Talking about good versus bad

I’m definitely not bad at math, but I honestly lost count of how many Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow figures have been released. This morning, I got these two figures delivered by the mailman. The packaging was a bit banged up, but the figures itself aren’t really damaged, just some dents in the bubbles and some creaks in the cardboard.

Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow

These are from the new cheaper 6″ line that was released with the new Snake Eyes G.I. Joe Origins movie. They are less detailed and have less articulation than the Classified figures that will be released as well.

Snake Eyes

They are cheaper than the Classified figures because of the lesser features, but that makes these toys more playable and accessible to a new audience. It’s much easier for a parent to say “Yes” to their kids asking for the new Joe toys when they’re cheaper and so more kids can get to know and love the brand. I don’t think this was a bad move by Hasbro.

Storm Shadow

These figures should cost around $10 in stores, so compared to the Classified figures, that’s easily half price. Looking at it differently, you can have 2 toys instead of 1 for the same amount of money. Sure, they are a bit more basic, but they are really intended as toys, not as collectibles. I ended up paying a little over $17 a piece (including shipping to Belgium and taxes & import duties). Still almost double of what you pay in the US, but all things considered, still very reasonable compared to the prices in the local toy shops for similar toys (the Fortnite figures go for around €15 ~ $18 over here).

Snake Eyes – back of the card

No checklists or other references on the back of the cards, just instructions on how to assemble the weapons and how to make the figure do his signature attack move by twisting the body.

Storm Shadow – back of the card

Same story with the Storm Shadow figure. He does come with a bow and arrow set as well as 2 katana swords.

I’ve mailed and called to several toy store chains here in Belgium, but they all said they won’t be selling the G.I. Joe toys any time soon. That is quite sad if you think back to the 80’s and 90’s where we had such great catalogs, a number of exclusive toys and merchandise and a very well organized and lively fanclub. There really is a market for the G.I. Joe toys here in Belgium (and The Netherlands), it’s a shame Hasbro doesn’t seem to be interested in selling over here. The thing is, on the back of the cards, you can see that the contents, warnings and what have you are marked in several languages. Including DUTCH! So why isn’t Hasbro selling these toys here? On the bottom of the card (the cardboard in the bubble, what else could I call it?) there is even an address in The Netherland for the representative importer. I truly don’t understand.

With new tax rules and shipping costs ever on the rise, it’s getting increasingly difficult to keep collecting everything (I’m skipping on the Super 7 figures for instance). Sometimes you catch a break, like with these figures, and get something fairly priced, but most of the time the price we have to pay to get our hands on the toys is just getting out of control. Let’s hope that the new movie does well over here and Hasbro can get convinced that sales will be good here.

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

Not a small feat for something so tiny

I did not think I’d be getting the G.I. Joe Prexio Miniature figures quite easily, but a while back I stumbled upon them on eBay for a very reasonable price. Well, when I say reasonable, I mean not too expensive. Considering these were selling in the US for a few bucks, I did pay quite a hefty markup, but hey, they’re here and they are small, but they’re Joe and so they’re cool!

The 6 Prexio Mini Figurines

3 Cobra’s and 3 Joes to have a completely balanced set. On Cobra’s side, we have Cobra Commander, Destro and a Red Ninja. The G.I. Joe team is represented by Duke, Roadblock and Snake Eyes. The figures are small. No other way to put it. No articulation as far as I can tell, I still have them on the cards. But surprisingly well applied paint and decals. They really do look nice. They do remind me of the kind of figures you can buy as cake decoration. Someday, I may just put them on my birthday cake 🙂

That’s it for now. I’m really glad to see a lot of different G.I. Joe related toys and products being released. Even though I won’t be able to get them all here, I keep my eyes open for that sweet deal.

Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

Who’s a nice little wolf?

It has been a while since I added something new to my collection. Today, the mailman arrived with a small package from our friends at Funko.

Snake Eyes with Timber

It’s the Funko.com Exclusive Snake Eyes figure with Timber. The figure is modeled after the 1985 v2 Snake Eyes figure, with the slitted visor and the grey and black. The Timber wolf companion is just too cute.

Let me share some of the other art work on the box. On the side, you get a full frontal view of the 2 figures.

The side of the box

On the back, there is an overview of the other figures that will be released later this summer. Scarlett, The Baroness, another Snake Eyes (the classic look with the goggles and web gear) and Storm Shadow (the 1988 v2 digital camo version!).

The back of the box shows a checklist of the other figures.

That’s it for now.

Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

Under the dome

As with so many of the G.I. Joe news, this was first brought to my attention through The Full Force Fancast. I’ve always been a sucker for everything Joe related, especially the products that are Joe, but not really the toys we know and love. It was no big surprise that I had to add these Jazwares Domez to my ever-growing collection. I can’t seem to find them on their website though, an update should soon come online hopefully.

The box front

They have been out for a while now, originally sold as blind bag collectibles. but recently they released this boxed Series 1 set that contains 4 Domez figures: Duke, Snake-Eyes, Cobra Commander & Storm Shadow.

The domed figures

They really do look like Christmas tree decorations. Maybe I should have a themed tree this year? 2021 has certainly given us a lot of G.I. Joe and Cobra news.

The art used on the box is the original card and comic book art of 1982. Needless to say that was a very good choice. Almost 40 years later and it still looks as awesome as then.

The box’ back
Storm Shadow is on the left side
Cobra Commander is on the right side (for once)
The inside of the front flap

I’m really happy that I was able to find them and get them safely across the Atlantic. Let’s hope the other ones will be equally easy to find.

Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

#21 RAW B&W

If you’re wondering what the numbers and letters in the title are all about, keep on reading because I’ve found something really cool a while back.

See, there’s this French company called Original Comics and – aside from the regular imported (and translated stuff) – they have a series of hardcover books, European Comic Book size, of famous comics, but just in Black & White, the RAW series. The book is has a limited print run of only 250 copies.

The Front Cover

On the front, we get Snake Eyes climbing down the large Cobra statue. Not a lot of detail on this drawing, but still a very powerful cover.

The back cover

On the back, the series red banner with all the necessary information. The retail price for one of these is €29, so quite pricey, but the quality is there to warrant this pricepoint.

The introduction of Storm Shadow and the Arashikage I Ching.

The inside of the comic book, is the #21 story as we all know it, just in Black & White. The art really pops out. Below is one of my favorite pieces, the look on Scarlett’s face when she’s dumped in the pit by Storm Shadow.

Badass Scarlett

Upon re-reading (well, there’s not a lot of text in this comic, can you call it reading?), I realized that while it’s all good for the story, Scarlett escaped on her own. She even had to come back to save Snake Eyes from being hit by Storm Shadow’s sword. Although, Snake Eyes does end up saving her then. It goes to show that Larry wrote the female Joes as strong and independent women who could fight their own battles. This was back in the 80’s! This comic book – and the whole series – is truly evolutionary in more than one way.

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

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