Yo, Joe! Wave Nine!

I just got the entire 9th wave of GI Joe figs (on US cards) and the first non-exclusive wave of vehicles from my local collectibles/comic shop Galaxy Comics. Jeremy, the proprietor, gave me a call this morning, letting me new GI Joe stuff was in, and I went over there after work, thinking I would probably be flipping through a bunch of old figures, looking for a few US ones I am still missing from the two past recent waves.

But when I arrived — lo and behold — it was all new! Even the two “filler” figures in the box were ones from old waves that I was missing (each wave typically consists of six new guys, but they send them in boxes of eight, filling the space with figures from previous waves). I offered to buy them all plus the four new vehicles on the spot. Bye-bye spending money for the rest of the month.

This is one of the best waves with such figures as Barbecue, Ninja-Ku, Snow Serpent, and the greates GI Joe action figure ever…

The Battle Android Trooper!

The B.A.T. was my favorite GI Joe action figure when I was a kid. As if being a cool looking robot soldier wasn’t enough: he had four interchangeable hands! The new mold has all the same features as the old one save for an actual recessed chest cavity instead of a holographic sticker.

Cobra always had the coolest guys!

New GI Joe Checklist

I have created a new page for my G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary toy collection. I wanted something that was a little easier to manage and use.

Visit the new list

Cobra Humvee

I recently noticed an Incredible Hulk toy that was released for the new Hulk movie. This toy came with a Hummer which was about the right size for GI Joes. I figured a modern-day Cobra organization would be using these things, so I picked one up. I also grabbed a can of Krylon Fusion spray paint for plastics and bought some decals from Cobra Stickers.

I removed all the stickers from the Humvee, then took it apart. I spray painted the pieces separately so as to be able to get every nook and cranny. There were some designed that were painted onto the truck that the spray paint had trouble adhering to, but the paint eventually covered it after using several coats (with drying in between).

It’s nothing fancy — I just wanted an overall “Cobra” color scheme — but I think it looks okay:

Before:

After:

There was also a “button”, of sorts, that stuck out of the front grill. When this button was pushed in, it would smash the hood (i.e. “hulk smashing action!”). I removed this button and super-glued the two halves of the hood together to give them more stability. A more serious customizer would probably want to putty up the crack between the two halves of the hood before painting it.

The cannon also fires a plastic missile an impressive distance.

Also, the Krylon Fusion paint actually melts the plastic, fusing the paint into the plastic itself. If you’re thinking of using this stuff, you have to be careful when handling freshly painted plastic as its surface is quite deformable while the paint is still wet.

I had the rear trailer hitch piece sitting on the ground, with the bulk of the weight of the piece resting on a painted surface and the plastic edge there flattened out a bit. If your not careful with this stuff, you can easily end up with fingerprints melted into your plastic parts.

Because of this “fusion” action, you’ll want to wait until the paint is nice and dry (at *least* 24 hours) before putting figures in it or you’ll risk melting them a bit.

The New G.I. Joe Movie

I do not hold high hopes for the new G.I. Joe movie that is scheduled to come out next year. It looks like yet another movie designed to cash in on the nostalgia of 80s youth, but with many of the defining characteristics sucked out of it.

Here’s a list of some of the things that are terribly, terribly wrong with the new movie:

• Many of the main characters are way too young. The actor who plays Cobra Commander is less than thirty years old! These are supposed to be experienced characters.
• The distinctive uniforms of the Joe team appear to have been replaced with drab, undifferentiated ones. Everyone looks the same!
• Bad director. Stephen Sommers? Come on!
• Poor casting choices. There’s a freaking Wayans brother in there, for goodness’ sake!
• Destro doesn’t wear his trademark mask. Rumors say he only puts it on at the end of the movie.
• Look what they did to Stormshadow!!!

Just look at Stormshadow. On the left, we see a highly skilled ninja. Look at his eyes! You don’t screw around with a sword-wielding man with those eyes! He’s got knives and ninja stars ready to go — he’s ready for action!

This is what he’s probably thinking: “I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!! RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Now, compare him with the “Stormshadow” on the right. He looks like some emo on his way to a comic-con. He’s got the “popped-collar douche” look going on and is sportin’ clean, white ninja sneakers. I can’t tell if he’s getting ready ready to kick some ass or if he’s preparing to go to a rehearsal as part of his buddy’s wedding party.

This is what he’s probably thinking: “Oh no. I forgot to upload the latest My Chemical Romance CD onto my iPod. I’m going to go cut myself.”

Man, why do so many film producers think that the things that helped turn toys, comics, and such into popular cultural themes are not necessary when an attempt is made at creating a film based on these themes? It was bad enough when Transformers got put through the Hollywood shit-grinder; now G.I. Joe, too?

G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary Collection

My new G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary Collection is finally up.

Yo Joe!

I plan on revamping my G.I. Joe Collection page soon, now that I have found proper checklists for the 25th Anniversary series of figures at HissTank.com. That site looks like it’s a decent community for collectors as well. I might be able to work out some favorable trades with some of the Americans on the forums there.

New Section: G.I. Joe Collection

I’ve added a new section to my blog for keeping track of the G.I. Joe action figures I’m collecting. Check it out.