[THE ENEMY]

It sucks. It seems like Beachhead is cursed to never have his figure quite right. That said, I was looking back on the responses in that thread, and here's what Joesightings' Recondo said:

"I think he'll turn out to be the biggest fig coming out.. bigger than RB because of the miscue in scale-down I guess."

Notice the "I think...". I'm wondering if it's just conjecture on his part, that Beachhead will actually be bigger than Roadblock. It's not clear if John Warden actually said that part; he just said it turned out bigger than they wanted.

It would be great if we could get a clear comparison pic (I believe the Beachhead sample is right next to Serpentor), or if someone going to the con could eyeball it for us.

[DESTRO]

Click on the one that says welcome to comic con. All about G.I. Joe Pod Cast with images

http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/d...ADF5E3571E621A

[THE ENEMY]

Hmm. Kinda hard to tell from the video, but Firefly doesn't seem toooo big compared to Shipwreck. It was nice to get confirmation that Stalker and Zartan will be shown.

[Shin Densetsu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by miked

I 'm not buying it. Hasbro's been doing this for almost 50 years and all of a sudden there are all of these unseen pitfalls. Ridiculous. Problems with articulation (like the limited leg movement on some) is just Hasbro cutting corners and allowing their figures to make it to retail without correcting obvious mistakes because of cost issues. Hasbro does not have to release a figure that's been produced at the wrong scale. They just don't care enough about there product to spend the money to make sure the figure is produced correctly. I can only assume that problems like this have always arisen in the production of a new toy line, but the toy companies have had the forsight and the money to correct these issues before they hit retail. I have a feeling that the monatary drain of Star Wars has a lot to do with this. Production of all of the companies lines suffer from Hasbro having to give it's first born to Lucasfilm to keep the rights to a toy line that has seen it's day. The fact that this line (GI Joe 25 A) is so inconsistent attests to the fact that Hasbro is just unwilling or financially unable to correct simple (and probably common) problems that crop up in the production of an action figure line. How come we never got a Han Solo that was the wrong scale (or for that matter one that utilized arms from a Luke Skywalker figure)? How come there are no Stormtrooper figures that can't sit down? Or hold their guns? It's because Hasbro answers to a higher power with their Star Wars product (and a very discerning one at that) and all of their other products (especially unliscensed ones) are going to suffer for it. Modern GI Joe products are simply an example of the kind of toys Hasbro will produce when they don't have to get approval from a higher power to send them to retail. After all of those years of experience producing one of the greatest action figure lines ever, Hasbro should be ashamed to send to retail figures that can't sit, hold their weapons because their hands are too soft, or are out of scale with the rest of the line. It's just unnacceptable and amateurish and not the kind of thing you should expect from a powerhouse like Hasbro. Sometimes I think that the knockoff companies do a better job than Hasbro these days.
I think that the fact that we have a Hasbro representative telling us that figures that haven't been released yet are going to have major design flaws is laughable. Their TELLING us that they have every intention of offering us a substandard product even before they hit the shelves, while in the same breathe admitting that they want to correct problems on substandard product that we've ALREADY bought. Of course he also admonishes us that if we DON"T buy the substandard product first he WON"T produce the corrected product. I JUST CAN"T BELIEVE WHAT I READ IN THIS INTERVIEW! I mean Hasbro makes garbage and says that they'll offer us the priveledge of buying another of the same figure with the corrections that should have been made before retail, but only after we buy the garbage. Give me a break!

Just my opinion.

Actually, there are clone trooper figures that have a very hard time sitting down. The ROTS clones have a hard time sitting, even the super articulated version. Trust me on this, the cobra officer with the wide crotch has a much easier time sitting and raising legs than the super articulated clone troopers. Also some clones have a hard time holding their guns. Add to the fact that it took 20 years to get a more accurately scaled X-wing, and the fact that the new Sith Infiltrator is largely out of scale(more so than other vehicles tend to be). It also took years, rumors everywhere, til the TIE fighter finally got the bigger, more accurately scaled wings.

From what I have observed, it seems like the figures were rushed to retail. This was a line only meant to consist of originally 10 figures. Dwight Stall sculpted 12, and with that, the team was given the go ahead to make more waves. Thats how we got the single packs. We went from 10, to 25, to nearly or above 40 by years end, with more coming next year. Production might have been started before all the kinks were worked out, it seems like an accelerated schedule too. I am not sure if this is accurate to what happened, but it does seem like everything is going at a very fast pace for this line. Also, the screw up at the chinese factory was mentioned yesterday, and the changes made by that factory were unauthorized by hasbro. That factory is to blame for Duke and Flint having a midarm swivel rather than a much cleaner looking wrist schedule. Could this stuff be true? Yes. Its happened to other companies. Even SOTA toys, with their street fighter figures, the 1st 3 waves of their figure's molds are out of their hands due to a chinese factory keeping them and not giving them back. This is the reason the more recent waves of street fighter were delayed, and why none of the new figures used the molds from the 1st 3 waves(yes even the new revolution ryu and ken, they actually use wave 4 akuma's bulkier mold). Hasbro has had some difficulty in the past tracking down molds and getting access to them as well at the factories. Had they switched factories upon knowledge of the changes, for all we know the anniversary figures might have hit retail after the anniversary was actually over. My feeling is that to get the figures out on time, hasbro was forced to rely on said factory.

I too, hope the fixes are done in time before the next figures hit retail. Each line has growing pains, and I understand both sides, mistakes are being made that normally wouldn't be made, at the same time we have a line that grew from a baby, to an adult so to speak, at an accelerated rate. Due to growing pains, the 07 line will have some hits and misses, but I think the line in 08 will be considerably stronger.

[DESTRO]

Wow the price of those Sold Out SDCC Destros is sure heating up on ebay. Glad I got mine early.

[miked]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shin Densetsu

Actually, there are clone trooper figures that have a very hard time sitting down. The ROTS clones have a hard time sitting, even the super articulated version. Trust me on this, the cobra officer with the wide crotch has a much easier time sitting and raising legs than the super articulated clone troopers. Also some clones have a hard time holding their guns. Add to the fact that it took 20 years to get a more accurately scaled X-wing, and the fact that the new Sith Infiltrator is largely out of scale(more so than other vehicles tend to be). It also took years, rumors everywhere, til the TIE fighter finally got the bigger, more accurately scaled wings.

From what I have observed, it seems like the figures were rushed to retail. This was a line only meant to consist of originally 10 figures. Dwight Stall sculpted 12, and with that, the team was given the go ahead to make more waves. Thats how we got the single packs. We went from 10, to 25, to nearly or above 40 by years end, with more coming next year. Production might have been started before all the kinks were worked out, it seems like an accelerated schedule too. I am not sure if this is accurate to what happened, but it does seem like everything is going at a very fast pace for this line. Also, the screw up at the chinese factory was mentioned yesterday, and the changes made by that factory were unauthorized by hasbro. That factory is to blame for Duke and Flint having a midarm swivel rather than a much cleaner looking wrist schedule. Could this stuff be true? Yes. Its happened to other companies. Even SOTA toys, with their street fighter figures, the 1st 3 waves of their figure's molds are out of their hands due to a chinese factory keeping them and not giving them back. This is the reason the more recent waves of street fighter were delayed, and why none of the new figures used the molds from the 1st 3 waves(yes even the new revolution ryu and ken, they actually use wave 4 akuma's bulkier mold). Hasbro has had some difficulty in the past tracking down molds and getting access to them as well at the factories. Had they switched factories upon knowledge of the changes, for all we know the anniversary figures might have hit retail after the anniversary was actually over. My feeling is that to get the figures out on time, hasbro was forced to rely on said factory.

I too, hope the fixes are done in time before the next figures hit retail. Each line has growing pains, and I understand both sides, mistakes are being made that normally wouldn't be made, at the same time we have a line that grew from a baby, to an adult so to speak, at an accelerated rate. Due to growing pains, the 07 line will have some hits and misses, but I think the line in 08 will be considerably stronger.

Wow. You should run for president. I'd vote for ya'. O.k., I definately went on a rant that could have been construed as over reacting (understatement?). The truth is I'm really happy about these figures especially since the first attempts at reviving ARAH were so disappointing. You've made me feel guilty for my overzealousness and for my lack of loyalty. I think I should go back and rescind my complaint post about the card art as well. :>

[Shin Densetsu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by miked

Wow. You should run for president. I'd vote for ya'. O.k., I definately went on a rant that could have been construed as over reacting (understatement?). The truth is I'm really happy about these figures especially since the first attempts at reviving ARAH were so disappointing. You've made me feel guilty for my overzealousness and for my lack of loyalty. I think I should go back and rescind my complaint post about the card art as well. :>

Hey man I didn't intend to make you feel guilty. I'm not questioning your loyalty at all, everyones entitled to their opinion. I mainly meant to point out how limited the super articulated clone troopers were, but then ended up bringing up even more stuff. Hehe. There has been valid criticism of this line. The figures are good attempts but we all know they are not perfected just yet. The limitations in mobility surprised me when I first found out about them, since added articulation is canceled out with hindered mobility. Luckily Warden is intent on fixing those next year. I also brought up the factories in China because it is possible that the factories shafted hasbro this time around.

Here is something interesting I found on JBL from draven477:

Quote:

By the way, I just wanted to give my two cents on the China issue. Chinese factories do this all of the time. My company is working in China now. You would not believe some of the issues we are having. They will send samples that meet our specs. We will give the go ahead for production. When the parts arrive, they have been changed. We have gotten reasons from, "The part was too hard to make the way it was designed," to, " We thought you would like it better this way," to, " What change? We did not make a change."

At that point, you have two choices. Accept the changes (find a way to make them work) like Hasbro seems to have done, or return the order and make them rework (which would delay the release date). Neither option is a tasty one.

As a matter of fact, I am headed to China in two weeks to meet with our suppliers to insure that the parts we have on order are made the right way.

I don't believe Warden is making a CYA statement at all.

By the way, if Hasbro were to move the operation back to the US, you could expect the figures to cost around $12 a figure.

I have heard similar things from Jason of Admiral Toys concerning his 1/18 and 1/72 military line.

Guys with 8" being cancelled, I see nothing but 3-3/4" and 12" in the near future for gijoe. I think primary focus is shifting back to 3-3/4". As we all know, retailers are gun shy and will go for the smaller, less expensive route all the time. I think next year will bring a huge push. Since Warden is now in charge, I think the first vehicles that we will see will actually be ARAH reissues, its been noted that he is a HUGE ARAH comic/cartoon fan. There are several ARAH molds readily available for hasbro to use, that Hasbro has used in recent years, and are classic vehicles. I think 2007-08 is pretty much ours, as in for collectors. I see a theme change in late 08-09 to shift focus back to the kids, however I still see us being in focus as well. I hope we here more from a panel(if there is one). I also think the customs that Hasbro showed at the convention are going to be used as templates for actual figures next year. I mean come on, does anyone really think one of the design team customized an Airtight just for kicks? Thats a lot of work.

I hope we here news from SDCC about possible vehicles, and comic packs. I mean its the PERFECT way to release Tomax and Xamot.

[THE ENEMY]

Hey guys, not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but JBL has updated with a colored sample of ZARTAN. The link on the front page should go to it.

[miked]

Quote:

Originally Posted by THE ENEMY

Hey guys, not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but JBL has updated with a colored sample of ZARTAN. The link on the front page should go to it.

Hmmmmm... I have to say I'm a little disappointed. The unpainted protoype is absoloutley gorgeous and I didn't think that I would mind the shirt so much, but now that I see him painted the shirt really bugs me. He's completely... brown. The rest of him is sweet, though. I'll just have to customize him!

[THE ENEMY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by miked

Hmmmmm... I have to say I'm a little disappointed. The unpainted protoype is absoloutley gorgeous and I didn't think that I would mind the shirt so much, but now that I see him painted the shirt really bugs me. He's completely... brown. The rest of him is sweet, though. I'll just have to customize him!

I'm pretty sure the shirt is actually black, or maybe dark gray. Definitely a different color than the pants. But if it is brown, then yeah, that sucks.