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06-29-2008, 03:49 PM | #1 |
endlesssummerofthedamned
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Midway, PA
Posts: 3,773
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When I was in the Army, we had bi-monthly meetings with our CO. Basically, to post our gripes, to see where training or leadership was lacking, to see things from his soldiers point of view and try to improve our lives. The catch was, that we were never allowed to complain unless we had a plausible solution for the problem. And there's a LOT of complaints across the board here (I've made some of my own), and there's been a lot of suggestions as to how Hasbro SHOULD be doing things. Unfortunately, a lot of those are impractical - from the stand point of a large company with stockholders trying to keep in the black in a consumer-driven global economy, and an increasingly volatile global economy at that.
Those of us who grew up with ARAH Joe were spoiled, I think, by the Reagan-omics of the '80's. The situation is way different now for the toy industry. I would say at least half of the toy market is geared more towards adult collectors, than kids. And that's good in it's own way, but bad as well. For one, the price goes up (and goes up even more as the cost of petroleum products rise). Production takes more time. Distribution isn't as thorough. There are a lot less toy stores, and on and on. And kids aren't as interested in toys. I have a daughter who's about to turn nine, and she's virtually done with dolls. She's into clothes and gadgets and movies and music. So, while places like Toys'R'Us does acknowledge adult collectors, it's still a place more geared towards younger kids. And we are (for the most part) adult collectors, so it's different than when mum took us to the store and we were treated with a new figure, or whatever. Then we'd go home and lose ourselves in our own world playing, and be content until the next time we went to the store. Now, we go online and breathlessly wait for the next bit of information about the next projected wave of figures - who'll be in it, when will it hit stores, etc. So, all that desire, all that hunger for new figures builds and builds, and it's still weeks away from the full-release of a new wave of figures. (Yes, I'm aware wave 9 has already been sighted.) I used to read the thread on the new vehicles spotted at Kmart, until it got so nauseating... Really, I use eBay as an indicator of when to go looking for new figures. Once it's been flooded with the new stuff, THEN I know I can go out and the odds of finding something are better than just HOPING for something. I love the new line. I applaud Hasbro, and I know that a lot of people developing the new line probably love Joe as much as any of us. Sure, there are areas of improvement. Particularly, the heads of Grunt and Hawk. Butt-ugly. But they are getting there. There's pictures of a repainted Captain Ace that looks a helluva lot better than the comic pack where he looks like he's in a track suit. (Although I already took it upon myself to paint him up in a very similar fashion.) And the Firefly/Storm Shadow comic pack (which I just got) is outstanding. The new vehicles look really good, too. And the Cobra Arctic and Desert Assault packs are AWESOME!!! So, here's a few suggestions I might have for the future of the Joe line: - Weapons Packs. Especially some of the cooler items, like Firefly's backpack from the comic pack, or Spirit's backpack, or the Viper's vest. Not just guns. (This would help us customizers a lot.) - Troop builders should only come with troops. Maybe one officer, but no individual figures (like Snake Eyes in the Red Ninja Showdown pack, for example.) - Instead of, for lack of a better word, useless repaints (like the Duke and Cobra Commander comic pack), when an already released figure is decided to come out again, how about we just repackage them as "Arctic" or "Scuba" with a new head on a Snow Job or Arctic Snake Eyes, or Torpedo body? I'd buy that. With separate divisions (like Python Patrol or Tiger Force), those are fine as repaints. But with the countless Dukes and Cobra Commanders out there, who all have the SAME body, I just don't understand the logic behind those. At least with the several Snake Eyes and Storm Shadows, we get different bodies. - Resuce Doc was great. Keep new and interesting ideas like that going. - This was mentioned in another thread, but exclusive troop builder packs (delivered in non-descript cardboard boxes) available through the G.I. Joe Club membership (or something similar) would be great, as long as the prices are within reason. - I know I'm not alone in this, but others may be against it - I'd like to see some figures not available before from the comic or cartoon line. You made Scarface. Now make Dr. Venom, or Kwinn, or the Oktober Guard. But even better, make some vehicles that only appeared in the cartoon or comic. - Finish the original Joes. We'll have everyone from the first wave of Joes from '82 except Short Fuze and Zap. There's still a couple from the '83 line that we need as well, like Cover Girl and Airborne. I think Airborne and Short Fuze are on the slate, and if so - great. And if you're going to be thorough, we need a red Grand Slam, a Glider pilot Grunt (in tan) and a Cobra Viper Glider pilot as well. But I can forgive those omissions. The '84 line still has a slew of figures waiting to be made. So, yeah - that's all I have for now. I'd like this thread to keep in line of suggestions only, so let's try to keep that in mind as others add to my list. Who's up next? |
06-29-2008, 04:04 PM | #2 |
Banned
Join Date: Aug 2007
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I agree with most of your post. I think the number 1 problem is the obvious slew of repaints. I believe Hasbro has stated that kids buy CC, SE and Duke the most and that is why we get so many silly repaints. If that is true then here is a suggestion to them. Instead of making CC now with a stripe or Duke now with a flag, why don't they just carry over those figures to fill cases. For example instead of having flag Duke in wave 7, have a new figure or double up on the Viper and throw wave 4 Duke in to fill the case. Duke will still be there for the kids and the collectors can spend there money on another trooper or a new figure.
I hate having soo many SE but at least most of them are at least different figures. The Dukes and CC's are getting out of control. After the con it seems like we are going to be flooded with Destros now too. |
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06-29-2008, 08:45 PM | #3 |
endlesssummerofthedamned
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Midway, PA
Posts: 3,773
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Good idea. I could have done without the Wave 7 Jet Pack Duke altogether, in lieu of doubling up on more desireable figures, or troops are always good filler. I'm a troop builder, so the more the better (as funds are available). But the same goes for the Cobra Commander in wave 8.
Here's another: I read in the Hasbro Q&A that once the figures from the movie started coming out that the original line would either blend into it or go into a holding pattern, depending on how you interpret their answer. I think it would be in their best interest to keep the two separate. I'd hate to think they're gonna freeze the ARAH stuff in favor of the movie figures, but lesser advisable things have happened in the past with other lines. The nostalgia factor is what makes this line so popular - take that away, and replace it with something as controversial (for Joe fans) as the movie, then I think a lot of the us will just lose interest. It's not what we remember as kids, even if it still carries the G.I. Joe name. And frankly, as popular as these little buggers are, and as quickly as they fly off the shelves, it would be like shooting Hasbro shooting itself in the wallet to kill the line. Take notice - listen to the fans, and even see what sells in the stores and what doesn't. I can go to any store right now and pick up the two figures I mentioned at the start of this reply. Same goes for the CC/Duke and Scarlett/Hawk comic packs - those have been out forever, and they're still hanging around. They're not even good for customizers. |
06-29-2008, 09:23 PM | #4 |
Ex-Pharisee
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: 742 Evergreen Terrace
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I really like the idea of weapons packs. I especially like the idea of including more than just weapons. I almost bought a wave 8 Roadblock just for the vest, but I didn't, because I thought it would be a waste. But if you included that vest in with, say, Shipwreck's uzi (which I want but don't want Shipwreck) and Zartan's gun (same situation) and Firefly's backpack (either version), I'd buy that, and probably a couple (assuming my Black-hole Wal-Mart and Target carried them).
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06-29-2008, 10:11 PM | #5 |
Cobra Soldier
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 69
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Quote:
So, here's a few suggestions I might have for the future of the Joe line:
- Weapons Packs. Especially some of the cooler items, like Firefly's backpack from the comic pack, or Spirit's backpack, or the Viper's vest. Not just guns. (This would help us customizers a lot.) Quote:
- Instead of, for lack of a better word, useless repaints (like the Duke and Cobra Commander comic pack), when an already released figure is decided to come out again, how about we just repackage them as "Arctic" or "Scuba" with a new head on a Snow Job or Arctic Snake Eyes, or Torpedo body? I'd buy that. With separate divisions (like Python Patrol or Tiger Force), those are fine as repaints. But with the countless Dukes and Cobra Commanders out there, who all have the SAME body, I just don't understand the logic behind those. At least with the several Snake Eyes and Storm Shadows, we get different bodies.
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06-29-2008, 11:12 PM | #6 |
I LIVE!
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Altus, OK
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Quote:
So, here's a few suggestions I might have for the future of the Joe line:
- Weapons Packs. Especially some of the cooler items, like Firefly's backpack from the comic pack, or Spirit's backpack, or the Viper's vest. Not just guns. (This would help us customizers a lot.) Quote:
- This was mentioned in another thread, but exclusive troop builder packs (delivered in non-descript cardboard boxes) available through the G.I. Joe Club membership (or something similar) would be great, as long as the prices are within reason.
Quote:
a Cobra Viper Glider pilot as well.
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06-29-2008, 11:16 PM | #7 |
G.I. Joe Infantry
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Lewiston, Maine
Posts: 375
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Instead of a weapons pack what about what they are doing with the Star Wars Clone Wars line of placing a small crate/locker filled with gear and packaged with figures or even vehicles?
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06-29-2008, 11:25 PM | #8 |
saboteur
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: unknown
Posts: 1,653
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Some great suggestions. That means Hasbro will not do it.
The biggest problem, and a lot of people have previously stated this is that Hasbro wants to maximize revenue. By putting one new character in all these different sets Hasbro is forcing you to buy them all in order to get all the characters you want. Ideally, Dusty, quick kick, copperhead, scrap iron, steeler, shortfuze, Falcon etc, would be single carded and that would be the end of it. But hasbro is getting people to pay more by repainting multiples. Its a shame really....... All this new convention stuff is nice but what is it going to cost if you want all of it. Like $500. That is kind of a lot for a hobby. I think I am sticking with the single packs and that is it. I will miss out on a lot but, I will hope that Hasbro will single card these in the future. |
06-29-2008, 11:38 PM | #9 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Appleton, WI
Posts: 162
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They may have tried some of these things in the past, but I think you are forgetting that today the situation is quite different than it was in 2003.
I am just one example of someone who hadn't bought a GI Joe product since the mid to late 80's, lured back because of these great new releases of the figures I loved. These new figures are so close to what I remember, but yet so much better. My brother started collecting them and got me hooked... I know that I've told a few friends about it and now they are hooked... when people pay attention to these figures and realize that these aren't going to be around forever, they crave them. I don't know why Star Wars accessory packs flopped, but I know that back in the day I bought at least 1 of each accessory pack when it was released for GI Joe... but even though I played with Star Wars figures too... but I don't remember very many accessories for them... I remember some type of backpack and a gas mask of some type... but can't remember a lot of accessories beyond just the weapons each character came with (many of which were unique to the characters). GI Joe is a different story... Maruader's Gun Runners is proof of it. I want to give my Joes and Cobras other weapons... give them other webbing/belts... I'd love to equip some of my other figs with that new Cobra bazooka trooper vest. Or give my Cobra machine gunners Rock N Roll's ammo belts... I could go on and on. So don't dismiss ideas off hand because they were tried 5 years ago when only die hard collectors were still buying products... a whole new class of collector is back and we are buying anything we can get our hands on... because we know that it has been 20+ years since the figures we love have been available to us, and I want them for my son and daughter to play with when they are a few years older. |
06-30-2008, 09:51 AM | #10 |
endlesssummerofthedamned
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Midway, PA
Posts: 3,773
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Yeah - I agree the situation with Star Wars is different. I didn't realize they had done that. (Maybe I'll see if I can find one - I'd like to see if there's anything of use in it.) Again, I don't know the difference between Star Wars and Joe collectors. I do know that the modern Star Wars line would cost tens of thousands of dollars to own as a collector, and would require ample storage space. And I believe there are a lot more Joe customizers than Star Wars (or am I wrong?).
Marauder's is great - I've bought from them before. One thing, however, is they don't have a lot of figure accessories outside of weapons. I know they have some repros of PTE vests, but there's not much else. You need to really look around at other sites like build-a-rama, urban revolution or broken arrow, which still doesn't have even the basic 25th Joe harnesses. As for the package deals coming out, I hope Hasbro does like they did with the original 5 packs and released them as wave 4 (except for Baroness). I'm trying to keep my collection complete with everything available at retail (no convention exclusives), so I'd still buy a single card of Dusty or Quick Kick for sure. I hope Hasbro does this. As for the battle packs being a ploy to make more money? If you figure the retail price of each individual figure, plus DVD, plus the weapons part - they're considerably less than if they were sold individually. Same with the vehicle packs. $14.99 for 2 figures and two vehicles? Two single figures cost about $12.98 - so, how are they saving money? |
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