snake eyes – Page 3 – European Joe's

I just brought in 7 figures, here’s how.

Okay, that does sound a bit like a clickbait title, but it’s not a lie. I actually brought in 7, yes, SEVEN new Classified scale figures last week.

The first figure is one that has been released quite a while ago, but back then, it wasn’t all that clear how easy or difficult it was going to be for us here in Europe to get a hold of the Classified figures. So, I made a few inquiries with a colleague of mine in the US and she ordered the figure from Hasbro Pulse. Unfortunately, with the travel restrictions because of COVID-19, it took quite some time before someone from the US branch was allowed to travel back to our HQ here in Belgium. This week, a corporate training session made it possible for some US colleagues to come over and so I finally got Snake-Eyes (the 02 figure).

By now, everybody and their uncle have seen this figure and probably have it in their collection, so I won’t be dwelling to long on it (there are 6 more figures coming below too). It’s a great rendition of the figure, lots of black, some shiny details and a splash of silver. And as always, nice artwork.

Now, on to the next figure. Again an “oldie” in Classified terms, but also a figure I didn’t think I could easily get and that I ordered through my colleague in the US. It’s the Regal Cobra Commander.

Compared to the other 06 Cobra Commander, this Regal version has more golden details and the blue is a few shades brighter. The sword and handgun are golden now as well. All in all, the figure looks more … eum… Regal.

The commander really does look the part here with his faceplate helmet and golden touches. I still would like a hooded version of Cobra Commander. I know Hasbro is reluctant to release that look, but I honestly don’t think that people would react wrong to it. We’ve known the hooded Commander look for nearly 40 years and there is a huge difference between CC’s hood and an all-white pointy hat some nutters like to wear. That being said, the chrome dome look is definitely very cool looking as well and I really like the brighter blue.

And now, it’s time for something completely different and still quite familiar.

A while back – not so long as the Snake Eyes and Cobra Commander figure from above – I was able to order the next set of figures from In Demand Toys and – as always – these super people delivered them – not like some well known other geek-oriented webshop that cancels orders without reason. Although the movie isn’t bad, it’s far from the G.I. Joe we know and love. Still, I enjoyed it and the figures we got because of it do look very nice.

These five figures, Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, Akiko, The Baroness and Scarlett, are true to the actors portraying them and their revamped design does resemble the figures we all know and love. Aside from Akiko who should clearly have been Jinx.

We start this series of with Snake Eyes, the main protagonist of the movie. His figure is 50 shades of black, which harks back to the original 1982 figure. He comes with 2 knives, a scabbard and his katana Morning Light.

The head sculpts really do resemble the actors. I remember looking at the promo video Hasbro made with Henry Golding and how excited he was about seeing his face on the figure. Now, keep in mind, the man is an actor, but still, I really do believe his excitement was genuine and looking at the sculpt, it really is great. Stubble and all.

Next up is Storm Shadow. His outfit really does look very nice. At first, I thought the off-white would put me off, but the color doesn’t bother me as much I expected. He has 2 swords and a holder for them.

And now, let’s turn our attention to the ladies. The movie figure set contains 5 figures of which 3 are women. G.I. Joe has always been a very inclusive line. Race and gender have all been represented during the 40 years of comic books and action figures. I do believe this is something that doesn’t get highlighted enough.

First off, we have Akiko, the Arashikage’s head of security. It’s a new figure and so there’s nothing to reference to, but again the look of the figure is really good. The black and white outfit may look simple, but it’s nice.

Next up, we get The Baroness. Again, they did stay rather true to the look of the original figure, just updated to match the actress’s look and a more modern outfit. She comes with 2 Cobra knives, a pair of glasses – these will probably get lost quite easily – and a suppressed rifle.

I’ve watched all episode of La casa de papel (Money Heist) and wondered how she would portray The Baroness being from Southern Europe and The Baroness is traditionally Eastern European. I have to say she did good. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m jus not a fan of the choker around her neck. It looks a bit weird.

And then finally, we get the movie version of Scarlett. She too, gets an updated look and it really does fit the character. A little extra armor, a spot of color. It really is a good look. The only negative thing I can say about the figure is the lack of accessories. She only comes with her crossbow. Yes, it’s the most iconic weapon she wields, but still, I’d like to get some more.

That’s all for now. Don’t be disappointed, you just got to share in my joy to receive 7 figures in one week! I’ll be back soon. Until then, Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

I’ve had a red, white and blue Christmas.

I’ve had a red, white and blue Christmas with my new Joes
I won’t be blue playing with my troops
Classified packages under my Christmas tree
didn’t stay there, I guess you know what I mean

Well, the mailman came by today with 2 parcels that will find their way under the Christmas tree. I’m very happy to add 3 new Classified Series figures, technically 4 if you think about it, to my collection. Check out which ones below.

Can you guess which figures are inside this box?

This box contained the Classified Breaker figure with RAM Cycle. These recently dropped in price drastically in the States and I just happened to be browsing the In Demand Toys website when I noticed they had them on sale as well. Since they had another figure I really wanted (see below) and was going to order, I decided to add another Breaker to my collection. One to open and maybe customize someday. Both figures got sent in the Hasbro slip box of the Breaker figure.

The second figure I ordered from In Demand Toys, was a figure I wasn’t counting on getting anytime soon and probably not for a reasonable price as well. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to order one from them and as always, the service was excellent. If you haven’t yet checked them out by now, do so now, this I command! (Seriously, how cool would a Classified Serpentor with air-chariot be?) Anyway, let’s get back on track with the 2nd figure I got.

Can you guess who’s in the box? He doesn’t even know who he is sometimes. A ninja? An old man? Another ninja? A swordsmith’s apprentice? An expert archer? Ripcord? Who knows? Well, keep on reading and find out.

Yes, the Hasbro Pulse Exclusive Classified Series Master of Disguise Zartan figure is here! I already have the regular Classified figure and like I said before, I didn’t really count on getting this figure for a reasonable price. Sure, I could use a parcel forwarding service and buy it from Hasbro directly in the US or the UK, but with the extra shipping costs and taxes and duties, I was looking at close to €100 for just this figure. Luckily, I noticed him being available with In Demand Toys and I didn’t hesitate to snatch this one up.

The figure has a special feature similar to the original 3.75 inch figure, he changes color when left out in the cold. He arrived on a cold morning and was very deep blue. By the time I started taking the pictures, he had already warmed up and so his skin tone was back to the regular pinkskin (yes, that’s a Star Trek reference, I vote for Jeffrey Combs to play Zartan in a future movie, he has some knowledge of playing different characters).

The figure has a lot of accessories, not in the least 6 different heads to wear as a disguise – not counting his own head. The bow and arrows of the Arashikage are a nice touch to remind us of his actions in the comic.

I’ll end this Zartan portion with the artwork, which is sublime yet again. This series is truly delivering on the art side of the packaging. I can’t stress this enough. I hope Hasbro has the brains to put them all together in some sort of art book someday. Instant purchase for the coffee table.

And now, the end is near and I still have to show off the final figure or figures, I’m still debating this point, I received around Christmas. I may have missed out on the “00” figure because Zavvi canceled my pre-order, but this time, they came true and delivered.

See, looking at the box and reading the bottom line, I have to conclude that it’s 2 action figures, or better 1 action figure and his animal companion. Although, both are Commandos, it says so on the box. It’s confusing, but man am I happy to have these figures (yes, I’ll stick to the plural) in my collection. Snake Eyes comes with his trustworthy UZI, knife and some rifles while Timber has a second head where he looks simple ferocious. The sculpt is fantastic.

As I stated before, here again the artwork is very nice. Just see for yourself.

That’s it for now and probably for 2021. Thank you all for visiting the blog and for the community feeling over the year. It has been another strange year, but we made it to the end and we scored some nice toys along the way. Let’s hope 2022 will bring a lot more Joes our way. Stay healthy, stay sane and above all, stay collecting! May the new year bring you lots of joy with friends and family and above all a good health.

As always, I will see you next time. Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

Little friends with Big Heads

Earlier this week my pre-order from Back to the toys arrived.

I had the figures pre-ordered way back in January. So it was a nice surprise to come back from a short holiday and see the box in my package locker.

The Baroness, Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow and Scarlett.

I know some people aren’t fans of the Funko Pop! line, but I really like them. They display nice and aren’t too expensive – most of them. So far, I’ve got quite the collection (see some of the previous posts on them). From these 4, the Storm Shadow digital camo figure has to be my favorite. Withe the Baroness and Snake Eyes a close 2nd. The colors on Scarlett don’t look quite right to me. The tan and green may be more reminiscent of the original Joes, but I like the faded blue/purple better with the tan of her costume.

In the end, I’m very glad to add these 4 figures to my collection.

Until next time. Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

Another kiddy toy

Just a short one today, I just received another figure from the cheaper 6″ Sanke Eyes movie figures, the Baroness.

These figures are cheaper, which is noticeable in the design and play functions. A lot less detailed and nice looking than the Classified Baroness figure, but that’s the point of this line. Cheaper and more accessible to children to play with.

I’m still glad I was able to find the figure and she’s a nice addition to the collection.

See you soon. Until then, Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

Talking about good versus bad

I’m definitely not bad at math, but I honestly lost count of how many Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow figures have been released. This morning, I got these two figures delivered by the mailman. The packaging was a bit banged up, but the figures itself aren’t really damaged, just some dents in the bubbles and some creaks in the cardboard.

These are from the new cheaper 6″ line that was released with the new Snake Eyes G.I. Joe Origins movie. They are less detailed and have less articulation than the Classified figures that will be released as well.

They are cheaper than the Classified figures because of the lesser features, but that makes these toys more playable and accessible to a new audience. It’s much easier for a parent to say “Yes” to their kids asking for the new Joe toys when they’re cheaper and so more kids can get to know and love the brand. I don’t think this was a bad move by Hasbro.

These figures should cost around $10 in stores, so compared to the Classified figures, that’s easily half price. Looking at it differently, you can have 2 toys instead of 1 for the same amount of money. Sure, they are a bit more basic, but they are really intended as toys, not as collectibles. I ended up paying a little over $17 a piece (including shipping to Belgium and taxes & import duties). Still almost double of what you pay in the US, but all things considered, still very reasonable compared to the prices in the local toy shops for similar toys (the Fortnite figures go for around €15 ~ $18 over here).

No checklists or other references on the back of the cards, just instructions on how to assemble the weapons and how to make the figure do his signature attack move by twisting the body.

Same story with the Storm Shadow figure. He does come with a bow and arrow set as well as 2 katana swords.

I’ve mailed and called to several toy store chains here in Belgium, but they all said they won’t be selling the G.I. Joe toys any time soon. That is quite sad if you think back to the 80’s and 90’s where we had such great catalogs, a number of exclusive toys and merchandise and a very well organized and lively fanclub. There really is a market for the G.I. Joe toys here in Belgium (and The Netherlands), it’s a shame Hasbro doesn’t seem to be interested in selling over here. The thing is, on the back of the cards, you can see that the contents, warnings and what have you are marked in several languages. Including DUTCH! So why isn’t Hasbro selling these toys here? On the bottom of the card (the cardboard in the bubble, what else could I call it?) there is even an address in The Netherland for the representative importer. I truly don’t understand.

With new tax rules and shipping costs ever on the rise, it’s getting increasingly difficult to keep collecting everything (I’m skipping on the Super 7 figures for instance). Sometimes you catch a break, like with these figures, and get something fairly priced, but most of the time the price we have to pay to get our hands on the toys is just getting out of control. Let’s hope that the new movie does well over here and Hasbro can get convinced that sales will be good here.

That’s it for now. Happy Collecting and YoJoe!