Finally...something that I find worth spending on. Can't wait to get these.
Toynewsi has some better pics.
Certainly not my first choice of characters for 7 packs. Most of these are from the era of joe when it really started going downhill for me, so not really a priority. I would have liked more early joes to fill in some more holes (cover girl for eg.) but being 7 packs I can see why they wanted to go with theme/team oriented sets. Never been a fan of the dreadnoks, but a few look good. Zandar looks really good. Zanya actually looks really good, even though she is a modern character. I really wish she was the SDCC exlusive and Zarana was in this pack. It still irks me to no end that Zarana was the SDCC exclusive. The Joe set is really weak though. Just goofy coloured repaints and characters I have no interest in. I'll likely want to pick up the dreadnoks, not sure about the other pack unless it's reasonable to get them in a package deal. Being a BBTS exclusive, perhaps it may be worth going in together with someone local to get these... Unless a Canadian online retailer can carry these too? At a reasonable price of course.
These are afterall great theme 7-packs. I'm very happy overall with the choice of characters with perhaps a one thing or two that I can live with. For one: new and old Dreadnok product will always be in good demand (as long as they don't keep doing them pink LOL). I personnally am not going wow about the innovated look of Zanzibar (will he have a chestplate I wonder) or with Barbecue (wich is a nice sculpt but I've seen it enough), but they're okay. Lt. Falcon was never originally offered as a Marauder but if you think about it, it would've made perfect sense since he spent a great deal at the Slaughterhouse beein rehabilitated for misconduct in the Gi joe Sunbow movie (he was later admitted into a rehab center by the Joes because of his drug addiction in an episode of the DIC series....but that's another story!)
As for the Marauders, I think this was the only and most obvious way to finally please the Sunbow movie fans. We got Nemesis Enforcer, Big Lob before, and now we're getting the three Renegades. This is already mission accomplished enough for me and a proof that Hasbro is willing to take a shot at rendering them in plastic. Judging from the pics, the Marauders' painscheme looks way better than on their ARAH counterparts. That's a big improvement. If they're as nicely done as on the Prototypes, I'll bet that everyone who will buy the Marauder pack will be very just as pleased with them.
Hasbro has been recycling lots of figure parts/ figures in the past 7pack offerings, so I don't see why the Marauder pack can get any weaker. A Tiger Force or Night Force subteam would've accomplished just the same in terms of not getting any new characters (aside of TF Skystriker maybe), except for the fact that they are subteams that most fans prefer already to the Marauders. If not for the Marauders, I don't see how Renegades would've come to happen any other way for Hasbro. Collectors will buy this pack regardless if it's Meh....This I say.
This is probably ultimately a test to see if we'll remain true to our cries and frustrations. So I'm reaching out to all those who wished for more Sunbow movie related merchandise (I know I did): Don't screw this up. This... I command LOL!
