Hasbro Vault: Echo Faction?

[Jay West]

Anyone who went to the Con know what Echo Faction was supposed to be? From what I can tell the POC Grunt looking guy was the Echo Faction Trooper. Seems like an interesting concept that isn't as explanatory as Zombies or Ninjas. Where they just another Green Shirt or Steel Brigade trooper group? A completly new team. Just curious. Any Scoop?

[Jay West]

Maybe answering my own question: I see there was an Echo Faction Zombie, too. Maybe Echo Faction was supposed to be a group of Joes as referenced in Zombie CC's filecard who went up against the Zombies and "disappeared."

[Derek]

An official explanation of Echo Faction would be nice.

[Stl_Brgd_PFC_Ramar]

I hope we get the Echo Faction storyline (whatever it is) into the current stuff....a breath of fresh air from the usual.

[Jay West]

Yeah, I just wonder what the stroyline was supposed to be.

[cobracobra]

I would have loved to see plots the 30th and POC lines developed further. Toxo Viper and Zombie Viper would have been just the start.. I feel like they have so much to show and there is a huge disconnect from the toys being made and developed and then what actually appears at stores.

[minstrelboy]

It seems that there was/might be a zombie subplot worked into the Joe line. We got the Hazard-Viper and Zombie-Viper from the 30th; just imagine if a zombie line were released. With all the zombie prototypes, Echo Faction could have been the team to handle the zombie outbreakk.

[CobraCrimson]

And there was a neon colored zombie in hazmat gear (actually kind of looked like the TRU SRO Deep-Six from the 25th line!) shown in the pics but with no info about him, no name, filecard, notta. Could he be one of Echo Team in a hazmat suit sent in to deal with compound-z and became infected by it or a zombie?

[Nirvana]

Echo isn't a faction, it's the next Steel Brigade trooper to reference. Same way the Super VAMP came with a jungle themed Steel Brigade Delta and the Concept case had a Desert version of the SB Delta. Steel Brigade Echo was a slimmer armored Trooper to add to your collection next.

[Cobra Terrorist]

Echo isn't a faction, it's the next Steel Brigade trooper to reference. Same way the Super VAMP came with a jungle themed Steel Brigade Delta and the Concept case had a Desert version of the SB Delta. Steel Brigade Echo was a slimmer armored Trooper to add to your collection next.

But...there were two figures that specifically said "Echo Faction" and neither one looks a lot like or references "Steel Brigade".

http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy321/lusus420/116-gijoe-club-panel-joecon-2012_1341160406.jpg
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy321/lusus420/132-gijoe-club-panel-joecon-2012_1341160406.jpg

Am I missing something, Nirvana? I just went back through the vault pics (with names) and there wasn't any Steel Brigade Echo figure.

Besides...it seems "Faction" is too strong a word. G.I.Joe and Cobra are factions. It's like these guys were intended to be a "special unit" (heheheh, special unit.....) to battle zombies. Someone else around here suggested that idea this weekend and it seems plausible.

[Angry.Android]

i think it's just a name for a revamp of the OG13 or something, because they look epically bland!

[AlecZeal1989]

Yeah, they do look kind of bland. The Zombie just looks like a slightly reworked DG Duke, and the trooper is just a PoC Snake Eyes with jungle camo?

It really does remind me a lot of those OG13 customs that were popular a year ago.

[DarkHorse]

If Echo faction were the guys to fight zombies, I'd be interested. As generic troops? Nah.

[jscand]

Yeah, they do look kind of bland. The Zombie just looks like a slightly reworked DG Duke, and the trooper is just a PoC Snake Eyes with jungle camo?

It really does remind me a lot of those OG13 customs that were popular a year ago.

The Zombie pictured here actually is also the POC Wave 3 Snake Eyes (not the Duke). He just has the Zombie Viper arms and head.

If that Echo Faction Trooper does come out, he'd certainly be my 30th Grunt.

[MrClean]

The Zombie pictured here actually is also the POC Wave 3 Snake Eyes (not the Duke). He just has the Zombie Viper arms and head.

If that Echo Faction Trooper does come out, he'd certainly be my 30th Grunt.

The head sculpt very much resembles vintage Grunt, but as a modern update.

[AirborneRigger]

Personally, I think they should just call it Grunt. I'm going to buy a bunch of them anyway, lol! And I would buy a ton of Zombies if they are released in better quantities than the Zombie-Viper was(I only ever found 3).

[Derek]

this might have been a way for them to bring back eco warriors, but just a bit more grounded to reality.

[Shadow Ninja]

I was there when John Warden was talking about this guy.. The "Echo Faction" was suppose to be another sub-team for G.I.Joe.. When a certain mission needed to be carried out the Joe's would call on them..

Same thing goes for the "Chaos Trooper" He was suppose to be a group that belonged to the Dreadnoks.. When they wanted something done they would call the Chaos Force and have them carry out orders... This was to add depth to the ranks such in our own military force..John Warden referenced the SEALS, Green Berets....etc

[Venomfang]

I think it would be neat if they were, in fact, going for a subdivision of the teams. Echo Team could be like our real world Delta Force, or even something akin to the First Response Assault Recon teams from the FEAR franchise. Only, involving zombies. Zulu Force (Z-Force) sounds too cheesy, whereas Echo (E) has a more realistic feel.

[07GT500 COBRA]

Not sure what they're supposed to be from, but I want 'em!

[Shadow Ninja]

Not sure what they're supposed to be from, but I want 'em!

Ya too bad we won't see 3/4 of what was in that case...

[Jay West]

I was there when John Warden was talking about this guy.. The "Echo Faction" was suppose to be another sub-team for G.I.Joe.. When a certain mission needed to be carried out the Joe's would call on them..

Same thing goes for the "Chaos Trooper" He was suppose to be a group that belonged to the Dreadnoks.. When they wanted something done they would call the Chaos Force and have them carry out orders... This was to add depth to the ranks such in our own military force..John Warden referenced the SEALS, Green Berets....etc

Thanks for the info!

[Jones boys]

Echo fraction: per John Warden: another level of troop builder for GI Joe. He was talking to my sons and I when he was asked by another collector about them. He shared that he was planning, further break downs for GI Joe troop builders. Something like Green Shirts, Echo Fraction, Steel Brigade (with further break down between). The Raven figure too was another troop breakout.

[Stuart_Selkirk]

I don't care what the story behind Echo Force is, I like the figure and its cool headsculpt.
Great army builder with endless customs potential.