G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero

[anarky]

I'll keep an eye out for Shadow Tracker. Which other late POC's do you need?

[Ran]

Shadow Tracker is the only one I didn't get. Looking at Hisstank, he doesn't seem to be showing up anymore.

Next week, Walgreen's has a coupon for $4 off all $9.99 toys.

The G.I. Joe Renegades 3.75 inch Figure 4 pack from Amazon is now going for $25.89.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007CO ... 00_s00_i00

For a moment I was excited when I went to Hisstank. There was activity in the Ross thread, but it was just people wishing shit would show up there. Last December is is when the other 7-packs and TRU Quick kick/Spirit started showing up.

[anarky]

I found Hawk today!

And found that Walgreens customers apparently are the rudest and stupidest around. At one, an idiot lady was complaining because she wanted $20 cash back from her ATM purchase of cigarettes, and could not understand why that made the transaction total $20 more than it had been. An older man behind me had one candy bar; he got frustrated and stormed out, throwing the candy bar at the cashier. Then this grizzled mofo was behind me, complaining at me because I didn't want to move up so close that I was standing on the confused lady's foot, and yelling and cursing at her. An employee came over from the cosmetics counter to ring up anyone in line (which had gotten surprisingly long) who wasn't buying cigarettes; it seemed odd that, out of a line of about twenty people at the only register that was open, I was the only one not going for cigarettes. Then the grizzled man was mad because I got out of the store before him (which, uh, I would've done anyway, being in front).

At the other, a woman honked and yelled at me because I had the door open to buckle Baby 'Nark in, and she apparently had to have the space beside me because none of the other dozen or so would work. Funny thing is, I was actually setting a speed record at doing it until she was being super-bitch.

Funny thing is, both WG's were in nice areas; not like I was in the ghetto.

[Ran]

http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-joe-t ... viper.html

Pictures of the Retaliation Alley Viper. The guy who posted them put some pictures of the futures as-is, then some more with some part swaps. Red and gray cammo looks kind of odd.

[anarky]

On my massive (mostly comic) order from Amazon where I got 10% off, I ordered the Retaliation figures.

How could I not? It was marked down to $12.99, so it came out to less than three bucks per figure. Would've stocked up on the Renegades as well, but they went the other way (to $30.99).

[Ran]

Amazon dropped the price to $8.99. I just don't need any of those figures.

The Renegades set is back up to $39.99. If the price dropped on that one, I might get it.

[anarky]

$8.99? Fuck. That's cheaper than one figure. Honestly, at that price, if you've got something else to tack on for free shipping, I'd get it just for Cobra Commander. The SE and SS figures are amazing, but, well, I understand if you've got armies of them already. Cobra Commander is, in spite of the lack of knee articulation, a bitching figure (who looks remarkably like Krake from the IDW comic).

The Renegades set did get down to $14.99. I guess Amazon's pricing programs made both drop, then people jumped on the Renegades set. So it increased in price to match demand. But no one's buying the Retaliation set, and it keeps dropping further.

I hope to fuck Hasbro's paying attention to this. When Retaliation bombs (and it will), they need to recognize that people like the higher-quality animated programs like Resolute and Renegades. I'm still pissed that they have no plans whatsoever to deal with the cliffhangers of the Renegades finale.

[Ran]

Renegades set is down to $30. The Retaliation set is now $9.13.

I hope Hasbro is paying attention, too. But, you know what's going to happen. They will ship the movie wave 1 again. Red Ninja, Cobra parachute troop, and Generic Joe trooper will sell. Everything else will peg-warm. The 2nd wave will show up in small numbers and later waves will get delayed.

It would be nice if the movie did well enough for them to continue the cartoon.

[anarky]

The 2nd wave will show up in small numbers and later waves will get delayed.

Won't help that they've done the same thing they love to do, putting out shitty (or only okay) versions of characters in Waves 1 & 2, then releasing kick-ass versions in later waves. And, with the delay, it's been confirmed this is the case. Those early figures are going to pegwarm even worse than they would've with collectors knowing this for certain. Not to mention they'll carry forward less desirable figures into later waves (I'm betting Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow).

Several other things that really don't help: several figures are movie-inaccurate (Lady Jaye is a fucking Renegades Scarlett repaint, for Christ's sake, Zartan is a new Renegades figure, and that Cobra Trooper looks like nothing else), many but not all figures are hampered by missing joints despite costing more, and then there's that bizarre gimmick Roadblock has in the hands that's billed as a new action feature but that only affects the one figure.

Sigh. It's a fucking mess. And Resolute, Renegades, and Pursuit of Cobra proved pretty conclusively that it doesn't have to be.

[Ran]

Here is the Retaliation checklist with pictures. http://www.theterrordrome.com/gi-joe-2- ... checklist/

For basic figures,I'm hoping waves 3 and 4 make it out. There is nothing in waves 1 or 2 worth buying.

I'd like to get the 3-pack with Firefly, even if it means getting another Storm Shadow.

The only vehicle I will definitely purchase is the VAMP....I mean "Ninja Combat Cruiser". Might get the mini tank thing with Clutch if it goes on clearance. It is hard to believe they removed that much articulation from the vehicle drivers. Clutch's head will be placed on a more suitable body. He's one of the characters I don't have any version of.

[anarky]

Damn, Wave 5 is just Night Viper and Crimson Guard? The two figures they know everyone wants the most? In the wave least likely to ever show up?

Fuuuuuuuuuuuck, they're stupid sometimes.

[Ran]

I know you are looking for Crazylegs.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOT-621-CRAZY-L ... 1c2ee4cce1

The auction started off at $.69 with $2.69 shipping.

[Ran]

Geez, that Crazylegs is up to $11, and there are still 2 days left on the auction.

http://smalljoes.com/cgi-bin/pgen.cgi?CatId=112&Stage=5

It is tempting to pre-order the movie Vamp and 3 pack with Firefly. The prices aren't much more than they will be in the stores.

[anarky]

Until they go on clearance.

I'm holding out for Crazylegs at this point. Enough were made that they should wind up at Walgreens or the closeout stores at some point. Besides, he's dead, and stuff.

[Ran]

Here are some better pictures of the Wave 2 Storm Shadow.

http://www.hisstank.com/database/retali ... ?showall=1

It got me thinking. As far as Storm Shadow goes, I have one from the first movie, the new movie 3 pack version, the one from Dollar General, and the POC desert figure. I'll be getting another one when I get the wave 2 multipack with Firefly and that other Cobra troop. The POC figure is pretty cool, but I don't think it can be considered a "definitive" version.

There are so many Storm Shadows. Actually, there have been 24 of them between 2007 and wave 1 of the new movie (that's not counting the 2 new ones I mentioned above). I guess at that rate, there is bound to be one worth buying in the near future.