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Convention theme for 2009 – Action Force (but not the Red Shadows?)

by | Feb 24, 2009 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Collectors Club

No, it’s not 100% confirmed, but at this point it’s quite obvious.

I’ve covered the first three hints from the Collectors’ Club extensively in this post, and now, according to jamarmiller from The Blood for the Baron, the 4th clue is:

“We battle in foreign lands but NOT in the shadows.
You’ve seen us before, but now we bend more.”

Now this does add a level of minor confusion…the Collectors’ Club does emphasize the “NOT” when referring to the Shadows.  Are they trying to tell us the set doesn’t involve the Red Shadows?  Perhaps just Action Force against some international COBRA threat?  I hope not.  I would love for them to take the head sculpt from the old Palitoy Red Shadows figure and retool it to work on the more common G.I. Joe construction, but I’m still a bit curious about the wording of those hints.

Obviously the “You’ve seen us before, but now we bend more” is referring to the fact that many of the old Palitoy figures had limited, Star Wars-style articulation.  So, it’s evident that there is at least a heavy Action Force element to this year’s Convention Set.  Whether or not the Red Shadows are in fact involved, though, is still up for debate, I’d say.

Twenty-Six years later and still some awesome mysteries being uncovered…

by | Feb 24, 2009 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys

mystery_joe_figureI’ve made no secret of the fact that first and foremost, I’m a Real American Hero fan.  The Anniversary stuff is great and all, but it would be impossible to match what the Real American Hero did and has done over its twelve year history, both in the states and abroad.  In these days of the “information age” it’s highly doubtful that any line will have the same variety and intrigue as the original Real American Hero did, and a perfect example of that is this:

Mystery Gray and Yellow Flash

There have been rumors and inquiries going on for years about this figure, and it would finally appear that Blood for the Baron has uncovered the mystery.  After much searching David Tree from the Blood for the Baron forums has uncovered the mysterious “F Force”, supposedly a companion to the more well-known SAS, Z-Force, Q-Force, and Space Force, all European exclusives with some unique paint deco’s and code names to separate them from the American versions (as well as some original Palitoy sculpts with more limited articulation).  A very nice write up by David can be found here.

The intricate details of this discovery are still somewhat foggy, and it remains to be seen if any of this can be 100% confirmed, but it’s very cool to at least get some insight into this figure which has remained such a mystery for the past two decades plus.

And heck, even without this whole mystery going on, you should add Blood for the Baron to your bookmarks anyway, just to check out the incredible Action Force comics and information absolutely loaded within.  A must-see site, even without this article, this just makes it even more interesting.

IDW Comic Solicitations for May, 2009

by | Feb 24, 2009 | Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comics, IDW

Thanks to WildWeasel from The Terror Drome for this info…here are the G.I. Joe-themed comics slated to be released by IDW in May, highlighted by G.I. Joe #5, G.I. Joe Origins #4, and G.I. Joe: COBRA #3.

G.I. JOE #5
Written by: Chuck Dixon,
Art by: Robert Atkins
Cover(s) by: Dave Johnson & Robert Atkins (2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio.)
32 pages, Full Color • Cover Price $3.99 • Available May 2009

The battle in The Pit becomes a chase across the Nevada desert. Only one of Destro’s mechanized killers is left and it’s the most dangerous. Meanwhile, Flint is figuring out Where in The World is Castle Destro. And in Manila, Snake Eyes shows up as Stalker is closing in on a runaway arms dealer but on whose side?

(more…)