JoeCanuck

Bought Leatherneck and Zandar from Gamestops near my job sites back in March.  Both were favs as a kid.  For some reason, I have passed on the Saw Viper.  Meh.

I have given up on Toys R Us on carrying the Classified line.  Nothing new was found.  Looks like they have given up as well.  They should have priced them accordingly.

TRU is closing more stores and I think that is a clear sign they are on the way out.   I can't see them surviving much longer.

Saw the render reveals of Battle Armour CC, Monkeywrench and Major Bludd.

BACC looks great, but I wish they had given us the unmasked Fred head instead of a second helmet with snake eyes CC.   I guess we'll have to wait for a Retro card release for that option. 

Monkeywrench looks awesome.  Great to have him in the original ARAH look but with a couple little added flares.   That alternate hair/mask looks great and I can't wait to see how it looks on him.

Major Bludd looks good with the new paint apps.   I like the red highlights.  Also apparently the arms and legs are now pinless.   Nice little update for those who missed him during the Cobra Island days.

Got my SAW Viper and Zandar yesterday.  Oh and thanks Amazon delivery guy for leaving it on the edge of my porch in the wet area while it was raining.  All you had to do was put it in another 2 feet and it would not be affected by the weather.   Thankfully I was home and got it within 10 minutes of delivery.

Oh and another big thanks to the Amazon employee who put them in a plain envelope with no padding.  I don't know how the boxes arrived with minor dings, but thankfully they did arrive in good condition.

I have to say that the SAW Viper is definitely a little on the small side, but I guess that is coming from the idea of the SAW Viper in the comic be a badass who killed a bunch of Joes.   I mean it is an army builder and they could be any height so why does he necessarily have to be a big guy like Roadblock?   I guess because of the equipment he has to carry?  Either way a good Classified version of the original.

Zandar is great.  Again another good Classified version of the original.  I like the darker colours and more updated vest.  I'm sure they'll get around to a more classic ARAH Retro card version eventually.   We are getting close to finishing the original line up of Dreadnoks.  Just need Monkeywrench (already confirmed), Zanzibar and Thrasher.

I think Thrasher will come with the Thunder Machine (evenutally).   Zanzibar probably won't come with his skiff.  I would love it if they did make him with his skiff, but I don't see it being popular enough to warrant a high priced release compared to just a single figure release. 

Just a heads up for anyone looking for a Classified Zandar.  He is back in stock on Amazon.ca as of this post.

I am so down for this set.  I can't wait to stress out trying to get this on Pulse because I won't be attending SDCC.  Hopefully it will be well stocked after the fact, but I imagine it will be a near instant sellout.

Still this is a great set and I love that they included a complete drum kit to boot!!!

So what did everyone think of the GI Joe Day reveals?

By far the winner, for me, was the SNAKE Armour.   That thing looks like a beast and a great update to the original.   Can't wait to see how it works because so far the prevailing belief is that a figure can fit inside the torso in a seated position.

The AWE Striker looks okay, but not great.   It does look like back roll cage where the third person can sit will be removable to make it look more like the original.   The smaller front wheels are not great either.  I get what they were going for here, but I just feel like they took it a bit too far in the modernization direction.   Maybe they'll do a retro release more closely resembling the original down the line.  Crankcase is a fine update, but again give me the more retro look as well.

MASS Breaker looks good, but again a little too modern for what he is supposed to represent (cartoon version).   

Darklon is a winner in my books.   I love the alternate mask and broad sword.  The  rest is classic Darklon which is fine.

Slice and Dice look good, but it is the accessories that take this set to the next level.   Love all the options.

Ketchup and Mustard divers are probably my second favourite reveal.   Not only are they connected to MASS but again the accessory load out is fantastic.  I just wish they had given the Joe diver a DPV as well as the Cobra diver.   DPV is Diver Propulsion Vehicle, the little torpedo looking thing that assists in movement.

Retro Covergirl is not as good as I thought from earlier leaks.   She looks good, but doesn't really evoke the classic MASS Device blonde hair look, but rather a mix of that with more modern sensibilities.  Not really a Retro design per se.

Tele-Viper looks great.   Definitely a more cartoon accurate look, and I like the little word scroll on the visor.   Although I would have prefered one less head and more accessories.

Flint is probaby the winner of the Retro reveals.   While I was never the biggest Flint fan he does look great and much more in line with the Sunbow look.

From what I have read and heard Hasbro under Chris Cocks is moving away from manufacturing, which is why they are licensing out a lot of their properties.  Apparently they want to be more of a license holder and let other companies handle the production (and the inherent costs with that). 

Don't know if that is true, or not, but it would make sense with how things have gone in the past year with all the new licensing agreements that were announced.   I imagine their big, in house, brands will be the last to go fully licensed if that is what they are doing.

Overall with Classified I am not too worried about preordering because so much of it ends up available everywhere, and even on sale.  Yes there are exclusives, but general retail product is still pretty easy to find.   Guess we'll see how this year shapes up.