JoeCanuck

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Red and white once again! We've restored the classic look of JoeCanuck.

Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

Messages - B

Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 ... 68
13
General Joe Talk / Re: Thoughts on Classified and Retro lines?
« on: June 16, 2023, 03:22:50 PM »
I thought Emily was the brand manager!?
Or is/was that a different Emily? There was an Emily Bader listed as the brand manager for GiJoe up till Mar 2023 according to Linked-In. As Brand Manager I'm pretty sure she has a big say in character selection. Again assuming they are one and the same.

Anyways I really want to see some displays of all the vehicles coming out just to see the footprint. 
Hope you guys reach all the unlocks.
I do hope Airborne or as was mentioned Doc with a stretcher that could attach to the skids.

What are the thoughts on Eels and Tunnel Rat?
 

14
General Joe Talk / Re: Thoughts on Classified and Retro lines?
« on: June 06, 2023, 08:32:47 AM »
I didn't watch the unveiling yet but it looks excellent from the images I got in my email.
Seriously though, do people have space on shelves for 34 inch vehicles! In my opinion, collecting 6" vehicles would almost make me have to get rid of all other lines just so i could have the room to display the vehicles. How are you guys planning on setting these up?
One thing I'm curious about is whether they have figured out some way to prevent with the blades drooping over time. I would be interested in looking at the engineering on that.
I love the interior, that looks awesome. I definitely would dio the dragonfly attacking the hiss tank if I was collecting these, especially with all the weapon effects.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Airborne as an unlock because of the original box art. So far Wild Bill looks pretty sweet. Lets see if the actual figure looks like his renders.

Good luck to this haslab and to all those backing it. I look forward to updates in the future.

15
General Joe Talk / Re: G.I. Joe Operation Blackout - Full Movie
« on: April 03, 2023, 03:43:46 PM »
I just can't seem to get through it for some reason.Then I forget what it was about and then forget it exists.

Totally going to try and watch the whole thing tonight.

16
General Joe Talk / Re: Best Youtuber for GI Joe?
« on: March 30, 2023, 12:03:26 PM »
I watch quite a few youtubers and I like certain aspects of each channel. I don't always share their perspectives but I like that I'm presented multiple things to consider.

For Reviews:
 I like FormBx257, HCC788, Half the Battle. I think they stick only to Gi joe (or at least that's the only videos I watch from them).
Formbx257 has a ton of information and I like his overall knowledge (or his research, whichever) and he pays attention to the details. He also appears like a genuine humble guy.
HCC I think has gone undergone some hard times recently and I think he's trying to get back into it but I think he's still hurting. I like that tries to be welcoming and adds some vignettes into his videos.
Timmer is just funny but his video production value is a bit weak or maybe simple is a better word. It doesn't bother me though, I'd guess just making a high end video would take more time and money then he probably wants to invest and if I were him and had the choice between high quality videos or buying more toys, you could expect lower quality videos for the foreseeable future :D.

For joe dio story videos:
 Gi joeburg - Excellent stories and action sequences. They love playing. I like that.
5100 productions - just found them recently. excellent stop motion stories. check them out.

For fixing stuff : Toy Polloi is tops but i also liked the fixes from Retroblasting and Formbx257

Other YouTubers I like but aren't exclusive to Joe (some I've already listed above but I'll put them in again anyways)

Retroblasting, Analog Toys, Spector Creative, Secret Galaxy, GI Dad, Justice Cury, Action Robot Punch, Toy Connections. Toy Tinker Tim. Probably more.
 I recommend any of them.

17
General Joe Talk / MIA
« on: March 24, 2023, 01:54:06 PM »
Well, I managed to look through my boxes the other day because i needed to rearrange the space under the stairs for my wife and somewhere in the last 10 years I have lost many of old joes.
Not sure  where and when since most of them were in storage from 2014 onwards... so far the list is
83 Duke
84 Mutt & Junkyard
84 Scrap Iron
85 Lady Jaye
85 Shipwreck but i still have Polly
85 Frostbite
86 Dr. Mindbender
86 Iceberg
86 Sci-Fi
86 Viper
86 Zarana
87 Crystal Ball
87 Zanzibar
88 Astro Viper
88 Toxo-Viper
89 HEAT Viper
89 Frag Viper
89 Downtown

I also found that many of my vehicles are suffering from old age and many parts are starting to break (skids on my fang cracked, the missle pegs on my ferret have snapped off, Vindicator jet has turned yellow, hinges on my Warthog have broken) Its kind of depressing that these toys are getting so old that i can't even store them in a bin without issues. :(

On the flip side I have other joes that I don't remember getting. Like an extra snow serpent, extra iron grenadiers, anniliators. All are played with and missing stuff but I don't recall every owning more then 1 of anything except the Vipers and Snow Serpents.

Anybody else lost figures over the years that you haven't replaced or is everyone pretty much completed their collections? Which was the most missed?

18
General Joe Talk / Favourite Joe Line
« on: March 24, 2023, 01:25:06 PM »
So, for the few of us that remain. A simple question.
With Classified seeming to be a well received line and the now 6" figure the industry standard going foward, has Classified, or any other joe line,  beat ARAH to become your favourite?
Maybe list your top 3 joe lines and why they are great. (can include any international or even joe inspired lines)

19
General Joe Talk / Re: Thoughts on Classified and Retro lines?
« on: February 23, 2023, 04:57:21 PM »
So...what happening in Classified?

20
General Joe Talk / Re: Skystriker and the return of o-ring!!!
« on: February 22, 2023, 10:03:03 AM »
anyone got their flagg setup and have the new skystriker and willing to take a risk? I'd like to test whether the flagg arrestor cable will actually pull the landing gear down once the arrestor hook snags it? I'm not sure if you want to risk that on old plastic or not. If no one has it setup or willing to test I guess I can try it out next Dec.


I also did add my last comments on the 2 missing figures in my previous message earlier in this thread for those who are interested.

Yeah it is such a shame that we are getting to that point in time where the original figures and vehicles are starting to degrade to the point of fragility.   It means there are some truly amazing figures, vehicles and playsets that are going to either be lost to time, or end up as noting more than display pieces under glass because the risk of damage is too high.

I'm hoping since they pushed the Joe livestream event back to March 8th that we might get a tease for the next Joe Haslab at that time.

Maybe. I don't think we'll forever lose it per say because of fragility.  With 3d printing and resin casting I could see hobbyists go for replacements for these old things. I just look at the work of Black Major or Red Laser customs on figures to know that someone somewhere will probably be willing to give it a shot for a large scale playset. Maybe it's not a business opportunity but a labour of love opportunity. I think we (those of us growing up with gijoe) only really will lose it  once we're gone. Will anyone care? I knowpersonally my kids have rarely played with very few toys once video games were allowed. I was much the same way as a kid.

Anyways. I hope to go over a more thorough review of my skystriker as I've been playing with it now for a couple of weeks. Wife wants it out of the bedroom. (BOO!)

21
General Joe Talk / Re: Skystriker and the return of o-ring!!!
« on: February 08, 2023, 11:29:23 AM »
anyone got their flagg setup and have the new skystriker and willing to take a risk? I'd like to test whether the flagg arrestor cable will actually pull the landing gear down once the arrestor hook snags it? I'm not sure if you want to risk that on old plastic or not. If no one has it setup or willing to test I guess I can try it out next Dec.


I also did add my last comments on the 2 missing figures in my previous message earlier in this thread for those who are interested.

22
General Joe Talk / Re: Super7 GI Joe discussion
« on: February 07, 2023, 10:16:50 AM »
I wonder what the sales numbers are for this line. They keep releasing waves so they must be selling decently.... I never see anyone buying them though.

23
General Joe Talk / Re: Skystriker and the return of o-ring!!!
« on: February 03, 2023, 10:37:38 AM »
Figure 1st impressions (I haven't gotten them all out yet so I'm only talking about the ones I have opened)

1. Outer packaging. Great overall protection of the cards in the box. Nice sheet of vellum to separate the cards from any scuffing is good thinking. A lot of attention and money was spent on ensuring your stuff arrived safely. I think they did miss an opportunity to include a small promotional pamphlet or poster of their products. Or even dio photography shots to spark the imagination. Would have been great to see other 3 3/4" items, (maybe slip in a reveal)

2. Card backs. The thicker cardboard is very nice. The artwork is pretty good overall, although I'm bothered by the flair on cobra commanders helmet. The adhesive on the bubble was very inconsistent. On one card I almost peeled the bubble off without lifting any ink. On others, there was some alternating sections that had good adhesion to almost no adhesion. I did have one card that was properly sealed (that is until I opened it). If your a MOC collector be warned your bubbles may just fall off after a couple of years.
On the backside I like the one language file card. That missing portrait space for the cross sell always catches my eye however, because I know the crew portrait should be there.

3. Cobra commander - excellent figure, very close to the original I think. I hope to compare them later this weekend. Colour is a little flat. I honestly don't really care about the mickey mouse logo. I don't see myself using a logo that doesn't fit with the rest of my figures. I want the figures that I played with. Those figures have meaning although I always wished the OG commander has a slightly darker cobra blue as well. (Maybe I have to get the cartoon version that came with Duke.)

4. Cobra Trooper - looks very good and I think is supposed to be based on the cartoon? I do find the general troopers have almost no expression in their eyes. No soul. Its probably perfect for a cannon fodder trooper. He's just one of many. I wonder if this was done purposely? I'm not sure if I wish that the designers had somehow worked a little more expression in the eyes, or whether I think its perfect just the way it is. His hand almost were completely closed. The distance between his thumb and fingers was so thin. Hopefully the new plastic they use allows for the flex. Simple yet genuine figure.

5. Ramp Rat - pretty good figure although the arms bother me. It looks like he's wearing a jogging suit under his vest. His weapon choice is not my favourite and i would have preferred he come with some sort of tool and a normal gun. The light traffic wands are simple but neat accessory. Probably use my 25th technoviper pylons with this.

6. Fail safe - One of the figures I was really looking forward to just fell short in the execution for me. The soft helmet was kind of warped, which I don't like, but was fine once I put on his head. I am glad his face had a little more expression then what I had seen in pictures online. When I was checking the joints I thought I had a stiff shoulder so I heated it up with a hairdryer but actually it was paint that had dried between his arm and torso so as I pulled his arm to gently rotate his shoulder the paint cracked leaving a mark on both his arm and his side. I guess the paint had not been completely dry before he got assembled?  I  also have to take this figure apart and look at his head because right where his neck meets his torso I have a small thin gap because his neck doesn't extend far enough into the torso.  It looks like he had his throat slit. I assume mine just had these defects and its not that common.
 I do like that he looks more like a pilot. I prefer his outfit over Ace's all day long. It would have been nice for Ace and Failsafe to have similar outfits because I dislike that Ace is wearing a pressure suit and Failsafe is wearing a sort of traditional pilots suit. Simple firearm is a nice touch, although I'm not sure where to store it. I think I'm going to make him the default pilot because this Tomcat is a Navy F14 and he's a Navy Pilot, while Ace is an USAF pilot. If I ever change the fins to the grey then I'll make Ace the pilot.

7. Scarlett - this is a decent figure except for two things:  the weapon - Its missing its handle making it pretty much useless...that or I don't know how its supposed to work. I never had the original so i have nothing to compare to. i don't actually care for the test pressure suit design itself. Its fine looking but I just would have preferred a more traditional suit. I do like that her and Ace look like a team. hmmm after those 2 nitpicks the only thing I didn't have a problem with is the head so can I really say its a decent figure. HAHA, I don't know, its fine I guess but it could have been better.

One thing I noticed is that none of the figures can move their heads up or down. No ball joint heads so far. That is a shame. I'm hoping Ripcord will not have this problem since I know Ace will not have that head movement.


I'll edit this message when I get to Ace and Ripcord.

EDIT:
8. Ace - this is an excellent figure in so far as he seems pretty faithful to the original when I look online, but as I mentioned earlier I don't have an original to compare too so I'm sure there are some differences. I only wish they had found a way to give him a swivel head so you can pose him looking whichever way in the canopy.  I also would have loved if he had come with Failsafe's body in any of the v2,v3 or v4 colour patterns. Including a weapon is great. I honestly don't know what else to talk about and that seems a bit sad because I feel he should be the star figure since he is the pilot. Maybe its better that way as the star really is the skystriker and Ace is the accessory...Not sure if I agree with myself. Regardless, solid figure!

9 Ripcord - I really like this figure overall. The black outfit with the nightforce logo on the arm is quite nice. I have to say though that I much prefer the original camo pattern over the nightforce colours, maybe its because the black doesn't have the gloss that I've used too, or maybe the camo pattern is just a little more eye catching. I'm still not sure if he was the right choice to be included with the skystriker. You would never have halo jumper eject from a skystriker for a mission. Don't get me wrong I do love the figure but I wonder if he would have been better served in another vehicle. (Haslab we could use a C-130).
The green parachute pack is also nice. Its definitely a softer plastic, my one issue is the mask does not plug into the parachute pack very well, I can't get that hose to stick in. Maybe its just me though. His gun is excellent but would have been great if he had a place to store it or a strap so it could be slung over the shoulder (normally i hate straps but in this case it makes sense). I like that the weapons are all black. The helmet is soft plastic too, and I think that is a bit of a miss. Strapping the soft plastic mask to the soft plastic helmet is a bit of a challenge to my non-dexterous fingers and getting it to sit right is a bit annoying. As i mentioned earlier I have a hard time attaching the mask to his pack. Also, the helmet is a bit too loose on his head and can come off very easily. Finally the biggest miss I have is that he should have came with another parachute, with the nightforce logo on it that could attach to his parachute pack. That would have been awesome! Overall I'm very pleased to add Ripcord.


So final thoughts: I think I  complain too much and after re-reading through my thoughts I feel like, maybe, I come across negatively. This is farthest from the truth.  I feel this was a good project overall. Yes, there are a few quality issues, and while I would have loved a few changes here and there,  I'm definitely happy with what I have received and do not regret backing this. I've always wanted a skystriker and had hoped one day to actually get an original,  but when this came up I knew I had to find a way to back it (and I did by selling off all my 200x MOTU figures.) This thing fixes some major play issues I have heard people have about the original. I have waited 40 years to get a skystriker and I need to wait another 20 years before I will actually have  space to set it up on my flagg  (7 kids means no empty rooms for a long time) Even my wife, who begrudges the space my toys take, admitted it was pretty cool looking. This was the piece that got me excited for the first time since the 25th anniversary line. The 3 3/4 - 4" scale will always be my gijoe. I've been flying my skystriker through the house every day so far and having a blast, and that's the most important thing for me.

Anyways, everyone has their opinion and maybe yours is different. I'd love to hear it. Thanks for listening.

Have fun everyone! (Back to my usual lurking)

24
General Joe Talk / Re: Skystriker and the return of o-ring!!!
« on: February 02, 2023, 09:41:24 AM »
Got mine yesterday afternoon. Just offering my first impressions on the skystriker itself. I haven't had time to look at the figures.

The nitpicks:
1. a little loose on the front landing gear closing when retracted up, likewise when the wheels are down it doesn't always lock the wheels firmly, so all of a sudden the front landing gear collapses.
2. The bottom of the wings design is very poor looking. That whole contraption for where the wing attached would have been more visually appealing had it been located inside the main body,  From the top the plane looks amazing, from the bottom I'm like "meh". Disappointing.
3 The Gijoe stamp. I don't know if I'm the only one, but I dislike having the joe logo on the vehilcles. It didn't bother me as a kid but as an adult I find it weird for a top secret military force to put markings to identify their vehicles. I would have preferred they leave that as a sticker to put on or off.
4. The blueprints. They use the 83 skystiker for the illustration so it does make some sticker placement a little weird (e.g aroudnt he cannons etc.) Also the tow vehicles illustration is for the flagg version.
5. The tow vehicle does not have a seat and is slightly undersized. Would have rather had a seat over an engine cover since I will probably keep the weapon carrier on all the time, making the engine cover pretty much useless.
6. The tail hook. A minor point here, I'm not sure how much this needs to come down. Mine hardly moves and I'm afraid to pull on it any more for fear of snapping it.
7. stickers - pass on the cobra stickers. Waste of tier there. I would have also liked to have other actual pilots names (e.g Slipstream, Dogfight etc) as an option.
 8. Its missing its ground crew. I'll chat more about that when i have time to share my thoughts on the figures.
9. I only can afford 1. :(

The good
1. It's an F14. Beautiful!
2. love the two seater. I haven't had the opportunity to get an origianal 83 so I can't compare. I only have the 2011(?) XP21F.  Detail on the seats is excellent
3. love the cockpit  and canopy. I like how the canopy lifts away when open and tucks away when closed, and that the front part can be removed seperately. Control stick looks nice. Hopefully it won't snap too quickly. I also love that we get 2 canopies, but i thought one was supposed to be tinted and the other clear? I got two tinted- which I actually prefer so that's a positive.
4. The stand is awesome I love it so that i can position this exactly the way I want.
5. I love the tail hook and landing gear lever. this will be put to use the next time I have my flagg set up.
6. I love that the wing sweep and landing gear are separate controls. Its an obvious like, so not really much more to say about that.
7. Its new plastic. I like that the plastic isn't 40 years old and fragile (I hope). I don't feel scared to play with this thing.
8. Let's talk about the packaging. It looks beautiful. They did a good job on keeping everything pristine, Sad that I won't find these type of boxes in my local toys r us. :(
I really love the runway part. Its a relatively easy play feature. Its good thinking inside the box - bwhahaha! (sorry dad humour)
9.removable panels. its excellent and adds to the potential story telling of prepping the skystriker, but its missing a ground crew to finish that story. Come on hasbro give me a 5 pack of the mechanics and deck crew.


I have to see if the vintage figures can go in there or not.
I also have the toughest decision to make. Which logos to put on the vertical stabilizer fins...classic Skystriker, or one of the Tomcats ones which i really like, or should I go custom stickers and get the Jolly Roger?....seriously I can't decide. Definitely want my favourite ones on the black fins.

What are your thoughts?


Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 ... 68