Super 7 GI Joe

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
Gentle Giant did some nifty 12" replicas of '82 ARAH joes, and I'd have been all over them except they were straight-arm. WTF Mattel. If you're going to make 12" replicas of 80's Joes, they better as f#$% have swivel arm battle grip. Otherwise, they're going to look just as retarded when you pose them as the originals, just bigger.
 
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Videoviper

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Not sure where this is supposed to fit in. It doesn’t work as a giant boss fight Bat to fight when Joes defeat the regular sized ones, it to short for the 12” and looks different.

I guess it’s a good test character to gauge interest.
 

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
2nd Wave of Ultimates just got announced. This will not appeal to the hardcore modern military junkies amongst us, but for the nostalgia wanks like myself, this is pure sex.

G.I. Joe ULTIMATES! Wave 2 - Set of 4 Figures (Pre-Order) – Super7 Pre-Orders (super7store.com)

I still prefer Flint's toy deco, and both ladies are looking a little thick in the renders, but I suspect that'll get ironed out before production. If these are half as fun as they look, I'm going to be thrilled. So many classic callback accessories. I love that every Joe gets the standard-issue sunbow rifle and an alt-head with their "Look at me, I'm flying" Time-Life operator headset!

While I appreciate all the gritty modern detail of Classified, these hit a completely different set of buttons. If the articulation is tolerable, I could see myself fiddling with these more than the hasbro offerings in this scale. Mostly I'll be needing more shelf space for all of them!

I'll be ordering these, obviously, but I'll wait for BBTS to put them up. Same price, but won't get charged until they drop (unlike S7 who charges immediately).

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ThunderDan19

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As an only moderately nostalgic wank, I still think these are great for the full on nostalgia nuts in the community! For the price though, I really do hope the articulation and posability is better than it looks. It would be awesome to do some of the iconic poses from the 'toon with them, not so much if you can't. As for the accessories and even the true to 'toon decos, fantastic! For better or worse, they all look pretty spot on!

I'm really glad though, that this is happening concurrently (though you are probably not, considering the "why not both?" costs) by somebody other than Hasbro. I wouldn't want these competing for H'bro's attention with the Classified series. It's bad enough that the next couple waves of Joes are probably sitting off the coast of CA in the Biden traffic jam of container ships...

Judging from BBTS's current "best selling" sort of the Joe line, the 'toon nostalgia is strong!!!
 

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
Eh, my collecting of other things has slowly tapered down to a trickle, so spending more on these isn't an undue burden. SW only occasionally puts out anything I want to buy, same with McFarlane DC, and TF is down to just rando 3P legends at 1-2/month. Even with Marvel Legends, I'm just buying X-Men stuff and cherry picking the rest. So Yo Joe!

I did however bail on the One:12 Joe figures. They cost twice as much as the S7 figures, and while they're neat, they're not quite toy, not quite 'toon, and I just can't get past the cloth uniforms that look bulky and unnatural at the 1:12 scale. Every figure looks like a little kid in a snowsuit, and no matter how much I tell myself how nuts it is to get premium-level 1:12 Joes, I can't justify the cost when we have two other great options. If it was the only game in town, I'd still be all in, but I don't need three lines of joes in the same scale. Plus, that one was going to be the most sparse, no telling how many characters they'd even get to. 1-2 a year makes putting a collection together a life-long endeavor for a cast the size of Joe. Zzzzzzzzzzz.
 
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Sgt301

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Those headsculpts are great but scale is a problem for my collection, and the only 5POA figures I have are ones I got in the 1970’s. Not interested in 5 POA big scale but let them release those sculpts on 1:18 figures and I’ll jump in.
 

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
Those headsculpts are great but scale is a problem for my collection, and the only 5POA figures I have are ones I got in the 1970’s. Not interested in 5 POA big scale but let them release those sculpts on 1:18 figures and I’ll jump in.
Huh? These aren't the ReAction 5 PoA figures. These are the 7" Ultimates which are fully articulated. The digital renders just don't accentuate the joints. They've got ball hips/shoulders/necks, ab cruches, ankles, but I suspect the knees and elbows are singles, and I'm not clear on the waist swivel (but I assume so).

They're not as bendy as classified figs, but definitely not big-scale 5 PoA. That would be tragic.

EDIT: unless you're talking about the BAT from the very top post, and yeah, that's a weird 5 PoA 11" fig, but that's not what these Ultimates are. I just didn't think Super7 Joes needed a third thread and didn't want to clutter the Classified thread with Super7 talk.
 
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Sgt301

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Okay, I see what you mean, I zoomed in on the joints. I wish they were 1:18 scale so I could use the head sculpts but I don’t have any use for 7” figures in my banana republic.
Huh? These aren't the ReAction 5 PoA figures. These are the 7" Ultimates which are fully articulated. The digital renders just don't accentuate the joints. They've got ball hips/shoulders/necks, ab cruches, ankles, but I suspect the knees and elbows are singles, and I'm not clear on the waist swivel (but I assume so).

They're not as bendy as classified figs, but definitely not big-scale 5 PoA. That would be tragic.

EDIT: unless you're talking about the BAT from the very top post, and yeah, that's a weird 5 PoA 11" fig, but that's not what these Ultimates are. I just didn't think Super7 Joes needed a third thread and didn't want to clutter the Classified thread with Super7 talk.,
 
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nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
Wave 4 of the Ultimates announced today.... Zartan, Gung-Ho, Stalker, and Baroness in her black deco. I actually predicted the first three, but I never dreamed the 4th would be another Baroness since the blue version hasn't even been released yet. Seems like they're shooting themselves in the foot there. I really thought the 4th figure would be Sunbow Bludd, but that makes him a shoe-in for the next wave.

I realize I'm probably the only one around here buying these, but just in case, PO's go up tomorrow (4/5 @ 1pm edt)

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ThunderDan19

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Those are really cool! I see what you are saying about the Baroness though. I’d imagine only the completists will buy the blue one now, especially at the cost of these.
 

nacho

"Big Guns"
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Yeah... the blue one comes with totally different character-specific accessories, so that's one reason to pick up the other one, but I also am a fan of the blue just because it has roots in both the toon and the early comics. I'm perfectly fine owning both and would pick up the blue one even if the black had come first.

Besides, I'm sure it's not the last 2nd deco the line will feature that I'll be compelled to buy. SE v2 for sure, hooded CC... arctic and underwater everyone. Super7 won't miss an opportunity to give us more random variants of good characters. I just wish they'd hurry up, as the biggest enemy of this line is the glacial pace it's being released in.
 

ThunderDan19

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I wonder, with the slow pace and high cost, will the line continue when the numbers come in from the early batches? Like do you have any of these in hand right now, or is the first wave still "on the way?" Are they truly worth the $50+ as figures? Do you feel like there are enough Joe cartoon fans/other collectors to keep this going at the price point? Somehow the smaller $20 5 poa figs from all kinds of shows and movies apparently sell well enough that they keep making more... I guess I just don't get it.
 

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
I have the first Ultimates wave in hand, and they're pretty awesome. They're not as articulated as Classified, as they just have single elbows and knees, but they absolutely ooze sunbow nostalgia. They seem almost too smooth and too simple (detail-wise), and yet they look like they literally walked out of an animation cell. Extra hands, extra noggins/expressions, lots of episode specific accessories, and enough articulation to not be confused with those 4" 5 POA kenner-wannabe figures... really make them stand out and seem worth the price... if that's what you're looking for.

For remaking your favorite sunbow scenes or just having that classic ARAH shelf presence, they're hard to beat. For making dynamic, gritty, action-packed dios with lots of detail and modern gear... they're a huge fail. Their simplicity is both their greatest asset and the #1 thing detractors would point to. Ultimates feel like upscales of 80's ARAH o-ring constructed figures that were then given sunbow accurate aesthetics and gear. And they're true 7" scale, so there is no chance of mixing and matching with Classified, as these dwarf the hasbro figures.

I really don't see the Ultimates line as a direct competitor to Classified (and I don't think S7 or Hasbro do either). They both do certain things really well, but they seemed to have a very different purpose and appeal... even if there is some obvious overlap in the customer bases (such as myself).
 

ThunderDan19

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Totally agree that the Super 7s aren't direct competition to the JoeClass line, except for in the case of those of us that can really only (barely) justify spending on one line of Joe stuff and have to choose. And the only way they'd be competitive for me would be if they did away with all the extras (heads, hands, weapons, props) - that give them the flexibility to pick your favorite moment - to get the price point much closer to JoeClass. And that would all but ruin what they are going for with the designs.

And, even though I'll never own one, I love that fact that S7 went all in on the cartoon look, to the level of making the M-16s wonky just like they were drawn for the animation. It's those kind of details that let you know the creators really paid attention to the source material. But, as a realist, it makes my decision that much easier, and I'm cool with that, and hope they don't shy away to something more "neutral." The world has way too much neutral these days.

I'm also glad Hasbro was willing to allow people who truly love the cartoon version of the Joes to run with this, to the benefit of other Joe cartoon fans. No way Hasbro would have given it the amount of love that the S7 people do. And I suppose Hasbro cares little if people spend their money with S7 because I'm sure H'bro gets their cut, which is probably a significant cost driver as well.

I wonder if S7 will release some set pieces to help with the staging of the cartoon scenes. Though I suppose a motivated artist could recreate some backgrounds onto foam board or something from pictures off the internet. Not quite as crazy as the 1:6 scale stuff I used to dabble in, but it would need to be pretty big for 7" figs though I'd imagine. You working on any ideas for that?
 

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
I'm not working on toon-specific sets, but there are several of the Extreme Sets Pop-up Dios that solidly mimic the inside of Joe HQ in the toon and others that could easily be a cobra or decepticon base. I'll definitely use those as backgrounds and/or sets.

And of course, as soon as W2 drops in May, I'll be putting S7 CC and Destro in charge of the MASS device I made last summer. At some point I'll break down and make a Weather Dom that comes apart in three key pieces if S7 doesn't beat me to it.

But I doubt I'll be making toony castle walls out of foam board or anything like that just for the S7 guys. I'm not THAT dedicated to the cause. I mean, I guess I could photoshop together a big backdrop from toon stills and have it printed 6ft long at WM like I did the MP TF backdrop, but I'm not sure what scene needs such a thing. Cobra temple in the desert exterior shot?
 

ThunderDan19

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Sounds like you have good ideas for the most often used backdrops. I suppose anything outside of the HQ’s (stationary or mobile) could just be something akin to the relatively generic... unless you do the iconic movie opening at the Statue of Liberty.
 

nacho

"Big Guns"
Founder
Hahahahaha yeah..... I can say with great certainty that I'm NOT making a 1/10th scale animated deco Statue of Liberty dio prop.

Can you imagine? Aside from being 30ft tall and impossible to pose things with... heck, even if I did JUST the head & torch arm, it would be massive and there would be nowhere to store it. It would look like I was prepping for a 4th of July parade float.
 
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ThunderDan19

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I guess I was just thinking the crown or torch and maybe a printed backdrop of some kind. Creating the entire statue to scale never crossed my mind. That would be ambitious for sure! :LOL:

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nacho

"Big Guns"
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I agree. I'll absolutely buy o-ring stuff that is sunbow & comic accurate. There is no chance I could resist that, especially if they're compatible with o-ring vehicles, backpacks, and weapons.

Only downside is that they'll be $20/ea, and thus every figure will require an internal debate. That being said, what I think we're about to get is what ReAction should have been from the beginning. 5PoA joes are blasphemous and should be destroyed with fire.
 
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ThunderDan19

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Agreed on all counts. They should have just done all those crazy cartoon variants with actual poseability and a reasonable amount of accessories for that $20 price tag. That would be a little easier to stomach than the 5 PoAs for sure. Problem is that the O-ringers might even be more expensive.

But I hope they are starting to see the light, with a lot of their stuff (even the Super 7s) having to go clearance before selling out. If they can get the price down, I think the popularity will follow. It just doesn't compute that 6" fully poseable and accessorized Joe CS figs cost only $5 more than the 5 PoA ReActions.
 

Videoviper

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Cobra mothership failed - who would have guessed?

1: $600 with shipping
2: Available after the Ghost ship aka the other $600 ship
3: Money taken out as soon as you pre order
4: Campaign ends just before Christmas, discouraging last minute backers.
 
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nacho

"Big Guns"
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Yeah, the price, timing, and marketing were all off on this campaign. I think S7 has some creative folks with neat ideas, and they clearly love many of the properties they license, but this one was a swing and a miss. Hopefully it won't discourage them from learning a few things and taking another shot at something big down the road. Just needs to be the right project at the right time, aimed at the right folks.
 

Videoviper

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Ya the crazy thing is it probably would have funded if not competing directly with the Ghost & if they planned the timing better.

Considering they want $20 a figure the Mothership seems kinda reasonable.

Looks like they will be pumping out O ring figures next year so I expect that they will try some kind of vehicle then.