FSS 4.0 - Sneak Peek, Outback, and...

Sometimes it's all about the timing.

Everyone who signed up for the FSS 4.0 figures has been patiently waiting and wondering when the last three figures would drop. Once thew shipping schedule got really rolling, they should have come out during the annual convention. Realistically? No, I didn't expect them, but it would have been cool for the folks at home to get them while the convention was rolling. <evil laugh>

It seemed like it took forever! There was finally an email that stated that they would be shipping around July 22nd. Then there was another email that stated that they would ship during the last week of July.

Well, damn... That worked out pretty well for me! With my little side diversion of my quadruple bypass surgery, the arrival of the figures late in July was just what the doctor ordered. Well, maybe not the doctor, but it was a nice bit of fun during the early stages of my recovery. Shoot, I even walked up to the mail box all by myself to grab them.

Okay, you may ask... "Tom, how long are you going to milk this open heart surgery thing?" I've got a seven inch scar along the center of my chest; I'm running with this for a long time! I've frikkin' earned it!

Anyway, let's get to the figures. Fred and Justin will probably do much longer and more in depth reviews, I'm just going to touch on quick highlights and thoughts. As of this date, I'm beating both of them to online reviews! I'll take my victories where I can get them!

First up is Tiger Force Sneak Peek. Interesting build by the Club and very effective as well. Like most of the Cub figures, there's a great deal of reuse of parts. There's really nothing new from the figure itself. Airborne head and helmet, Snake Eyes torso, Shock Trooper arms and legs, Scrap Iron vest. But it all works well together. Sneak Peek is a good, solid build. I like the color pallet of the Tiger Force theme. Right now, this is the only modern update of Sneak Peek out there. He's slated for another release during FSS 5.0, supposedly in his more traditional colors and maybe with a different vest.

The only new piece with Sneak Peek is his periscope. Brand new item from the Club and it works well. Nicely sculpted, Sneak Peek gets his iconic piece of equipment. The other stuff is okay, nothing too impressive. The M-16 is a bit dated and the radio and binoculars are nice pieces.

Overall, Sneak Peek is a strong figure and one of the better figures from FSS 4.0.

Next up we have Tiger Force Outback. The color palette is actually based on the European version of Tiger Force Outback, complete with a head full of white hair and beard. The head sculpt is brand new, at least since the Zombie Initiative convention set. An excellent head sculpt by the way. Pretty standard body reuse, I think it's made up of 25th anniversary bits with the newer swivel/pivot wrists. The tiger face on his shirt is nicely done, very crisp and clean.

The gear is decent enough. Nice backpack, but the machine gun and the knife are a bit lacking. The knife is a bit too big to me. I'm sure it's fine for hacking through the jungles, but it just seems too large. The machine gun looks great, but the handle is a bit too big for his hands. Accessories are the least issue to me. If the figure is well done, I can forgive the less than stellar gear.

Another strong figure from the Club to wrap up FSS 4.0!

Next up, we have Tiger Force Jinx! Oh wait a minute... Nope. I was really expecting a Tiger Force Jinx as the 13th "mystery" figure. The early clue from the Club was that the figure would be a female character with a new head sculpt.
I really didn't care too much about spoilers, so I saw who #13 was online before I got the shipment. Much to everyone's surprise, we got a modern update of a Club original figure, Carla "Doc" Greer. The Club released her as part of a convention set several years ago, way back when they were still using the o-ring bodies.

I think she's a mix of a Lady Jaye torso with maybe RoC Cover Girl arms and legs? Whatever. The parts work well together along with a brand new head sculpt. Not having the original Carla Greer figure, I'm quite pleased that the Club has included some more diversity into the GI Joe team. Some may think that Hasbro has been less ethnically diverse than they should have been back in the 80's-90's series. Tough call, but I don't buy it. Based on the file cards, the GI Joe team was quite ethnically diverse. Whatever. Race/gender/ethnicity just needs to stop being such a big damn deal in the 1/1 world. We are who we are.

Overall, Doc is another strong figure from the Club.

The Club wrapped up FSS 4.0 on a very strong note with three very well done figures. Stay tuned for a quick look back at all of the figures from FSS 4.0!

New GI Joe in November!

New figures on the way! The Hasbro panel at this year's GI Joe Convention offered up a few treats for fans this year. It looks like five two-packs and two three-packs. No vehicles this year. As long as GI Joe is out there in the marketplace somewhere, that works for me.

Random thoughts ahead.

Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. This is a great two-pack that actually makes sense. These two have always been in conflict with each other, so why not? Hasbro pulled out two of the best versions of these iconic characters. The awesome PoC Snake Eyes (v54) and the Renegades Storm Shadow. 
While this is awesome, it would be one of my least desirable sets. I've got loads of this version of Snake Eyes and I've got this Storm Shadow as well. I can think of two reasons to get this two-pack; one to just keep unopened just because it's cool to have these two together and another just for the custom potential. This Snake Eyes, with a simple head swap, becomes a great GI Joe covert ops team member. I've got the "ultimate" Storm Shadow from late in the Retaliation line and he really is the best Stormy. With another "white" ninja, could they be two ninjas working directly with Storm Shadow?

A two-pack of zombie vipers! Hell yeah! I've currently got six zombies and wouldn't mind having a few more. Maybe two more sets?

Next up is Duke and a new Cobra character, Tombstone. The Duke build is interesting and looks like it has potential. I think I would switch out the vest for the more muted green vest from a Steel Brigade figure and switch out the head for a Renegades Duke (my favorite Duke head sculpt).
Tombstone is interesting. An unmasked Cobra operative and non-white.That's very bold of Hasbro to go with a black enemy soldier. That's been a rare occurrence in the history of GI Joe. I'm looking forward to this set.

Next up is basically a brand new set of figures; Heavy Duty and Stiletto. While Heavy Duty is not a new character and not really a new figure, I'm glad to see him get a modern update. Last seen, embarrassingly, during the Rise of Cobra line, this version is more in line with the character from the new sculpt era. Hasbro is using the larger "Rock" body for him and he looks pretty cool!
Stiletto is a fan-chosen figure from the GI Joe Kindle Worlds series of fan fiction. I don't recall her full story right now, but I believe she's a Cobra agent. Hasbro finally resurrected the Helix body and is using it for Stiletto; at least the torso. The arms and legs are from other female figures. Of course, she has a brand new head sculpt. Another great two-pack from Hasbro.

This last two-pack is a troop builder that includes an Iron Grenadier and a Cobra Viper. Excellent set, but do I really want it? I never really got into troop building Destro's soldiers. I do have quite o few of the IG heavy gunners that came with the Steel Brigade figure, but none of these particular versions of the Iron Grenadier soldiers. I do like them, even though Hasbro is using the more dated 25th anniversary figure. I just don't know if I'll actively pursue this two-pack, primarily because of the Viper.

"But, Tom, you frikkin' love the Viper!" True, very true, but I've got 14 of them! Seriously, how many more do I need? EVERY OTHER ONE I SEE! No, not really, 14 is more than enough. I've even got one still minty fresh on the card because the Viper is so awesome! I may just pass on this set.

Next up is one of the three-packs. This set looks like it includes a covert ops team, since they are all dressed in black gear. The first two, Falcon and Outback, look great and would be welcome additions to my collection. Outback seems a little off though. Hasbro is using the 25th anniversary head sculpt on a modern body. That combination makes his head look a little too small.

Another female character from Hasbro? And she's black? What? This is Shooter, the 14th original GI Joe character. Way, way back in the the very first issue of the Marvel GI Joe comic, there was a picture of a computer screen with the original 13 team members listed as well as one more character, Shooter. No picture of Shooter was shown at the time and the name came out as a nod to then Marvel editor Jim Shooter.

Many years later, Larry Hama revisits that origin story of GI Joe and fleshes out the Shooter character. She was an operative that was dropped in alongside, but unknown to, the original team in their mission to rescue Dr. Burkhart. It seemed like she was KIA at the end of the issue, but that doesn't matter that much in terms of making a figure of the character. I definitely want this set!

The last three-pack is another troop builder set and it is a winner! A SAW Viper, a Cobra Officer, and a BAT. The SAW Viper is great, and while similar to the Club version from last year's convention set, it is different enough to keep the Club version unique. 

The Cobra Officer is... female? What is going on at Hasbro? So many awesome changes with these figures! A female Cobra officer! How very cool! I'm ready for her to be a part of my collection and have her kick some Blueshirt trooper butt! Plus the Club is working with Hasbro on this set and is making their own three-pack of all female Cobra soldiers, each with a mask and different hair color. Excellent collaboration!

The third figure in this set is another BAT using the same exact mold from the 25th version. Who cares? That mold works so well and has held its own against any of the modern era of GI Joe figures. I can always use more BATs. I'll take at least three of these sets please!

That's the lineup for the new figures due at Toys R Us this November. Crap, I'll be up in Pickens County well before then. I'm going to need to find the nearest Toys R Us!

FSS 4.0 Reveals: Quick Thoughts

Just a quick overview of all of the 12 members of the FSS 4.0.

From left to right, top to bottom.

Row 1:
Interrogator - Looks cool, glad to add the character to my modern mix. Hoping that the seemingly lower head is just a Photoshop thing.
Ice Ninja (Night Creeper) - I like the look, well designed, good use of parts. Ultimately an expensive troop builder, so he'll be off to the secondary market.
Nunchuk - Kind of a blah original figure, but effectively recreated. May need new military web gear.
Inferno BAT - Another expensive troop builder. I like BATs, but this one just looks dumb to me.

Row 2:
Outback - Over-sized head compared to body? Still, I like this version. Don't mind the white hair.
Barricade - I figured that the Club would go with the Delta suit torso/body. A bit too bright on the colors? Still a keeper. A favorite character.
Sneak Peek - Euro Tiger Force? I don't care. I'm glad to add the character to the mix.
Billy - Basically a brand new never produced figure. Billy has been around for quite a while. A welcome addition to most Joe collectors and well done by the Club. Not a huge fan of the bronze highlights, maybe Photoshop issue?

Row 3:
Law & Order - More accurate vintage colors, older vest. Looks great, but I'm not 100% sure about opening him. Some want him for a Bozigian autograph one day, but the key to the link between Kirk Bozigian and the original Law & Order was the head sculpt for Law was based on Kirk. Not the case with the new one.
Jammer - Action Force character? So what? Looks cool. Will he stay as Jammer or become a new Stalker?
Pathfinder - Decent upgrade, a little concerned about the small head and bulky vest, but he's a keeper.
Bullhorn - A real simple upgrade by the Club. A new head sculpt would have been nice, but he'll do. The original was pretty basic looking, so the Club redesign works. Hey Bullhorn, the 90's called. They want their headband back!

Mystery figure 13: The Club commented on this figure being an established female character with a new head sculpt. Intriguing! Cobra or GI Joe?

For the basic 12, it looks like 3 Cobras, 8 GI Joe/Allies, and 1 independent mercenary. I don't mind it too much, but Cobra offerings are going to be much tougher as the Club goes through the named Cobra personalities and are left with troop builders. 

If the Club could do some troop builders outside of the FSS realm and make some multi-packs, that would be pretty sweet. Maybe an intensive collector poll and lay out basic costs with an increased production run and hopeful strong fan response would be able to support something like this? That basic Cobra Trooper mold used for the Dollar General figures is ripe for an awesome upgrade.

Overall, I'm pleased with the Club offerings for FSS 4.0. Maybe I'm treading close to becoming a GI Joe Club apologist, but they do pretty good work.If they had the full resources of Hasbro, I'm sure they could crank out some even cooler figures. They are doing their best to support the brand as well as running the Transformer Club. 

Maybe one day, I'll actually make it to a national convention?

FSS 4.0 Reveals: Outback - Tiger Force

Next up from the Club reveals for FSS 4.0 is Outback. Wait a minute, doesn't Outback have red hair? Yeah, he does, but for this release, the Club went with the deco from the Action Force version.

There's been the usual amount of butt-hurt going around the online community about the choice of parts. It looks like this figure is using the older 25th Anniversary torso. There's probably another choice for the torso from a more modern figure that could have had the same or very similar effect. The arms have been updated to include swivel/pivot hands and that's a good thing. 

The head is one of my biggest issues. It's another excellent sculpt by Boss Fight, but it just looks a little too big for the torso. While Outback looks cool, he's not one of the strong points of the reveals for FSS 4.0.

I don't want to sound like a Club apologist, but I don't know their side of the story. What are the reasons why they choose specific body parts? How limited of a selection do they have based on Hasbro's input? The Club does have issues. Personally, I think that communication has been one of their biggest issues. Last year's FSS 3.0 was a long drawn out release of figures. Just a quick email to state"Hey gang, we're running behind." Something just to let folks know what's going on. The monthly newsletter isn't enough and is not quick enough.

Personally, I would like to see a series of articles in the Club newsletter regarding the design process of either an FSS set or a Convention set. What are the criteria and constraints in the design and production process? I would be very interest to know.

Because knowing is half the battle.