Today the mailman came to my door again with a lovely package from Hasbro. This time around I received the Cobra H.I.S.S. Techno Viper with the H.M.S.
The box
The Techno-Viper comes in the H.I.S.S. tank color scheme and has several accessories, like a backpack, handgun, rifle and a remote control for the HM of the HMS. The HMS has 3 big missiles, legs that can be raised so it can be towed by the H.I.S.S. and a wheel on the back so it can be turned more easily.
The back of the box
Everywhere on the box, the new Cobra H.I.S.S. logo is featured prominently. I have to say that I do like it. It’s simple, but elegant and reflects the H.I.S.S. tank in the shape of the Cobra depicted. The art on the side of the box shows the Techno-Viper close-up and is – as with all the art of the Classified Series really – stunningly beautiful. Let’s hope somebody will be collecting these masterpieces into a little book someday – here’s looking at you 3DJoes :-)!
The side art and 111 number
Also on the box is the Semper Fidelis Serpent emblem. This one is not really printed on, it’s more of an embossed print, it pops up from the cardboard. Not sure if you can see it in the picture, but if you have felt it yourself, you know what I’m talking about.
Semper Fidelis Serpens
That’s all for now. See you back soon with new updates on the collection. Until then… Happy Collecting and YoJoe! (Or Hail Cobra! Or Semper Fidelis Serpens!)
A while back, I ordered these Pagepunchers 2 figure packs from McFarlane Toys over on Amazon.com and they finally arrived today. Let’s check them out.
First up are Duke and Snake-Eyes. The packaging of these little figures is great and reminiscent of the original G.I. Joe figures with the explosion in the back. The figures themselves are pocket sized, around 3″in size. They feature 6 points of articulation “for maximum play value” (that’s what the description says). The package also includes a comic book display stand featuring the G.I. Joe logo and 2 comic books (issue #253 of the IDW ARAH run and #10 of the Chuck Dixon run). There is also a bookmark included with the classic Snake-Eyes card art.
The Snake-Eyes figure is looking as bad-ass as ever. This iconic classic design is immediately recognisable and is really cool looking. The Duke figure on the other hand is, well, less so.
I don’t see the resemblance with Duke to be honest, aside from the blond hair and tan shirt, this could be a generic green shirt trooper.
Next up we have a set of Cobra Commander and a Crimson Guardsman. This set includes the #267 from the IDW ARAH run and the 2012 Annual from IDW. It also has the stand and same bookmark.
These figures look their part and closely match the original figures.
Again, we’re seeing the Commander with his battle helmet. No-one is willing or going to touch the hooded version it seems. The color is bright blue and the accents pop out in red and black. I would have liked to have seen his classic pistol, but alas, no accessories are included.
A lot of red on the Crimson Guard, and some black and white. The printed decals are really fine and sharp. No quality issues here it seems.
Don’t answer that, just admire my rad wordplay skills and check out the latest additions to my G.I. Joe collection.
I’ve always been collecting stuff related to the G.I. Joe action figures, and they sure do release some paraphernalia – most of it through licensing. I’ve collected the Funko Pop figures, but this time around, I finally pulled the trigger on the Funko Pop Pins and naturally, I got all 4 of them in one go 🙂
Funko Pop Pins
We got Storm Shadow in his G.I. Joe camo outfit, Cobra Commander with battle helmet (I think we really are never going to get a hooded version under license again), Destro and Snake-Eyes, both in their ‘traditional’ look.
Storm Shadow
Not only is he depicted in the white camouflage from the time he joined the Ninja Force, he’s also a glow in the dark pin. Not very stealthy for a ninja if you ask me.
Cobra Commander
Strangely enough, the big head really works well with the chrome battle helmet.
Destro
As with the Cobra Commander pin, the big head really makes the chrome pop. Get it, chrome and pop, cause it’s in chrome and it’s a pop… Moving on.
Snake Eyes
Of course they had to include Snake Eyes in the mix. The all black figure gets details shown in chrome and it’s really well done.
Now these aren’t your ordinary lapel pins, they be BIG. Each one is around 4 inches (roughly the size of an OG 1982 style action figure). They come in these sleek black boxes with a clear front and gold accents which give them a rather exclusive look. Just look at the G.I. Joe logo popping out from the black background, just gorgeous! While you’re looking at it, do you notice the “Cobra – The Enemy” tagline on top where you’d expect to see “A Real American Hero”? I’ve never seen it shown like that before, not going to lie, I don’t hate it. Is it weird? Kinda.
As for the practical part, they have 3 prickly bits on the back (the actual pins if you will) and come with a built-in stand that is removable showing the Funko crown.
That’s all for now. See you back again soon(ish). Until then… Happy Collecting and YoJoe!
I’m a backpack loaded up with things and knickknacks too. Anything that you might need, I got inside for you.
A while back, I saw a post on Facebook by The Full Force Podcast that they discovered a G.I. Joe themed backpack on Fun.com. Since I try to get all sorts of knickknacks for my collection, I went ahead and tried to order one. Unfortunately, they don’t ship to Belgium, so I had to get creative.
Straight from the U.S of A.
I remembered I once created an account with myUS, a mailing service in the US and UK that will ship packages to you from suppliers that don’t ship to your country. I never actually tried it out, so this seemed like a good time to try it out. I purchased the backpack on the fun.com website and entered the address of the forwarding provider. It shipped quite fast to them and I got an email that an inbound package was expected. They immediately charged me for the shipping costs and the import taxes and duties. This was a bit higher than I expected, but considering they all did this for me, it was acceptable. Just under 3 weeks later, the package arrived at my doorstep.
Now that’s a backpack!
They actually put a bland brown cardboard box around it to ship it to Belgium, but that’s not so interesting to show. The backpack itself is colorful and camo, although the print quality isn’t as sharp as I would have hoped. Maybe I had too high expectations. See for yourself.
Fuzzy Destro
Another choice I wouldn’t have made are the gold colored zippers. They look a bit out of place with the camouflage print and the colors of the figures.
Zip-a -di-doo-da
On the front of the backpack is an extra pouch with another gold colored zipper and a big rubbery G.I. Joe logo. Unfortunately, there is spot of red paint on the blue line of the logo with my backpack. Quality control should have picked this up because it does stand out. Maybe I’m nitpicking, but you really do notice it when you look at the bag.
YoJoe!
Red, white and blue and another spot of red.
On the inside, there is no padding or extra sleeve to put your laptop in, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you want to be sure your laptop doesn’t get damaged. There is a separate pouch on the inside that can be closed with a zipper, big enough for your wallet or cellphone. Another G.I. Joe logo is found here as well, but it’s just on a label that is stitched on quite loosely, just 2 strips on the short edges. I feel that this may become loose sooner rather than later.
Inside pouch and tag.
All things considered, I’m glad this is a part of my collection and I probably will be using it when I go to a convention in the future. If anything, I’ll be flying the G.I. Joe colors.
That’s all for now. See you back soon, until then, Happy Collecting and YoJoe!
They say that reading is like travel, allowing you to exit your own life for a bit, and to come back with a renewed, even inspired, perspective. The book I received today is more like time travel, where you wish you could go back in time and have bought more G.I. Joe and other action figures.
Action figures of the 1980’s by John Marshall
The book gives an overview in 160 pages of the most popular action figure lines of the 1980’s. It also gives an indication of the prices, both loose and carded/boxed. The thing is, the book was published in 1998, so those prices are eye watering low compared to the prices we see now.
Jinx is kicking Zarana’s butt, while Rafaël is “playing” with E.T.
Inside, there are chapters for each toy line, starting with G.I. Joe, The Corps, over He-Man and the masters of the Universe all the way to Star Wars. I’m honestly only really interested in the G.I. Joe section.
Carded Snake-Eyes, Stalker and Grunt. Notice the original price tags of $2.69.
For each year, from 1982-1989, the figures are listed and given a value, both loose and carded. If somebody still wants to sell me the figures at the prices listed here, send me a PM 🙂
1982-1983 figures with values for loose and carded.
That’s all for now, for those looking for the book themselves, the ISBN number is 9780764304941.
I’ll leave you with a picture of the dapper looking author with his favorite Cobra T-Shirt.
The author, John Marshall.
See you back soon. Happy Collecting and YoJoe!
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