GI Joe: Retaliation - Ninja Combat Cruiser

Most all of the well visited GI Joe fan web sites have posted pictures of the new product related to GI Joe:Retaliation. As usual, I'm dragging up the rear. Oh well...

So I thought that I would start with one of the vehicles - the Ninja Combat Cruiser. Apparently, ninjas are going to be a key selling point for the new movie. Ninjas or zombies. Hey, how about zombie ninjas or ninja zombies?

And back to the topic at hand - the Ninja Combat Cruiser. This looks to be a remake of the POC/30th Anniversary VAMP. The new VAMP is an excellent vehicle and this new update really goes to another level.

It looks like the VAMP has received an upgrade to the roll bars of the previous version. The rear of the cab is enclosed and there are now flip-out doors for the sides. Similar to the 2nd version of the original VAMP back in the shadowy history of GI Joe - the 80's!

The missile launcher appears to be from the upgrade of the Snowcat called the Wolfhound(?). I never bought the Wolfhound, but it looks like the pictures that I have seen.

I am very interested in this new version; it really looks pretty sharp. A great troop transport for the Joes. And very reminiscent of the trucks that the troops used in the opening sequence of Rise of Cobra.

Just a quick glance at both of the vehicles can illustrate the similarities and the differences. I think that they can both work extremely well together, with the VAMP acting as a mobile escort for the more armored cruiser.

Oh wait... Okay, I like Snake Eyes and the whole ninja/Arishikage storyline, but...

The frikkin' ninja clan stickers have got to go.

Zombies, Freakin' Zombies...

So Hasbro went the popular culture route and added zombie vipers to the GI Joe - Cobra mix. It's not like they haven't done it before back with the Toxo-Zombie back in 1992.

Times have changed and it's time to revisit the zombie.

The concept based on the file card is that these are Cobra troopers that have been subjected to Compound Z and they have been turned into nearly mindless drones. So they really don't meet the classic concept of an undead flesh eating zombie.

But they still look cool as hell!

I would hate the idea of Cobra creating a virus that reanimates the dead for the purposes of undead soldiers. That could easily turn on them as well as the intended target.

So what the heck are they? One possible scary idea is based on what is hanging from both sides of the body harness. I first heard this mentioned on the Flag Points podcast. An excellent podcast, by the way! Twitziller noticed that the zombies have pipe bombs with detonators strapped to their harness. Holy crap! Cobra has created mindless drones to act as weapons. Just send one staggering into a Joe encampment or whatever type of target and BOOM, threat disabled.

The GI Joe design team at Hasbro did an excellent job with these creepy suckers. A highly detailed sculpt highlighting the zombie's rotting flesh.

Creepy goodness!
A lone Steel Brigade trooper gets caught in the grip of some Z's. Can he break free and save himself?

My custom mix of Shadow Tracker and Night Adder - renamed Voodoo - walks among the Cobra zombies. He fears no man, alive or undead.

My Cheetara custom figure gets ready to dispatch a couple Z's. Hope she sees the one behind her! I'm sure she has already caught its scent.

Female Joe agents in trouble, I guess. Helix shouldn't have a problem.

And another spin on the use of the zombie figure. Using perhaps the finest sculpted figure from the entire Playmates Star Trek run, species 8472 examines these curious creatures.

The idea was originally that the alien has released a bio-weapon into the atmosphere and the final organisms that were resistant to the new arrivals begin to die away, eventually leaving the planet ripe for colonization.

This is some lame stuff

Yeah, my blog is a poorly updated mess.

I do have time a couple days a week but I'm just lazy when it comes to my blogs.

And the job is all consuming right now.

Still diggin' the Joes, but damn. Just not feelin' it these days.

Yeah, GI Joe 2 looks pretty frickin' sweet, but I'm just too... I don't know.

Gonna' be 50 this year. Am I finally growing up?

Damn, I hope not.

Troops of Doom - Pure Awesome Fun!

I have to admit, I'm a bit biased today when I sing the praises of Troops of Doom. Only because I'm mentioned in this episode!

Kraig Furtado has created a web comic unlike any other. Using a combination of action figures from G.I. Joe, Star Wars, Star Trek, and even Lego, Troops of Doom is just a helluva' lot of fun.

Sometimes the dialog is silly, sometimes the action is fierce, but everything always seems to work together. Kraig has a real knack for storytelling, especially when using inanimate lumps of plastic.

But that's the key element in Troops of Doom. Silly little lumps of plastic are brought to life. It is quite obvious that attention to detail is an important element in all of the work that goes into creating a Troops of Doom episode. The set detail is quite amazing.

I'm pretty sure that the desert environment is a a tan blanket, and if so, it's the best use of a tan blanket anywhere on the web!

Personally, I think Kraig's attention to detail in posing the figures is the strongest element of Troops of Doom. If you look carefully at his work, just the poses can convey the character's attitude more than the dialog. And this attention to detail is quite obvious in every picture crated by Kraig. Check out his work on joedios.com for the solid proof behind my claim!

Again, nothing but high praises for Troops of Doom today - and every day! I have created my own "ad" on the side of Troops of Doom just because I'm a huge fan - that's all - no other reason. TOD just kicks ass.

Become a supporter of Troops of Doom!

Stop SOPA

Cobra Troopers on Patrol

Just a few pictures of some Cobra Troopers checking out some ruins.

Basically a complete reuse of parts by Hasbro to create an exceptional troop builder. By adding the goggles and different web gear really makes them stand out a little more.

G.I. Joe: Airtight & Sci-Fi

Just because these two figures are so damn cool. That is all!