European Joe's

This news isn’t Classified!

It’s been a while since I posted an update and we’ve been getting a lot news from Hasbro about new figures that are coming or are in the pipeline. This time however, I’m here to talk about the 2004 Thunderwing jet. Yes, I finally added something new to my 3.75” Joe collection.

The 2008 G.I. Joe Thunderwing vehicle was released as part of the Valor vs. Venom. It’s a jet, based on the F-22 Raptor, that has a control handle that you can pull out.

The Thunderwing Jet features 10 top-loading missiles that can be launched from a button on the handle, firing the missiles from behind the canopy. It also has 4 trigger-activated dropping bombs that are released with the push off a button on the underside of the plane.

The sound system – yes, a lot of sounds can be produced – makes engine noises and simulates the firing of a Gatling gun, which is molded on the side of the cockpit. There are also more than 10 phrases that can be activated from a button on the top (“Switching to bombs,” “Bombs away,” “Target destroyed,” “Switching to missiles,” “Missile away,” “Cobra goin’ down”, “Break right”, “Break left”, …).

The rear exhaust ports of the jet doubled as targeting sensors and could be switched from bomb to missile mode. This is achieved by some clever system of angled mirrors hidden in the frame of the plane. You might call it a gimmick, but it really is very cool.

The Thunderwing was originally released with the v3 of Slip Stream, later a version with Ace (v6) was released as a Toys ‘R Us exclusive. The Slip Stream figure came with a removable helmet with hose attached to it. He does lack his signature mustache though. This time, the figure also sports a more grey look, rather than the tan original.

Even though the focus of most of the interwebs has shifted towards the Classified Line, it does feel good to have a new “vintage” Joe toy to add to my collection.

See you next time, until then… Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

The Eel has stranded

From what I’ve been reading and hearing it’s been quite difficult for some of the US collectors to find the Classified Series Cobra Eel. I was able to order one from Amazon(.com) when they popped up and it finally arrived here.

Whilst it was just recently announced that the EU Hasbro Pulse store will be shipping to Belgium (just in time to back the Dragonfly), this figure was not yet available and so I had to check the .com site of Amazon when they were announced. I was lucky enough to be able to order one and for around $45, it was delivered in a very clean box. It would seem that Amazon takes better care of their international shipped products than they do for domestically ones if I look at some of the horror packages some of the US collectors received.

The figure itself is a nice callback to the original O-ring figure with it’s red, grey and black colors.

As has been the case with so many of the Classified Series figures, the box art is on point yet again. We get a close up of a very mean looking Eel. I must say that I’m still in doubt about the new plastic free packaging. On the one hand, it’s a shame you don’t get to see the figure and the accessories when you look at the box, on the other hand, the box art does look great and really gets all the attention. I also like the smaller footprint of the boxes.

That’s all for now, keep following me on the socials and here because more is coming (sooner than later it would seem).

Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

Guess what made my Pulse go racing?

Yes, SDCC is going on far, far away across the ocean and very likely some really cool stuff is being shown there, but I’m not there. No, I’m here in Europe and we were being treated a bit poorly by Hasbro when it came to G.I. Joe over the last years. I said ‘were’, because just last week, they decided to open up the EU Hasbro Pulse to all 27 countries.

BREAKING NEWS… and breaking my wallet in the future.

This means that I no longer need to use a German proxy service to get my plastic crack. I can just place an order and get it delivered to my home address for a reasonable price straight from Hasbro.

Now, for some really weird reason, I got a refund from Hasbro on the Arctic B.A.T., claiming they had no stock, but the figure itself was still available on the site to order. So, I went ahead and placed my first order to deliver directly to my home.

It actually got delivered in 2 days, so no complaints here. The packaging was decent, not to much padding, but these all-cardboard boxes need less protection I guess.

The figure comes with quite a good set of accessories. I personally really like the blade to cut the ice and the interchangeable chest plates. The gun isn’t necessary if you ask me, but that rifle sure is very nice. Talking about nice (yes, I’m a big child), check out the number on this bad boy…

Naturally we need to discuss the artwork on the box. It’s looking very nice as usual. The B.A.T. is looking very menacing with his central viewing lens (I can’t really call it an eye, can I?). The gun does match the one he has in the box, but I’m still not convinced this is the best weapon for an android trooper.

That’s it for now. There are still some orders I placed with EU Pulse when they didn’t ship to Belgium and whilst they are not yet sent, I can’t change the shipping address on those orders, so I guess I’m still going to have to cover the additional costs to ship them here. Keep an eye on on the socials and this site, because for some reason, it would appear that a lot of those pre-order figures have been prepped for shipment all at once. See you soon.

Until then, Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

I’m not feeling Super…

This is partly because I’m still struggling with my health issues, hopefully I’ll be back to normal health in a few weeks. On the other hand, the title can also be seen as a review of the Super 7 ReAction figures. I’ve said before that I wasn’t going to pick them up, but who was I kidding? You all knew this day was going to come some time. Here are my first 2 ReAction figures.

The Super7 Reaction Figures are a line of collectibles known for their retro-inspired designs and nostalgic charm. They are typically around 3.75 inches tall (like the O-ring Joes) and feature a simple, classic aesthetic reminiscent of action figures from the 1970s and 1980s. They are designed to pay homage to beloved characters from various pop culture franchises, including movies, TV shows, cartoons, and video games.

The Super7 Reaction Figures prioritize capturing the essence and iconic traits of the characters. The figures are characterized by their minimal articulation, with typically five points of articulation at the head, shoulders, and hips. So not so much like the original O-ring Joes. They have simplified sculpting, vibrant colors, and packaging that evokes the vintage toy packaging of yesteryears.

They do resemble the O-ring style cardiacs including filecards.

The Destro figure is pretty straightforward with regards to his looks. The bare chest with necklace, the collar, and wrist rockets all take after the original look as we all know and love from the comics and cartoons.

The other figure I got, is not known from the comics, but solely from the cartoons (only 1 episode) and doesn’t even have a regular O-ring nor Classified figure (yet). Let’s take a look at Raven.

Raven only appeared in one episode of the Sunbow cartoon, but it is one of the best ones if you ask me, and they should have done more with the character, both in the cartoon and maybe even in the comics. The episode is called “In the presence of mine enemies” from the second season. It was aired on November 18, 1986 and features Slipstream and a female Cobra pilot that both crash on a mysterious abandoned Cobra base which hosts a failed biological project from Dr. Mindbender.

When I said it was one of my favorite episodes, that is because it’s one of the episodes that got a VHS release (in Dutch) here in Belgium. I’ve must have seen that tape 100 times if not more. I still have the original tape in my collection, now I just need to get a VHS recorder/player someday.

The filecard gives a synopsis of the episode.

Am I blown away by these figure? No, the lack of articulation is a big drawback. They do look great though, but I still feel they are overpriced. I really wanted the Raven figure and when I became affordable on Amazon.com, I looked around to find another figure so the shipping costs would be split across both figures, making it more interesting. I settled on the Destro figure, since he is my favorite baddy. I’m not saying I won’t be getting any other figures from Super7, the bigger figures do look great as well, but they are priced even more ridiculously than these ReAction figures, so I’m not seeing that happen. I’ll keep my eye out for these if (and when) they are cheap to get, but I won’t lose my sleep over not getting any more of these.

That’s all for now. See you soon. Until then, Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

Spoiled mystery box

You’ve all seen the GameStop Funko Mystery Box and all of it’s contents online before. It has been pretty hard to find one over here in Belgium, but I’m glad to tell you that I had one shipped out to me. Let’s check it out (again).

GameStop Exclusive Funko Pop Mystery Box

The box itself features the classic G.I.Joe art with the original Joes and the MOBAT. The colors are really lively and bright, and very sharp as well. The contents are thrown in quite loosely and therefore rattles a bit when shaken.

Profit Director Destro/Pimp Daddy Destro, call him what you like.

The ‘biggest’ piece in the box is this Director Destro Funko Pop figure. Based on the 1997 figure (3.75”), but definitely taken more after the Classified Series Profit Director figure, this one sports the leopard collar and leg pieces, along with a gold suitcase and a stack of burning money. I’ve been collecting some of these Pop figures over the years (not just the G.I. Joe ones, but also some of the other classic toy based ones (Care Bears, My Little Pony, Trolls – I have 2 daughters who like them) and also some Disney ones (Aladdin), Movie/TV ones (Jurassic Park, Knightrider, Star Trek, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters). They have just about every possible franchise covered and they are reasonably priced and they just hook you in I guess. Not everyone is a fan, but I really like them.

The rest of the contents consists of a Snake Eyes keychain (Funko Pop Style) with filmcarrière, a G.I. Joe sticker, an official Membership Card and a G.I. Joe dog tag. Nice to have, but not that must-have things as you’d like from an Exclusive box set. Still, it will all look great in my collection.

That’s it for now. It has been a while since I posted something, I’ve been struggling with some health issues, but I’m working through them and I hope to be back to full health soon. I hope to be posting some new things rather sooner than later. Thanks for sticking around and keeping the views/visits to the site growing every day.

Happy Collecting and YoJoe!