Definitely agreed, so far the Action Force side of the line just seems really generic and most of the characters that stand out are referential to previous Joe/Action Force characters (Slaughter, Steel Brigade, Desert Rat).
Hey, I'm all for him NOT being the 3p for Joe Classified. I'm not asking for a "Not-Chuckles" from him, but I am asking to do something a tiny bit...interesting? The bad guys are great. So far, his villains are cool, as is the case with most bad guys. They can be more out there. I just want a guy that tells a tiny story just by looking at him. If you put Blowjob or whatever that guy was on a table and take a picture of him, there is nothing to say anything except that he is a dude in body armor and has guns. Even Condor has the flag on his vest, and that says a little something. Might be why I kept him.
While I like the unique villains, on the good guy side, I'm primarily just in it for the fodder. If he wants to make 3P Joe characters, that's fine by me. If he wants to make figures I can LBC into joe-alikes, I'm cool with that. And if he makes truly unique characters that I want to keep as-is to add to my Joe ranks, I'd be 100% thrilled about that too. I'm not opposed to getting new characters, but like you say, they need to be compelling by themselves. Maybe Girl-Spirit that we saw the arm-tattoo teaser for will be great. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ However, if every good guy is a combination of one of two torsos, one of two leg types, with one of two vest types... that's going to play out rather quickly. However, I suspect Bobby knows that, which is why I'm genuinely excited about what he's going to reveal over the weekend. I'm not keeping up with the fiction outside of reading the file cards, but it feels like we haven't actually seen the big bad(s) of the series. In my head, Kerak and Bone Collector are Zartan/Major Bludd level villains (i.e. mercenaries, not masterminds), but we have yet to be introduced to the upper echelon antagonists pulling the strings. How the evil faction(s) play out will really determine whether they are separate new antagonists for my Joe team or if they're just going to get folded into my existing Cobra/Dreadnoks/COIL ranks.
A major problem with AF line is Classifieds, while AF may has its own problems like Classifieds, but the biggest problem will always be buy the unknown generic AF character that is a sort of rip off of a Joe character, or buy the actual Joe character. With Classifieds trending in the correct direction of releasing characters in the ARAH ascetic. Classifieds can afford to reuse molds and characters without much backpack, ie Python Patrol, Tiger Force, even this new Crimson Guard sub-group has been well received. I think AF should have an all villans wave this year, it could help the line.
I agree with everything you said. A full wave of interesting looking villains would be really great. Different sized bodies are also needed. A bigger figure and maybe a smaller scrappier type figure would go a long way to keep interests up.
Received the five Tim Murphy/Duster figures I picked up for fodder. Real shame the line lacks creativity and feels so generic because the figures I received are great and the value there at $30 when you consider the load outs included. The only problem is the brand itself isn’t interesting.
I do not understand the reason, other then BS and ego to have a "four day" event. It's one product line, even if there are figures that will be released in 2023 with 60 brand new accessories and weapons, even stretched out it should not take more then an hour.
To be fair, McFarlane too 3 days to show off like 10-15 items from multiple product lines, so it's not like Vala is the only one stretching stuff out.
I’d like to see them build more of an identity for themselves. I like all of their products. And I think their weapons are second to none in terms of value. They just need some more life in the brand.
Dear Valaverse: While I realize you might not want to take the brand in this particular direction…note that I would buy multiples of these:
100%. The most important skill to have in business is to know what you don’t know. Vala is a sculptor, he’s clearly not creative. I understand having to do it on his own to get the line up and running, but now that it is he needs to bring in someone who understands how to build a brand if the line is going to ever mean anything in the market. Or perhaps he is content with what it is.
Agreed. I wouldn't want the whole line to become comical cheesecake parody, but the beauty of 3P products like this are that they can get away with more and push more boundaries than retail lines from big companies might dare. A little cleavage never hurt a good heroine.
Bobby acknowledge that he Needs someone else?! My good fellow we simply don’t do that here. Good Day!
Or....just a thought....instead of buying action figures save the money and buy a set for the wife. You still get to play with them but no worries about stuck joints and breakage.
So far, pretty underwhelming. - New alt heads and gear packs for the women. - Weapon packs E, F, G Joefest v2 Eclipse - Of course something comes along and I actually want it, exclusive.
