So I haven’t really jumped all over the Past and Present idea…I mean, I absolutely love the concept, but there’s only so much Hasbro can do with it, and honestly, I didn’t think they started off very strongly with the Rockslide 2-pack. I’ve already got two Rise of Cobra Rockslides, and I’ve got plenty of vintage Snow Jobs and Battle Bears, with no real desire to drop money for more.
Thankfully, GeneralsJoes contributor Mysterious Stranger doesn’t agree, he picked up a set, and was awesome enough to submit a review! You can check it out on the Rise of Cobra Reviews Page, or just hit it directly right here.
Just another one I owe him…
Big kudos to Entertainment News International for posting the G.I. Joe press event by Jeff Labovitz at Toy Fair last Saturday in its entirety. You can check out the video right here, or see it embedded below.
The MTV Movies Blog had a chance to sit down and talk with the writers behind Zombieland, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, and made sure to grill them somewhat about the progress on the G.I. Joe sequel. The two writers confirmed that they are working on the film, and that it will not be a reboot. But they also specified that they will try and make it closer to the source material while still making it a big, fun movie.
In the interview they say that they are traveling to Hasbro headquarters to start working out ideas for new characters (though they would not say who). Check out the interview for yourself, embedded below:
I’ve been a bit behind the eight ball in the past 24 hours, trying to recuperate from the Toy Fair rush, but a few G.I. Joe related stories have leaked out in that time that I figured I should talk a little bit about.
Much Maligned Wave 3 Alpha vehicles from the Rise of Cobra have appeared as US Retail. That tail end wave of Alpha vehicles (the Lava Pod, Tiger Claw, Rockslide, and Polar Shark Sub) has appeared sporadically overseas, but has not, to this point, been found at a normal brick and mortar location. The real question at this point, though, is does anyone actually care? Sure, the Polar Shark Sub is pretty neat, but the Volcano Pod is just another cruddy Mole Pod, we’re getting a bad ass new Dusty this fall, and don’t really need a desert themed Rockslide, and many folks have lamented the Leatherneck that comes with the Tiger Claw. When it all comes down to it, I think the time for the Wave 3 Alpha’s has come and gone, and now that we know what’s in the wings, these already seem very “been there, done that, let’s move on”. Still, it must be noted that one was found at Wal-Mart. Take that for what it’s worth.
The GIJoeClub debuted Flint late night before I left for New York. Kudo’s to Gary for getting the story posted, but being the myopic fanboy that I am, I feel the need to throw my .02 in. My thoughts? I dig it. I’m kind of wondering if the flash is washing out the picture a little bit, because it’s coming across a bit on the bright side, but I’m betting once we see it in person, the colors will be very “Z-Force” like. It’s obvious they made effort to make Flint a tribute to the Z-Force Commander “Skip”, and I’ve got no issues with that whatsoever. I do wish they’d used the Comic Pack head if it were available, though. I’m not quite as giddy about Flint as I was about Black Major and even the Red Torch, but he still looks really cool and stands out amongst other figures. Check out the images right here.
Though Sideshow Collectibles has become famous in the G.I. Joe community for their fantastic work with the 12″ figures, they are well known around the world for their work in statuary and other high format collectibles, too. And now Sideshow is proud to unveil their latest statue in the world of G.I. Joe, Snake Eyes vs. The Red Ninjas. The pre-order will launch with the newsletter on February 25th, so be prepared!
That covers much of the news while I was on the road. There’s still more to talk about, which I will do in further posts, specifically about G.I. Joe: Cobra II, as well as Toy Fair coverage from other sites that you have to see. Thanks for bearing with me as I was traveling, and hopefully the news and images reached you early and often!
Heh…in the last post I mentioned a month was a long time to wait for a follow up to a 5 minute webisode. Turns out, the action itself only took just over 3 minutes. Overall impression? About what you’d expect for a direct-to-website feature catered to kids. It’s done in CGI animation, purely computer models, and they looked like they were pulled from the cut scenes of the console game (which isn’t necessarily a good thing). Some choppy animation, some stilted voice acting, and nothing that will really make the long time fans go crazy. Definitely not G.I. Joe’s best side.
I still kinda dig seeing the movie universe further explored (especially since it would appear it’s vanishing entirely from store shelves with this G.I. Joe “reboot” this fall), but the end result did not blow my skirt up, which is really saying something when coming from this fanboy. Regardless, I’ll be waiting the first Friday of every month just to see what’s next.
On the positive side, we did get some cool intel when the credits rolled! I’ve mirrored some screen shots below, including a shot of the voice credits, which indicate that some other characters will be appearing in the series like Recondo, Helix, and Snow Job! I’ll check out further installments just for that.
A fun way to spend a few minutes, but don’t expect Beast Wars or Starship Troopers… the gallery is below.
Big thanks to The Terror Drome for breaking the news that the rumored web-based animated series “G.I. Joe: Operation H.I.S.S.” has hit the airwaves on the eve of Toy Fair, 2010. Broken up into what appears to be five minute episodes, apparently new installments will appear on the first Friday of each month. Man…a full month between five minute episodes? Interesting.
Haven’t even checked it out yet, but will be doing so shortly. Take a peek yourself right here.
