Destro – European Joe's

What goes POP when you put a pin in it?

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 🙂

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.

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.

Strangely enough, the big head really works well with the chrome battle helmet.

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.

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 not feeling Super…

This is partly because I’m still struggling with my health issues, hopefully I’ll be back to normal health in a few weeks. On the other hand, the title can also be seen as a review of the Super 7 ReAction figures. I’ve said before that I wasn’t going to pick them up, but who was I kidding? You all knew this day was going to come some time. Here are my first 2 ReAction figures.

The Super7 Reaction Figures are a line of collectibles known for their retro-inspired designs and nostalgic charm. They are typically around 3.75 inches tall (like the O-ring Joes) and feature a simple, classic aesthetic reminiscent of action figures from the 1970s and 1980s. They are designed to pay homage to beloved characters from various pop culture franchises, including movies, TV shows, cartoons, and video games.

The Super7 Reaction Figures prioritize capturing the essence and iconic traits of the characters. The figures are characterized by their minimal articulation, with typically five points of articulation at the head, shoulders, and hips. So not so much like the original O-ring Joes. They have simplified sculpting, vibrant colors, and packaging that evokes the vintage toy packaging of yesteryears.

They do resemble the O-ring style cardiacs including filecards.

The Destro figure is pretty straightforward with regards to his looks. The bare chest with necklace, the collar, and wrist rockets all take after the original look as we all know and love from the comics and cartoons.

The other figure I got, is not known from the comics, but solely from the cartoons (only 1 episode) and doesn’t even have a regular O-ring nor Classified figure (yet). Let’s take a look at Raven.

Raven only appeared in one episode of the Sunbow cartoon, but it is one of the best ones if you ask me, and they should have done more with the character, both in the cartoon and maybe even in the comics. The episode is called “In the presence of mine enemies” from the second season. It was aired on November 18, 1986 and features Slipstream and a female Cobra pilot that both crash on a mysterious abandoned Cobra base which hosts a failed biological project from Dr. Mindbender.

When I said it was one of my favorite episodes, that is because it’s one of the episodes that got a VHS release (in Dutch) here in Belgium. I’ve must have seen that tape 100 times if not more. I still have the original tape in my collection, now I just need to get a VHS recorder/player someday.

The filecard gives a synopsis of the episode.

Am I blown away by these figure? No, the lack of articulation is a big drawback. They do look great though, but I still feel they are overpriced. I really wanted the Raven figure and when I became affordable on Amazon.com, I looked around to find another figure so the shipping costs would be split across both figures, making it more interesting. I settled on the Destro figure, since he is my favorite baddy. I’m not saying I won’t be getting any other figures from Super7, the bigger figures do look great as well, but they are priced even more ridiculously than these ReAction figures, so I’m not seeing that happen. I’ll keep my eye out for these if (and when) they are cheap to get, but I won’t lose my sleep over not getting any more of these.

That’s all for now. See you soon. Until then, Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

Spoiled mystery box

You’ve all seen the GameStop Funko Mystery Box and all of it’s contents online before. It has been pretty hard to find one over here in Belgium, but I’m glad to tell you that I had one shipped out to me. Let’s check it out (again).

GameStop Exclusive Funko Pop Mystery Box

The box itself features the classic G.I.Joe art with the original Joes and the MOBAT. The colors are really lively and bright, and very sharp as well. The contents are thrown in quite loosely and therefore rattles a bit when shaken.

Profit Director Destro/Pimp Daddy Destro, call him what you like.

The ‘biggest’ piece in the box is this Director Destro Funko Pop figure. Based on the 1997 figure (3.75”), but definitely taken more after the Classified Series Profit Director figure, this one sports the leopard collar and leg pieces, along with a gold suitcase and a stack of burning money. I’ve been collecting some of these Pop figures over the years (not just the G.I. Joe ones, but also some of the other classic toy based ones (Care Bears, My Little Pony, Trolls – I have 2 daughters who like them) and also some Disney ones (Aladdin), Movie/TV ones (Jurassic Park, Knightrider, Star Trek, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters). They have just about every possible franchise covered and they are reasonably priced and they just hook you in I guess. Not everyone is a fan, but I really like them.

The rest of the contents consists of a Snake Eyes keychain (Funko Pop Style) with filmcarrière, a G.I. Joe sticker, an official Membership Card and a G.I. Joe dog tag. Nice to have, but not that must-have things as you’d like from an Exclusive box set. Still, it will all look great in my collection.

That’s it for now. It has been a while since I posted something, I’ve been struggling with some health issues, but I’m working through them and I hope to be back to full health soon. I hope to be posting some new things rather sooner than later. Thanks for sticking around and keeping the views/visits to the site growing every day.

Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

It’s been a while, but there’s more Joe than ever.

I know it has been a while since I last posted something, but that doesn’t mean that my collecting days have come to a halt. It’s hard sometimes to find the time to sit down and write a post down. I often start a quick note to remember I have to write a post about something, but then I don’t have the pictures that go along with it or it slips my mind. Still, I always keep an eye out for G.I. Joe and although the collection hasn’t been expanded much, here are some new things that have entered the EJ collection.

A TPB filled with Saturday Morning Adventures.

First up is the TPB of the Saturday Morning Adventures comic books. I already had the floppies, but this was a bargain a while ago on Amazon and so I pre-ordered it. Occasionally my LCBS can’t order the comics and this leaves a gap in my collection (I’m still looking for IDW ARAH #259 – #265 that weren’t sold over here during the pandemic). By getting the TPB, I can at least make sure that I can read the entire story.

Next up, is the Jada Toys R/C V.A.M.P. Mk-II. This one has been on my radar for a while, but I never seemed to be able to find it here in Europe. At the end of October, I was browsing the U.S. Amazon site for anything Joe, and I noticed the price was dropped to around $20 for this one. With shipping and taxes, it was still below $50 and so I snatched it up. I haven’t tried it out yet, it’s just sitting in a box for now. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that they keep on using an image of the A.W.E. Striker on their boxes, even when it’s a V.A.M.P., but still, a very nice addition to my collection.

Now, we’re getting back to the Classified line, first up is the #15, Profit Director Destro (great brainstorm on that name by Hasbro)!

This one has taken a while to get here from the U.S. I had it on pre-order a long time ago via a colleague that lives in the U.S. She finally got to travel again to our HQ in Belgium and she was able to bring this one with her. The golden gun, the leopard cape, it’s a look. Definitely a look.

A second figure she was able to bring over, is the Fortnite x G.I. Joe Snake Eyes figure. I have to say, I only briefly tried to play Fortnite a while ago and I’ve never had much fun playing FPS games, so I passed on playing more. I did however read the Batman Fortnite comics and they featured Snake Eyes in an issue. So when this one was announced, I didn’t really think too hard and got my pre-order in.

This figure is a really nice version of Snake Eyes. You have to ignore the idiot weapons that he came with (see below), but the figure itself and his katana are gorgeous. This may be the best version of Snake Eyes in the Classified line if you ask me.

These will probably stay in the box indefinitely.

And finally, I also got a small present from my colleague when she came over… Tis the season after all 🙂

I’ll probably put up another post this year, but in case I can’t make it, Happy Holidays to you and your family.

Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

It’s a small world after all…

Now that this happy little Disney tune will be in your brain for the rest of the day, you might think my work here is done. Keep on reading though, because something small has been added to my collection.

Not so long ago, I wrote a post on some small scale (one might even say tiny) Joe themed toys from Jada Toys. This week, I received a new addition for that subcollection.

As with the previous post, the main complaint I have is that this is the exact same figure that was released in the 6-pack and in the Series 1 boxset that contains 18 figures.

Other than that, it looks awesome. I’ve stopped complaining about them using the A.W.E. Striker as boxart for everything. I still don’t get it, but I just let it go (really going for all the Disney vibes here).

The vehicle itself looks really good in this 1:32 scale. Lots of details and a true little version of the original toy. The bodywork is the same as that ot the V.A.M.P. they released with Duke, so a bit of an easy release if you ask me. Still, definitely worth it.

On the back, they are now showing not only the set with Duke and the V.A.M.P., this one but also still the H.I.S.S. tank with Destro. Where is this set? Has anyone seen this in real life? I need it! Okay, that Destro figure will be the same as the previous 2 releases, but that H.I.S.S. just looks stunning. Come on Jada Toys, what’s keeping you?

That’s it for now, see you soon! Happy Collecting and YoJoe!