G.I. Joe – Page 8 – European Joe's

This week’s lucky numbers are …

Of the top of my head, or better yet, straight from the lovely people over at In Demand Toys via the postman into my collection. Number 33, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 41 & 42

Lucky numbers – I messed up the order – I know, but this way, it’s 3 red ones, 2 blue ones and again 3 red ones. Symmetry trumps numerical ordering…

Waiting for the numerous pre-orders can be long and hard (at least that what she said), but it also means that sometimes, you get a big box of goodies all at once. This week, my mailman dropped of a box of 8 figures. Let’s get into it.

We start of this big delivery with number 33, my second B.A.T. I recently got the first one in, so I won’t go into much detail here. Click the link above to read the post on this one.

We continue with the #34, the Alley Viper.

This one is again a 6 inch update of the classic 3.75” figure. The bright orange with blue accents is really popping and resembling of the original figure. The High-Vis orange is not very subtle, then again as urban assault troopers, they do stand out in the crowd. They come fully prepped with several weapons and of course the iconic Cobra Shield.

This is a perfect example of the hommage the creators of the Classified Series try to accomplish with this figures. The Alley Vipers have been a fan favorite army builder and I truly believe that this figure will also find it’s way to collectors in multiple amounts rather than just the one. I know I have ordered another one 🙂

As the art shows, you can’t just have one Alley Viper…

Next up is number 35, Storm Shadow, the second version in the Classified series, but resembling the original Storm Shadow figure from 1984.

I feel like I keep on repeating myself here, but Hasbro has really found the sweet spot between updating the figures and keeping them familiar enough for the adult collectors to keep on buying them. One could argue that the first Classified version closely resembles the 1993 Ninja Force 3.75” version of the figure, but it doesn’t get any more iconic than this all white ninja look for Stormy.

We’ve arrived at #36, 2 figures if you count the animal companions as separate figures, we have Spirit and Freedom.

I’ve always made a point of pointing out how great the artwork is on these classified boxes. This time though, I’m not a big fan. It’s far from ugly, but it just doesn’t work for me like the other figure’s art has done. As ever, art is very personal and I’m sure others will like this style a lot, but I’m not feeling it. It’s like the Tom Scioli TF vs G.I. Joe comic books, some people love the artstyle, I had to force myself to read them all. It’s Joe, so I did have to have them and I read them.

As with the Storm Shadow figure, this one closely resembles the original 3.75″ figure of Spirit that was released in 1984. This time around, Freedom gets a huge update and becomes an actual toy with moveable legs and wings, rather than a simple plastic animal accessory.

I’ve been looking for Freedom, I’ve been looking so long.

Up next, it’s #39, another Joe and I might add a European Joe, it’s Tiger Force Stuart “Outback” Selkirk.

Although the original 3.75″ figure was released in 1987 (with the bright ginger hair), we got the 1990 Tiger Force repainted version with the white hair exclusively in Europe. It took me quite some time before I realized that the regular figure even existed. I only knew the TF version, later on, in the comic books, I saw Outback in his white ‘Survival’ t-shirt and with the red hair.

In case the bright orange t-shirt didn’t give it away, the package also clearly shows the Tiger Force logo.

The artwork here is again of the highest quality. With the move to full cardboard packaging later this year/next year, I truly hope that they push the artwork more to the foreground. If I have any complaints about the artwork, it would be that they limit it to a small corner of the front of the box (and some details on the side, but there it gets a blue/red haze).

From the Outback into the Wild, we have arrived at the #38 figure (yes, I just discussed #39, read the text under the first picture to know why). It’s Croc Master and Fiona. Again, 2 figures really – not including the itsy-bitsy baby crocs.

Fiona and Croc Master (from left to right).

If I was to channel my internal Hector Ramirez, I’d be asking: Who was Fiona? What did she do to make an extremely nice G.I. Joe toy designer name a crocodile after here? An ex-wife? Mother-in-law? Annoying boss?

The figure itself is again a very well executed hommage to the original 3.75″ figure. If you can believe it, there have been 5 versions in the 3.75″ line of Croc Master (and only 1 of Scoop – come on Hasbro, give me a Classified Scoop – I know, there was a G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club Figure Subscription Service volume 5 figure as well of Scoop, but I’m not counting that one)

This brings us to #41, the Python Patrol B.A.T. Again a beloved sub-line that gets some new TLC from the Classified Crew.

I don’t know if we ever had the Python Patrol figures and vehicles on the shelves here in Belgium. I never had any of them as a kid, that I know. As much as I love the regular B.A.T. figure in the Classified run, I have to say that this color scheme is absolutely lovely on that figure. The grey, the dark red, the bright yellow. I all just fits so well together.

Number 42 on the list and the final figure from this motherload of shipments, is another Python Patrol figure, the Python Patrol Viper.

It says Cobra Viper… which is true, but it should have said Python Patrol Viper!

Being a repaint of the #27 figure, it does fit in the Python Patrol theme, but the color scheme is not as nice as with the B.A.T. figure. Hasbro wouldn’t be Hasbro if they didn’t think about the numbers and so re-using an army builder figure in a different color scheme/sub-unit has worked in the past, and will probably forever be a money-making strategy.

They did get cheap with the accessories though; the figure doesn’t come with a scarf. Pro tip for the Joe team: AIM for the exposed neck!

Wow, that was quite a list and an exquisite set of figures if you ask me. With the prices going up (not just USD vs EUR vs GBP), but also pretty much everything else getting increasingly expensive, I must face the reality and change my attitude from “I have to collect them all” to “This one is nice to have, that one I can skip”. There are still some pre-orders on the way, but going forward, I’m not counting on getting every figure that is released. Does that make me sad? Yes. Does it also mean I can keep my house warm and have food on the table? Yes, it does. Priorities must be set and as much as I love G.I. Joe – and if you’ve been following the blog for a while (it will be 10 years in December!!!), you know I really do love the brand – sometimes hard choices must be made.

If you’d like to support the blog, there is a gofundme online, mainly to cover the costs of running the website and the rest will go to the Classified H.I.S.S. tank fund, because if I have to stop collecting, I want to go out BIG! Feel free to share the link with friends and family. I know it’s challenging times for everyone, but every little bit helps.

Thanks for making it to the end of this long post. See you next time!

Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

Don’t let nothin’ hold you back, if the B.A.T. man can do it, so can you!

Ski-bi dibby dib yo da dub dub
Yo da dub dub
Ski-bi dibby dib yo da dub dub
Yo da dub dub
(I’m the B.A.T. man)
Ski-bi dibby dib yo da dub dub
Yo da dub dub
Ski-bi dibby dib yo da dub dub
Yo da dub dub

It has been a while since I got to add a new figure from the Classified series to my collection, but today is the day I can add my first B.A.T. figure.

This is one of my favorite Classified figures so far. It really closely resembles the original 3.75” figure and is just very, very cool looking.

As I mentioned before, this is one of the figures that I will be getting more than one of. Just because it’s such a cool looking figure really, no other reason than that honestly. The 1986 figure (called B.A.T.S.) was one of my favorites too. I still have my original one from a kid somewhere in a box. The attic is beginning to look like an attic instead of a building site. We’ve hit some issues along the way and now we can finally start building. I’m hoping to get to decorating by the end of the year, then I can display my figures and vehicles.

The artwork is yet again really nice. This time around, it’s showing a battle damaged B.A.T. The shot-up head is also included with the figure, so you can switch the regular head out for this one.

Looking up close at the figure, the chest part really does closely match the original figure. The 3D effect that was on the 3.75” figure has been replaced by 3D molds of tubing and transistors. There are 2 chest plates included – one prestine and one showing damage – to cover his inner workings, but frankly, I prefer them showing.

That’s it for now. I’m expecting a rather large delivery of new figures pretty soon. So I’ll be back soon. Until then…

Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

Je l’ai fait de nouveau

‘Cause to lose all my senses, that is just so typically me.

I recently came across another 7″ vinyl record that had a French version of the Cartoon Intro on it. This time around, it had a different artwork, so I snatched it up.

Now, I remembered seeing this cover art somewhere before, but I couldn’t find it at first. Finally, it came back to me. It was on one of the VHS tapes I had when I was a kid and watched over and over. I still have those tapes somewhere in a box in storage, but thanks to GIJOE.NL, I was able to find an image of the VHS case in their large media library. The image was cropped to fit the VHS case and mirrored as well. I guess my memory could see past that mirroring 🙂

The tape only had one episode on it. “Dromen zijn bedrog”, a Dutch dubbed version of Nightmare Assault. I’m gonna have to rewatch those episodes, again, I can do so on GIJOE.NL. For those of you that don’t understand Dutch, the English version is available on Youtube.

Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

Trivia Time!

Occasionally I come across something Joe related that is so absurd or weird that I just can’t help myself and I need to get it. Last time around, it was a book filled with all the file cards. This time, I found a book that has all the G.I. Joe trivia a true fan should know… And we all know what knowing is.

What follows now is the product description on the Amazon page. Fairly generic (ready to copy & paste for any subject), but still very well written. /s

If you’re worried about anything, pass the time with this trivia book. It will bring you joy, make you smile, and assist you in relaxing. A number of quizzes may also be useful in learning more about the series or characters. This trivia book is just what you’ve been looking for to relax with! This trivia book will put your world knowledge to the test while also instructing you on dozens of new facts. There are a lot of interesting things to learn from issues and questions that will make you better your reasoning and problem-solving skills. There is always something new to discover! This Trivia Book is formatted into short quizzes followed by their answers to make it quick and easy to test yourself before seeing the answers first, and specific details are usually to enlarge the basic answer and add even more to your insight. Stop hesitating and choose it now because it is worth buying. There are over a thousand questions in this Trivia Book organized into a range of subjects. To make it efficient to test yourself without first seeing the answers, the categories are classified as short question quizzes that are accompanied by their explanations, and additional information is regularly added to help expand on the basic solution and add even more to your understanding.

If this hasn’t gotten you excited for this book, I don’t know what will. Maybe some pictures?

As you can see, the cover image is not an original image, but a recycling of the cover of the G.I. Joe Operation Blackout game cover art. Can you spot the minimal differences below? (Spoilers: The title is the biggest difference).

Xbox One G.I. Joe Operation Blackout Game Cover

The back cover is yet another sales pitch copy/paste text where they simply change the subject title if you ask me. But please, enjoy this lovely written proze.

Unlike some other fan books – this book does come with a title page and some sort of introduction. Ok, it’s asking to leave a positive review on Amazon, but hey, it’s progress I guess.

The author is named as Morioka Ryoichi and you may know him/her from other masterpieces as the Mortal Kombat Cookbook, the Power Rangers Cookbook, the Joe Biden Coloring Book and How To Draw: 30 Minute Drawing For Beginners With Mindfulness: The Walking Dead. After all, nothing screams Mindfulness better than zombies!

Safe to say , my expectations were not very high. And I was not disappointed. The trivia is very mixed. Some questions (all multiple choice by the way) are extremely easy, some are really detailed questions. The book is split up in several chapters.

Chapter 1 called “Overview” contains questions fairly general questions. At the end of each chapter, there is an answers page. I did say answers page, not a correct answers page unfortunately. The answer on the question What was the name of Zartan’s gang? is given as Cobra L.A. Dreadnoks is one of the possibilities though. On another question the Crimson Guard is called the Crimson Wars… The disappointment only grows.

Chapter 2, “Famous details of the series” goes into more detail. Such details as “On which day was G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra was released?”(I kept the error from the book) and “Who leads the Crimson Guard?” – Hey, they got it right this time around.

Chapter 3 is called “The Comics”. It contains such comic related questions as: When was the original design of G.I. Joe designed by Stan Weston? and When was “G.I. Joe Extreme” figures were introduced by Kenner Toys? (actual question, I’ve kept the error.

Chapter 4 is titled “The movies #1” and all questions relate to the Rise of Cobra movie. Enough has been said about this movie. It would appear, the author is a fan though.

Chapter 5 has the title “The movies #2” and you guessed it, has questions on Retaliation. As with the previous chapter, not going to spend more time on it than needed.

On to Chapter 6, “The Characters”. It starts of strong-ish with questions about Snake-Eyes and Destro, but then comes the awful important character question of “How many effects companies handled the VFX of the 2013 G.I. Joe movie?”

After each chapter is an answers page as I said before, but there is also a page with some “Did you know?” trivia tidbits. The best one for me is: “Bullet Man, the weirdest G.I. Joe ever.” Now you know!

After 6 trivia filled chapters, we arrive at page 66 of 90. The rest of the book is filled with ruled pages. Yes, 12 ruled double pages to add your own questions and corrections to the book most likely.

That’s it for now. Time to put this Collection of Amazing Trivia Quizzes and Fun Facts in my bookcase and probably never take it out again. Unless you want to plan a Trivia Evening, shoot me a DM and I can send you the questions.

Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

Sweet swag