G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero

[anarky]

Found Waves 2-3 today (if I recall the numbering correctly). Passed on all of what I think is Wave 2 (Flint, Firefly, Battle Kata Roadblock, Ninja Duel Snake Eyes, and some Storm Shadow who looks like an ROC re-release). First Target had Cyber Ninja, Lady Jaye, General Colton, Alley Viper, and Black Dragon Ninja (now with the uber-shitty name "Dark Ninja") and I got them all. The second had all Wave 2 and Cyber Ninja. I guess someone passed because he's Wraith with a new head, but I quite like the paint scheme.

I'd grab any Wave 3 you find, since Wave 2 is going to pegwarm especially hard now that everyone knows there are better versions planned for everyone and they're going to kill momentum. I'll get at least Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, and Roadblock if I find them for less than $5 (which is practically guaranteed for late 2013/early 2014) because they look good. The others are shit. (Even Lady Jaye, being a repaint Renegades Scarlett, was iffy, but she comes with a shit-ton of weapons, which put her over and got her in the cart. I'm going to switch heads with one of the ROC Cover Girls I got on clearance so she can be Daina from the Oktober Guard.)

[Ran]

Tried Target and 2 WMs today and had no luck. I intend on trying 2 or 3 more Target stores tomorrow. Hopefully I can find Cyber Ninja, Lady Jaye, General Colton, & and Black Dragon Ninja. I have 3 Alley Vipers from the last line and don't think I need more.

The press release from Toy Fair said the street date was today (2/11). The good news is that they had the larger series of vehicles listed at $20 instead of $31.

[anarky]

Damn, still $31 here. Of course, I didn't scan them, so they could be marked down and no one bothered to indicate that in the aisle.

I would've passed on Colton, but there's no additional version announced, and I somehow doubt they'll resculpt him anytime soon, especially not with Bruce Willis' head. The Cobra Trooper and Commander, and Roadblock V.1 (3-pack version) actually wound up quite nice in spite of the missing knee articulation.

As for the Alley Viper, what can I say? I probably have too many, but they're so cool! I have to get one of every new paint version. It's funny they keep doing this, but haven't realized they could release the standard Cobra Trooper and Officer (and Viper, and CG) in every paint scheme imaginable. I'd kill for camouflage versions; they're tough as hell to paint.

Crazy thing is, I'm hoping Zartan makes it back out. I didn't get him, and my Renegades collection isn't complete. (Okay, it'll never be complete, but this is one more piece to it.)

[Ran]

There was a Zartan at the Target I went to today.

There was a review on the Joe Colton. They said the suspenders are painted on, so if you move his chest, they look silly because they don't line up.

[anarky]

I did notice that. But he has full leg articulation! I thought he was one of the "gimpy" figures.

I can live with the suspenders issue just to have John McClane join my Joes.

[anarky]

vyn's site gets sloppy seconds on my reviews on the four I've opened so far:

Dark Ninja
Basically yet another re-use of the Storm Shadow/Red Ninja mold. Unfortunately, they cheaped out a bit, and he doesn't have the rocker ankles, and only has a ball joint in one wrist. Aside from those gripes, the figure itself is perfect, and the two-toned grey-and-black scheme is gorgeous. He comes with four sets of claws (two of which are attached to the arms in-package), two swords (I'd say katana and wakizashi, based on the lengths, but neither is curved), a backpack, and this glider thingy. I haven't used the glider much (might re-use it for someone else), but it seems like it fits well, and actually looks pretty cool. The two claws he's wearing in-package are cool, but the other two are comically oversized. And his backpack doesn't fit hardly at all. I'm a bit torn. I have to consider the lack of articulation relative to the earlier Retaliation ninjas, and go with an A instead of the A+ he'd easily get otherwise.
(Also, the packaging shows a second head based on another Storm Shadow figure, but it's not included.)

Cyber Ninja
A partial repaint of the Wraith mold, with some changes. The head is new (online photos have shown the original Wraith head with the face painted to look like an African-American (rather like Marlon Wayans, to be honest)) and I don't recognize it. The legs are either new or re-used from another ninja figure. Curiously, he also cheaps out a bit, having the rocker ankles but not the ball-jointed wrists. He comes with the POC Firefly backpack, the same ninja swords and backpacks the Dark Ninja includes (in a different color scheme), two laser pistols, a laser rifle, and a silly zipline device in multiple parts. The Firefly backpack can hold the handle for his zipline and the two pistols, and the actual zipline itself can attach on the posts where Firefly's mines originally went. However, the zipline itself can't fit in the backpack (it's a bit too long, even without the other small accessories), and there's no accommodation for the scabbard backpack (though it can easily be jerry-rigged to fit in the side when the pack is closed). I really like the paint scheme on him, and, even with the accessory storage issue, he'd be an A+ with better wrist articulation. As it is, he's a solid A, and will be a nice commander to the Wraiths I use as advanced-model BATs since I thought that character was stupid.

Alley Viper
The mold is one we've seen before, but, well, it's awesome. We all know this. This time around, the Alley Viper is wearing a brighter red-and-grey color scheme. He comes with the Alley Viper webgear, two knives (one stores in the webgear, the other on his right wrist), the interlocking shield and billy club from earlier versions, the two-part armored helmet, and two machines guns (one from earlier AV's, the other new to this version, IIRC). He does lack a backpack, though, so at least one accessory has to be left in the cold. Oh, he also has some sort of action doohickey I didn't even bother with. (And, call me stupid, but the picture on the back finally clued me in to what the circular cutouts in the shield are for... duh.) Being a re-use of an older mold, he's lacking a little of the articulation, but I find it tough to hold that against him too much. I love Alley Vipers, and he deserves an A.

General Colton
I was pleasantly surprised upon opening Colton to find that he includes almost the full range of what was once standard articulation, missing only the rocker ankles (which aren't as big a deal to me on non-ninja figures). I thought he had the new one-part ankle joint. This makes John McClane a much better figure than I'd expected. (And, really, I imagine a lot of "classic" collectors are going to use this figure as John McClane, who joins celebrities like Sergeant Slaughter on the Joe team's reserves.) For collectors, he comes with a pistol, revolver, and shotgun. The only complaint I have about his collector-oriented weapons is that he has a detachable shoulder holster, which has a molded-in pistol almost exactly like the one he includes; it would've been nice to have this holster work to hold the third gun. For kids, he has the same neon orange laser rifle last year's Retaliation Duke includes, along with a quadruple rocket launcher that snaps onto it. For Colton (who appears to be a semi-retired older fellow from what previews have shown), it's ludicrous, but I have to admit it doesn't look too bad and I may find a home for it with someone else. The biggest issue is the way the suspenders are molded onto his chest, meaning they look ridiculous if you swivel him at the torso joint. The second biggest (and maybe only other) issue is the paint application on the face; he looks a bit crosseyed, and photos online seem to indicate this is a really common problem. Still, yippee-ki-ay, Cobra f***ers, this guy is an A-. (Had to be a little harsher because the suspender issue does make him look pretty goofy in many poses.)

Solid wave so far, and, with Jaye being a repaint of the awesome Renegades Scarlett figure, I expect her to be just as good.

[anarky]

Three times the fun, Grimlock sucking my balls....

Looking around online, it appears Colton is really a controversial figure, with folks either loving it or hating it. Also, the HisStank reviewer says his came with two revolvers, but mine had one (and other online reviewers appear to have only gotten one). Wonder if that's a variant, an error, or just bad info.

[Ran]

Went to 2 Targets during my lunch break. First one only had Wave 1 and a few vehicles that were stilll $31. The second Target had the 4 figures I was looking for (Cyber Ninja, Lady Jaye, General Colton, & and Black Dragon Ninja). I left the Alley Viper, Flint, and the bunch of Storm Shadows/Rock/Snake Eyes. I think there was a Joe Trooper there, too. Got the VAMP for $19.99. So, at least 1 store had the correct price on it.

[Ran]

I tried putting the VAMP together. The roll cage took a little work to get everything lined up, but no big deal. I get to the wheels. the back passenger side peg isn't molded correctly, so the wheel won't snap in. Should I take it back to Target and exchange it?

[anarky]

I would. Twenty bucks, you need a vehicle that works. This isn't bad paint on the driver's left arm, this is the actual vehicle.

[anarky]

Got the second wave 3-packs today. Haven't opened them yet. They look awesome, but I kinda wish they'd make Firefly and Storm Shadow a little different. Snake Eyes, too. If they're not movie-accurate anyway, something like painting Snake Eyes in black, silver, and red as an homage to one of those Brazilian figures from the 80s, or make Firefly in tan. Something minor that wouldn't detract from the appeal of the set to casual fans, but would make them unique for those of us who have fifty bazillion of each already.

[Ran]

This site updated the release dates and pictures:
http://generalsjoes.com/g-i-joe-retalia ... page-2013/

Wave 3 - Due May, 2013

Crimson Guard
“Ultimate” Duke (Movie)
“Ultimate” Firefly (Movie)
Cobra Combat Ninja
“Ultimate” Snake Eyes (Vintage)
“Ultimate” Flint (Movie)
“Ultimate” Roadblock (Movie)
Storm Shadow (Vintage)
Cobra Commander (Vintage)
Data-Viper
Kwinn
Budo

[anarky]

Jesus, Ran, you just gave me a boner.

Every single one of those figures looks like a must-have. Even the ones I'd be iffy about (particularly the Ultimate Classic SE, SS, and CC, since they don't look like they really add much to the thousands we have already) come with such kickass accessories, it'd be impossible to pass on them. Frickin' Ultimate Duke might be the best of the bunch, crazy as it sounds. That replaceable second head (assuming it makes it in; they've been bad about showing variant heads lately and never releasing them) would make him a better army builder than the actual Joe army builders.

Also, according to this breakdown, the Night Landing should be out now. But it's not.

[Ran]

Crimson Guard - Maybe. I have a bunch of CG already. Granted...this one is newer and nicer.
“Ultimate” Duke (Movie) - Yes. The only thing I don't like is the actor's head, but that is easy to fix.
“Ultimate” Firefly (Movie) - Pass. "Ultimate" Firefly to me is the one I got in the new 3-pack
Cobra Combat Ninja - Probably.
“Ultimate” Snake Eyes (Vintage) - No. I have enough Snake Eyes and I'm happy with the POC version.
“Ultimate” Flint (Movie) - Only if he makes it to clearance.
“Ultimate” Roadblock (Movie) - Probably (surprisingly). He just looks like a cool figure
Storm Shadow (Vintage) - OYES! I no longer regret not getting the Renegades version.
Cobra Commander (Vintage) - Not sure. I have the POC version, which is similar.
Data-Viper - No.
Kwinn - OHELLYES!
Budo - No. He just doesn't seem to fit in.

[anarky]

That CG will be a leader for my others. At $10, I can't afford to army build a character I already have an army of.

Ultimate Duke: The accessories alone would make him worth the price. He looks like a damned Accessory Pack from the 80s. If he includes the drone and extra head, fucking hell yes.

Ultimate Firefly: Only an okay figure, but the fucking HISS Scout. Dude. And the torso looks to have some customization potential.

Combat Ninja: Like the cannon (once again--this is, what, three releases?). Love the flag. Figure looks good. Not sure if I'd get multiples to display with the extra head or not. The second head might also make a good head for a Blue Ninja.

Snake Eyes: Meh. He actually looks like a significant step backwards from the other Snake Eyes figures. However, that Timber resculpt is fucking awesome.

Ultimate Flint: That is one really nice looking figure. The headsculpt does a great job of looking like classic Flint. I don't see a beret, but for some reason I'm thinking I've seen one before. If he has the beret, fuck yes.

Ultimate Roadblock: I see this one pegwarming. For $10, I'm fine with the one that came in the 3-pack. The M2 (I'm not being totally ignorant, right?) is nice, but not a $10 accessory. Also, what's up with the flat spots on his biceps? When all these Roadblocks are cleared out, I'll probably get this one to replace the 3-pack one, and the Battle Kata one for the accessories.

Ultimate Storm Shadow: Probably the weakest figure, all said. He looks too cartoony... which is bad because the second Renegades version is a million times better from what I can tell, and is based on a cartoony cartoon. But that mini-CLAW, that sells this figure.

Ultimate CC: An improvement, for sure, but not a $10 improvement. That mini-FANG, though, that's just fucking awesome.

Data-Viper: You don't like this one? I think he kicks some major ass. He might have to be another to get two of, because he looks like two different characters with the different accessory arrangements.

Kwinn: I don't care that I have an unfinished custom one that looks nothing like this. This is an incredible figure. And, hey, this is the jungle version, and the one I've got is the Arctic one.

Budo: I want this figure more for the figure and less for the G.I.Joe angle. He's not a Joe, and he's not Budo. But that is one of the sweetest samurai figures I've ever seen, particularly at this scale.

Blind Master: Nothing whatsoever like classic Blind Master, but a sweet figure nonetheless. The mask/second head makes a difference.

Jinx: Why not? Nice figure, and I can use a second generic Arashikage female. She's not Jinx, though.

Red Ninja: Damn, why'd they release two of this one? This figure looks more accurate to the movie than the first. I want him, but, damnation, I've got a lot of Red Ninjas from the various releases.

Night Viper: Sweet update of a classic figure. Do I even need to say it?

Curiously, the only "Alpha" vehicle with a figure that has any articulation is the Night Landing. Which has an Eel figure who looks more like Torpedo than an Eel.