The G.I. Joe Thread

Discussion in 'The Toyark' started by F18Starscream, Jul 10, 2009.

  1. ElDiablo

    ElDiablo Mr. Pick a Booger at Your Wake

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    But it's not his baby. This guy didn't invent the brand. And he's now making the supposed "significantly better" figures on his own. I applaud him for that, I mean it. He seized an opportunity to do what he wanted. But he's also in no way open to accepting the criticisms he's lobbing at others, while simultaneously piggybacking their brand. And he absolutely is doing just that, at this point. I like some of the stuff he's doing, I really do. But to call out the designer and say he's stupid for doing the wrong grenades and armor, but cranking out the Bumblebee Brigade and justifying it because they have real world guns just makes him look like a hypocrite.
    I'm sorry he lost his job for cost reasons while somebody else got paid. That sucks. Not Lenny's fault, though.
    And the figures we're getting are amazing. I'm sorry you seem to hate them so much. I get what it's like to be excited for a line only to see it go in a direction you don't like.
     
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  2. Venixion

    Venixion Its always the middle of the night in Moonside

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    So what did I miss on Hasbro pulse?
     
  3. Fenrys

    Fenrys Formerly Tigatron2002

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    Bobby Vala is a former design lead on G.I. Joe that got fired and went on to make his own KO IP (like the C.O.R.P.S. line from Lanard but 6") while scooping up whatever G.I. Joe names and likeness rights he could (Sgt Slaughter, Steel Brigade, Action Force) to spite Hasbro and piggy back off of their IP.
     
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  4. Venixion

    Venixion Its always the middle of the night in Moonside

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    Nm I went and watched a vid.
     
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  5. ABH1979

    ABH1979 Veteran

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    I feel like Vala is in that sweet spot of being able to provide weapons and gear to both “fix” the Classified Joes, while also putting out his own 6in figures. He’s doing that, I’m glad he’s embracing that, but he should just let his work speak for itself. I don’t know how/why he departed from Hasbro, so maybe there is a reason to be angry about it, but again, “no” to the insults and “yes” to criticizing AND THEN showing and proving that he knows what he’s talking about.
     
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  6. Dr Kain

    Dr Kain Well-Known Member

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    Wait, Action Force, so those accessory gear stuff we were talking about the other day? Wow, I had no idea it was taken from an utter douchebag like that. The man is practically just a legal thief then as he is stealing someone else's idea, but twisting it enough to make it his own. No I most definitely will never touch a single one of those Action Force things. Fuck that guy. Clearly he deserved to get fired by Hasbro.
     
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  7. nacho

    nacho Well-Known Member

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    I'm thrilled Vala's doing it. While I've been aching for 6" joes for years, so far, classified has been so so. Destro, Troopers, and Baroness are awesome, mostly because of their classic looks. The joes are highly underwhelming. Beachhead is the only one I haven't felt a burning need to modify and customize. Gung-Ho should not be green, both roadblocks look nothing like the character, and Scarlett has a great sculpt that looks like a bag of skittles threw up on her. Snake Eyes should have commando boots, not ninja-toe shoes. Duke is ok, but the modernization just looks off (why so much red and gold?!). I hate having to spend a ton of time just to make official figures look tolerable.

    He purchased the Action Force name and IP, so don't get your shorts in a bunch.
     
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  8. ABH1979

    ABH1979 Veteran

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    You, once again, have no idea what you’re talking about.
     
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  9. Bryan Thornton

    Bryan Thornton Well-Known Member

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    He didn't purchase the name. He paid an attorney to insure that the name was out of trademark date. That isn't the same thing. He swooped in and trademarked the name for himself. Same as he did with steel brigade and slaughter. Hasbro shouldn't have let the names fall out of date on ownership but he absolutely is using the name to get attention. He even admitted as much in a thread on hisstank. And taking steel brigade means an official gi joe steel brigade cant happen. I dont fault the guy for making products but at the same time he needs to make his own thing. His products look good enough to compete but he doesn't need to dip back into the joe verse for his valaverse. He should absolutely stand on his own product. At the same time the back and forth on hasbro is unprofessional and should stop.

    I mean when he began his venture he claimed there was no plan or hope of a 6" joe line yet we are getting figures that had long since been planned as far as we can tell. I mean for the figures to be in the market means their conception, prototype, paint masters, etc were all done and even an experienced and large company from time of conception to product on the shelf is 8months to a year. We can clearly see that with mcfarlanes spawn figure. So the joes we see in waves now were nothing but sketches on paper nearly a year ago. Vala needs to move on and let hasbro stand on their fett while he tries to stand on his own feet as well.
     
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  10. VictoryLeo19

    VictoryLeo19 Well-Known Member

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    I thought it was confirmed too that the classified series was actually designed and produced several years ago (2016/2017?)
     
  11. protohuman

    protohuman Primus was a pander

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    For me IPs are a steaming boat of mickey mouse shit anyway. If Hasbro left the back door open they deserve it. Glad he is doing a competing line, I haven't preordered any of Vala stuff because pre-ordering anything is a mixed bag of trash in any instance. If I see a product available from a new company it's much different from being able to reserve a copy. I really like his Wasp character but understand why it's recently hypocritical at the same time. I try not to get hung up on idiosyncratic details of design and enjoy the figures as much as possible. I get you though, helping as big baby change his diaper isn't fun.

    I'm sure Hasbro has a Stan Weston fund...
     
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2020
  12. Dr Kain

    Dr Kain Well-Known Member

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    I'm pretty sure I said I had no idea who this guy is, but clearly he's an asshole. That's all that is needed to know. I won't support a shithead like that.

    But the figures aren't his idea, they're someone else's. He doesn't have an original bone in his body clearly.

    However, I don't have my shorts in a bunch and I have no idea why I would. You're the one who seemed to have gotten offended because I called the dude a legal thieving scumbag.
     
  13. Bryan Thornton

    Bryan Thornton Well-Known Member

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    This isn't entirely true. He might have swooped in and grabbed a few names and make designs very close but he does have original figures of his own design that are pretty neat looking. These are the figures he should focus on is what i was saying above. He can make his own thing and they can do well, but he needs to leave hasbro behind and it seems he has trouble doing so.
     
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  14. ElDiablo

    ElDiablo Mr. Pick a Booger at Your Wake

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    And this is what bugs me about the whole situation: Vala did everything by the book. He grabbed names that Hasbro let go. I see absolutely nothing wrong with it. I have a bunch of his stuff preordered. I've read a few negative comments about the guy, but looked into myself, rather than go by somebody else's opinion. And now, I'm having a much harder time separating the art from the artist. I liked it all more when I thought we were getting 2 options: the outlandish stuff from Hasbro and the real world stuff from Vala. Now, it just feels like Vala is spending a whole heap of time and (let's be honest here) other people's money to troll Hasbro with his line. He had a whole fictional universe planned out (much to the dismay of Texans, from what I read). I was looking forward to seeing what else he had cooking.
     
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  15. ABH1979

    ABH1979 Veteran

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    Clearly. :rolleyes: 
     
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  16. Pharoid

    Pharoid Time Traveling Robot

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    If you just use that as working assumption you’ll be fine.
     
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  17. RKillian

    RKillian http://www.rktoyandhobby.com

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    The people that invented GIJoe as we know it are long gone from Hasbro. Frankly, the entire problem with modern copyright is that it's legalized squatting over an infinite timeline. Do something with the idea or get the hell out of the way. Classified is a start but from what I've read they dragged sure their feet long enough.
     
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2020
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  18. fschuler

    fschuler Post Count Inflated With Hot Air TFW2005 Supporter

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    Controversy aside, given that Vala is making Sgt. Slaughter (who I can't wait to get), I wonder if there is any possibility at all of him doing The Fridge? I say we start a petition...
     
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  19. backhawkdown

    backhawkdown Well-Known Member

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    That’s not hypocrisy, just petty and conveniently narrow.

    clearly there is personal animosity between the two; his personal attacks likely aren’t him expressing his anger at Hasbro at an innocent Hasbro employee. The Hasbro employee certainly can’t respond, but that’s the benefit of owning his own business — he can do and say whatever he wants.

    Firefly is a bad design. And, the problem is, he’s using the Beach Head torso, which if anyone has taken off his vest you know his torso is an unsightly mess and needs something to cover it, so it won’t be aesthetically pleasing to simply take off the bulky armor for a more classic look.
     
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  20. G1Wheeljack

    G1Wheeljack Well-Known Member

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    Did anyone else here order a Cobra Commander off NTWRK? It was supposed to ship out by the 15th but I still haven't gotten any notice.