More Random Shite

I think I have some Irish heritage, so I can use the word "shite."

Snake Eyes (v54) in commando mode. Do you really need another version of Snake Eyes after this? Seriously. This figure kicks ass. Oh, wait, different web gear. Still a serious bad ass though.

 Snake Eyes (v54) in ninja bad ass mode. I prefer the commando version over this one. True, the original v2 Snake Eyes figure was better than v1, but that doesn't really count because all of the year one figures were "less than awesome" after subsequent years. With version 54, you get both ninja and commando. I prefer the commando.

 Using another Snake Eyes (v54) body, here is Covert Ops Duke. Works well enough. The helmet would be proper to wear on a mission, but it looks a bit dorky on him.

 This Airtight figure just always kicks butt.

Why not load him up with a flame projection unit?

Those zombie vipers aren't going to burn themselves!

 These guys. The Sci Fi update is another excellent figure. A bit wonky at the knees, but I can let that slide. Wait, you mean Hasbro doesn't produce 100% awesome figures all of the time? Whaaaa.....? Dang, suck it, Club bashers.

 Pythona with Nemesis Enforcer wings. I really like the look of these wings without the use of Nemmy. I sort of see the wings as a parasitic organism that attaches to your back, burrows in and interacts with your spine and nervous system, allowing you to use the wings as if they have always been a part of your body. Works for me and sort of aligns to the techno-organic feel of Cobra-La.

 Hell Boy because Hell Boy is awesome.

And when you find a 3 3/4" scale Hell Boy, he becomes even more awesome.

Mercer in Cobra Viper gear.

Mercer's story from the original Renegades 3-pack just really resonated with me. There was so much untold goodness within that brief file card.

Hot wiring a Cobra Moray and heading out across the Gulf of Mexico to escape Cobra. How bad as is that?

That's all for this post. 

Most of my stuff is packed up, so I'm limited to "portraits" and just writing about random shite. What the hell. Who else reads this silly dog and pony show?

GI Joe Collectors Club: Pythona

Every year during the GI Joe Collector's Club existence, they've produced a "free" incentive figure for those who sign up for membership. The membership dues/fee gets you the Club newsletter and an exclusive figure, either 12" or 3 3/4" size. I have been a member of the Club for about five years and had been a member previously before a hiatus for a few years. 

This is the final year of the Club's run with the GI Joe license. Hasbro has not renewed their agreement with the crew at the Club and Hasbro will begin their own "Club" maybe later this year or next year. There's a huge cross-line marketing plan that Hasbro is getting ready to release called Revolution. There's supposed to be a combined universe including GI Joe, MASK, the Visionaries, ROM, and the Micronauts. I think there may be another line, but that's all that comes to mind right now. 

The Club has done some fine work over the years. I've never been one to go to one of their conventions, but I've supported the Club where I could. I've been a part of the FSS for three years, signing up for 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0. I did actually go to the convention in Atlanta back in 2007, but that was just for a day.

I've always been of the mindset that the Club pretty much has to work with what Hasbro has available to them. I've preached plenty of times about my feelings regarding the Club. Sure, I've been critical of some of their designs, but never vehemently angry at the choices that have been made in the design and construction of their various figures. Bitch, bitch, bitch... that seems to be some "collectors" lot in life. 

Anyway, enough of all that crap. Let's move on to this year's, the ultimate, incentive figure - Pythona! Another fan favorite that has been requested over and over again like Billy, the Club listened and made it happen.

For those less enlightened on just who Pythona is, she is one of the central villains from the GI Joe animated movie from 1987.

The intro sequence just kicks butt! Anyway, Pythona is an emissary from Cobra-La and gets CoCo and his crew involved in the whole world domination scheme of Golobulus. The movie is on Goggle in parts, if you haven't seen it. #shameful Check it out! 

Cobra-La (great concept, stupid name) is an ancient civilization that functions through the use of organic technology. Have I written about Cobra-La before? Maybe I have and maybe I will again sometime soon.

So how did the Club do to bring this weird woman into her plastic form?

The Club did a damn fine job of translating the figure into plastic. Yeah, sure there are issues, but again, the Club is working with what they can use from HAsbro and get tooled up at their own expense.

The biggest "issue" that I have with Pythona is the sculpting of the body. Based on the animated look, her outfit/skin should be more textured and have an organic armor look to it. Again, the Club is working with what they can use, so that's not a huge issue.

Holy crap, look at that head sculpt! My understanding is that Boss Fight Studios did the work. If so, they kicked some serious ass! The paint apps are stellar as well.

Her ponytail/top knot or whatever is also removable so that her hood can get pulled up for some sneaking around.

The hands are newly sculpted as well. Excellent work. They capture essential parts of Pythona's character. Supposedly, her upper torso is newly sculpted as well. Yeah... I don't quite remember Pythona being quite so... gifted.

The paint apps on the body are well done; very crisp and clean. I think those are Jinx lower legs. They work well enough.

Quite a while back, I created a "sort of" Pythona. I used an Aurra Sing head on the Resolute Baroness body. Interesting, but not even close. Maybe this poor creature can be another Mindbender construct using Cobra-La genetic material.

"Poor girl... You shall become my daughter... Let us return to Cobra-La."

"Who are you, woman?! Why do you bewitch me so?"

"Peace, my liege, peace... All will be revealed!"

The Club wrapped up their incentive figures quite nicely.

Well done to all involved!

Thoughts on Collecting

Life has been pretty quiet around the Reasonably Intelligent Rambling compound these days. My wife's mother passed away on September 7th. She lived to an amazing 91 & 1/2 years of age. While her passing was not entirely unexpected, the loss of a loved one is always a sad and possibly sobering event. My mom has been gone over 25 years, so my mother-in-law had easily become my second mom. 

You may ask what this event has to do with the general content of this silly blog. I suppose I've just become a little more reflective of all the crap I've collected over the years. As I watched my mom-in-law's health begin to decline, I couldn't help but to consider my own mortality. I just turned 53 recently and I really don't feel "old". The death of a loved one is still a sobering moment when you consider your own life. 

At this point in my life, I think about if I'm still around at 91 & 1/2 or beyond. Will I have an interest in these silly action figures? As my health declines one day, what will matter to me? I kinda' hope I'll still have a bit of a love for toys. Perhaps, one day, many years in the future, I'll pass along to whatever is next clutching an old Snake Eyes action figure. I certainly hope so.

But I still have to consider what about all this shit that I have right now? We moved into a new house around 2 & 1/2 years ago and brought 16+ years of crap from our previous home. Hell, I've still got some of my old books from when I was a kid!

Sure wish I still had that damn Mattel Space:1999 Eagle from when I was a kid.

So where am I going with this random nonsense? I've signed up for the next set of figures from the GI Joe Collector's Club. I recently bought a large chunk of this year's "50th Anniversary" figures. I still like GI Joe - can't help it. 

The Club recently revealed a mock-up of their Club Exclusive Membership figure - Pythona! Based on this mock-up, I'm not really surprised by the parts choice that they are going with. I've heard that the body is the reactive armor Scarlett body from the Rise of Cobra series. Plus a brand new head sculpt of course. There are extensive paint apps on the body as well as what appears to be a fabric cloak.

I'm all in for this figure - without question. I've always liked the Cobra-La concept and thought that the execution in the animated movie was pretty well done. I loved the idea of an organic-based technology. Never liked the connection to Cobra, but that's a post for another day.

What the heck does Pythona have to do with this post? Rich on Pop Critica recently posted an article about Pythona and his thoughts on GI Joe and his own collecting habits. While he posts some valid points about Hasbro and the Club (maybe, sort of), I was more interested in his selling off of his collection and his disappointment of the brand. I really can't see myself ever getting into that frame of mind.

Sure, I'm disappointed as hell at Hasbro for the treatment of what should be their flagship line. I've written about those feelings several times on this blog. And now, supposedly, Hasbro is going to help out with Action Man's 50th Anniversary in a much bigger fashion than they did with GI Joe. If true, that just sucks.

Whatever.

Supposedly, GI Joe is poised for some sort of relaunch in 2016, probably still in the 3 3/4" - 4" format and I'm fine with that idea. But is it viable for the long term growth of the brand? The vintage, original GI Joe is done. That time is over. I doubt anything like that will ever be seen again.

Change must occur for the survival of the brand. But the core of loyal fans is getting older and I don't know if kids are interested. I don't think so.

I'm getting long-winded here. I'm actually enjoying writing this post and I hope it isn't too "rambling" and still somewhat "reasonably intelligent."

If indeed GI Joe changes into something that no longer interests me; maybe it becomes just a bit too juvenile, even for this old kid, that's just fine with me. If in a few years, the small Joe's have gone the way of the original GI Joe and the world is stuck with 5 POA POS's, then that's fine too.

I have enough of a collection that could keep me mentally engaged for a long time. The overall concept of GI Joe vs. Cobra, to me, is timeless. It can be lifted out of history and the concept can be dropped into modern history. Actually, in my twisted, weird GI Joe world, the events of the 80's is pretty much disavowed. It's time to (cue the song) "Let it go!"

I've written about that before as well. I frikkin' loved GI Joe back in the 80's, but that's done, it's over. We've all matured, let the story mature as well.

I've really enjoyed flushing my brain with this post. I'm inspired again and I've had some pretty crazy ideas for my own personal reboot of the line.

Hell, once the toys entered my home and my mind, everything else that others have said and done about GI Joe are just bits that help form my new vision for GI Joe. These are my toys and my imagination and that's a scary combination.

Stay tuned, I might piss off a few folks, but I'm going to have some fun!

Pythona?

I remember buying an Aurra Sing figure from the Star Wars Power of Force series many, many years ago. Silly me, thinking that she might have been worth something. Especially when the package just came apart in storage. I stumbled across the loose figure just a few days ago and wondered if I could do something with her head. Only one way to find out.

Chop!

Here's her head mounted on the Resolute Baroness body. That monster of a head of the Baroness almost immediately went into the spare parts bin. Ugh!

So now I have this creepy pale-skinned female working for Cobra. I posted a picture on the GI Joe Community Facebook page and the first suggestion to an ID was that of Pythona. Yeah, it could work. Not necessarily from the Cobra-La story line, but something weird and odd that work. Maybe Dr. Mindbender created himself a companion?

Thanks, Otto, for the ID idea!