This Week In Your Plastic Crack, Action Figures and Toy Collection 26 26

[Buzzetta]

On 10/7/2021 at 10:10 PM, F For Fake said:

Nice! Snowcat rules! Even with its dodgy, just-begging-to-be-broken design, it's still a classic. Here are mine. I still need a Tiger Cat to replace the one i lost in my youth. I have TF Frostbite ready to go!

Get the modern Pursuit of Cobra wolf hound.  It was somewhat based on the older mold but made several quality control upgrades like a stronger connection fork on the missile launcher. 

[Buzzetta]

@kav  and @greggy

Prepare to buy yourself a Lego set.  Price point and release date have not been announced.  I cannot believe Lego approved this for the next Ideas project. 

https://ideas.lego.com/projects/42f293b9-76e1-4bc4-917c-a242ca34d8e2

[Buzzetta]

On 10/23/2021 at 9:17 PM, fantastic_four said:

Is there a history behind the Skystriker?  Reading the Haslab campaign text it appears to be referring to a previously-released version.  Is that the case, and if so how did it compare to this new one?  I can only assume this new one blows the old one away just based upon this one costing $230.

 

On 10/23/2021 at 10:51 PM, followtheleader said:

Original was released in 1983.  It was great for its' time. 

But this new one isn't supposed to be based on the original mold.  Modern design.

I don't collect modern toys, but it sounds really cool. 

Patrick

 

This is the third mold that has been created for the Skystriker. 

The first one was utilized for the original 1983 Skystriker, as well as the Night Boomer and international releases.  This seated two of the o-ring figures. 

In 2011 the fighter was redesigned from the ground up utilizing a stronger frame and parts that were less prone to breaking.  This only seated one modern figure though due to the modern figures being about 1/8th to 1/4th of one inch taller.  

The 2021/2022 version is built more to scale and a complete redesign.   This is also designed with the support and design input of Northrop Grumman.   Is it worth it at $230?  I dunno.  I am not a fan of the o-ring figure in comparison to the modern sculpts and articulation that they have incorporated at the 3.75" level such as rocker ankles and hinge wrists.  

Is it worth $230 if it hits all tier goals?  Possibly.   If it hits all the tier goals then it might be.  Tier goals get you an additional four figures and a fueling pod along with some other goodies.   You assess the figures at $12.99 + tax each and that deflates the cost at about $60 per unit.  The fueling pod and cart brings that down further figuring that is worth around $20-$30.  So is the Skystriker worth $150 shipped? 

Possibly. 

The last time the modern one was released was in 2011 at a $30 price point.  So... yeah. 

I cannot tell if the figures are recast from the original molds or are recreated from original figures like they did with the Star Wars retro line.  I am somewhat leaning toward the figures being cast from the original molds with updated plastics and a silicon o-ring to make them more durable.  They made a point to say in the presentation that all o-ring figures would feature a better plastic that would make it less likely for broken crotches and thumbs.  

However, look at the Snake Eyes two pack.  They are using v1 Snake Eyes instead of the v2 Snake Eyes design that is pictured on the box.  It has been well known for years that the v2 1985 Visor Snake Eyes mold is lost, destroyed or on the bottom of the ocean as suggested back in the late 90's when people were asking for a rerelease.  If Hasbo was going to rebuild these figures from the ground up or cast them from original figures, then I guess they would have issued v2 Snake Eyes in that two pack. 

I am guessing that they don't have the budget for that so it only makes sense to do that for the Haslab project.   

Edited October 25, 2021 by Buzzetta

[F For Fake]

On 10/24/2021 at 7:59 PM, Buzzetta said:

Get the modern Pursuit of Cobra wolf hound.  It was somewhat based on the older mold but made several quality control upgrades like a stronger connection fork on the missile launcher. 

Hey Buzz! Yes, it’s definitely on my list to get around to, I dig the design for sure. I also need the Street Fighter Devastator, and the Collectors Club Havoc MkII. Not in a hurry, but some day I’ll get them all!

[F For Fake]

Catching up on Pulsecon topics:

1. Was on the fence about the Haslab Sky Striker, but the accessories sold me. I want the fueler, the missile loader, the blast effects, the o-ring figures, etc. I can’t say I was excited by it, but it does look like a cool piece with lots of fun bells and whistles. And what I’ve learned so far with Haslab is that it’s better to back it and be sure rather than pass and regret it later. If I get it and don’t love it, I’ll surely be able to get my money back.

Really hoping it hits the stretch goals, I want those flight crew figures more than anything else in the package!

2. I got Galvatron and Ravage with no issues on Friday (I don’t pay for the premium membership). I don’t care a whole lot about either figure, but I reaaaaally want those mini figures and ships from Galvatron!

3. I had my cart filled with all of the Joe stuff at 5:01. As I tried to check out, things kept selling out. Every time the cart would refresh to tell me that an item had sold out, something else would sell out. Super frustrating, so I gave up.

About five minutes later I refreshed the shop, and Zartan was back in stock. Managed to get an order through this time. Ordered the Python/Tiger figures at Target, and the rest (Spirit, Stormy, Croc Master) at BBTS, so even though Pulse gave me agita, I was able to get everything ordered.

 I’m in for any o-ring figures they want to make. I still don’t love the modern figures. They just don’t look right. The torsos are too long and skinny. That being said, I thought the recent Retro Stalker and Cobra Trooper figures were two of the best they’ve done in this style, and I’ll probably pick up Grunt if I ever find him.

[fantastic_four]

Whenever Hasbro releases a figure that's not a Pulse exclusive the quantities available via the Pulse web site appear to be very, very limited, usually to well under 1000 units.  I assume they do that so as not to compete heavily with retailers selling their product.

Additionally it seems as if Pulse gets their product last or close to last as compared to other retailers, which again I presume is intentional to service their retail customers first.

Because of this I barely know what they're thinking with that Pulse Premium membership thing.  I have yet to see one reason to subscribe to that anymore, particularly since they've made con exclusives far easier to get the last two years.  Those used to sell out in minutes online, but in 2020 and 2021 that hasn't happened at all.

[Cat]

On 10/25/2021 at 9:59 AM, Buzzetta said:

Get the modern Pursuit of Cobra wolf hound.  It was somewhat based on the older mold but made several quality control upgrades like a stronger connection fork on the missile launcher. 

And don't forget Transformers Energon Snowcat, who is a literal transforming version of the COBRA toy. Available in 2 decos, and a neat little one for your collection. 

[Mickey7]

I'm a bit on the fence for the G.I. Joe Skystriker.  It's pretty nice, but doesn't blow me away.  I would have preferred the Haslab project be a new/updated Joe Headquarters based on the original.  I don't pick up many new toys anymore, but that would be a must have.

[followtheleader]

Picked this up recently.

A really great piece.  From the 1990 Joe line.

I'm surprised how expensive these become.

I'm going to deck this out with Joe's when I ever move or unpack.

Patrick

[Dark Knight]

Bought this yesterday at Target for 25% off coupon + another 5% off my red card.  

[BigLeagueCHEW]

On 10/25/2021 at 5:35 PM, followtheleader said:

Picked this up recently.

A really great piece.  From the 1990 Joe line.

I'm surprised how expensive these become.

I'm going to deck this out with Joe's when I ever move or unpack.

Patrick

I see you are already in the backyard playing like a kid again 

[F For Fake]

On 10/24/2021 at 11:22 PM, fantastic_four said:

Whenever Hasbro releases a figure that's not a Pulse exclusive the quantities available via the Pulse web site appear to be very, very limited, usually to well under 1000 units.  I assume they do that so as not to compete heavily with retailers selling their product.

Additionally it seems as if Pulse gets their product last or close to last as compared to other retailers, which again I presume is intentional to service their retail customers first.

Because of this I barely know what they're thinking with that Pulse Premium membership thing.  I have yet to see one reason to subscribe to that anymore, particularly since they've made con exclusives far easier to get the last two years.  Those used to sell out in minutes online, but in 2020 and 2021 that hasn't happened at all.

Yes, precisely so. When membership was free, it was fine. But since mine expired, I've seen no reason to pay the membership fee, considering that shipping is free on orders over $50 anyway, and I've not had MUCH trouble getting the exclusives that I wanted. It's just not worth $50 a year for that ONE HOUR WINDOW of pre-order time, or the early access to Back in Stock stuff. For this most recent round, Galvatron was still available a day later, and Zartan did sell pretty fast, but I was able to get one. So, yeah, I'm not paying for the premium, at least not anytime soon.

[F For Fake]

Also, for the first time in many months, something must have changed, either with the firewalls here at work, or the boards themselves, because I can once again access the boards here in the office! Woohoo! I have so much catching up to do, man, I've really missed this place!

[STORMSHADOW_80]

On 10/24/2021 at 8:13 PM, F For Fake said:

Catching up on Pulsecon topics:

1. Was on the fence about the Haslab Sky Striker, but the accessories sold me. I want the fueler, the missile loader, the blast effects, the o-ring figures, etc. I can’t say I was excited by it, but it does look like a cool piece with lots of fun bells and whistles. And what I’ve learned so far with Haslab is that it’s better to back it and be sure rather than pass and regret it later. If I get it and don’t love it, I’ll surely be able to get my money back.

Really hoping it hits the stretch goals, I want those flight crew figures more than anything else in the package!

2. I got Galvatron and Ravage with no issues on Friday (I don’t pay for the premium membership). I don’t care a whole lot about either figure, but I reaaaaally want those mini figures and ships from Galvatron!

3. I had my cart filled with all of the Joe stuff at 5:01. As I tried to check out, things kept selling out. Every time the cart would refresh to tell me that an item had sold out, something else would sell out. Super frustrating, so I gave up.

About five minutes later I refreshed the shop, and Zartan was back in stock. Managed to get an order through this time. Ordered the Python/Tiger figures at Target, and the rest (Spirit, Stormy, Croc Master) at BBTS, so even though Pulse gave me agita, I was able to get everything ordered.

 I’m in for any o-ring figures they want to make. I still don’t love the modern figures. They just don’t look right. The torsos are too long and skinny. That being said, I thought the recent Retro Stalker and Cobra Trooper figures were two of the best they’ve done in this style, and I’ll probably pick up Grunt if I ever find him.

I echo a lot of these statements.

1. I missed the live showing so when i first saw the sky striker part of me almost thought they were doing a flagg because of the fueler and missile rack. Nope. Then i thought maybe it was going to be for 6" figures. Nope. Really should have been though. I haven't backed it yet but probably will soon once I have the dough. I dig all the blast effects that would come in handy for toy pics and Night Force Ripcord!! I look forward to seeing the other unlocks. For me I like the o-ring figures better than the 4".

2. I had a similar experience with the cart. I had also let my membership lapse. My only concern was Zartan this time around since all the other previous figures became easy later. So my cart emptied but i was able to reload Zartan and also the 90s Wolverine. Rest of the figures I ordered from BBTS including the secret figure that is with Storm and Spirit. Everyone thinks the secret figure will be Cobra officer due to a leaked list. So at least ordering that is out of the way when they do reveal. I'm a little disappointed Storm didn't have that much of an upgrade look with the tattoo and tech gear. The leftover gauntlets on his arm look a little out of place now. Rumor is they made a running change because of all the complaints on the classified line with the gold shin guards modeled after the video game. Fans want the original look.

 

[STORMSHADOW_80]

On 10/25/2021 at 5:35 PM, followtheleader said:

Picked this up recently.

A really great piece.  From the 1990 Joe line.

I'm surprised how expensive these become.

I'm going to deck this out with Joe's when I ever move or unpack.

Patrick

Awesome addition! One of the best vehicles made. I'm just missing the ammo belt on mine.

[F For Fake]

On 10/26/2021 at 4:43 PM, STORMSHADOW_80 said:

I echo a lot of these statements.

1. I missed the live showing so when i first saw the sky striker part of me almost thought they were doing a flagg because of the fueler and missile rack. Nope. Then i thought maybe it was going to be for 6" figures. Nope. Really should have been though. I haven't backed it yet but probably will soon once I have the dough. I dig all the blast effects that would come in handy for toy pics and Night Force Ripcord!! I look forward to seeing the other unlocks. For me I like the o-ring figures better than the 4".

2. I had a similar experience with the cart. I had also let my membership lapse. My only concern was Zartan this time around since all the other previous figures became easy later. So my cart emptied but i was able to reload Zartan and also the 90s Wolverine. Rest of the figures I ordered from BBTS including the secret figure that is with Storm and Spirit. Everyone thinks the secret figure will be Cobra officer due to a leaked list. So at least ordering that is out of the way when they do reveal. I'm a little disappointed Storm didn't have that much of an upgrade look with the tattoo and tech gear. The leftover gauntlets on his arm look a little out of place now. Rumor is they made a running change because of all the complaints on the classified line with the gold shin guards modeled after the video game. Fans want the original look.

 

I'm curious about the secret figure myself, as I also ordered that set from BBTS. I'm wondering where the classic deco BAT is going to end up, since they showed it at the event, but only the Python Patrol BAT has gone up for sale.

Classified has been such a weird line for me. I passed on it initially because I (generally) don't collect the scale, and I really didn't care for the designs on the first couple of waves. Then I really dug the Cobra Island designs, but those figures were impossible to find! So, I was done done done. But then, suddenly Cobra Island pops back up this summer at Target, and now I'm drowning in Classified stuff and can't wait for more. I'm really loving these new designs that split the difference between the classic looks and a more modern, tactical upgrade. I feel like three years or whatever in, they have finally struck the right balance.

As for Haslab, a lot of folks are thinking a Flagg is coming, but I just don't see how that's feasible. If the Sky Striker was $230, how much would a Flagg be? $2k?? More? The Sail Barge was pretty big, so that may give a ballpark, but I just don't see it being something they could possibly offer that would sell enough units to put it into production. Maybe I'm wrong, but man, I can only imagine the $$$ we'd be talking about. I'm planning on probably getting 2 Sky Strikers, and that's already making my stomach hurt ha

[STORMSHADOW_80]

On 10/26/2021 at 1:50 PM, F For Fake said:

I'm curious about the secret figure myself, as I also ordered that set from BBTS. I'm wondering where the classic deco BAT is going to end up, since they showed it at the event, but only the Python Patrol BAT has gone up for sale.

Classified has been such a weird line for me. I passed on it initially because I (generally) don't collect the scale, and I really didn't care for the designs on the first couple of waves. Then I really dug the Cobra Island designs, but those figures were impossible to find! So, I was done done done. But then, suddenly Cobra Island pops back up this summer at Target, and now I'm drowning in Classified stuff and can't wait for more. I'm really loving these new designs that split the difference between the classic looks and a more modern, tactical upgrade. I feel like three years or whatever in, they have finally struck the right balance.

As for Haslab, a lot of folks are thinking a Flagg is coming, but I just don't see how that's feasible. If the Sky Striker was $230, how much would a Flagg be? $2k?? More? The Sail Barge was pretty big, so that may give a ballpark, but I just don't see it being something they could possibly offer that would sell enough units to put it into production. Maybe I'm wrong, but man, I can only imagine the $$$ we'd be talking about. I'm planning on probably getting 2 Sky Strikers, and that's already making my stomach hurt ha

I'm wondering about the BAT as well. I don't care much for the Python patrol version. Part of me wants to stop collecting the classified line but they keep coming out with these awesome figures so I'm back in lol. The releases of a few every quarter are inline with my budget. I dont know how marvel legends guys do it with 6 figures in a wave coming out every other week sometimes.

In hindsight the barge will probably seem like a really good deal. Seems like haslab is getting more and more expensive. I doubt they'll ever do a Flagg but we can dream.

[followtheleader]

On 10/26/2021 at 2:44 PM, STORMSHADOW_80 said:

Awesome addition! One of the best vehicles made. I'm just missing the ammo belt on mine.

It was shipped without the ammo case and gas container. 

But I contacted the seller and he had them.  Shipped today.  Yahoo for school. 

I'll take better pics when those arrive. 

I agree, it's just a great piece.  Compared to most Joe vehicles, it's pretty wide.   But I feel like it supports holding 11 figures without feeling too stuffed. 

I really want my loose figures unpacked so I can deck it out.  Alas, someday. 

Patrick

[Buzzetta]

On 10/26/2021 at 4:43 PM, STORMSHADOW_80 said:

I echo a lot of these statements.

1. I missed the live showing so when i first saw the sky striker part of me almost thought they were doing a flagg because of the fueler and missile rack. Nope. Then i thought maybe it was going to be for 6" figures. Nope. Really should have been though. I haven't backed it yet but probably will soon once I have the dough. I dig all the blast effects that would come in handy for toy pics and Night Force Ripcord!! I look forward to seeing the other unlocks. For me I like the o-ring figures better than the 4".

2. I had a similar experience with the cart. I had also let my membership lapse. My only concern was Zartan this time around since all the other previous figures became easy later. So my cart emptied but i was able to reload Zartan and also the 90s Wolverine. Rest of the figures I ordered from BBTS including the secret figure that is with Storm and Spirit. Everyone thinks the secret figure will be Cobra officer due to a leaked list. So at least ordering that is out of the way when they do reveal. I'm a little disappointed Storm didn't have that much of an upgrade look with the tattoo and tech gear. The leftover gauntlets on his arm look a little out of place now. Rumor is they made a running change because of all the complaints on the classified line with the gold shin guards modeled after the video game. Fans want the original look.

 

That is what was weird about this Haslab reveal.  They released all of the tier unlocks.  I don't think that they have ever done that before.  It was always wait and see once you reach this incentive what the next incentive might be.   I don't know how to take that whether or not they have confidence in this or they do not have confidence in this. 

One of the things I also noticed was a complete line change.  There have been no new retro figures announced.  There was a release of some reissues in that short line and then then the new sculpts like Roadblock, Scarlet, Stalker, and Grunt.   I was really hoping for a definitive Tunnel Rat in this line but it looks like the line is being put on hold with no announcements forthcoming. 

As far as o-rings are concerned it looks that is going to remain a Hasbro Pulse exclusive. 

As far as the line itself is concerned, I wonder, (emphasis on wonder), if they are listening to the adult fans a bit too much.  There have been some sudden and drastic line changes in the last year.  Now, I know that the brand manager has changed and thus the vision, but this is what we have seen in the last year:

• Futuristic weapons are being phased out in the 6" line in favor of more realistic weapons.
• O-Rings have returned. 
• Haslab project on the adult level. 

Chatter on the FB groups shows that the adult collectors are eating it up with some saying they ordered the max of five skystrikers already.   But what about the kids?  The health of the line depends on future generations.  Is this the right direction?

 

I have no answers as the vision, direction and marketing for this line has been shaky over the years.  I don't know what to say.  GI Joe is one of the most iconic toy properties of all time.  What can be done to preserve the line for the future?

 

Yes, I know half of this is rambling. 

 

[classicaaron]

do people really care about the o-rings? to reissue figures just released and look essentially the same and call them exclusives and sell them for a mark up and expect people to care? i collect joes but dont consider myself a diehard but those figures were a very easy pass for me.  going forward i will buy any new figure they make, whether they are o-ring or not makes no difference to me.  cant believe people would buy them just for that fact when half the collectors are MOC anyways and wont even notice the difference.  i get nostalgia but the figure itself is nostalgia not the building material. i am a diehard heman collector, whether they are made the exact way as the originals or not still doesnt matter to me.  i could care less if they come with rubber heads or plastic heads just give me the figure. i certainly would be buying two different version of them if they did that.