Although SDCC itself has been somewhat limited in recent years due to the COVID pandemic, it seems like an even longer time since ComicCon held any news of interest for G.I. Joe fans. Well, as the HasLab HISS Tank has dominated the news cycle and G.I. Joe: Classified continues to take the collecting world by storm, I suppose we should have known that would change in 2022.
But even if some of us suspected there’d be nuggets of news from San Diego, I’m not sure any of us were prepared for the sheer number of reveals of figures both in the design pipeline and nearing completion. The initial star of the show was, without a doubt, the HasLab HISS Tank, with a painted model front and center in the Hasbro G.I. Joe booth, drawing ooh’s and aah’s from several attendees.
As always, I have to give huge props to my buddy Chris at The Full Force who was right on top of every single nugget of news all weekend long. If you’re not following him on Facebook or YouTube, you’re missing out.
Most of the images you’ll see here come courtesy of HISSTank.com/ToyArk/TFW2005 who was there in force and took some of the best pictures of the show!
Emily and Lenny explained during the Hasbro panel that while the HISS Tank is not going to come with any blast effects, there will be blast effects elsewhere in the line and they will be 100% compatible with the tank.
As it stands, the HISSTank has well exceeded it’s funding goal and has moved past every stretch goal as well, surging toward a strong finish.
Along with a demo of the HISS Tank, Hasbro also announced two exciting pre-orders in the first days of SDCC. Dr. Mindbender and Sgt. Slaughter! While Sarge was available as a “fan channel” exclusive, meaning you could buy him online anywhere, Mindbender was a combined Hasbro Pulse/SDCC exclusive. Each morning, a limited allotment went up for pre-order. If you were at the show, you could grab a QR Code and use it to purchase the figure while a small amount of them were available for direct pre-order.
While this was all really exciting news, the fun stuff would happen on July 23rd, during the G.I. Joe panel. Anyone who has watched any of the Hasbro Pulse online events knows both Emily and Lenny, and as we’ve all come to expect, they brought some real energy to the gathering and revealed some fantastic stuff.
First, they started with a pair of “name only” reveals — Low Light and a COBRA Tele-Viper and Flight Pod. One would imagine that Low Light would be a close approximation of the ’86 version and will likely come with a sniper rifle. It would be really cool if, like the Pursuit of COBRA version, there was a case to go with it and the rifle could be disassembled to fit inside. I suppose time will tell.
After the name only reveals, Hasbro dropped the news about two more additions to their “Retro” series of Classified figures — Crimson Guard and Snake Eyes!
The Crimson Guard appears to have a brighter base red color and a more metallic looking face mask, and considering he’s an army builder, I think his addition really makes sense. As for Snake Eyes — well, he has a totally newly tooled head sculpt and a much more v1 accurate body design, so man– that one will also be very tough to turn away from!! Considering the current rumor is that Hasbro may finish the Retro line after these last two figures they went out on a high note!
Next, and perhaps the star of the show– Hasbro revealed the worst kept secret in G.I. Joe: Classified… the COBRA Emperor – SERPENTOR.
Thanks to some easter eggs on Mindbender’s art and some offhand comments from the design team during a few of the Pulse events, most fans knew this guy was coming– but it was a whole different thing seeing him in the “flesh” (or plastic, as the case may be). They revealed him during the panel, then had a test shot version of the figure (with his Air Chariot!) out on display.
It should be noted that Serpentor comes with two various hoods to mix and match for your favorite look.
Typically, during the Pulse online events, they’ll give us “pipeline” updates which reveals certain characters that are in the design stages, but not quite ready to show. Well, during the panel, they revealed a first look at digital sculpts for several of these figures, including Shipwreck, Torpedo, Rock n Roll and Copperhead! It should be noted these are very early images, but a fantastic look at some of the digital sculpts.
Of course, this wasn’t all of the G.I. Joe related news — there was Super 7’s excellent COBRA recruitment center and their pop-up store as well as the reveal of some great looking glow in the dark figures and the Marvel G.I. Joe #44 themed COBRA B.A.T. exclusive. Not to mention their display of G.I. Joe Ultimates wave 1, which is due to ship soon. SO MUCH G.I. Joe to soak in– it’s just incredible. As if all of this wasn’t enough — Mezco also revealed their upcoming Roadblock from their G.I. Joe licensed 1:12 line!
I have to say, it was almost overwhelming to see all of the news breaking loose over the weekend. I think we’d all assumed that a 6″ G.I. Joe line would do pretty well with collectors, but to see the absolute fever which has gripped G.I. Joe: Classified– it’s so fantastic to see.
The highlight of the weekend for me was probably the announcement of Low Light, even though we haven’t seen anything yet, just because he’s one of my all time favorite characters and I think is one of those figures that is ripe for a 6″ aesthetic overhaul. Even if Hasbro leans heavy on vintage (as we all know they will) there is still potential for some amazing things out of Low Light.
I really loved the Torpedo reveal as well — though seeing all the gear he comes with, I have no doubt he’ll be a “deluxe” figure at a higher price point, but likely worth every penny. He seems to be a great blend of vintage and modern, especially with the land-based SMG he comes packaged with. Rock n Roll is another fantastic addition, though I’ll admit, I was hoping he might come with a more current heavy machine gun instead of the old school M60. Though I’m certainly not a weapons aficionado, maybe that is a more current weapon that just resembles the old school classic. Someone educate me!
As for Serpentor — man he looks INSANE. I think I prefer the alternate hood to the vintage version, but the cape texture, the sculpted scales on the uniform and the sheer size of that air chariot– I cannot WAIT to get my hands on this one– though I haven’t quite figured out how and where I’ll display him. Between the air chariot, the HISS Tank and the upcoming Flight Pod(s)– my shelves are gonna be in trouble.
All in all, it was a great weekend. Huge thanks to the “boots on the ground” folks who kept those images coming– big thanks to Chris at The Full Force for the constant stream of updates. And of course, Emily, Lenny and the whole Hasbro crew for bringing some great stuff to share with a wider audience in San Diego. Feels like we’re in the middle of a wild ride, and take it from me — you don’t want to take this for granted!! Enjoy it! Soak it in! Things are good in G.I. Joe land.
For being one of the most popular G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero characters in its long, forty year history, it seemed to take Hasbro a while to get their arms around what they wanted to do with Storm Shadow. Sure, we got their Amazon exclusive Arctic Assault and the one from the Snake Eyes film– but a traditional Storm Shadow, a more general purpose version of the character — it just barely arrived, over two years since the line’s start.
Now, while I would have preferred the stellar looking version we saw on GIJoe.com way back when, it’s tough to argue how nicely executed this rendition is. To see everything I have to say, check out my review of the figure here then come back and let me know how wrong I am.
I’ll admit it– I figured they’d just throw a silver logo on the Trooper and consider it good. I’ve never been more happy to be wrong. Not only that, but the Hasbro design team actually didn’t just faithfully recreate the vintage look, either, they found a terrific middle ground that I couldn’t be more pleased with.
Things have been a bit quiet around these parts recently, but that looks like it could be changing. I’m not sure what it was, whether it was participating in the fan roundtable a short time ago or the flurry of activity around the H.I.S.S. HasLab, but whatever the case, I’ve been bitten by the Classified bug and have spent quite a bit of time over the past week playing a little catch up.
If you look back at my G.I. Joe: Classified Review Page you’ll see that I actually didn’t fall THAT far behind. Yes there are definitely some gaps, but considering it’s been a year since I posted a review — could be a lot worse.
I’ve played a little bit of catch up, posting (or finishing partially written) reviews for Flint, Lady Jaye and Major Bludd. Yes, they are older figures, but I promise that’s just the start.
At some point this week I’ll be posting reviews for Spirit, Storm Shadow and COBRA Officer, and I’m hoping for Croc Master shortly thereafter.
If everything goes according to plan, perhaps I’ll even work to fill in some of those other gaps before Tomax, Xamot and Stalker arrive. Time will tell.
So, stay tuned — hopefully lots more still to come!
It seems like lately my life has not allowed me the time to participate as heavily in the G.I. Joe community as I’d like. It’s been a long time since I could help out with the Full Force podcast (sorry, Chris and Pat!) and even longer since I produced regular content for GeneralsJoes.
For that reason I was pretty ecstatic that I actually had some free time that coincided with a Hasbro G.I. Joe Fan Roundtable and was able to dial in. As always, Emily, Lenny, Dustin and the others were incredibly gracious and accommodating to our litany of questions, most of which seemed to revolve around the HasLab HISS Tank (for good reason).
If you want to watch the video of the Roundtable in its entirety, Chris from The Full Force Podcast has it on his YouTube channel. I’ve also broken down some of the highlights below.
We started the conversation with Chris asking about the lack of a developmental update from the last live stream, in which Emily and Lenny typically reveal the names of a couple characters in the development pipeline. After some back and forth, Lenny revealed those two names: Ripper and Firefly!
Courtesy of 3DJoes.ComCourtesy of 3DJoes.com
In my mind, the inclusion of Firefly represents the Hasbro design team’s focus on vintage inspiration, as the COBRA Island Firefly was a pretty significant modern overhaul (and was somewhat limited by Target exclusivity). For the record, I did ask if Firefly would be neon green and was gently told no, though they were sure to elaborate saying that “nothing is off the table” and actually specifically identified Battle Corps Beachhead as a personal favorite. Never say never! To see my thoughts on the COBRA Island Firefly, check out my review!
Many of the questions throughout the conversations orbited around the hugely successful HISS Tank HasLab, talking about how HasLab has its own dedicated team, separate from the design team which makes things a bit more efficient (though Lenny did do the design work on the HISS Driver). From a design perspective they focused a lot of attention on the “real world aspect” of the vehicle, adding small details like the side mounted ladders and additional “greeble” to fill in some of the empty spaces. There was confirmation that (at this point anyway) there are no plans for tiers above the fourth stretch goal, though obviously the speed and level of funding might alter those plans. They also designed the HISS around a larger base figure to ensure that the vast majority of figures could fit. Lenny indicated that Roadblock, Gung Ho, figures of that sized “buck” should be able to fit, and that the HISS Driver was also one of those somewhat larger base figures. Speaking of size, Emily was sure to share a comparison photo–
Another interesting point of the conversation was the delicate balance between product and cost, finding the right middle ground where collectors feel like they’re getting a premium product while it still being at least moderately affordable. They also kept troop builders in mind, though admitted doing so might be cost prohibitive for some. It was interesting to hear also that their first iteration of the HISS was too elaborate and expensive to consider as the final product.
They were also quick to point out that it’s not just about price, but also about providing something that can comfortably exist in our homes. Emily jokingly made reference to a USS Flagg saying that it would be close to 20 feet long and 5 feet high which simply isn’t a realistic expectation for people own and display.
Lenny also mentioned that they’re not really focused on “budget items” they would rather build something right for a little extra money than push through substandard product just to meet a price point. G.I. Joe has always focused it’s attention on quality and ingenuity and Classified is taking up that mantle.
One thing that I specifically wanted to ask unrelated to the HasLab was about the Classified aesthetic and how it’s shifted since it’s inception from a more modern tech-based look to something more beholden to the vintage designs. Lenny confirmed that this was a conscious choice and while at first he indicated it was more related to the arrival of the 40th Anniversary of A Real American Hero in 2022, he did admit that we should be expecting a similar approach going forward. With each figure they plan on looking at their designs and making subtle modern updates where it makes sense, but by and large the beginning template will reflect a vintage inspiration. While I understand this approach and it seems to be working for them, I’ll be whining until I get my GIJoe.Com Storm Shadow I’ve been dying for since the line started.
I also prodded them a bit about an ongoing “narrative” for G.I. Joe: Classified and was told that’s not really in the works at the moment beyond some snippets on packaging as well as the diorama photos that they use to promote each release. Those are the only current plans for story elements based on this new Classified universe, which isn’t necessarily a surprise, though as a writer myself, story is very important to me so this was at least a bit disappointing to hear.
Last but not least there was (obviously) some conversations around the release cadence of figures this year and the fact that there was this huge gap in US distribution. Emily confirmed that there was a light at the end of the tunnel, though there are still pretty significant supply chain challenges. While she wasn’t sure if anything would get back to “normal” any time soon (what the heck is normal?) she did specify that going forward, we should not anticipate the large, six month gap we saw in 2022 from a release perspective. Already figures that were supposed to hit in April are slated to hit in the next few months and if anyone is like me, they just got a barrage of email notifications this past week about Spirit, Storm Shadow, Croc Master and COBRA Officer.
Now– about those Target exclusive Tiger Force and Python Patrol figures…
Once again, I want to give Emily, Lenny, Dustin and the whole Hasbro team a huge thanks for including myself and a plethora of other fans to participate in this roundtable. It’s been a while since I’ve been on one, but it was great to get a chance to participate again and to feel the emotion in the virtual room in the wake of the HasLab success and being on the precipice of a G.I. Joe: Classified resurgence! Yo Joe!
I’ve been a G.I. Joe fan for a very long time– in fact I’ve been a fan since day one of the Real American Hero brand launch four decades ago this year. And when I’m not reflecting on how damn old I am, I’m thinking about the ebbs and flows G.I. Joe has gone through within those forty years and I can’t help but think we may be on the cusp of the next thrilling resurgence of our favorite modern military army man.
Ignoring the fact that the latest mass media launch was a mixed bag, everything surrounding G.I. Joe from a collector perspective appears to be coming up Millhouse. The launch of G.I. Joe: Classified, by all accounts, has drawn the attention of an entirely new generation of fans, who grew up or matured alongside Marvel Legends and have an affinity for the 6″ scale. In spite of some rampant distribution and supply chain issues, I see far more excitement throughout social media for G.I. Joe at large than I’ve seen in a very long time, most of it centered around a renewed focus on classic aesthetics for the latest six inch figures.
While there are times I’d prefer to see something new and different, it’s tough to argue with a successful formula and based on collector reaction to each and every announcement, I’d say the Hasbro design team has their finger on the pulse of what the collectors want.
That’s not to say things are perfect– the constant stream of supply chain and logistical issues has impacted release schedules and has forced Hasbro into a slightly different mechanism for character reveals and announcements. Mixing in some digital renders alongside actual product shots and pre-orders has gone a long way toward increasing the frequency of fan interactions and keeping engagement going, even with dramatic, extended lull between product releases. We can only hope things get better as time goes on, though there seems to be little concrete evidence that things will actually improve any time soon.
In the midst of all this resurgence in G.I. Joe attention, we have the latest HasLab product– a G.I. Joe: Classified COBRA HISS, which looks at the classic, venerable COBRA vehicle and reimagines it at the Classified six inch scale. The cat was released from the bag on this one a little early, and I’ll admit, I was a bit concerned that perhaps that might deflate the balloon a little bit. As it turned out, my fears were wholly invalid because not only did the G.I. Joe: Classified HISS sprint out of the gate, and not only did it fund in less than twelve hours, but it was the fastest HasLab project to reach its funding goal ever.
By all accounts, even this early in the process, the G.I. Joe: Classified HISS has to be considered a resounding success and that success may, quite possibly, set a standard for future G.I. Joe items, both at retail and through the HasLab crowd funding system.
Although I’ve been a fan of the brand for forty years, it’s tough to argue that throughout a lot of that time, G.I. Joe played a bit of a second fiddle to its compatriots like Star Wars and Marvel Legends. But it seems like, with each passing moment, thanks in part to G.I. Joe: Classified, the brand is once again establishing itself as a cornerstone of the collector market and is poised to reignite fan fever not just now, but in the years to come.
Yes, I know technically it started yesterday, but as G.I. Joe fans we all know the good stuff is coming today! At 11:00am eastern this morning, you’re going to want to scream over to the Hasbro PulseCon page and check out the livestream– who knows you might even see some familiar faces.
Just this past week, I actually received a fantastic surprise in the mail as Hasbro sent along a great PulseCon fan package, which was, no doubt, the absolute highlight of my week! Any time I get toys in the mail I’m happy– but FREE toys? Dopamine-city…
Yeah… fan-freaking-tastic!
This box was chock-full of all sorts of fantastic Hasbro goodies– from Star Wars to Marvel Legends to Ghostbusters and Power Rangers– it was a great reminder of just how many fun collector-geared toy lines Hasbro is working on right now. I gotta tell you, the new Fortnite stuff looks really, really fun!
Of course, there were a couple of highlights in this box… first, as a huge Beast Wars fan, getting the PulseCon exclusive Ravage absolutely blew my mind! This is a figure I’ve been waiting for for nearly 25 years. I still remember watching this sequence on television when it first aired, my mouth hanging open as I realized Beast Wars actually took place in the G1 continuity… mind– blown.
But I think we all know what I was REALLY waiting for in this box– I wasn’t sure he’d be in there, but imagine how ecstatic I was to see him. That’s right — Master of Disguise ZARTAN.
Based on the spectacular Classified Zartan tooling, the Master of Disguise version is like Zartan on steroids. Spare Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow heads, plus masks for Gung Ho, Soft Master, Hard Master and a fun Skull– very, very cool. But of course, I think we’ll agree the neatest touch is the actual COLOR CHANGE SKIN. This requires exposure to cold temperatures to work instead of sunlight, but the effect is the same. Purely awesome.
The packaging is amazing as well.
Once again, I cannot thank Hasbro enough for this amazing gift box. As I write this, we are in countdown mode, with a little more than an hour left until the G.I. Joe stream on PulseCon 2021— I hope I’ll see you there!
It seems only appropriate that on a week where we saw the release of two new trailers and a behind-the-scenes featurette that I’d also get my hands on two G.I. Joe: Classified figures straight from the Snake Eyes movie!
I know folks have been waiting on a few other reviews, too… I should have more coming of Flint, Lady Jaye, Major Bludd and my first ever review of G.I. Joe Retro figures! Keep posted!
I can really feel things starting to ramp up now around the upcoming Snake Eyes movie! Paramount has announced that Snake Eyes will have its own panel for the ComicCon at Home event as well as 10 “FANS FIRST” Premiers across the US and Canada.
Not only that, but we can expect a newer, longer trailer on Monday, June 21st!
To celebrate these announcements, Paramount has posted some fantastic new character profiles, comic-to-screen videos of some of the main characters of the film. See Snake Eyes IN FULL UNIFORM for the first time!
The Snake Eyes Comic-Con @ Home panel will be hosted by Mari Takahashi (@atomicmari) and will feature special content from the film, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive interviews with stars Henry Golding, Andrew Koji, Úrsula Corberó, Samara Weaving, Haruka Abe, Takehiro Hira, Peter Mensah and Iko Uwais, and writer of the G.I. Joe comics, Larry Hama! Panel date and time to be announced; follow Comic-Con for updates.
Also, in association with Comic-Con, Snake Eyes will be screened for fans FIRST across the country in 10 cities on Wednesday, July 21st. The Snake Eyes Comic-Con Fans First Premiere Screenings will take place in the following cities: Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Miami, San Diego, Houston, Phoenix and Vancouver. Follow @snakeeyesmovie for more information about how to see Snake Eyes when it premieres in your city for Comic-Con FANS FIRST!
SNAKE EYES IS ONLY IN THEATRES, DOLBY CINEMA AND IMAX JULY 23, 2021
Paramount Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Skydance Present
In Association with Hasbro
A di Bonaventura Pictures Production
A Robert Schwentke Film
“SNAKE EYES: G.I. JOE ORIGINS”
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins stars Henry Golding as Snake Eyes, a tenacious loner who is welcomed into an ancient Japanese clan called the Arashikage after saving the life of their heir apparent. Upon arrival in Japan, the Arashikage teach Snake Eyes the ways of the ninja warrior while also providing something he’s been longing for: a home. But, when secrets from his past are revealed, Snake Eyes’ honor and allegiance will be tested – even if that means losing the trust of those closest to him. Based on the iconic G.I. Joe character, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins also stars Andrew Koji as Storm Shadow, Úrsula Corberó as Baroness, Samara Weaving as Scarlett, Haruka Abe as Akiko, Tahehiro Hira as Kenta and Iko Uwais as Hard Master.
DIRECTED BY
Robert Schwentke
EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY
David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Jeff G. Waxman, Greg Mooradian
PRODUCED BY
Brian Goldner, Erik Howsam, p.g.a., Lorenzo di Bonaventura, p.g.a.
BASED ON
Hasbro’s G.I. JOE® Characters
STORY BY
Evan Spiliotopoulos
SCREENPLAY BY
Evan Spiliotopoulos and Anna Waterhouse & Joe Shrapnel
STARRING
Henry Golding, Andrew Koji, Úrsula Corberó, Samara Weaving, Haruka Abe, Takehiro Hira, Peter Mensah with Iko Uwais
