Hasbro's G.I. JOE Q&A Round Four 2008 The Answers(Read the 1st post!)

[shlappyguy]

Chuckles! I don't understand why so many hate the character-- What's not to love about a dude in a hawaiian shirt?

Destro,
Any idea on when we might get to see some pics of these upcoming figures like Recondo, Mindbender and Chuckles?
Will we see them in '08 or next year?
Sab

[DESTRO]

JoeBattleLines Forums • View topic - Hasbro Q & A Round 4, 2008 - The ANSWERS!

1)With the upcoming movie figures getting closer and closer, the fan based is split between worried and excitement. After the movie toys die down, will you revert back to the 25th line of action figures and
continue going through the line making the other figures?

We are still working out the post-movie plan and how classic figures will fit into the plan. Our hope is that the movie figures will not die down and it will be like the 80's all over again for a new generation of kids.

2)Any plans for a play set for the 25th Anniversary or the movie figures, now that you've seen how well the line has done? Even if you cannot commit to an answer as of now, can you give us a percentage of our chance?

You will not see a "major" playset before the G.I. Joe movie. It is possible (50%) that the classic mini battle stations will make a comeback before movie.

3)The sub-team figures so far (python patrol officer, tiger force Flint)have both sold well. Will you be doing any other sub-teams?

We will have a couple more sub-team figures and vehicles.

4)G.I. Joe has many, MANY fans not only in the U.S. but across the globe, does Hasbro have any plans to create a shipping department that sends
items to Canada, Europe or other places outside the U.S.?

Once the G.I. Joe movie hits, we hope that we wont need to ship product to other countries because they will have them on their own local store shelves.

5) You have been asked many times, and will so many more, but are there any new developments about the status of the Season 2 Volume 2 DVD set?

No new developments at this time…but we are still looking into the re-release the full set.

[DESTRO]

http://joebattlelines.com/phpBB3/vie...php?f=5&t=8790

1) Will all of the known movie Joes (Heavy Duty, Ripcord, and Cover Girl) see a 25th anniversary salute before they are released in the movie line? If
not, why?

There is no plan for HD, Ripcord, or Cover Girl before the movie. We do not want kids to get these figures from the shelf and get confused as the movie product becomes available. There may be a classic opportunity for these figures down the road.


2) With regards to the episodes featured, what criteria were used in the determining the content of the "Best of" DVD set? Even in the mindset of "pushing product on the shelves" the choice of episodes were a bit odd and not on many fans personal best of list, nor did it seem that many were doing a good job of promoting product on the shelves.

Hasbro selected the episodes featured in the "Best Of" DVD based on reponses from a poll run on the G.I. Joe Collectors' Club website in early 2008.


3) Recent images from upcoming waves seem to favor repainted figures with new accessories over previously-unreleased characters. Is this a sign that the A Real American Hero line is winding down in favor of movie-themed product? After the Movie toy line hits store shelves, is there any way that we can still get at least a few "classic" figures that haven't been made yet (maybe through store exclusives)?

As the G.I. Joe tooling library gets bigger and bigger you will see more use of existing tools. However, there are still many more new figures coming down the line in spring 2009 and an explosion of movie figures.


4) Will the Resolute figure be styled in such a way that they stick out from the regular 25th anniversary figures or will they blend in? The Resolute Zap that has appeared on various upcoming lists has raised concerns that Zap will not fit in well with the rest of the original 13.

The Resolute figures will fit with the classic figures.


5) Will there be more DVD packs or something similar to come after this first run of "MASS Device" packs? Will there any more new Hama comics included in the comic packs, or has that shipped sailed (it seems Wave 7 2008 shows a return to reprints of the classics?)

There will only be 5 DVD packs which will extend into spring 2009. The comic packs will be getting new IDW comic books after Wave 7.

[artiepants]

With the announcement that the new comic packs will be "Resolute" Universe, it kind of disappoints me that the IDW comic series isn't going the same route since both have essentially the same modus operandi; updating and modernizing the classic ARAH; seems really redundant that we are going to have 2 (3 if you count the Movie) all new mythos starting within months of each other.

[Moses]

I am happy to hear about what characters they plan on moving forward with, but am sad to hear no immediate plans for classic Ripcord or Covergirl. I may pass on a Wayans based Ripcord, but I will take a Kurkova Covergirl!

[DESTRO]

Hasbro Q & A Round 4 - The Answers! - Joesightings.com Forums

1. Fans have been asking for Pythona, Cool Breeze, Mangler, cartoon Space Shock Troopers, and other media-exclusive figures for years, but we have still haven't gotten them. Instead we're getting oddities such as Hard Master, "do-jo" Snake Eyes, a skeleton in an upcoming DVD set, and endless repaints of the same four core characters. With such a fever pitch going on for the line, why can't we get some more never-before-seen characters that have also contributed to the G.I. Joe mythos? Hard Master at least is a step in the right direction, but why not others who are arguably more popular? Especially when all the fan requested figures could be made with existing parts, just with new heads?

For the past year we have been balancing creating figures for our core fans and keeping figures on the shelf which are welcoming to more casual fans from the 80's (and kids) who want to get back into G.I. Joe. For this reason, you are likely to see a Snake Eyes on shelf at all times. We also try and mix in newness and cool figures hence Wraith, Matt Trakker, Para Viper, and the original 13.


2. With the releases of the classic vehicle molds such as the Vamp and HISS in their window packaging, are there any plans to extend into the smaller playsets such as the Cobra Battle Bunker, Checkpoint Alpha, and Bivouac?

We are looking into this and hope to be able to announce something soon.


3. I know we've heard that the articulation and body style for the movie toys will be the same or similar as the Anniversary toys. However, many movie based toy properties also have spring-loaded "action features". Can we expect stuff like that with the movie toys, or can we hope that the figures themselves will maintain their full normal range of motion and articulation?

The 3 3/4'' movie figures will maintain the same high level of articulation and detailed styling as the 25th Anniversary line. Any "action features" will be separate pieces that can be added to the figures.


4. Although fans have been actively wondering why the original 13 were not produced initially as part of the 25th line, is there a strategic plan that rolls out characters from successive years (i.e. 2009 = 1984/85, etc)?

The original anniversary plan was only a few waves of figures, so we started with the best figures from the G.I. Joe history. There is/was no plan with regards to specific years and figures.


5. You have been asked numerous times (and will probably continue to be asked numerous times) about missing characters like Ripcord, Dr. Mindbender, Recondo, etc... but perhaps we can ask it a different way. Is Hasbro consciously avoiding the production of core characters of the Joe mythos so that they can potentially release them in a "post movie" style toyline? We all know that Transformers Classics essentially returned after the movie stuff with the Universe line, is Hasbro concerned that they will run out of popular/famous characters if they don't keep some characters "in the hopper" for future release? That's about the only explanation we can think of, because many of these highly desired characters would fit seamlessly into comic packs with mostly existing parts. Can we at least get some kind of explanation or information about why such key characters seem to be getting ignored?

Many of these figures are coming before movie. A couple such as Ripcord and Heavy Duty are not being released before the movie so we don’t confuse our new kid consumers getting into the brand. Most of the major characters fans have asked for will be delivered before the movie.

[King_Snake]

it's a shame every site seems to have asked about recondo and mindbender, we could have tried to get more info from hasbro otherwise.

but thank goodness no skystriker questions were asked even though a lot of tankers were clamoring for it...hasbro aint gonna do t!

[fogger1138]

Originally Posted by artiepants

seems really redundant that we are going to have 2 (3 if you count the Movie) all new mythos starting within months of each other.

But it'll make it more convenient for those who prefer one over the others. This way everyone gets a flavor!

[DESTRO]

Figures.com News

1. Images of Storm Shadow, Cobra Commander and Duke figures which bear a striking resemblance to their 2002 G.I.Joe vs. Cobra counterparts have shown up online and rumor has it these are the new G.I. Joe: Resolute figures. Is there any confirmation of this and when can fans expect to see the Resolute line?

Hasbro: There is no confirmation on this and you will see the new Resolute images in some of your favorite collector publications in the coming months...

2. Internet buzz has recently grown regarding the use of the same head sculpt for multiple characters (ie: Gung-Ho's headsculpt for Cutter and now Leatherneck) and die-hard fans are starting to feel these characters are lose their distinct and defining personalities. Is this a cost-saving technique fans and collectors can expect to see in future figures?

Hasbro: We have heard collector feedback on this and will try and improve. This issomething we use more often to save time rather than to save money.

3. Die-hard and new fans alike are absolutely in love with the new Sideshow Toys' 1:6 scale G.I.Joe figures; however, these figures seem to deviate from character designs which many collectors are used to seeing. Who decides what direction (looks, accessories, features) these high-end 1:6 scale figures will take on - Hasbro, Sideshow or a collaboration? Fans and collectors alike would love to know more about the magic behind this truly impressive new series...

Hasbro: Sideshow has outdone themselves with G.I. Joe! The figures are a collaboration between the toy design team at Hasbro andthe design team at Sideshow. All sides have a ton of passion for the brand and are determined to put out great work.

4. Fans now have a Tiger Force Flint with new arms and gloves. When can collectors expect to see everyone's favorite Warrant Officer in his more traditional uniform and colors?

Hasbro: The Hall of Heroes coming out this spring will feature Flint with gloves and all!

5. With the G.I. Joe live-action movie less then 11 months away, when can fans expect to see other multi-media tie-ins -- such as video games, online contest, etc -- similar to what fans saw with the release of the Transformers film last year?

Hasbro: The full blockbuster treatment that Transformers received will also be seen with G.I. Joe. You can expect to see things really heat up in the months before the movie...