Classified – European Joe's

Why you too should join the Culture Club.

Karma, karma, karma, karma, karma Kamakura
You come and go, you come and go
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dreams
Red, gold, and green, red, gold, and green

Mostly green though. And some silver. This package just arrived today straight from that big river store in the US of A. It’s also my first figure that comes in the new all cardboard packaging.

I get the switch from the windowed boxes to these full cardboard ones, it’s less plastic and less cardboard and will probably be more cost effective as well as better for the environment. If it’s better for us as collectors? The jury’s still not out on that. I personally like it. The art has always been great on these Classified figures and this way the focus can be more on the art. What I don’t like is the fact that the size is different from the other Classified figures (I guess I could just open them all up to counter that). The small picture of the figure on the front bothers me. They have all this space to let the art pop from the page, it feels wrong to me to put a picture of the actual photo on the front, they can (and do) that on the back. I’m guessing it’s some legal obligation. All I can say is that it ruins the art. I know, with the window boxes you could also see the figure, and you’re right in pointing that out, but still, that is completely different. They should have fully embraced the new packaging and went for an full-on art attack with these boxes.

On the back of the box, we get a complete view of the figure, complete with a ruler to show the actual size of the figure. I genuinely think this is a good way to show off everything that’s included in the package. Keep it like this, don’t put a small picture on the front and take attention away from the art. Especially since the same image (but larger) is re-used on the back again.

On the back, they also reprinted the photo from the front, this time instead of the bust, the complete figure in an action pose. As I said before, this should be enough, I don’t need to see it on the front.

As a side-note, when will we be getting an official checklist for these figures, comparable to the little pictures we used to get on the back of the cards of the 3&3/4 figures? I know this is also probably not done in a way to keep the production costs as low as possible, but still. How cool would it be to have a small poster inside these boxes with an overview of the classified pictures on one side and then an action shot on the other side? Maybe we’ve been to spoiled with the European catalogs we got in the 80’s and 90’s, but still, I’d really would love to see that make a comeback.

That’s all for now. More new Classifieds coming soon I hope. Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

I’ve got a license to kill

Not exactly a real license, but it does involve a Double O. I honestly gave up hope of ever getting my hands on this figure. I really had to pinch myself this morning when I unboxed the package the mailman just delivered. First impressions? Surprised at the size of the box. Second impressions? Blown away by the beauty of the art and the design of the box. To say that this is a masterpiece, is not doing it any justice. This is one piece of G.I. Joe history that will go down in the books as a Grail item.

Get ready for the most amazing boxset of the entire G.I. Joe Classified line, and it was the first! Let me present to you figure “00” Snake-Eyes (Deluxe).

Inside the beautiful cardboard sleeve is a much sturdier box with the same artwork. This time though, it’s embossed and glossy. In bright red Japanese it says Snake Eyes (according to Google translate – I can’t read Japanese). The picture doesn’t do it any justice, I need to work on my lighting.

Inside the box, you’re greeted by yet again this stunning artwork (they are immensely proud of it and rightly so!). This time around it’s a drawing in charcoal. And the simplicity of this black on the brownish paper just brings out the beauty even more.

Underneath the drawing, the actual figure and accessories are located. Set firmly in some foam to protect everything nicely and securely. To be honest, I’m a bit reluctant to take stuff out of the foam. This is really going to be one of the centerpieces of my collection.

The figure itself is a work or art too. Highly detailed, a sword with sheath, a backpack, an uzi, silencer, gun, knife, extra hand, grenades on his web gear. Remember, this is the first figure of the line. Talk about setting the bar high. I’ve always made a point of addressing just how good the artwork is on the boxes of the Classified figures. This one is no exception. Just look at the details on the image. The figure, the hand on the sword, Timber… It’s truly Art with capital A.

The art on the back of the first wave of figures has always been the same image, this time they also printed it in the same metallic silvery grey of the Snake Eyes artwork. It looks superb!

As I’m writing this, it’s Friday (TGIF!). I know what I’ll be doing for the rest of the weekend (and probably even longer). That is to just look at this piece of art and feel all warm inside.

Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

This ain’t no Game of Thrones.

Gold!
Always believe in your soul
You’ve got the power to know
You’re indestructible

That last part still leaves to be seen (I’m NOT going to try it), but we all know that knowing is half the battle and you are GOLDEN! I’m back with a new post and this time it’s about something custom. My brother-in-law has a 3D printer – I’m holding off on getting one until I can get the garage set up as a true workshop – and he has printed me this as a New Year’s gift. Yay for me!

A golden Cobra throne! This will look beautiful with the Regal Cobra Commander (once I get that one shipped from the US) or with the Snake Supreme Cobra Commander or of course with the Serpentor figure they still have to announce and release. For now, a Cobra Infantry soldier is enjoying it.

And we’ll have fun, fun, fun, fun, fun when old CoCo’s away…

That’s it for now. Until next time. Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

I’ve had a red, white and blue Christmas.

I’ve had a red, white and blue Christmas with my new Joes
I won’t be blue playing with my troops
Classified packages under my Christmas tree
didn’t stay there, I guess you know what I mean

Well, the mailman came by today with 2 parcels that will find their way under the Christmas tree. I’m very happy to add 3 new Classified Series figures, technically 4 if you think about it, to my collection. Check out which ones below.

Can you guess which figures are inside this box?

This box contained the Classified Breaker figure with RAM Cycle. These recently dropped in price drastically in the States and I just happened to be browsing the In Demand Toys website when I noticed they had them on sale as well. Since they had another figure I really wanted (see below) and was going to order, I decided to add another Breaker to my collection. One to open and maybe customize someday. Both figures got sent in the Hasbro slip box of the Breaker figure.

The second figure I ordered from In Demand Toys, was a figure I wasn’t counting on getting anytime soon and probably not for a reasonable price as well. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to order one from them and as always, the service was excellent. If you haven’t yet checked them out by now, do so now, this I command! (Seriously, how cool would a Classified Serpentor with air-chariot be?) Anyway, let’s get back on track with the 2nd figure I got.

Can you guess who’s in the box? He doesn’t even know who he is sometimes. A ninja? An old man? Another ninja? A swordsmith’s apprentice? An expert archer? Ripcord? Who knows? Well, keep on reading and find out.

Yes, the Hasbro Pulse Exclusive Classified Series Master of Disguise Zartan figure is here! I already have the regular Classified figure and like I said before, I didn’t really count on getting this figure for a reasonable price. Sure, I could use a parcel forwarding service and buy it from Hasbro directly in the US or the UK, but with the extra shipping costs and taxes and duties, I was looking at close to €100 for just this figure. Luckily, I noticed him being available with In Demand Toys and I didn’t hesitate to snatch this one up.

The figure has a special feature similar to the original 3.75 inch figure, he changes color when left out in the cold. He arrived on a cold morning and was very deep blue. By the time I started taking the pictures, he had already warmed up and so his skin tone was back to the regular pinkskin (yes, that’s a Star Trek reference, I vote for Jeffrey Combs to play Zartan in a future movie, he has some knowledge of playing different characters).

The figure has a lot of accessories, not in the least 6 different heads to wear as a disguise – not counting his own head. The bow and arrows of the Arashikage are a nice touch to remind us of his actions in the comic.

I’ll end this Zartan portion with the artwork, which is sublime yet again. This series is truly delivering on the art side of the packaging. I can’t stress this enough. I hope Hasbro has the brains to put them all together in some sort of art book someday. Instant purchase for the coffee table.

And now, the end is near and I still have to show off the final figure or figures, I’m still debating this point, I received around Christmas. I may have missed out on the “00” figure because Zavvi canceled my pre-order, but this time, they came true and delivered.

See, looking at the box and reading the bottom line, I have to conclude that it’s 2 action figures, or better 1 action figure and his animal companion. Although, both are Commandos, it says so on the box. It’s confusing, but man am I happy to have these figures (yes, I’ll stick to the plural) in my collection. Snake Eyes comes with his trustworthy UZI, knife and some rifles while Timber has a second head where he looks simple ferocious. The sculpt is fantastic.

As I stated before, here again the artwork is very nice. Just see for yourself.

That’s it for now and probably for 2021. Thank you all for visiting the blog and for the community feeling over the year. It has been another strange year, but we made it to the end and we scored some nice toys along the way. Let’s hope 2022 will bring a lot more Joes our way. Stay healthy, stay sane and above all, stay collecting! May the new year bring you lots of joy with friends and family and above all a good health.

As always, I will see you next time. Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

Third time’s the charm.

I could have gone for all good things, come in threes as well. But I like a bit of charm. This time around, we’ll take a look at the latest Classified Roadblock figure, the Heavy Artillery Roadblock. A.k.a. Marvin The Third.

This is the Roadblock figure we should have gotten first. It resembles best his original look if you ask me and frankly, we could have done without the other 2 figures.

As always, the art is awesome. In classic style, he is aiming just next to the beholder and he’s looking angry, strong and totally in control. I pity the Cobra Troopers that he has in his sights.

Although I still don’t see why on earth we’d need so many Roadblock figures in the Classified line. Or rather, this early in the line. But I’m not complaining. This figure looks the part and is a great addition to the collection.

See you back soon. Until then, Happy Collecting and YoJoe!