While I agree with you, Ryan Ting from the Legends design team said this was the most ambitious undertaking their team went though. So while it makes sense on paper to make Joe troopers available as you suggest, I imagine it may be a while before we see it happen.
That would be an excellent idea. Joe Geeenshirts, Steel Brigade, the possibilities are endless. Give us basic stripped down troopers and then sell us accessory packs. Heck, they could probably make more money off of us this way. The key though, would be to make them a readily available preorder, not exclusive.
Things I don't regret. It's hard not to feel like a selfish dickbag but when Hasbro and Target makes things so hard to get there's not much I can do about it. I suppose karma kicked my ass here as the most recent Viper I got yesterday, the one on the right, has very loose hips. Wanna fix it but not sure how to fix 6" figure issues.
So funny. I was just thinking to myself I have to refocus my efforts on GI Joe Classified, How can I not be all over my favorite franchise as a kid? I look around in the thread, figure shortages, target exclusives, loose hips. (My Beachhead has to be the biggest pos I’ve wasted money on). Well maybe I don’t...
Hasbro will find a workaround. They’ll just name it GI Joe Brigade Trooper or something to that effect.
Didn't they offer like a ML troop builder case where they were six of the same figure? Yeah, if Hasbro wants to make a Steel Brigade figure, they'll call it what they must to get it out there. And then sell the one everyone wants as a Target exclusive.
Not sure about the last couple at Walmart but the Target exclusives have the number space blocked out.
I’m always curious about the business and production side of things, so what made those so difficult? Would a multipack of troopers be easier?
Yeah, I remember reading that, and I imagine that the Legends team was able to push for this largely because of their proven track record. Unfortunately, Classified's design team/line doesn't have that kind of record under their belt. I really feel like the success of the Snake-Eyes film's tie-in merch is really going to make or break this line in the long run. I don't like it as I think GI Joe can survive without a film or cartoon much like Transformers, Marvel, Star Wars, etc., but that seems to be a big thing for Hasbro when it comes to Joes more so than any other franchise they have under their belt right now.
I think the tie in model is becoming or already dated. It’s from a time with drastically fewer adult collectors and when kids had very little choice in media. Kids used to only have the theater, Saturday morning and what was syndicated before and after school. My kids and their friends find what they like and stream it. Mattel agrees with you too, no He Man supporting media. In my area the relaunch seems to be doing good. I think now you rely on legacy brands and capitalize on new media when it’s proven popular.
And Hasbro is so quick to cancel media. Renegades created an awesome set up and that quit that. Cyberverse was really good and they ended that.
I agree. The issue is with Hasbro being gun shy when it comes to GI Joe. This isn't a recent phenomenon as historically there's always been push back within the company towards the brand for some reason... despite being one of Hasbro's flagship brands every incarnation has had to prove itself over and over again. It just doesn't seem to get the same support that Transformers does internally.
Honestly at this point if GI Joe succeeds or fails I just don't care. Cobra Island has really soured me towards the line, and while others might not agree but I'm feeling a sense of bad will, and I'm feeling less and less inclined to participate. That being said, I don't wanna be all doom and gloom...does anyone, ebay maker, Shapeways or otherwise, make cool 6" figure accessories? I'm thinking of emulating this GI Joe cover I saw with Viper helmets with NVG mounted on them. It's such a goddamn tactical look and I adore it.
I agree and even with the online crowd, there’s more of a wider reach compared to 10 years ago. A LOT of new faces in the mix that definitely weren’t online in the 25th days. Instead of having to wait to get online with your computer in 2007 to post the latest joe sighting, now you have customers posting sightings on their phones while in the store, or texting sightings to their friends. And instead of posting at the usual joe sites, some just post on social media, Reddit or just text friends. Meanwhile some never collected 3.75/4” but collected other lines like 6” Marvel Legends and Black Series and joined the mix once Classified was announced as a 6” line. So you literally have a new generation in the mix that’s collecting regardless of if a movie is out or not. The number will probably increase once the Snake Eyes movie finally comes out. Valaverse, their friend is also sculpting ARAH helmet w/visors and jet packs for 6” figures. The prototypes looked good on Classified Duke. I managed to get sucked into hoping and hoping each time joes came back to retail. I wasn’t able to get much of the ARAH stuff I wanted when it was still running. So as bad as some of the TRU exclusive 97-98 offerings were said to be, I loved them as it was my prime time to catch up. Fast forward to today where I’ve just resorted to cherry picking. Hunting during the 25th-Retaliation was an adrenaline rush and luckily for the 50th, somehow finding Gung-ho/Shadow Guard wasn’t as hard as finding a Cobra Island trooper or Red Ninja Viper. Oh yea TRU made some hunts easier too and they usually supported Joes.
