I haven’t tossed a metric ton of Toy Fair images up yet, but I filled out the action figure waves with correct information and new photos based on what I got during Toy Fair. I hope to supplement the vehicle and 3 Pack sections at some point, too, but that’s for a later time.
Check out the G.I. Joe: Retaliation Toy SuperPage for the new info!
Hold on to your seats, Joe fans!
With the 2012 Toy Fair wrapping up today for Hasbro, many big name media outlets and Hollywood folks were walking through the Hasbro showroom. You had to know that some interviews would take place, and Mike Ryan from Huffington Post got a big one!
He took a few minutes to talk with G.I. Joe: Retaliation director Jon Chu, who dropped some serious plot nuggets that are sure to open some eyes. I won’t regurgitate the entire interview here, but I do want to touch on a few things:
“Joseph Gordon-Levitt is not in this movie. Under the mask, is this the same character that Levitt played?
No. [Smiling] But we figured out a way that’s pretty nice. And you get the Cobra Commander that you’ve always wanted. Or, to me, what I always wanted: a bad-ass villain. He’s one of the most iconic villains ever. I’m even following him on Twitter — he’s so funny.”
Woah. You read it there, folks. The Cobra Commander we see in G.I. Joe: Retaliation is not the same guy from G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. So the scene where we think Storm Shadow is “rescuing” him… maybe that’s not what’s happening there. Very interesting.
The next bit of knowledge brought a big smile to my face as well:
“And we may see Destro?
[Smiling] You may see a little glimpse of Destro. We’ll have to see. Speaking of the comic book, I love “Silent Interlude.” It’s one of my favorite. Obviously that changed everything for Joe. We do a little homage in our movie to “Silent Interlude.” I’m very excited for the fans to see what we do with that.”
So, a little glimpse of Destro and an homage to Silent Interlude. Hmmm…
Any way, the interview is a fantastic read. Everyone needs to check it out. Lots of great illumination about the mindset behind the G.I. Joe: Retaliation film, a much larger focus on gritty action and bullets over lasers, and a story that Mr. Chu says is much more “comic” themed than the Rise of Cobra. Check it out right here.
Remember that awesome Footlocker set for the entire run of Sunbow G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero episodes? Well, starting May 1st, Shout Factory is dropping the foot locker design and re-releasing the full series set!
Check out Amazon.com to pre-order the 16 disc DVD set and watch all the Sunbow animated series you want.
Thanks to TVShowsonDVD and Captain N for the tip!
Here on the site and on the What’s on Joe Mind podcast, I’ve been talking up G.I. Joe: Operation Red Retrieval, which was an awesome fan film by the talented Mark Cheng. Well, now there’s another great looking film on the horizon, entitled G.I. Joe: Initiate.
A very ambitious undertaking by a crew of military veterans and folks well versed in the motion picture process, this looks like a very cool, very military themed operation that has some real potential. Real military hardware including armored personal carriers and tanks(!!) are at their disposal, and from what we’ve seen so far, this project has some great potential!
You can keep up to date on this new fan film on their Facebook Page.
Most importantly, though, the film needs our help. They’ve launched a Kickstarter page with which Joe fans can donate money to help ease some production costs of the film. Help feed the crew and assist with minor incidentals. In the grand scheme of things, it appears to be a small price to pay for what looks like a very fun, military, and action oriented fan film.
Once again, keep watching Facebook for updates, and if you can help them out on Kickstarter hit it up! The sooner they reach the goal, the sooner we get a great fan film, and if they overshoot their goal, all extra proceeds will go to the Wounded Warrior project. Can it get any better? I’ve mirrored some cool character images below, just to give an idea what they’re going for. Good stuff.
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Every year JoeCustoms.com unveils a special “Custom Celebration” which, as the name indicates, celebrates the ideas and techniques of G.I. Joe customization. Hot on the heels of Toy Fair 2012, this seems like a great time to explore some of the creativity behind our favorite action figures.
In JoeCustom’s own words:
For those who have never been a part of one of our Custom Celebration, well, you’re in for a a treat. This is a two week event that puts the spotlight completely on customs, customizers and customizing. To do that, we have brought in a collection of contributors to write about various aspects of customizing, collecting, and creativity. In addition, there will be multiple chances for everyone at JoeCustoms to share their unique thoughts and ideas.
So what can you expect to see and read this year? We are going to be flooding the site with brand new “how to” articles and videos. We will be presenting a multitude of interviews with customizers who are an influential part of the hobby. There will be virtual customizing and discussion of collecting in general. All that, plus a ton of surprises. A day can’t handle that many items. Even a week is too small. Only a two week celebration can truly hold all of this excitement!
What can you do? Join in the fun! Check out the new Custom Celebration forum. Each day will have several new features. You’ll have a chance to comment on each piece in this special forum for the event. In addition, there will be a few special threads with specific topics where you will help determine what is discussed.
If nothing else, we hope that the Custom Celebration gets you excited about customizing again. Has it been a while since you have made a custom figure/vehicle/playset/dioramma? Have you hung out on the site and never made a custom? What are you waiting for? Custom Celebration will give you tons of ideas, tips, and encouragement to tackle that first project.
JoeCustoms is proud to start off your week with Custom Celebration VI – a celebration of customs, customizers and customizing!
Check out the Custom Celebration right here!