GI Joe's future in doubt.

As Toyfair New York 2016 approaches, once again GI Joe fandom goes through the usual motions predicting what will be seen from Toyfair this year.  Two years ago headed into 2014, while many feared we would see nothing at retail coming off yet another disappointing feature film, the consensus feeling was that the then new 50th Anniversary line of 3.75" figures and vehicles released met or exceeded the general expectations the fandom had.  Anyone who's ever spent a little time on the fan forums would know this was no mean feat given the sky-high expectations and endless "wishlist" threads of a fandom clinging on to a flagging brand that over the last few years has lost virtually all it's appeal to retailers.  I think many at that point had the reasonable expectation that GI Joe would go on 'hiatus' status.  It also didn't help that not long before this GI Joe was publicly downgraded from being one of Hasbro's most strategically important brands in an investor's meeting.

Going into 2015, Hasbro stated that it would not make any new GI Joe announcements or show product at ToyFair and instead stated that it planned to show displays and reveal new GI Joe merchandise at JoeCon.  When revealed, once again the general feeling was that Hasbro met expectations with it's product assortment which I've covered here. However, going into 2016, there has as of now been no official hints given by Hasbro as to what we are to expect.  Once again the forums are replete with calls for the fandom to air their laundry-list of wishful ideas on what Hasbro should produce and what they should do to guarantee the future output of the brand.  The general feeling is that while the 50th Anniversary has been good to us, there should be more coming than the mostly repaints of the last few years.

In other news, the GI Joe Collector's Club, which has for several years now been involved in managing the GI Joe convention as well as creating licensed figures featuring figures that appeal specifically to collectors posted an ominous message to it's website on it's membership renewal page :

Please note that at this time we are only accepting memberships and renewals for the 2016 calendar year.  All memberships will end with the December 2016 issue.  For example:  if your  membership renewal has a February start date, you will receive the FREE membership figure in the late spring along with 10 monthly issues.   If your membership renewal has a March start date, you will receive the FREE membership figure in the late spring and 10 monthly issues.

As is usual for the Collector's Club, there has been no official word as to what this means.  It however, may have something to do with details that have been released by Hasbro about the property going forward:

HOLLYWOOD--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Paramount Pictures and Hasbro, Inc. announced a groundbreaking deal today to collaborate on feature films for five of Hasbro's iconic properties. Under the agreement, Paramount and Allspark Pictures, Hasbro's film label, will establish a cross-property interconnected onscreen universe, featuring the deep stories and great characters from Hasbro brands G.I. Joe, Micronauts, Visionaries, M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) and ROM.
"Paramount and Hasbro have had a longstanding relationship and we're proud of the success we've enjoyed on the 'TRANSFORMERS' and 'G.I. JOE,' franchises," said Brad Grey, Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures. "We're excited to grow our agreement and make even more movies based upon these popular and powerful Hasbro characters and their worlds."
Allspark Pictures, Hasbro's film label, will produce the films and Brian Goldner (Chairman, President and CEO, Hasbro), Stephen Davis (Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer, Hasbro), and Josh Feldman (Head of Film Development, Hasbro) have worked closely with Paramount in shaping the interconnected universe for the properties. To develop the creative roadmap for G.I. Joe, Micronauts, Visionaries, M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) and ROM, Hasbro and Paramount will assemble a writer's room which will include some of the most notable creative talent in Hollywood
"Hasbro and Allspark Pictures put storytelling at the center of everything that we do. These brands are filled with memorable stories and vivid characters, and this Universe creates a framework for how they will become interconnected," said Brian Goldner, Chairman, President and CEO of Hasbro. "Extending our partnership with Paramount allows us to continue our long-term strategy and overall vision to build dynamic worlds for all of our brands, and we are thrilled to collaborate with them as we develop these properties."

http://investor.hasbro.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=947088


Okay....I suppose this could be taken as GI Joe being part of a giant new rebirth for it and several other brands owned by GI Joe's parent company.  Hoping to build off the successes of the 25th Anniversary of the A Real American Hero (ARAH) line that modernized and revolutionized the property several years ago, the brand eventually fell flat.  While both Rise of Cobra and Retaliation were commercially successful films, they failed to capture the public's embrace in a way that would sustain GI Joe culturally.  Now Hasbro apparently looks to another relaunch by combining GI Joe with several other properties.  While I am fascinated to see what they come up with here by mixing it with far more obscure and untouched lines like Visionaries, Micronauts, and ROM there is I think a lot more reason to have a dimmer view of all this.  By mixing it with a bunch of untried vintage concepts, GI Joe has essentially been demoted.  Not only that, but GI Joe now becomes an accessory brand of some larger initiative.  As such, Joe could lose it's identity and more importantly, its sovereignty as a line. 

As for GI Joe's ongoing identity, the case has been made that regardless, there needs to be a major shakeup of to attract a new generation of younger fans.  A Real American Hero is an icon of fans where the median age is pushing over forty years old and everything since 1983 has been done in effort to hold that Reagan-era demographic.   The 50th Line celebrates the creation of GI Joe as a brand, yet had zero merchandise to appeal to it's original fans of the twelve-inch line of toys.  That line is officially dead at retail and no one besides the Collectors Club caters to those fans with product any longer (Hasbro last produced 12" Joes back in 2009 and even Hot Toys dropped their premium twelve-inch GI Joe product for lack of interest).  If the Club shuts its doors, the original GI Joe 12" format would be dead. 


What I call the brand's 'sovereignty' is a much more significant issue.  In short, if Joe is part of an interconnected 'universe' there is no guarantee that the needs of that universe's merchandising would include three-and three-quarter inch figures, accessories, and vehicles which are the primary want of legacy fans and the center of the brand's merchandising for the past thirty years plus.  The hope has long been that a new direction could perpetuate the GI Joe action figure line even if the story was entirely different.  While I personally didn't care that much for the prematurely cancelled Renegades cartoon of several years back, it was popular and did well enough.  It gave the brand the opportunity to reach new audiences in adolescent age groups in attempt to grow another generation of fans.  It was killed after just one season, despite doing quite well on a small network called The Hub. Renegades severely altered GI Joe's identity from being an anti-terrorism unit into being more of a Scooby Gang of misfits out to shed light on a corrupt corporation.  For the short time it was around it generated toys to accompany the 30th Anniversary product, including such notable contributions such as the Renegades Storm Shadow, Scarlet, Black Dragon VTOL, and the 30th Anniversary Law & Order (which was inspired by his Renegades appearance).  Even if I wasn't that keen on the Renegades concept, I could still integrate it's toys into my collection as I saw fit.

It's failure to perpetuate a successful identity is exactly why GI Joe is presently where it is.  now it's going to be floating around with a number of other unproven properties.  The difference is, GI Joe is moved downwards in relevance.  Visionaries and Micronauts might be the next successfully revitalized 80s property, which may leave GI Joe on the wayside.  So I cannot say that I welcome this new development.  It could be the final nail in GI Joe's coffin for the next generation.

Power Team Elite F/A-18 Hornet Review

This is another of those reviews that I've been waiting a long time to get to.  Ever since I discovered World Peacekeepers/Power Team Elite brand of toys, I was especially enthused to get my hands on a few of these being a big fan of Joe-compatible jets.  My first and best love among GI Joe vehicles was the SkyStriker, which when I started this blog were very easy to find at retail  However, by that time, the Big PTE jets had long since come and gone from retail and online was the only option; even then, they were expensive and sporadically available.  My hunt for one of these things went on for nearly a year:  I had won an internet auction and had gotten it for a steal, but then the seller claimed it was "damaged" and refunded my money.  Second attempt broke down because I didn't have the requisite cash at the time (in honesty, I had low-balled a little on the offer).  Eventually my patience was rewarded and I was able to collect a total of four over the next year or so.

Power Team Elite 'Hornet' in retail packaging

Do I really need four?!  It's likely I don't, but then again there are a few variants out there and one I do not yet have.  Plus, I'm hooked on aircraft in general, and an airfield full of planes all laid out would be a dream diorama for me if not for the prohibitive space issues.  The four variations I know of are the grey, black, green camo, and a desert camouflage.  I have examples in gray and one in black (one of the grey examples that someone had done a Sky Striker custom paint job on has broken wingtips, more on that later...).

There's really not much to say about the retail packaging other than it shows you pretty much everything you're getting in the package.  There's nothing elaborate going on with packaging arrangement, but as it's not a playset there really doesn't have to be.  It's actually pretty easy to take out and detach from the few wires that are holding the main body of the aircraft in place.

The bare plane is very sleek looking.  This gray model seems to be the most widely available of the variants.  It's body has been 'weathered' with a light blackening, detail the other variants lack.  The canopy has been given a tinge of blue to complement the grey scheme.  As far as I know, the other variants all have a transparent canopy.

Between the above and below images, you'll find all the accessories that come with the Hornet.  You receive two figures: a pilot and what appears to be some sort of landing signal officer.  The accessories that belong with the figures are a paddle, signalling wand, and a few gas cans that you see quite frequently with PTE sets.  While the paddle and wand match the LSO well, the inclusion of the gas cans is nonsense in principal.  Jet fighters carry thousands of pounds worth of fuel, and filling them a few gallons at a time is just silly.

The figures themselves are an afterthought, a given in this line of toys.  They are blocky with rough articulation and the pilot lacks any head articulation (but at least that orange vest is a complete win!).  Nothing different than from previous reviews of this line.  However, the rest of the accessories really shine!
 

Rounding out the accessories are a ladder, two bomb racks, four bombs, four missiles, and two external fuel tanks.  The bombs look like Mk 82s, the missiles on the above right are AIM-9 Sidewinders, those on the left look like AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missiles, and rounding it off are two external fuel tanks.  On the grey version, you will see yellow (or black) tips on the missiles, and a darker shade of grey on the fuel tanks.  Near the bottom of this review, you will see the Black version replaces these colors with red. 

The one-sided instruction sheet is simple and probably isn't really necessary, provided you can figure out that the wings actually need to be put on.  It's just one of those obligatory things you have to include, I guess, so there it is.

The stickers are plain and not very fancy.  They do offer you a good array of number choices, which is often something missing from Hasbro sticker sheets.

One thing I find very appealing about the F/A-18 from Power Team elite is that it fills a certain hole in the GI Joe organization for me: a true multi-role jet armed for both air-to-air and air-to-ground engagements.  The Sky Striker has six air-to-air armaments and the Tomcat was built primarily as an interceptor designed to protect the carrier fleet from cruise missiles and other air threats.  It was a large aircraft with a lot of thrust and speed.  While later it was adapted for use as a bomber, close air support (CAS), and Forward Air Control (FAC) roles where it performed admirably.  However, it was expensive and lacked the low speed agility of smaller fighters.  To me the Sky Striker's primary purpose is better suited for air-superiority, while the Hornet can be the workhorse strike fighter.

The PTE Hornet's accessory compliment suits it for the strike fighter role well, but it cannot carry all of it.  It has one PTE styled slide pylons on each wing tip and two more on each wing interior.  It has six total weapon stations.  The four bombs can be attached to a total of two pylons by first attaching two to each multiple ejector rack.

The mount format is identical to that of the A-10 Thunderbolt from PTE that I reviewed some months ago.  The fit of these accessories isn't always the correct fit moving from one toy to the next, but with a few adjustments mixing and matching various bombs, missiles, and other ordinance works just fine.

Note the FLIR mounted on the starboard intake nacelle and the asymmetric load out.

Of course, the load out doesn't necessarily need to be symmetrical as the Navy shows us in the image above with one wing pylon featuring an air to ground munition and the other with a couple of A2A missiles on a multi-ejector rack.  What is very interesting is that this toy reflects the weapon stations on the real jet quite accurately.  It's only missing a central hardpoint and two hardpoints on the sides of the fuselage that are often used to mount electronics equipment.  The below image shows such a piece of equipment molded into the fuselage of the Hornet which appears to be a Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR) pod.  However, this shape is molded on each side of the body, even though you only need one FLIR mounted.  I guess this is a minor point, but it would have been great to have included an asymmetric fuselage to reflect the need for only a single FLIR with either an empty or a different shaped blob of plastic to include something like an ECM pod, or even better two weapons pylons and a few AAMRAM missiles (very wishful thinking).

View of the port wing and fuselage and the associated FLIR.

The Landing gear of the aircraft is simple, robust, but it lacks much in the way of sophistication.  It swings out towards it's resting position against the body or latches closed thanks to a simple friction catch.  In between, it is just free to flop around and there is nothing to hold it in the open position other than the weight of the toy when in its landed position.  This is probably a great decision to keep the gear simple and avoid breakage from a toy perspective, but it leaves something to be desired for more adult collector looking for a bit more in the way of elegance.

The cockpit is large and spacious.  This is one of the criticisms that I've heard voiced about this particular toy:that it's too big and bulbous and detracts too much from the overall shape of the otherwise sleek aircraft. It is large and fits even the largest 4" figures (trying to find my Retaliation Roadblock for confirmation) in either seated position.  I honestly don't think the enlargened cockpit detracts from it's looks and in fact is one of a number of strong points on the airplane.

Both the front and rear seat positions have a lot of detail, including an elaborate panel with a series of multi-functional displays for the Radar Intercept Officer.  Both seats also have a removable flight stick, which makes it play easily as a trainer.  Buttons line the side consoles for a very high depth of detail.  While I can't vouch for whether this looks like a real Hornet cockpit, it's busy enough to imagine that it gets pretty close.

The canopy and windshield is made of three pieces of soft, clear plastic.  The main piece attaches with a formed hinge into the rear piece and secures itself closed with a friction tab against the front for a fairly secure fit.  The canopy is removable and the simple friction hinge appears to be fairly reliable.

However, under the category of potential deal-killers, let's talk about something not so reliable.

This PTE Hornet features wings with folding tips, just like the real thing.  Displaying the big planes can be a challenge because of space, but this feature helps a lot and is quite cool, visually.  The wingtips come uninstalled, and once they snap into their slots (below), it works well locking in place in both up and down positions....at first.

 The wingtips assemble by sliding the tabs on the tips into the slots on the wings....

 ...the problem is that these tabs are just ABS plastic like the rest of the body, and wear down and can brake off rather easily.  I've broken one due to a short fall, but I don't think it takes a fall to cause problems. On Ebay, many PTE Hornets that have been opened suffer from damage or wear to these tabs you see below.  Often you'll see comments that the wings are a bit loose, or have been tapped or glued.  This is a sure sign that the tabs have either been worn down or broken off.

Nearest I can tell, Power Team Elite tried to remedy this in later versions by reinforcing the tab and changing the slot it turned within to accommodate the change.  Above I have what I believe is a more recent model of this airplane (top) and below it is another, probably older version of this same toy with a slightly different style tab.  The bottom one is a simple cylinder forming the axis of the folding wing, and the top image shows a plastic reinforcement to that tab.

(never mind the color scheme, I bought this second-hand.  It was part of someone's project to paint it up like a Sky Striker)

In the image below you can see where this tab has been sheered off completely.  

Sorry about the blurry photo, but you should be able to see the difference between the un-reinforced tab (above right) and the reinforced tab (below left)

When it holds up, the folding wings are an amazing feature.  It's cool to look at and just as importantly, it makes the plane a little easier to display.  I'm really not sure what else they could do to make this stronger.  I suppose if you are able to get one of these that you should remember to be very careful and try not to assemble/disassemble the wing ends too much.  I would rather have this feature than not even with its fragility.  I suppose you can always just glue the wingtips if they break (although I prefer to try to epoxy the tabs back on).  Just be aware of this issue when buying, and of course be very careful when handling it.

I've accepted the fact that Joe scaling is a mismatch of proportions.  Some jets like the Skystriker measures out pretty close to 1:32  compared to it's F-14 counterpart, while a lot of land based vehicles are closer to 1:18.  That said, the real F-14 was substantially larger than the real legacy F/A-18, and seven feet longer.   However, the PTE Hornet is larger than the Sky Striker; the hornet is just over 23" and the Sky Striker is just under 23".  It may be a little tough to judge based on the image below with my makeshift photo setup with the two tiered effect, but the toys are roughly comparable in size.

 



It's hard to judge Power Team Elite for this because making the plane smaller would have involved either making it a single seat toy, taking away the ample space of the well-done cockpit, or degrading the proportions of a very good looking toy.  Given all the possible compromises, I think they chose all the right ones for this toy. 

In summary this is one of my favorite Joe scaled planes due to it's features overall look and polish.  It's durability score takes a hit because of the wing-tip issue.  I envision this plane as one that fills a perceived gap in Joe Equipment, that of a versatile strike fighter less expensive than the Sky Striker.

Anyway, here are some shots of the black version. While it doesn't presume towards the realistic appearance of the grey model, it's more striking, visually.  Please note, many of the decals are NOT from the original Power Team Elite kit.  I bought this one from someone who placed some well chosen GI Joe stickers on it as an enhancement.  I wasn't going to remove them.  You can see the remanent of the sticker sheet below.

Quality:  C- (D on earlier models with weaker wingtips)

It takes a hit for it's fragile wings, but otherwise it's well built and should take decent abuse.  The wings are a big deal, however

Appearance: A-

Very sleek and I like the proportions.  Ample decals and detail in various places

Play Value/Features: A

Good accessories, good figure compatibility.  Wingtips create a quality problem, but they are a boon for the toy overall.

Overall Score: B/B+

If somehow they could have made the wingtips more rugged., this would launch itself up towards "A" territory

2015 GI Joe Convention Reveals.

I just wanted to jot down a few thoughts and organize a list of what was shown this year at the annual GI Joe Convention this year.  I wasn't there, unfortunately so I don't have images to show off of my own. Rather, let me lay out what I understand was revealed.

San Diego ComicCon exclusives:

• GI Joe "Crimson Strike" vehicle set - stunning silver and crimson Crimson Guard-themed repaint of the 30th Sky Striker, this time as a Cobra Vehicle along with a repaint of the 25th HISS tank with a new, futuristic turret gun in army green as a weapon of GI Joe.  The Sky Striker has been renamed the Cobra Scythe and the Hiss the GI Joe Chimera. Figures include new versions of: A.V.A.C, Alley Viper Officer, Steeler, and Grunt.  - will be available at SDCC at the Hasbro Toy Shop booth at a retail estimate of ($99.99)

• GI Joe "Desert Duel" vehicle set - Repaint of the GI Joe Snow Cat , er, Wolfhound in purple, red, and silver decor called the Cobra Basilisk and a new, militarized and upgraded version of the AWE Striker called the GI Joe FOE Striker that includes the minigun from the Retaliation VAMP II and a tent.  Figures include a desert camo Chuckles resembling his IDW appearance and a repaint of the Crimson Horseman figure in purple, silver, and black dubbed the Elite Horseman Driver, also a new Night Fox version and a new release of the Cobra Air Trooper.  It will be available at SDCC at the Entertainment Earth/Toys R Us both.  Retail estimate ($59.99)

• SDCC GI Joe KREO set: no info yet

I'm not sure what the expected availability the dealers is going to be post convention.  Last year they were pretty scarce to non-existent, IIRC.

Retail Toys R Us vehicle set exclusives (and I would guess, BigBadToyStore would share in these as well just as they did last year):

•  GI Joe "Desert Duel": vehicle set - Repaint of the GI Joe Snow Cat , er, Wolfhound in purple, red, and silver decor called the Cobra Basilisk and a new, militarized and upgraded version of the AWE Striker called the GI Joe FOE Striker that includes the minigun from the Retaliation VAMP II and a tent.  I don't know how the colors will differ from the SDCC exclusive listed above but it includes only Chuckles and the Elite Horseman Driver. Retail estimate ($49.99)

•  GI Joe "Silent Strike": vehicle set - Black repaint of the 30th Anniversary Sky Striker with a repaint of ACE and an Orange painted 25th Anniversary HISS Driver and HISS Gunner with a futuristic updated turret and a similar colored HISS Tank Driver.  Also included are a new sniper character named Sightline that was created in honor of the late GI Joe guru and superfan, Gary "Goggles" "Gyre-Viper" Head.  Retail Estimate ($59.99)

 Retail Toys R Us Combo Packs:

• "Swamp Steam" Two-pk: Red Crockmaster repaint and Green POC Blowtorch
•  "Troop Build-Up": Iron Grenadiers and Steel Brigade troop builder 2-pk
• "Classic Clash" Two-pk: Storm Shadow in GI Joe regalia and repaint of POC Spirit
• "Hunt for Cobra Commander" Two-pk: Red/Black Cobra Commander and Shipwreck repaint w Polly
• "Marine Devastation" Two-pk: Concept Case Gung-Ho and Shadow Gaurd
• "Chase for the MASS Device" Three-pk: Includes Duke w Jetpack, Cobra Commander with 25th CLAW glider and CLAWS Trooper
• "Sneak Attack" Three-pk: Includes Bazooka, Firefly, and Dusty
• "Vanishing Act" Three-pk: Includes Torpedo, Hit-and-Run, Zartan
• "Rock Rampage" Three-pk: Includes 25th Alpine, Rock Viper, Cobra Shock Trooper

Two packs should retail at $14.99, Three packs at $19.99

This is comparable to what we had last year with some notable standouts:

1) It was very classy of Hasbro to throw together a figure and name it after Gary Head.  Those of you who suffer from Hasbro rage, please enter this in your personal calculus as an example of a classy move that illustrates that they are aware of us in the fandom and that we are important to them.  I am unaware of any other property that has given such a nod to their fans.

2) I have heard of a couple of collectors that have been on a personal mission to acquire a Green Blowtorch or the Red Crockmaster.  Rumors and speculations involve having these products being intended for the Pursuit of Cobra line and somehow misplaced into an unknown warehouse somewhere.  Looks like they've found em!.  Putting them both in a two-pack is a huge nod to those who have been looking forward to these figures for years.

3) That 25th Alpine has been going for over $50 on ebay for some time and the Shock Trooper and Rock Viper for $25 or more.  You can get them all soon for $19.99.  If you like to rage about scalpers, the 50th line should give you some peace of mind as Hasbro continues to combat high prices on the secondary market by filling a dearth of supply for some much wanted figures.

4) The Brand has chosen to tank the market for much desired figures like Low Light, who's carded POC value has dropped from over sixty dollars to about twenty-five now with it's 50th Release.  Prices have also fallen for Cobra Troopers and Shock Troopers.  Rock Vipers will soon be plentiful now too

Another thought that was shared was that GI Joe 3 is now in production.  The next big toy release will be in support of that film.  So this seems to officially put a cap on the 50th Anniversary Line which was almost wholly a giveaway to collectors.  As I let it soak in, I am really happy with what we received yet hope there is more ambitious creativity going into the next movie line.  The 50th Anniversary was a bunch of repaints with a few tweaks here and there.  I have been wanting GI Joe to move forward for some time by releasing new molds and new characters surrounding some new mass marketable theme.  Please, I don't mean this in jest and I hope it's not too soon but I'd like to point out that someone literally had to DIE to get a new character placed in the mythos during the 50th Line.  I hope GI Joe III brings new things and new themes to gather new fans.  Us existing fans will likely come along for the ride anyway.