Ninjas, Ninjas, Ninjas!

Ninjas!!

Really? Can we ever be done with ninjas? Not with the GI Joe line. Especially not when one of the coolest characters is turned into super-bad ninja mo-fo. Sometimes you just got to get sick and tired of all these damn ninjas!

Unless the toys are really bad-ass! As my ninja collection began to grow, I thought about uses for these different colored ninja uniforms. I thought about each "color" representing a different ninja clan. The first picture is just a quick and dirty idea of Stormshadow gathering members of the three most powerful ninja clans in an attempt to join together against a common foe. But is that common foe GI Joe or Cobra? Time will tell, loyal reader. (yeah, both of you!)

The red ninjas from the Retaliation toy line turned out fantastic. I don't really care about the string-things and they could have used more gear, but they look pretty damn cool. Based on the awesome Renegades/30th version of Stormshadow, they only varied in lower leg construction, allowing them to have rocker ankles.

Supposedly, there is a "movie accurate" red ninja on the way in a few months. We'll see. I wasn't too impressed with the preproduction pictures.

Next up in the Retaliation line were the "dark" ninjas. Oooh, scary! Clothed in dark gray and black uniforms, these ninjas are straight repaints of the Stormshadow molds. I don't even remember the gear that they came with. But they still look cool as crap!

The last set of ninjas in the above picture, besides Stormy, are the "Ninja Force" versions of Stormy found at Dollar General stores. I know, you question my sanity. That's a picture with three Stormshadows in it. Nope, not to me. The Dollar General version of Stormshadow uses basically the same body as Renegades Stormshadow, which is just so damn cool, I couldn't buy just one and quit. (hoping to see orange sherbert Stormy soon!)

So I twisted my sanity a little more and now consider these guys to be another ninja clan. I really had to force myself to stop at just five of these guys because they are so damn cool. I didn't let myself get psycho about them like the DG Blackshirts. (12!)

The guy in the center has "Kamakura's" head from that lame-ass three-pack movie version.

Damn, that figure sucked! I know, the head originally came from Stormy version 67 or 93 or whatever. I don't get that picky.

Ninjas do have a place in my twisted Joe-verse, mainly as a different entity in the battle between GI Joe and Cobra. At least they don't suck as bad as Drednoks.

Spoiler Alert!!

Not really...

Since Blackout has been revealed to be the mystery 13th figure from the Club's FSS round 1, I thought I would post a quick picture of my custom Blackout figure.

I don't remember where my original thoughts for a Blackout custom came from. I sold off most of my SpyTroops figures a few years ago, so I didn't have one to chop up.

I think I had tried a few customs with some Spytroops or Venom vs Valor figures; cutting off the neck posts and drilling out a hole into the neck.

Once I had a few of the awesome POC Snake Eyes figures, I knew that body would be a great base for Blackout. It wasn't until Joelanta from two years ago that I was able to stumble across a loose Blackout figure. It wasn't too soon after I got him home that he underwent surgery.

Oh yeah, I really dig his backstory! Check out this earlier post about Blackout.


My first attempt at a Blackout custom involved using the POC Snake Eyes body, but I eventually switched to the Dollar General Cobra Trooper in the black uniform.

I think this works better for a custom. My opinion, yours may differ.

It's been a while...

I guess it isn't as bad as I thought. It has only been just over a month since I've posted last. For my handful of followers, I haven't given up on GI Joe, I've just been busy as hell.

A number of 1:1 scale events have impacted my life that has put the hobby on hiatus for a while. I've been working on my Education Specialist degree, so that's been a load of extra work.

As hinted in an earlier post, there was the possiblity of a move and a new location for my stuff. Well that only took about four months for the sale to go through and the move to occur. we still have our other house and are working quickly to get it on the market.

The new place is great and I've got a decent "play" area with some good potential for some cool display space. But not yet. There's a ton of other stuff to do. New paint, repairs, unpacking, repacking, sorting, and getting rid of some stuff. The "honey-do" list is pretty big! But I'm hoping to get some me-time in there once in a while. I really need to get a mini photo studio set up to get some new pictures taken. I've got some cool ideas in regards to the new Retaliation figures that are out now that the movie was finally released.

Oh yeah... GI Joe: Retaliation... my thoughts?

I haven't seen it yet... I've been a die-hard GI Joe fan for so long and I still haven't seen it. We were moving right at the time the movie came out and it really didn't seem like a wise health conscious move to take a break from packing and moving to go see a movie.

I think the DVD release is just a couple months away. I can be patient enough for that. It might show up when the next wave of kick-ass figures come out. Sounds good to me!

Cobra Black-Shirts

A bit obsessed...

Click here for more on these awesome figures!

Cobra Troopers for the Win!

Have I ever said how much I love troop building Cobra soldiers?

Hasbro hit a solid grand slam with this figure. Such a great nod to the original o-ring version with all the bells and whistles of the modern era figures.

But I'm not satisfied with these guys! I just don't really like the web gear that much!

What can be done about that situation?

Check it out here for a look at my Cobra troop upgrades!

Mercer makes his move

Mercer makes his move for freedom.

Lots of pictures, click here to see them.

100,001

On May 11, 2010, I posted a review covering some of the items from Marauder, Inc. It was just a simple review, mainly my random thoughts and a bunch of pictures.

It didn't take long before I noticed an odd trend for this silly bit of nonsense - my traffic was picking up and from all over the world.

After a little research, I noticed my post getting more and more hits from all over the world. People were searching for "types of guns" or "pictures of guns" and my silly post popped up in searches.

Today was a milestone, I guess. The hits for this post just went past 100,000. 100,001 to be exact.

One crazy silly post about tiny toy guns and I'm a world-wide sensation!

The Legendary Tom Brooks indeed.

LTB

A Tale of Two Jinxes

I seriously never believed that I would ever have any exclusive from San Diego Comic Con. Ever. I don't even remember when SDCC was, maybe just a few weeks ago.
Hasbro had three GI Joe exclusives at SDCC - the Shockwave HISS tank and two versions of Jinx, one red uniform and one white uniform. Usually, any excess stock goes to HasbroToyShop.com and usually sells out pretty quickly.
I missed the first round of releases on HTS and I wasn't really too concerned. The next time HTS opened up the releases, I was sitting in front of my computer and jumped right on HTS.
Amazing! There they were - ripe and ready for purchase! I would have liked the Shockwave HISS tank, but just couldn't justify the price. The Jinx figures, on the other hand, I jumped on them. Plus I ordered a Derpy My Little Pony for my daughter. Yes, for my daughter! I'm not a Bronie!
I suppose it took about a week and a half for them to finally show up. It took me a few days to even get to them to open the two Jinx figures. That's finally done and I've got pictures ready for a review.



You can check out my thoughts here.
And no, I won't be reviewing Derpy.

Lazy Boy Customs - Part Whatever

I think that the best part of the new Modern Era (ME) GI Joe figures is the ease of making simple customs. There are some amazing GI Joe customs out on the web, with joecustoms.com probably being the best place for GI Joe customs.
But I'm lazy and my near vision is fuzzy as I'm getting older. Yeah, I know, reading glasses help. Dammit.
I used to make customs with the old o-ring Joes, but those always required paint to get a unified look to the swapped parts. The o-ring figures were always much easier as well.
But I'm lazy. Switching gear and heads is enough for me. One day, I'll get some more paints and give that a whirl again, but for now, enjoy these three simple LBC's.

Airborne reborn. The 25th version was pretty damn cool, but was far behind the changes that have been done since then. I used a Steel Brigade (V2) body and I think Resolute Beach Head's web gear. Looks great to me.

Sgt Stone or is it Lt Stone? I don't remember, I'm going with Sgt Stone. A one shot character from Rise of Cobra that really needed new life. The original wasn't bad, but an upgrade was needed. I used POC Hawk's body and Steel Brigade vest. Just drop his head on and he looks great! He survived the ROC mess and lives on in my collection!

Scrap Iron, good old Scrap Iron. His 25th version was just kind of bland. He had a Cobra trooper body that had the tendency to be quite floppy. I saw a custom on joedios.com and really liked the ease of the custom. Head and vest from the 25th onto a Cobra Shock Trooper body. A kind of blah character has taken on a new life for me. He has been a bigger part of my Cobra collection now that he has been "reborn."

I think part of the customization aspect of these GI Joe figures goes back to my love of the 12" GI Joes. Those guys were the ultimate in customizing. Bits and pieces from various figures could turn a plain figure into something brand new. Something that only you have done and I like that!

You can check out my custom 12" GI Joe figures here on this old lame website. One day, I'll rebuild it somewhere else.

Action Figure Storage

So what is your preferred method for storing your action figures?
I personally like the reusable plastic containers that usually come with sandwich meats from the grocery store. I can use specific containers for specific types or categories of figures. 

There are several different sizes as well. there's the small size that is your usual sandwich meat container. Next is the medium family sized container. Last is the jumbo family sized container.

I think that they are great. translucent sides so you can see who or what is in each container. I've got two of the small containers specifically set aside for my zombies, one for the figures and the other for the stands and extra bits that come with them.

My Cobra Troopers need three containers, one large for the figures and two small, one for stands and one for weapons.

Heck, even the plastic containers from Crystal Light are decent to use!

I had to go rescue a medium container out of the trash today. To family: What is wrong with you people? Don't you know I use these?

So what about you? How do you store your figures? Something completely different?

Leave a comment, share your storage secrets!

Marauder Inc Wave 6 Review

Let's make one thing perfectly clear right up front. I don't know a dang thing about guns. There are plenty of reviews out there that cover just exactly what types of weapons these are and the technical details behind them. Not me. I just know that Marauder Inc does some seriously kick ass work and I'm a loyal customer.
The Retaliation GI Joe Trooper gets to help out with the review.

I just like cool looking weapons and how they look with my toys. So I'm just going to post pictures and include my random thoughts.

Check the pics out right here--

Cobra's Command Staff

Cobra's Command Staff - from left to right

Xamot, Zartan, Tomax, Storm Shadow, Mjr Bludd, Voodoo, Mistress, Cobra Commander, Firefly, Destro, Baroness, Scrap Iron, Dr Mindbender, & Blackout

Retaliation Ninja 3 Packs

Now with pictures!
I've added a couple reviews of the new Ninja 3 packs.


Ninja Showdown 3-pack
Ninja Dojo 3-pack


Hits or misses?
Go grab them - because if you don't, you'll have to wait 8 MONTHS for more!

The State of GI Joe - My Thoughts.

I have been a fan of GI Joe since I was a kid. I really don't know exactly when I started playing with GI Joe, but it was probably around when I was six years old. That's all the way back to 1968, folks. Yeah, I'm that old. Not that pushing 50 is old, but I've been a Joe fan for quite a while.


Read more of my thoughts here.

From Trash to Treasure

A few days ago, I sent out an inquiring tweet about the big goofy spring-loaded missile launchers from the GI Joe: Rise of Cobra figures. These things are so over-sized and drew the wrath of GI Joe collectors everywhere. I guess they forgot about Hasbro's prior use of big spring-loaded launchers back in the waning years of the original ARAH GI Joe figures.

My intention was to just trash them. I was tired of them taking up valuable storage space. Fellow Joe collector, Greg Schueller, sent a couple links to some very interesting uses of these "things" - here and here.

 I decided to give it a try. I had actually dumped them in a trash can and had to retrieve them. Fortunately no "icky" stuff had been dumped on them, so it was a clean retrieval!

Apparently, this was a popular missile launcher for Hasbro to include with the ROC figures. I have no idea which figure or figures they belong to and I really no longer care. The key element in reusing these launchers is to have a bit of imagination. Initial steps are just to test fit them together to get an idea of how they can be combined. The little soft plastic pistol grips usually need to be removed to get a better idea of how they can be placed next to each other.

This was one of my first attempts. I had trimmed off the grips and decided to try this configuration. Sometimes the launchers don't quite fit smoothly next to each other, so a little bit of sanding is needed.

Just a few drags across a piece of sandpaper can smooth out some edges and allow for a closer fit. The sanded plastic also takes super glue much quicker and the pieces stick together rather quickly. Watch that super glue on the fingertips!

Now this is interesting. the bottom launcher came from a ROC figure and the top came with the Rock figure from one of the Ninja 3-packs from RET. Reusing ROC junk for RET junk. Oh well!

 Here is my first batch of "things" that I have created from the launchers. I really have no idea what they are supposed to be. Mainly set dressing for dioramas, I guess. I think that they look pretty cool. Power conduits, energy transfer units, whatever. Pretty neat idea and pretty simple to create.

Scrap Iron approves!

The next step will be painting. I'm thinking a base coat of cheap gray primer as an initial layer and then add detailing with other paints. That means that I need to actually go out and buy more paints!
I guess this also means that I need to create some sort of set to use them in. Probably some sort of nefarious Cobra lab involving diabolical weapons development. Who knows?
I'll keep posting further progress of my "greeble" creations. Stay tuned!

GI Joe: Retaliation 3-Packs - Quick Thoughts

I also came across the two 3-packs of "Ninja" figures today. Just a quick rundown on thoughts for each character. 


Ninja Showdown Set

• Storm Shadow - I am so tired of this guy. Yeah, he's cool. Blah, blah, blah. The Renegades version is the best Storm Shadow out there right now. But this is a pretty decent figure. I don't know how movie accurate he is, but not too bad - for a ninja in white. Excellent articulation!
• Red Ninja - Straight up reuse of single pack red ninja and Renegades Storm Shadow mold. Molded in black and red. Nice!
• Snake Eyes - Absolute Bad Ass! Almost as good as POC Snake Eyes. Almost. He really looks like a nod to version 23 of Snake Eyes. I really like Snake Eyes and he is so overused and I do grow weary of all the different versions, but this one rocks. I don't give a rat's ass about the wave 1 single pack.

Ninja Dojo Set

• Kamakura - I really don't know know what to think about this figure. Just a weird looking ninja. I wouldn't have bought him on a single card. Not impressed.
• Beach Head - So when did he become a ninja? Who cares? Damn fine figure. POC Snake Eyes body w POC Beach Head's... head. Works great together. New web gear that looks great. Just a little too light in the color palette of his uniform, but still the gem of this set.
• Roadblock - Okay, Hasbro? Can you use the same colored plastic for the skin of the same character across the line? Please? Basically the same exact mold as the single pack except that he doesn't have the goofy thing molded in his hand. A lighter skin tone with a barely visible goatee and black tiger stripe camo on skin. And a loose fitting head. C'mon, man! I switched the hands with my single pack Rock, err... Roadblock. Much better!

No vehicles. The only vehicle that impresses me right now is the Ninja Combat Cruiser - or whatever the hell it is called. It's an update to the POC Vamp - a damn fine vehicle. And I'll need a couple of these updated Vamp's. But it looks like I'll have to wait until it is movie time next March. Not released with the other wave 1 stuff. Dammit.


Next week, I'll post pictures and more thoughts. Stay tuned!

GI Joe:Retaliation Figures - Just Some Quick Thoughts

I need to get down my thoughts on the Retaliation (RET) toy line in regards to what I have been able to find. By now, if you are a GI Joe fan, you know that the movie has been delayed until March 2013 and Hasbro recently stated that no more toys will be shipped beyond what is already in the hands of retailers.


Okay, so I wasn't too stressed. I can relax and be patient. Well, not really... New toys are out there and I want some! But I couldn't jump on them when Hasbro advised retailers to break street date with the inventory on hand. I had to wait.


Over the past couple of days, I was able to go on a couple toy hunts and pick up a decent selection of figures. No pictures right now - I just want to get down my raw thoughts on these figures. I'll just list them and share some thoughts. Hang on!

• Zartan - weird figure, very much a Renegades vibe with the costume design. I recently watched the Renegades episode where he got his suit and, yeah, that's him. At least partially. Maybe there are some other added design elements beyond Renegades. It's hard to say if he looks like anything we'll see in RET.
• Red Ninja - very nice reuse of the Renegades Stormshadow mold. Excellent colors, not so much on the gear. I want a couple more.
• Roadblock - Yeah, he's the Rock! I get the hand-grip thingy, I really do. I know it has something to do with his weapons in RET, I understand. But I don't like it. The big goofy spring loaded weapon, yeah, I hope kids enjoy it. Not me. Limited articulation on the legs, not that big of a deal to me. Remember O-ring figs, anyone? Don't bitch about it. But this is still a damn good figure. He just needs a little bit of fixing.
• Cobra Commander - The helmet detail is incredible! I really like this figure. Basic articulation, but still well done.
• Duke - Busted from Captain to 1st LT. Kind of a lame figure, decent body sculpt, probably custom work ahead. Looks like a decent green shirt type body.

Passed - 

• Single carded Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow - wise choice, better in the ninja 3-pack.
• Cobra Trooper - Saw one, didn't care, still don't care, don't know if I ever will care. Compared to 30th Cobra troopers and Vipers? Really?
• GI Joe Trooper - Didn't see any, dammit. Want several!

So that's it for the single carded figures that I found. More thoughts later, probably next week. With pictures!

Discount GI Joe figures - Part 1

In a surprising move, Hasbro has created a discounted line of figures that is rocking the GI Joe fan base. Six iconic characters with just a few minor paint app changes or gear changes for the low price of $6.00. 
I have been searching and searching for the past couple of weeks, trying to find these figures. Dollar General seems to be the target store. Maybe Family Dollar? Big Lots? Don't know right now.

I got lucky and found my first figure and it is actually my most desired figure - the Cobra Trooper in an all black uniform. This is just a quick review. I haven't had the chance to take pictures of the opened figure yet. Trust me, this is a damn fine figure.
The packaging is just so simple and really works well for the discount aspect of the figure. The card is smaller than a standard figure card. There is no file card - a disappointment, but not by much. I just really like the simplicity of the design of the packaging. Hasbro did a great job on these figures.
Once opened, you quickly realized that Hasbro cranked out a pretty decent figure for this discounted price. I'll review the figure in more detail in a later post, so I'll just cover some basics. The trooper uses the same mold as the POC/30th Cobra trooper. While there isn't as much gear as the POC/30th, there is just enough. Well, almost. The web gear is excellent. I think it comes from the 25th version of the Cobra officer and it works very well for this guy. A snug fit around the waist but a little loose at the shoulders. Close enough. Same helmet, just black. 
The trooper also comes with an AK-47, I don't know the origin, but it's cool. The only drawbacks to this figure are the empty pistol holster and knife sheath. No weapons included to fill them. No big deal, shop Marauder, Inc for replacements.
The only other drawback is the trooper's face. I'm kind of getting tired of this mug, but I'll deal with it. Plus the paint app is very pale. I guess he's a Night Watch commando for Cobra, because he's not getting much sunlight!

I really don't know what role this particular style of trooper will play in my twisted Joe-world. I know one thing about this guy - I need more, many more. I have around 15 of the 30th Trooper, so I'm thinking I need at least a dozen. With the less than stellar Retaliation figures, this will be an easy buy.Plus there are tons of Dollar Generals stores in my area.
The back of the card shows the other figures in this release.
Duke - in a plain green uniform - (makes a better Grunt!) Maybe a troop builder?
Snake Eyes - similar to the version 4 o-ring figure. I always liked this sculpt and am looking forward to this guy.
Shipwreck - sort of a Devil's Due/GI Joe vs Cobra look from 2002. Great custom potential as well, so I need a couple.
Cobra Commander - meh, I'll buy just one and see how he looks out of package.
Cobra Trooper - must have many!
Stormshadow - Ninja Force style uniform, except that it looks better. I'm kind of weary of Stromshadow, mainly because there have been so many lame versions of him. Not the Renegades version, that one is the ultimate Stormy. I like him, I want the figure.
Apparently there are going to be some paint app changes to these figures as well. I've seen pictures elsewhere on the inter-webs. Decent looking - we'll see.


With all the recent shenanigans about the Retaliation movie 9 month push back and concerns over the retail presence of GI Joe, I am much more interested in these figures than the movie stuff. Cheaper in cost and pretty decent updates. Maybe Hasbro can crank out some more of these as an interim product while they figure out this movie mess.