FSS 02: Big Bear, Dragonsky, and the bonus...

Down to the last round of the FSS 02 figures. I know, I haven't discussed Keel Haul and Bombardier yet; I'll get to them soon.

I guess I should discuss my thoughts on the Oktober Guard before I talk about the figures themselves. I do like the Oktober Guard concept and the characters are excellent, but I currently don't have any of the figures in my collection. There was one that came in a two-pack, but I missed it. (Or didn't care?)

For the 2012 GI Joe convention, the Club put out the Operation Bear Trap set, featuring the Oktober Guard vs. the Iron Grenadiers. I've never bought a convention set before, so getting these guys was pretty much out of the question. They look cool enough, but I just can't personally justify spending that much money on a set of figures.

Wait, didn't I sign up for FSS 2 with figures at around $25.50 each? Yeah, well, there's usually a lot more expense to getting a convention set. 

So with no OG's in my collection, what was I going to do with these guys? When I first saw them during the initial reveal, I knew that they would be going on the secondary market. And they did, sort of...

So how about some first impressions based on the carded figure.

Both of these guys look damn cool, exceptionally done. Big Bear looks great, a great connection back to the original o-ring figure. The head sculpt looks awesome; the gear looks great. He really looks like a well-done figure, but...

Dragonsky looks pretty cool as well. I really wish I could get a glimpse of the head sculpt. I'm sure his face will show up online somewhere soon. Another great figure, but, like Big Bear, he's on the way out.

If any of my loyal reader(s) might be interested in these two guys, too late. They're already gone. I sold them to a great GI Joe collector and I'm sure that they'll be well appreciated.

And now on to the mystery 13th figure.

Grand Slam? Many collectors who signed up for FSS 02 were a bit surprised by this somewhat lackluster figure from the Club. Sure, he fills in a spot as the red-pad version of Grand Slam, but isn't he just a repaint of Bombardier who is a repaint of the 25th Flash?

I think he's cool enough, don't know when I'll open him though. I'm really not in any rush. I do think that Flash, Bombardier, and Grand Slam would look cool together. We'll see.

I'm certainly not going to bash the Club for this figure. Right now, they are best source for new GI Joe product. Hasbro has the "kiss my ass" offerings for the 50th anniversary, but it would seem that GI Joe will be dead in the water after those figures are released. Well, maybe "kiss my ass" is a bit harsh, but it damn sure isn't the best that they could have done.

I've got a future post swirling in my head about the future of GI Joe, for whatever it's worth. My two cents are probably only worth those two cents, but this is my silly public space for my opinion.

Stay tuned!