G.I. JOE Convention 2014

[Bravo]

The con set is ECO Warriors and Zombie Hunters vs Toxo Viper and zombies. Some new Cobra dog handler, too or some crap

At least the JOES are in the set again next year. They've gradually realized that making sets of 3 Cobras and 12 identical troopers isn't exciting and even with the JOES in the big set, they can still have attendee add-ons to milk more money.

www.gijoecon.com/tx2014/

Still don't care. I wanted the new classic Cobra Commander, but he's never gonna be in stores and I'm not paying more than $10 for him from online gougers. GI JOE's collector fan base will be like He-Man's, die-hards willing to pay twice retail for figures that are 50 t0 100% recycled parts.

[Felix]

I've always liked the Eco-Warriors. Anything with color changing aspects is an automatic win for me

Not a big fan of the 25th style figures.

I always hated the prices they sell their stuff for. You can track down original figures for less.

[Bravo]

Every time I give the 25th/Modern stuff a chance I feel let down. I got a single carded "Dollar General" Cobra trooper/officer at Ollies discount chain for $4. It's almost a good figure, but...the mix of 25th and Pursuit of Cobra parts is a problem. The neck on the torso is angling down or haunched forward, and the head they used was from a 25th dvd pack trooper, so it's not designed to move up and down, only side to side. The result is a trooper that is always looking down. And, no surprise here, NONE of the review sites mention this. I noticed it within a minute of opening the figure.

It's not a bad figure for $4. But it's not the excellent figure some fans think.

(And of course, the new figures are still giants compared to actual 3 3/4" stuff.)

[Swindle]

Hey guys, been having computer problems, but I'm back. I'm always interested in what the con figure package gimmick is going to be if for no other reasons than nostalgia. 90s GIJoe? That's when the line was on the downturn. That's surprising.

[Felix]

Glad to have you back

[Bravo]

Hey, this thing is going on.

Eco Striker is the "freebie" apparently. Used the retaliation ninja striker whatever version.

Crazy Legs night force paradrop figure, only 1000 made! (if you believe the Club). Twits already selling them on ebay for $200 because that's what the con is, scalperiffic fun.

Another modern "zombie fighter" Vamp repaint. A DTC HISS repaint as Septic Tank 2 (why that and not a more recent HISS?). Another modern Sky Hawk repaint with Steel Brigade pilot. I prefer the improbable but classic jet engines over the Pursuit of Cobra ones.

Rescue ops 2-pack...Clutch for the Vamp and Ice Storm?? Is he supposed to be Snow Storm, another Eco Warriors tribute? Doesn't look like it.

Zombie Steel Brigade 3 pack? Probably the epitome of the Collector's Club Convention and their exclusives. The Steel Brigade are brain dead and it's an over priced troop builder set of identical figures.

Kreons. Eco warriors vs Toxo viper/zombies plus Joe Colton.

Steel Brigade is utterly boring, makes me understand folks who dislike GI JOE army builders. When the exciting stuff is Ninja Force and Eco Warriors, I question how many more years they can keep this shit up. I guess as long as they can keep it scalper-friendly with hyped up limited production runs.

It makes me wonder how many of the current Convention item eBay sellers are the club themselves.

[Felix]

No Star Duster, O-ring style, then it's not a REAL convention

Only thing the club could offer to make me hop on board is the Original 13, O-ring style. I'd even be willing to take their customized versions of those characters.

That's the only thing I can think of that would make me kind of freak out and buy a set.

[Bravo]

From what I read, this year there's a blatant shortage of exclusives more than ever, particularly the parachute drop figure, which IIRC, in the past has usually been the most easily obtainable Con item.

The total for all the attendee exclusives ($430.00) with 8.25% sales tax is $465.48, assuming you attended the Con and could get them before any items sold out, and some have.

Add that to the $440 convention set itself. $905.48.

Wasn't the first set under $200 back in 2002?

[Bravo]

The next figure subscription line-up

Alpine v2 (The valor vs. venom one, so they can reuse Kwinn's parts...and a new head.)
Bombstrike (new head, one hopes)
Psyche Out (Original Colors)
Repeater (Original Colors)
Hit & Run (Concept Case Version)
Muskrat (Original Colors)
Spearhead (Original Colors)
Big Ben (new head sculpt)
Crimson Guard Immortal (new head sculpt)
Slice (new head)
Night Creeper Leader
Vypra

Characters Hasbro doesn't care about anymore, because OMG need another SNAKE-EYES and STORM SHADOW in storesz. LOLZ.

Fan Club membership figure is Dr. Mindbender in arctic gear.

Plus the Wave Crusher with Sub Viper. Because everyone wants the same damned SHARC vehicle again at 3 times its last retail price, right? See how fun it is for the figure to rattle around in the cockpit that was designed for a specific figure! Who isn't nostalgic for the year 2001?

[Swindle]

Wonder what Vypra will look like, something beyond a Jinx repaint?

[Bravo]

Reports don't mention a new head sculpt for her, the image shown in 1998 box art, so sounds like a Jinx repaint.

Mindbender will get a new head, because everyone agrees that the Cobra Island set one sucked.

[Felix]

Psych-Out, I've been waiting my whole life for this ;-p
Muskrat, dude came with a surf board, nuff said.
Repeater, he's got great parts for an R N' R custom. Don't care about the character. Odd thing, I used his torso for my custom Duke a long time ago. It's funny how much it looks like Resolute Duke, but I made it way before that show ever saw the light of day.
All I remember is in the comic, Hama would use these guys, but they were always getting shot or hurt badly, like he had some kind of resentment at Hasbro for making him have to constantly use new characters in his stories.

Spearhead, IMHO this is the best figure for a custom Grand Slam. I know how much Bravo loves that character.

Big-Ben, well, the torso is good for an R N' R custom....*crickets chirping*.

Slice, no Dice.

Night Creeper Leader, awesome! He can lead the exclusive set of Night Creepers! Oh wait....what was the point of this one again?

Dr. Mindbender, I always wanted the Battle Corps version, but never got around to it. Probably because I don't really give a shit about the Doc.

Sub-Viper was kind of cool. Would be better as Sludge-Viper, or did they do that last year?

I always wanted the Con Jinx as a Cobra operative. Doubt Vypra will look like that, probably just like Vypra.

I've never got a single con figure, ever. Not that they don't make some cool figures (even vehicles), but they're extremely over priced. I mean, you can get original vintage figures for less, so why bother? Granted, every 10 years or so, they make something that's never been offered before, like Big Lob, so they get some points for that. That blue Moray would have been cool too, but I can't think of anything else I'd want. I thought I would have jumped on a Dreadnok set, but meh, nothing changed colors, bunch of Aero-Vipers, weird. Not how I envision Dreadnoks. That Chuckles, Shipwreck, Night-Viper and Frag Viper they did a while back were great too, but I'm not going to shell out $50 plus for those things.


Really, the Original 13 is the only thing I'd like to see them put some real effort into. I would come out of G.I. JOE retirement to buy that.

[Bravo]

Funny about Hama in later issues, after Special Missions ended, he just wholesale ignored gobs of characters. But with the current continuation series, he goes back and uses some guys he never did, like Blizzard and Topside. I'm giving him credit for that. It's still jarring that Stalker went back to wearing his 1982 clothes, though.

The Grand Slam sucks thing was a joke from those Smash the State guys who no longer speak to me because I flaked out that one time. I just kept the joke going for no good reason.

If they made the Dic Night Creeper leader they'd be making something "new".

There's the mystery incentive subscription figure that supposedly will be better than a Grand Slam repaint.

They did Sludge Viper in this year's boxed set as an individual character named REPULSOR. Some people were hoping for a set of Sludge Viper army builders, but there wasn't one.

[Felix]

Those Smash the State guys take G.I. JOE collecting to a whole new level ;-)

Stalker was one of Hamas favorites, I'm just guessing, but he probably based his character off a good friend.