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Topics - ARROW

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1
All Across Canada / Don't forget about Amazon.com
« on: August 20, 2014, 05:49:15 PM »
Just yesterday, I placed an order for a Retaliation Night-Viper from Amazon.com--the US-version of the on-line store.
Now, for quite a while Amazon.com was notorious for offering some cool toys and such, but wouldn't ship to Canada.

Well, that has changed...........mostly. 

Amazon itself appears to ship north, but some vendors that offer through Amazon do or don't, depending on their own shipping policies.
The upside is that it's made some items, like the above mentioned Night-Viper easier to find/score.
The downside is price/shipping costs. 
The NV was $20, with about $10 shipping--but if you order two, the shipping drops to about $7. if you are okay with that, then it opens up options for finding things.
Bear in mind that Amazon.com offers "free shipping" on orders over $35 USD...........BUT, be forewarned that it's not really "free", because on the check-out tally there's a shipping and handling fee that seems to ring up at $10 or more. There also appears to be reduced shipping options as well, so keep that in mind.

2
General Joe Talk / Marauder John is now making action figures.
« on: April 01, 2014, 12:30:50 AM »
Hey everyone, just got an email from Marauder John a few minutes ago with a pretty cool announcement:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1732159183/marauder-task-force-gaming-figures

They are making their own action figures. If you look at the link to the Kickstarter page, you'll see the samples they have in mind and the pledge offers.

I'm not a shill for them, but I am a fan and a supporter of their first Kickstarter project, and I have to say they treated me very well with their first project.

If you've not tried their products, they are VERY well made, very detailed and very good quality.
I have no doubts that these figures will be as good as or better than their weapons sets.
They've got a really neat concept going for these figures and they have loads of options.
I signed up for one of the pledge packages without hesitating.

With GIJOE being in a bit of a drought, these are some pretty neat add-ons and complimentary figures for the Joes.

3
Off Topic / Some stuff I've been working on....
« on: February 14, 2014, 03:55:39 PM »
This is a pin-up I pencilled/inked/coloured for a local fan-magazine, published by Amazing Stories --a comic book/collectible store in Saskatoon. It will appear in issue #3, arriving sometime in May. The magazine is all-levels talent, a mix of amateur and pro....and all fans. It's a good mix of articles and art, covering the gamut of comics, anime, toys, movies....


4
General Joe Talk / Marauder John Kickstarter Project Series 7
« on: December 11, 2013, 05:31:22 PM »
Not a GIJOE item per se, but stuff that definitely works with Joes:
Marauder John's Kickstarter project Series 7 weapons set.

I participated in this several months ago, and MJ has been delivering the results over the past month. The Kickstarter was to fund the production of the latest series of weapons, adding to the arsenal that they offer.

There were two projects, one run after the other to add some extras at the same time. I participated in both.  I just recently got the last of the items from the project, and had also bought an additional two sets. I initially thought I wasn't got to get all that much, but I ended up receiving a LOT more than I expected out of the Kickstarter project. I feel I was "very well taken care of "--a testament to Marauder John's commitment to customer service, and just sweetening the deal.

Now....in a word, these things are OUTSTANDING.

Incredibly detailed, FUNCTIONAL parts, and add-ons like optics. And they have THREE paint variants they produced for the project: unpainted black cast, gun-metal with realistic black/silver/green apps, and a desert tan app that is exclusive only to the project(for now). The rest are currently offered on their site.

Ammo mags can be pulled out, stocks on several weapons are folding/collapsible, optics and accessories such as grips can be swapped via peg holes. These things are 1/18th scale and some parts are TINY! Yet the detail and functionality are there. The stuff is made out of ABS plastic, and the tolerances for these things are VERY tight. They can be a bit fiddly and fussy, but they are not super fragile.
There's some clever design work some items, such as how they've managed sliding stocks, and things like positionable grab-handles.


Here's the thing though...they are not just new and different weapons to add to what you have....some replicate already existing weapons ( such as the GIJOE XLR laser rifle--albeit a bit smaller), but they do something perhaps more important: they can breathe some life back into your collection.

One of the oft-heard laments from many collectors is when a toy-line stops being produced, many collectors lose interest and choose to dispose of their collections. GIJOE is in a lull right now...and the future for the brand is not the brightest. The MJ guns really add some spark to the figures, they really give some variety to the looks and......well, they can get a collector's hands back onto the toys.
I think that is a good thing, a real benefit for the hobby, and something GIJOE desperately needs.
The various sets are reasonably priced, and they have a lot of different weapons to offer......and word is that they have even more ambitious stuff planned. Count me as a fan, and do check them out.

http://www.marauderinc.com/servlet/StoreFront

5
All Across Canada / Retaliation Wave 3.5 at Canadian TRUs
« on: October 04, 2013, 05:13:12 PM »
Like the header says; Wave 3.5 is now in-store at TRU in Canada. Found and purchased at a TRU in a Prairie city this afternoon.
Price is $12.99 each.

6
General Joe Talk / Edmonton Entertainment Expo 2013
« on: September 30, 2013, 06:05:14 PM »
I was able to attend the EEE again this year and was impressed to see that it was as advertised; MUCH LARGER.
The guest area took up the original size hall from 2012, and the vendors room was in an adjacent much larger hall.  The space was VAST, but there were a lot of vendors and exhibitors.
GIJOE product was decently represented, with about a good dozen+ vendors ( out of about 100) carrying a mix of vintage and new product. There were even a couple of booths selling some 12" vintage military and Adventure team Joes, and at not-unreasonable prices.
Overall prices were modest; a mix of some good deals and some of what I would call gouging.
One smaller booth ( Cobra Collectibles) had a really good mix of old/new product and was pricing things fairly. The overall selection of toys in the hall was a healthy mixture of new/old--and mostly action figures. Star Trek and Star Wars toys were very well represented. One booth was all Doctor Who items.

I purchased some Dollar General carded Joes, another Retaliation 3.5 Duke, and a Triple T to go with my 25th Anniversary Sgt Slaughter.
The con was very well attended ( 25,000 in the doors for the weekend) and had a very good showing by the vendors, for the region.
It's a large event, with good guests, good programming in a great venue.

And next year they say they are going to make it even LARGER!  :o

7
General Joe Talk / Retaliation Wave 3.5
« on: September 17, 2013, 10:32:31 PM »
Got my case in today from Small Joes--gotta say that this is about the most solid wave Hasbro has done in years. No outright stinkers, though Data-Viper is almost a contender for that.
Loads of accessories with these figures, having the "MARS" stands come with them is nice, but its a pity they come with only one foot-peg.
Ultimate Roadblock is a fantastic figure when all assembled, and posed with the M249 SAW Minimi.  Ultimate Duke is like the GIJOE Trooper from the first wave, loads of gear and the added masked head makes him a great generic squaddie.  With the drone in hand, ready to throw it, I get a real "Act of Valor"/ " Zero Dark Thirty" vibe off the figure--that is with the trooper head, not Duke's head. 
He does have a problem, holding onto the drone though, you will have to find the sweet spots and it can take a few tries to get it.

Data-Viper is just flimsy.
It takes a lot of fussing and setting to get the gear on in the first place, never mind trying to hit any poses with all the stuff on. Looks cool, but quite poor functionality.

The rest of the figures are really quite nice, and it begs the question of why Hasbro had to saddle the earlier waves with such lack-lustre and lesser-articulated figures. Every figure in this wave has articulated ankles and wrists, and several have rocker-ankles........so design/tooling budget excuses at the start don't seem to make any sense with this wave.

But that aside, I'm enjoying the whole bunch this afternoon. No regrets springing for the case.

8
General Joe Talk / Anyone here in/around Edmonton?
« on: September 01, 2013, 06:05:58 PM »
Hi all- just asking if anyone on the board knows the Edmonton area very well?

I'm going to the Edmonton Entertainment Expo with my step-son in about a month, and was thinking of looking up some secondary targets--namely collector store specializing in action figures.

I'm staying in the Downtown area for a couple of days, so I'm central to all parts of the city.
I know of and will be visiting Happy Harbour Comics, and I know there's a couple of decent action figure stores in West Ed Mall. 
I'm most keen for a mix of vintage and new; namely Mattel DCUC and Hasbro Joes and some older stuff like Mattel Big Jim......but really, ANY good selection of action figures is what I'd like to explore.


Also, with the Downtown core in mind again, does anyone have any suggestion for good, CHEAP, places to eat. Open to all suggestions.

Any input, advice or tips are most welcome.

9
I had this on order a few months back, it came in today.
This is a reproduction portfolio of the original art pages from the Marvel GIJOE Yearbook #2--the October Guard story, as drawn/inked by Michael Golden.
The portfolio contains all the pages from said story, in unbound page-by-page format, scanned and printed at the actual drawn/inked 11x17" size.  The format has the cover and the interior art pages, but the interior pages have a surprise: they are double-sided with one side being lettered, and the other being the unlettered art.
I have a couple of the artist edition books that IDW has put out and this is the first portfolio edition I have bought from them. The scans are from the original art, and done in colour--which is to say it' black and white art, but you can see all the paste-up, white-out, smears, stains, smudges and crud that the art has at present. The scans are good enough that this is like owning a set of the original art for this coming--I often find myself running my fingers along the pages thinking that I can feel the white-out or paste-up.

Now, what's the scratch??   $55, give-or-take depending on your LCS or your discount there. You cannot score even ONE of the actual pages from this issue for anywhere near that price, and via this format you can get the entire story in as-good-as original art prints.
I'm sold on the format and one what IDW is doing with these editions......if you can get your hands on this portfolio--do so.

10
General Joe Talk / Injustice Green Arrow Giveaway at TRU
« on: April 16, 2013, 02:23:42 PM »
Here's a tip for those that are interested in the Mattel 4" superhero figures that have come out over the past year.
TRU has 4" Green Arrow figures in clear baggies apparently offered with a purchase of the Injustice video game.
If you plan on buying the game, be sure to ask for the figure. If you know someone who works at TRU, see if you can sweet-talk them into one of these freebies.


These are articulated figures in the 4" scale, much like the Hasbro POC Joes. The outfit is Green Arrow's from the Injustice game, and he comes with a bow accessory.

11
For Sale or Trade / Toy Cull #1 12" figures F/S
« on: January 19, 2013, 05:42:32 PM »
Okay, here goes......I'm starting to pare down my collection to something more manageable for me

Items are sold as is, in shown lots.  Please no cherry-picking. All items come from a non-smoking household, may have minor dust and very minor paint rubs.
All items intact unless otherwise stated.
Payment requested to be Postal Money order, or if you bank at a Canadian bank, an email money transfer, please.
If you have not traded with me before, please provide trade references.
Please inquire via PM.


First up is a lot of 8- 12" modern figures--a mix of Classic Collection and 21C SAM 2.1, and Formative OAF ( Outstanding Articulated Figure). Some figures have had head swaps, some have unusual features such as a Hasbro CC figure with bendy hands (so they appear)
ASKING $50 CDN for the lot, shipping expected to be around $25 CDN for expedited ( 6-7 business days) with tracking number and insurance.


Shot of whole lot.
 
Sot of unusual "bendy" hands on CC figure.



Shot of Formative OAF body.



Thanks!

12
General Joe Talk / Jada Toys HALO 4 Warthog Collector's Edition
« on: December 26, 2012, 05:03:15 PM »
 Wow.

Gotta get the first impression out of the way.  Just wow.
This was waiting for me under the tree on Christmas morn, from my wife and step-son. I happened to see it in a store about a week or so before for the first time and was quite impressed.
This is an approx 1/18th scale, diecast and plastic rendition of the famous tried-and-true Warthog vehicle from the HALO games. This rendition is about 14" long,and weighs about, oh......5-7 lbs.

It. Is. DETAILED.

Loads of "little things" about this item--tons of grab handles, lots of readouts on the cockpit instrument panel, steering works, has a gatling gun emplacement that spins around/raises & lowers. Front hood opens revealing an engine.

Now, let's clarify a couple of things: a lot of the "detail" is......non-functional. There's tow winches, equipment boxes, jerry cans, gear shifts...all sorts of small features that LOOK like they do something.......but they don't. That's okay though, I think.......because the looks are there.

The big question you have: yes, it fits Joes
Like a dream, actually.
Its apparently a bit over-scale for Joes, but I'm told it seems a bit UNDER-SCALE for actual HALO figures. I crewed mine with Retaliation G.I.Joe troopers--the HALO-looking guys--and they fit real well. The cab is roomy, but not overly so, the gun turret, looks real good with a Joe standing there---and he can grip onto the gun grips and holds fast. And those Retaliation figures look REAL sweet in this thing.
Its like this thing was built with Joes in mind, rather than actual HALO figures. There's ample space to store their personal weapons beside their seats, even room fora couple of the back packs in the back area, and still spin the turret.
Put a trooper kneeling in the passenger seat, aiming a rifle alongside the wind-shield and it looks natural, like it was made to be so.  Joe hands can grip ALL of the grab handles, steering wheel, the gear shift, all the important stuff.
Some eyes MIGHT see it as over-scale......some might not care about the scale at all. Current price is around $50-$60, but its been on sale at places like TRU recently and MIGHT still be on sale there and at other places.  If you can get it for less than the price- it definitely worth it. Its a seriously cool-looking item.

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