like they couldn't chamber anything bigger than a .22LR.

Whoever designed this did not understand the assignment.

I figured (pardon the pun) you might! Heck, it might even have been yours that I've seen if you've posted it here.

Your last sentence is spot on. And their remedy was, as with the HISS, "bolt on missile racks and they'll flock to it." I wonder if this one will underperform. They certainly haven't helped themselves with the the high price tag and lack of a driver. I don't think we'll ever see the numbers to know, but maybe they'll find out.

Also this online size comparison to the "#112 Clutch with VAMP" also isn't doing them any favors, as it immediately reminds everyone that the VAMP came with Clutch at a lower price point.

Hasbro G.I. Joe Classified Series #244, Dreadnok Thunder Machine (Made-to-Order) Size Comparison

Hasbro's BMac has provided a size comparison for the Hasbro G.I. Joe Classified Series #244, Dreadnok Thunder Machine (Made-to-Order), showing it's measuremen

toynewsi.com

I'm sorry but releasing this was a true bonehead move.

I might have been able to tolerate this TM (missile racks removed) if it came with a really good Thrasher, at the same price point as the VAMP. As it is, it feels like it costs $50 more than it should, for driverless an inferior design. No thanks.

 

[nacho]

I've definitely posted a few shots of mine here, but not sure if that's what you're thinking of. Either way, I'm plenty happy with my own. That new thing is not better IMO... and definitely not $125 better. Then again, I don't have a single bolt-on missile pod, so mine will certainly be inferior.





It's weird, as the consensus I've gotten from the broader community is that this thing came in cheaper than they expected. Given that the other MTO cost far more, I guess they figured this one would too. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

And I'm in the camp that is thrilled that Thrasher isn't paywalled behind this abomination of a vehicle. He's supposedly coming to retail in late '27, and I think he'll look great in my homemade TM. I was going to customize a Thrasher... as I've already resin-printed the head and shoulder-pad-armor... but I doubt I'll finish him now, as there isn't any point just to fill a 12mo gap.

I feel like this MTO vehicle is so bad that Hasbro is going to learn the wrong lesson either way. If it does well, we'll get this halfwit designer FUBARing more classic vehicles. If it does poorly, the take-away will be that this type of offering doesn't work at this price point, fans won't support it, blah, blah, blah (insert corporate/marketing jargon word salad here). They'll never just look in the mirror and admit that they offered up a turd.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Yep, that's gotta be it. That thing is a crazy perfect upscale recreation of the original.

Hasbro could have just stolen that design, made like 10 plastic color upgrades, sold it for $100 with Thrasher and sold thousands. Instead...

There will be plenty that buy the MTO because that's all they have access to, so there's that. Oh well, like you said, they probably won't learn anything until they finally run the line into the ground. As I keep saying, at least it was a heck of a run!

 

[nacho]

Agreed, it's been quite a run.

And honestly... this is going to sound like a brag, but that's not my point... with what I've got cooking in the printer these days, I don't even care if the line continues. I mean, I'd *prefer* that it keeps going and give us new figures, improved sculpts, and better decos, but from a vehicle perspective, I like what I'm making far more than anything hasbro has produced lately.

I can't wait for you to see what I've got going. Just a few more weeks.

... and I've really got to paint those missiles. I was super-bummed about losing my cat over the long weekend and just couldn't get jazzed up to do any painting... but I'm gonna finish that project or bust.

 

[ThunderDan19]

From what I've seen so far, your vehicles are amazing so you have every right to be proud of what you've created/fabricated! Seems like all you'd need are enough proper pieces and parts to recreate the best versions of OG characters and you'll have an absolute nostalgia wonderland at 1:12 scale. Still really excited to see it as well!

 

[nacho]

Ok, I finally got my act together this weekend, figured this would be a good thing to work on while football played in the background.

My vision and steadiness aren't quite what they used to be, so my hand-painted "decals" are not going to win any awards, but they'll look ok from a galloping horse.

 

[ThunderDan19]

They look great from here! Besides being a little pointier than I remember, they look spot on!

 

[nacho]

They look great from here! Besides being a little pointier than I remember, they look spot on!

Oh, they're definitely pointier than the OG toy... I decided to skew them a little more toward "real world", as the MIM-23 is a fairly pointy missile. The '82 toy was more blunt, presumably because of toy safety laws. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[nacho]

The discount train has me picking up another figure I didn't plan on acquiring. Went to target's site to order some sunflower kernels, and they had desert scorpion on sale for $27 (normally $47) and they are also offering $5 off $35 on toys... so I threw in another ReAction+ Viper that was already discounted 20%. So I got an $18 o-ring and a $24 Desert trooper. I figured I'd use him as a singular "named" character rather than a troop builder. Still have no use for a giant robotic scorpion... but hey, cheap.

 

[ThunderDan19]

One of us… One of us…

 

[nacho]

GS and HAL arrived today. Haven't opened him yet, but he looks solid through the window. Still unsure about the HAL proportions. Like pretty much every classified vehicle, it's a little oddly shaped after looking at the vintage one for decades. I'll definitely take some pics next to the more classic one I printed, just for comparison's sake.

Still, that's one more down, just waiting on Flash to complete the O13.... even though I'll still be beating the drum for correctly colored Steeler and Short-Fuze.

Then I can focus on wishing for Ace and retro Ripcord (who hasn't shown up b/c they can't figure out how to get his parachute into either the retro packaging or the retro price point). I don't even care, I have legacy halo jumper gear to put on him, just need the figure... bigly. I like the NF deco quite a bit on him as a stand-alone figure, but it doesn't hit the right notes on the shelf with the rest of the '84 crew.

 

[nacho]

Leaked images of the "Dire Hawk"... i.e. a mashup of the Rattler Gunner and Raptor wings. It's basically Michael Keaton's MCU Vulture.

As with all things "Dire", this is a hard pass... even when it goes on sale.

 

[ThunderDan19]

*Yawn* Same. I guess the new Ninja Force set PO dropped at Target today about 2 hours before I got up this morning. It was sold out (probably well) before I followed a link there, not that I was even considering buying it. Let the scalpers try and jack the resale price up on the one, like the other TarNF sets. I‘m only moderately interested in picking up the new Jinx head and absolutely nothing else from that set.

 

[nacho]

If you'll recall, a few months ago, I mentioned that I was parsing all of the old cartoon episodes to create voice datasets for all of the characters... well, I found a fantastic easter egg!

In the third to last episode of S2, "Sins of Our Fathers", CoCo unleashes the monster from the pit below Destro's ancestral home (to kill Serpentor). The only way to get rid of the monster was to repeat some ancient chant to lure it into a deep sea trench. So Destro speaks the gibberish chant, and the Joe's broadcast it from a chopper to lure the monster. Goofy, but fair enough.

But I decided to see if Destro's chant meant anything, so I inverted it, and when I played it back, this is what I got:

"Anybody listening to this backwards for a secret occult message... is a real dweeb."

 

[ThunderDan19]

Well, in fairness, that was right in the middle of all the backmasking hype… That’s a pretty awesome discovery!

 

[nacho]

Yeah, I remember the hysteria back in the day. All those "satanic" records. So silly.

But I just thought that was a great little bit of trivia. It's super funny how the voice actor says it too.

 

[ThunderDan19]

It was definitely an interesting time. Then even the mediocre bands took all that church lady hype and leaned into it to make more money off the rebelling kids. Irony!

 

[Videoviper]

In college (before digital was available to most people) we started playing some of the usual suspects backwards.

if you play most things backwards you will usually get something semi coherent.

Led Zeppelin you could hear the 1st part that sounded like something, but my friend was convinced there was a 2nd sentence that to me was totally jiberish

 

[nacho]

Success! I *finally* finished the missile/exhaust project!

Dan, just make sure I have the best address, and I'll get these on the way.

 

[ThunderDan19]

That looks amazing! Addy verified in the DMs.

 

[nacho]

Stumbled upon Deep-Six at the WM tonight. Very surprised.

I'm still vexed by the weird dead-diver head!

 

[ThunderDan19]

Wow! I’d have probably fainted had I run across that at mine while grabbing some groceries today. My lame WM only has the stupid TMNT crossovers in the toy section and a couple of the 250th Super 7s. Apparently the DIRE Hawk fig is showing up as well. It has popped up already on Mercari and was apparently up on the website briefly. WM is so weird and random about CS stuff… I just wish the Range-Viper would just start to show up like that.

 

[nacho]

I was not at my regular WM, as it doesn't carry classified anymore. But my sister's family came to visit, and we all trekked out to the hibachi place for dinner. So I got to stop at a different WM. Go figure.

 

[nacho]

After playing with him a bit, Deep-Six is a bit "meh". He's a deluxe only because of his size, not due to a bunch of kit. Only accessories are the backpack (which 1000% could/should have been molded in place), a spear, two helmets, and the useless dead head. The only reason for the backpack being a separate piece would be if a SHARC is coming... and that feels like the only big positive I've gleaned from this figure.

The figure itself is just ok. The sculpt on the suit is well-done and I have no issue there. Knees and elbows are crazy stiff, and the head looks extra small, kinda pin-headed. The helmets attach with two slats, one front, one rear... and they're just friction fit, not really any kind of locking mechanism, and the fit is just so-so. It's tight, but it's also hard to get either of them to sit fully flush in the front. Maybe it's just my copy. I'll see if my studio copy has the same issue.

The modern helmet looks fine but doesn't scream "DeepSix", and the classic helmet is molded in hazy plastic that isn't nearly as clear as it should be. I'm sure hasbro will claim that they're trying to mimic the moisture buildup that would happen in a big diving suit, but I think they just screwed the pooch with cheap plastic. Neither helmet looks particularly great, and I'll be tempted to display him helmet-off... but that pin-head...

And his only weapon is a spear gun... that he can't hold. It has no handle. I'm not kidding. It just has a tab to mount it onto the backpack, and that's it. Maybe he's supposed to carry it under his arm like a football? Maybe it is not really a weapon and merely a recovery tool that is supposed to be mounted on the backpack only?

But at least they gave us a complete non-sequitur with a dead diver head. Those nightmares are much better than a useful bit kit or a functional weapon or a better helmet. /sarcasm

I don't hate the figure, but wow, there are a lot of baffling choices in there. For a basic '84 group shot he's "fine". For an action display, I think people will have to get creative. I think I got closer to a good D6 with my Buzz repaint... and that shouldn't happen. Look for this one to hit clearance sooner than later.

4/10

 

[Videoviper]

Not 6” but I came across Ninja Force Destro???

WTF - I don’t think he was even Ninja Force/enemy & he looks more like Budo’s evil cousin Dave the kabuki enthusiast.

 

[nacho]

Yeah, Super7 has gone kinda nuts with Ninja Force, Glow Patrol, and any other hokey repaints they can dream up.

 

[ThunderDan19]

I believe that I’ve seen somewhere that the spear cannon is supposed to snap on under his forearm(s). I am also planning to arm mine with original Roadblock’s future MG. It looks like it will work as a great white repeller with those (electrified) muzzle prongs and it could potentially fire harpoons as well.

 

[nacho]

Mauler print plan... just so you can follow along. Treads and axles are done too, but I used the aux printer, so they're not in this slicer package. That 41hr section of hull always makes me nervous! In theory, if everything runs optimally without any failures, I can start assembling it on Monday.



I have to take tomorrow in the schedule to run a correction for a woodland mauler part I screwed up and printed the wrong version of. So stupid. Just praying I have enough filament so I don't have to buy another spool of that green... it's gonna be tight... like running on "E", coasting to the gas station. It's a challenge now!

 

[nacho]

Emily downsized from Hasbro... It's a shame, as she actually seemed to care about the brand more than most, despite not being a life-long Joe fanatic.

 

[ThunderDan19]

While I didn't have the same level of fondness for her as you did, it's still sad to see anyone lose their job like that. You always wonder if these kinds of corporate decisions will truly benefit the company at large in the long run or not. I've seen it go both ways. Emily seems like she has the personality to jump into and thrive in a similar role elsewhere in the corporate world though.

So is she there in the lower picture as well? I haven't seen her since she stopped doing the Joe streams, so might not recognize her now. Wasn't sure if she'd changed her appearance or if my eyes are just failing me.

 

[nacho]

I think she looks about the same but definitely lost weight. I think she's far left in the second pic, thinner, darker hair, but that appears to be her.

She definitely has the personality to thrive elsewhere. Her enthusiasm kinda reminds me of my sister, and I think that kind of personal momentum goes a long way.

Apparently she is/was the main instigator of the retro line, so if nothing else, I feel like she contributed quite a bit. Otherwise, we'd get nothing but Lenny-fied figures that are often hit or miss. The retros are arguably the best part of Classified at this point, IMO.

It's weird that they would push out one of their better people rather than finding a new role for her. Never heard a negative word, so I doubt it was personal. It feels like a short-sighted cost cutting move to me. Someone on TFW described it like this, and I tend to agree:

• Hire employee
• Employee good at job
• Promote employee until she’s doing a job that should be spread across, like, five employees
• Employee is now “too expensive”
• Fire employee

 

[ThunderDan19]

That sounds about right. If she was the driving force behind the retro line, then she definitely deserves credit, especially since they had to stick by it while it was still floundering as a WM exclusive at the beginning before gaining traction.

I hope the folks still there running the line have similar grit and creativity.

 

[nacho]

Had an appointment this morning, stopped by an out-of-the-way WM. They had the Legacy marine on clearance, $21. Sadly, they only had one left, but I snagged it. I'm kinda glad they didn't have a ton, or I'd have had a difficult decision.

I read online that people are finding both the Marine and the Royal Guard on sale, but I was skeptical I would ever see any.

 

[nacho]

Gonna be a busy Joe week...

Today: retro She-Blueshirt, Red Shadows SNAKE... (plus discounted Action Marine at WM)
Tomorrow: retro Falcon, retro Flash, Toxo-Viper, scruffy Duke
Friday: Dusty v3

Lara Croft was listed as arriving today as late as this morning, then I got the dreaded, "We'll let you know when we have a ship date" email. WTF amazon, I canceled my Pulse order b/c I thought you could deliver (and because Pulse sucks), but now AMZ is apparently going to be last.

 

[ThunderDan19]

The Marine (gurl)? Wow, that's an odd one to find in the wild these days. Those were at Ollie's along with the HALO last year. They must have made a crap ton of them! At least they are nicely adaptable to making varied characters. I opened two to make Bombstrike and Jody Shooter analogs and still have another unopened one, along with a spare HALO (who is a bit less adaptable), and have now added a spare SF.

As for the SF, I've already bought 3 of those so far, plus an extra of his RPG. The second SF became a second probie, kitted out as more of a light machine gunner alongside the first one. Will I end up with more? Almost definitely if I catch them significantly discounted - I don't see myself fighting off that temptation. Easily my overall favorite of the 60th/Legacy figs.

As for the extra RPG, I needed extra rockets to finish out my Cobra RPG Trooper. I really liked the one from the 25th, so I kitted out my CI trooper with the Legacy SF's RPG, but needed some extra rockets for him to carry. He still has the "cat eyes" and red arm band which set him apart from the other CTs, but now I have added a spare of Major Bludd's backpack with two spare RPG rockets, which snap in there great (way better than MB's). And there is still enough space on his back to affix his standard rifle to his body armor kit. He looks pretty darn cool if I do say so myself!

 

[nacho]

No, no, not the sniper girl that gathered dust at Ollies... the Legacy action soldier dude in green camo (I forget his official designation). I skipped the gurl at $5, no way I'd pay $21 for that. But the green dude... I only had one of those, so a second one at half off seemed like a decent purchase.

This guy:

 

[ThunderDan19]

Oh, the Special Forces. Yeah he's the best one! Did I mention that already?

I'm not particularly enjoying AMZ's ambiguity these days either. I had PO'ed Duke, Flash, LC and Deep Six back when those came available. They were originally all supposed to be delivered either Sep 1 or Oct 1. Then DS went to "determining new delivery date." Then the others did the same. Now DS says 10/16, and the others say "order received," whatever that means. I'm guessing it doesn't mean arriving tomorrow, which was the last date I had seen for them, though Prime has surprised me in the past.

At least LC is the only one left that will be hitting my CC, since I was since able to generate enough play money to change the others out, so no big hit all at once. That is at least until the VAMP II, which is scheduled for Nov 1 last I checked. That one was supposed to be a Father's Day present from the family. Not sure if my wife remembered to xfer all the money to us for that. If not, at least that one is not on me!