FSS 02: Final Thoughts

The second figure subscription service has come to a close. All the figures are out into the wild. Time for just some quick final thoughts about each figure.

I'm just going to give some quick thoughts about each figure top row to bottom, left to right. Here goes.

1. Dragonsky - looks great, didn't really want him from the initial reveal, sold him
2. Bombardier - a nice tribute figure to the odd Action Man prototype
3. Falcon - one of my favorite Joe characters, despite being a straight repaint of the Slaughter's Marauders Falcon, still a damn fine figure
4. Shipwreck - don't have much use for him, not really into the Tiger Force pattern, still on the card, anyone want him?
5. Skullbuster - interesting character, long forearms make him ape-like, I may find some new forearms for him
6. Airtight - always an awesome figure, but again, Tiger Force, still on the card, but I may open him because this figure just rocks
7. Tollbooth - a sentimental favorite hindered a little by some odd leg parts, I can live with that, not everybody is 6' tall, but those hands had to go
8. Cesspool - awesome figure, great update to the original, wicked head sculpt, well done
9. Widescope - straight reuse of Cobra Shock trooper body and vest, but done well w/ new paint apps, nicely done
10. Big Bear - another cool looking Oktober Guard, but I don't need him and he's already gone to a new home
11. Desert Scorpion - I never really liked the original o-ring version and really wasn't overly impressed with this guy, sold him to a local collector
12. Keel Haul - another sentimental favorite, well done by the Club, don't really like the hands though, I may try to find better gripping hands from the spare body bin
13. Grand Slam - a little bit blah, I don't have a sentimental attachment to the original 13 characters, but he's a nice addition to the line-up

Since this is my first big purchase from the Club and I passed on FSS 01, I'm pretty pleased with my decision to jump on-board for FSS 02. While they weren't all home runs, there were some strong figures in this set. I guess that's the nature of these figures. Some may have little interest in Tollbooth, but since my future wife gave me the Bridgelayer as a Christmas present, he's a keeper for me.

I'm looking forward to see who the Club will come up with for FSS 03. Actually, I'm really hoping that there will be an FSS 03. With Hasbro pretty much getting out of the GI Joe business, will the Club still have access to the molds?

I hope so. I hope Hasbro doesn't kill the Club as well.

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!

FSS 02: Lt. Falcon

My custom 1/6th version of Lt. Falcon

Lt. Falcon has always been one of my favorite GI Joe characters throughout the entire 50 year history of the brand. That first figure was so well done in terms of military realism. Now in regards to his appearance in the GI Joe animated movie - nope, I don't have to acknowledge that spin on the character. No thanks. And he's Duke's brother or step-brother or whatever? Nope, I don't want any part of that.

The original mold was reused a couple of times, especially as a part of the Night Force sub-team. Falcon's first appearance in the modern era was a disaster. Such an awful figure. He had those early Duke arms that just sucked and that head sculpt was just a wreck.

Somewhere along the way, Falcon was reintroduced as a part of the BBTS exclusive Slaughter's Marauders set. I don't know the history of the figure, but he turned out pretty decent. He wasn't in his traditional colors, but still looked pretty decent. Finally, a modern version of Falcon that I was pleased with.

As a connection to the 2013 Con set, Nocturnal Fire, the GI Joe Club included Falcon as a part of FSS 02. He looked to be a direct reuse of the BBTS version, just in the Night Force colors. This version of Falcon was one of the few reasons that made me jump on board for FSS 02. The results just rock. 

Falcon doesn't come equipped with a lot of gear, but he is adequately loaded up. He comes with the backpack that his first modern version came with, along with two types of shotguns. Falcon also has the Cobra officer web harness - the only weak point about the figure. It works well enough, I just don't like the sculpt, plus it just looks a little flimsy.

I believe that Boss Fight Studios did the work on many of the head sculpts for the BBTS set as well as many FSS figures. Excellent work as usual. Oddly enough, Falcon is back to having brown hair. His BBTS version had him with black hair. His hair color has changed on and off over the history of the figure. I suppose only his stylist knows for sure.

The backpack is a great addition to the figure. I've never really been fond of the way that Hasbro originally sculpted the knife holders on the backpacks, but it worked well enough for the toys.

The backpack opens up and you can pull out the radio. It's actually made up of three pieces, the antenna and the two-part body. Pretty cool!

Here's Night Force Falcon compared to Marauder Falcon. For the Marauder Falcon, I removed the lower portion of his jacket and that flimsy harness and replaced it with the web gear that came with Spirit from that set.

Both figures are exactly the same construction. I never realized that the torso is from Dusty and has that lower waist joint. The Club even did away with the lower portion of the jacket during design. I'm thinking that there may be enough differences in skin tone and, of course, hair color, that I may be able to get away with considering these guys as different characters. Maybe?

Here's Night Force Falcon in his final form. He's now geared up with Spirit's web gear. I think that the colors match just fine. Besides, who says that Falcon always has to use a shotgun? Can't he be well versed in the use of other weapons as well?

The Club really kicked ass with this figure. Straight up repaint with nothing new, but still a damn fine figure. Where else is a collector to go for new GI Joe product? Maybe we'll get an answer from Hasbro at Toy Fair in February.

FSS 02: Cesspool

Back in 1991, Hasbro tried to inject some life into the GI Joe line by introducing the Eco-Warriors. These brave soldiers, led by Flint, fought against the evil Cesspool and his Toxo and Sludge Vipers. Hasbro even dipped into the zombie pool for the Toxo-Zombie. 

Sub-groups have always been a part of the GI Joe line, ranging from Tiger Force to Night Force to Battleforce:2000 to Eco-Warriors to the DEF to Ninja Force and I'm sure there a few others that I'm forgetting. The GI Joe Club has been quite effective in integrating these sub-groups into their figures. With FSS 02, they've integrated Tiger Force, Night Force, and now, the Eco-Warriors.

I'm really impressed by the way that the Club has been working all of these figures in with each other. Night Force Falcon links back to last year's (2013) Con exclusive set featuring the Night Force, while Airtight and Shipwreck are members of Tiger Force. Two more offerings for FSS 02 include members of the Oktober Guard which link back to the 2012 Con exclusive set.

Cesspool connects the Zombie Vipers and the Hazard Vipers from the PoC and 30th lines to this year's (2014) Con set, Zombie Initiative. So how did the Club do on their interpretation of Cesspool?

Damn fine job!

Cesspool is some serious quality work from the Club. Based on the figure, it looks like the only new piece of tooling is the head. I think that the crew from Boss Fight Studios did the work for all of the new head sculpts for the Club. Awesome work!

Everything just works with the Club's interpretation of Cesspool. The loud colors work. The gold weapons and the helmet work well enough when compared to the original. No power chainsaw this time? No loss. The extra accessory really kicks ass!

I'm not sure yet where the torso comes from, but everything else is easily identifiable. The arms are from Airtight, the legs and helmet are from Sci-Fi, and the vest is from the Techno-Viper.

The back-pack comes from Barbecue and the larger weapon comes from Money-Bags Destro. I don't recall where that pistol-thing came from.

Speaking of Money-Bags Destro, check this out! A briefcase full o' cash! Every corrupt businessman needs some funds to bribe local officials. Same goes for the nut job Cesspool. This is such an awesome accessory. I'm so glad I was able to snag an extra Destro and now have two of the original money-filled suitcases.

Such a handsome man! Boss Fight did a helluva' job on that scar. It's a huge bloody scar with that dead, soul-less eye staring back at you. Is the head a little too small? Maybe. I don't care. 

The only complaint I have about this figure is pretty minor. The knees seem to be a bit loose and he tends to fall backwards. Not a huge deal.

This particular set of two figures from the Club is a win-win. Both figures, Cesspool and Falcon, are very well done. Even with just a new head and a mix of various parts, the Club just rocked it with Cesspool. 
How about Falcon? Stay tuned!

Blowtorch's Backpack

I'm sorry, but I really don't like any of the modern versions of Blowtorch. He's just kind of goofy looking. The head sculpt is odd, the figure doesn't really stand that well. The vest/chest piece just kind of sits there.

I even read Justin's review over on General's Joes before buying the figure. One star? Really? And I bought him anyway. I totally agree with the review as well.

But I do like the flame projection unit, despite the fact that the flamethrower has not been used since before 1978 because of the horrific nature of the injuries and casualties caused by the weapon. So why did Hasbro make Blowtorch in the first place? Because shooting a jet of flame as a weapon just sounds cool!

Besides, with Cobra's use of the undead as soldiers/weapons, some flame projection comes in handy for burning the infected. I've got a couple of the kick-ass Airtight figures from the 30th/PoC series of figures and figured that I would try out how Blowtorch's weapon would work on Airtight.

Looks pretty bad-ass. But I don't have a picture of Airtight wearing it right now! I'll add one later.

So this morning, I'm taking pictures of the new GI Joe Club FSS 02 figures - Lt. Falcon and Cesspool and I'm looking at the various figures that formed the base of Cesspool and I stumble across Blowtorch's gear.

And I accidentally knock it to the floor and a piece falls loose. What the hell? I broke it!

Nope, the piece that came off is removable! What the hell? Why? There's a little screen and some dials and gauges in there. That's a pretty damn cool bit of detailing that I only just discovered.

So I'm a little happier about Blowtorch, not much, but a little. And what about Cesspool and Lt. Falcon? Stay tuned, reviews coming shortly. Let's just say, the Club kicked ass on these guys!

**Pictures of Airtight w/ flame unit as promised. Not bad?

Tollbooth Update

Just wanted to try something with Tollbooth's hands. He can be short, I just want better hands. First attempt. 

Damn, Tollbooth ain't that short. Look at him next to desert Duke. 

I found an extra Resolute Duke. Looks like these hands will do just fine!

FSS 2: Tollbooth Review

Remember that scene from "A Christmas Story" when Ralphie finally gets his Little Orphan Annie Secret Decoder Ring that he has been waiting on for so long? He finally gets it and decodes his first message, only to find out that it's a "crummy commercial"? His response to that realization...

"Son of a bitch."

That was my response when I read a first review of the new Tollbooth figure from the GI Joe Club's FSS 2 collection. I then read a second review and was a little less stressed out. I have great fondness for Tollbooth and the bridge-layer for a peculiar reason. I'll have to unearth a little history for you.

I'm kind of an old guy, I've been around for a while. Well, I'm not ancient, but I was playing with the original GI Joe back when I was a kid. No, not the original 13 figures, the Big Guy! On and off throughout my life growing up, I've always collected and played with toys. My parents never told me that I needed to stop playing with toys and grow up. So I never did! Well, you know, I did grow up. Discovered girls, had various jobs, bought a car, that sort of stuff.

But I still collected toys. When Star Wars came out in 1977 and my older brother bought me the Early Bird Certificate, I was hooked as soon as those figures started showing up. Along comes 1982 and GI Joe returns and just dominates the toy aisle for nearly the next twelve years. In 1982, I was 19 years old when I bought my first 3 3/4" GI Joe figure. Been pretty much hooked ever since. 

In 1984, for Christmas, my girlfriend gets the Bridge-Layer for me for Christmas. Of course, I had to marry her! Well, not just that reason, but it certainly helped! So the Toss n' Cross and Tollbooth have always been a little more special to me because it was a gift from the woman who would become and still is my lovely wife.

Plus, the vehicle was very unique, very different, and I just really liked the character of Tollbooth. A simple sculpt, but such a cool character based on the file card. I just liked the guy!

I've also become a bit of a cheap-skate. I don't mind paying retail or a little more for a figure, but that first bunch of figures from the Club's first FSS offering, while cool, where just too damn expensive. And then along comes FSS 2. And Tollbooth and another fave, Keel Haul, are revealed. DAMMIT!!

So I did it; I signed up, knowing, hoping that I could sell off the figures that really didn't interest me that much and maybe almost zero out the cost of the ones that I wanted. Maybe... We'll see how that works out.

The Tollbooth reveal looked just fantastic. Sure, there were those crappy Shipwreck arms, but not a deal killer. Looking back at that original reveal, it really stands out that the legs are a bit off. The lower legs are definitely shorter than they should be when compared with the thighs. 

Tollbooth really turned out to be short. I mean, really short. Even shorter than some of the female figures.

So I tried out a quick custom using an extra Joe Colton figure. Not bad, not bad at all.

Why couldn't the Club use this body for Tollbooth? I suppose what really made me think more about the figure and the whole design process that the Club has to go through goes back to Episode 86 of "What's on Joe Mind?" The guys at WOJM talked to David Lane about the process that the Club has to go through in order to make a figure.

It doesn't really seem to be an easy process. The Club has a lot of hoops that they have to jump through in order to use the Hasbro molds. Hasbro seems willing to work with them, but it may not always be a smooth process.

Was it a shocking surprise to the Club that Tollbooth was going to turn out to be shorter than most figures? Probably not. They're doing the best that they can and, dammit, I'm going to be grateful for that.

Hell, Hasbro wasn't planning on revisiting the character, so many thanks to the Club for bringing him out. Besides, aren't real human beings quite different in their heights? Duh!

So, yeah, I'm a little disappointed, but I'll manage to survive. I'm just glad to have Tollbooth in the modern era and am looking forward to including him in more and more pictures in the future.

 

GI Joe Collectors Club - FSS-02

The GI Joe Collectors Club is wrapping up their first Figure Subscription Service with the mystery 13th figure now shipping with the last two figures.

Barely anyone reads this blog, so - SPOILER ALERT - the 13th figure is BlackOut. From the pictures that I have seen, the club did a decent job, but I'm not upset that I missed him. I made my own version well before this figure was revealed with a POC Snake Eyes body and BlackOut's head modded to fit on the neck peg. Works just fine for me.

Figure Subscription Service #2 is underway for sign-ups and time is rapidly running out. The deadline is two days away as I write this entry. If I'm going to get on board, I need to decide quickly.

I thought I would do a quick review of each of the proposed FSS02 figures and share my thoughts about them. (left to right, top row to bottom)

1. Dragonsky - the October Guard flame projection specialist. I don't have any other October Guard figures in my collection and I really don't see myself pursuing any other OG figures. Dragonsky would hit the secondary market pretty quickly.
2. Bombardier - based on an Action Force prototype that was an elusive figure to uncover. The story behind Bombardier is pretty cool. Possible keeper, not 100% sure.
3. Falcon - in his Night Force colors. Falcon has always been one of my favorite Joe characters. Yes, I even like him more than Snake Eyes! His transition to the new figure style started out horrifically, with redemption coming via the Slaughther's Marauders 7-pack from BBTS. The new color palette looks great! A definite keeper!
4. Ship-wreck - in Tiger Force colors, based on a South American design. I am so over Shipwreck and his silly sailor suit. Off to the secondary market.
5. Skull Buster - the unit commander of the Cobra Range Vipers, straight repaint, just like the original O-ring version. Not overly impressed. I like the mold, unsure if he would be a keeper.
6. Airtight - in Tiger Force colors, based on a South American design. The 30th upgrade to Airtight is nothing short of action figure excellence. No exceptions to this guy. The tiger stripes look pretty cool, too! Keeper!
7. Tollbooth - not only Yes, but Hell Yes! I sort of have an emotional attachment to Tollbooth. My wife bought me the Bridgelayer as a Christmas present the year before we were married, so I've always had a soft spot for Chuck X. Goren (X for nothing). Plus I really dig the character of a combat engineer. DEFINITE KEEPER!
8. Cesspool - the bad guy behind Cobra's daliance in eco-terrorism. he was always an interesting character and the club appears to be doing him justice. One can never have too many bad guys. Cesspool is a keeper!
9. Widescope - I'm really excited to see a new sculpt era figure in the FSS, but I'm not overly impressed. He's just a Cobra Shock trooper body with a reused sock-head. Nothing special about the gear. lamont looks like a straight remold of original. Maybe a keeper, maybe not.
10. Big Bear - another member of the October Guard. Don't have any others, as previously noted. Nice original o-ring version, but I would let him go to the secondary market.
11. Desert Scorpion - the original o-ring version kinda' sucked in my opinion, so I'm already biased by that suckiness. I'm not impressed. Somebody will want to troop build him. Off to the secondary market.
12. Admiral Keel Haul - another Hell Yes! Another sentimental favorite! I never had the Flagg and knew I would never really want the 7' long beast, so I resigned myself to possibly never having the figure. years and years and years ago, somehow I came across the information that Chuck E. Cheese had Admiral Keel Haul as a prize give-away. Well, off I went to the nearest Chuck E. Cheese and checked in and sure enough, they had him. Fortunately, I didn't have to play a million games of Skee-ball to earn tickets to get him. I think I paid less than $10.00 for him. Well worth it! Hasbro did a damn fine job with the original figure and it looks like the club did a great job as well. We'll never see another USS Flagg at retail, so this is a great way to add the Admiral to the collection. Another definite keeper!
13. unknown... Who knows? Wait and see...

Of the twelve known FSS02 figures, that puts the score at:

• Keepers - 5
• Maybes - 3
• Sell 'em - 4

My biggest concern is that these figures price out at $25.50 each prior to shipping costs. Damn, that's a lot of money! Yeah, I know, I'm a cheap-skate. Where else would I be able to get them? Hasbro apparently ok'd these guys for the Club, because they won't be doing them.

I suppose the question would be if I can resell the ones I don't want for enough extra to lower the overall cost of the ones I want to keep. I haven't done any research on the secondary market of the first FSS figures, but I think I wouldn't have any problems reselling them for at least what I paid for them. I hope...

Do I pull the trigger or not? The clock is ticking...