Having just returned just yesterday from the beast that is San Diego Comic Con, I have finally had some time to settle down, gather my thoughts and give you guys on HISSTANK the update you have been looking for. With JoeCon happening so close to SDCC 2012 there were no new GIJOE products shown in the Hasbro GIJOE display cases that had not been seen. For us, the hardcore GIJOE fans who are on the web and focus on the news, this was a slow weekend, but for the average SDCC 2012 attendee, all that product was new and exciting.
GIJOE Retaliation Status – Yup, still delayed until next year, but it looks like this unfortunate incident may work in our favor in the long run. The first waves will have already sold through by movie time and it will also give extra promotion time for the general public and kids to adjust to the new offerings. The later waves of movie product are produced to turn at retail so the pegs do not get jammed up. Later GIJOE Retaliation waves that hold figures like Blind Master, Alley Viper and Firefly with HISS Tank Drone should make it to retail faster then ROC waves ever did, making us hardcore fans happy.
Much more news and information about SDCC 2012 after the jump by clicking the title bar. GIJOE Retaliation Movie Promotion At SDCC 2012 – Or should I say lack of. Hasbro’s job is to make awesome toys and promote those toys when at an event like SDCC 2012 and I feel they did a great job. I saw tons of people hanging out at the massive Hasbro booth geeking out over GIJOE Retaliation toys, along with a ton of hype for the SDCC 2012 Exclusives. So where was Paramount to support GIJOE Retaliation? Sure, there was the Firefly Bike and the Cobra Commader Helmet on display along with a banner at the Hasbro booth, but when you look at what Marvel did for Iron-Man 3 and what Warner Brothers did for Bat-Man, it’s not even in the same ballpark. They missed a major opportunity that SDCC can provide – access to the masses. GIJOE has the ability to be epic, but it needed the same kind of love the other films received. Where was The Rock?
Hasbro Toy Shop at SDCC 2012 – What a difference a year makes. There were still long lines at the booth this year, just like every other vendor at the show, but this time it was more organized and even had a good flow. The wait times were cut down drasticly from last year and people were in a way better mood because of it. No matter what your opinions are on exclusives and getting them, Hasbro did a great job this year at the show.
Peter Cullen vs Larry King – One of the highlights of the show for me was the panel that gave us Larry King (the ultimate interviewer) interviewing Peter Cullen (the guy with all the stories). I’ve seen versions of this at BotCon and CyberCon but never with Larry King. At times it was very funny and, as always, Cullen spoke of his creation of Optimus Prime by looking to his older brother, a US Marine, for guidance and inspiration. That story never gets old for me, no matter how many times I hear him tell it. I also enjoyed how he compared all of the versions of Optimus Prime to each other. It was very well put and awesome to hear, but I won’t spoil that part for you guys – go find the online videos and see for yourself. P.S. I felt bad for the massive amount of people who were left out in the hallway. The event could have been held in the Main Panel Hall and it definitely would have filled it.
Special Thanks to HIGH Moon and Activision – This is not GIJOE related in any way, but I feel the need to give the guys over at HIGH Moon Studios a big shout out. They developed the Tranformers Fall of Cybertron game for Hasbro. While in San Diego, I was invited to a special behind-the-scenes look at their facility where the game is produced. It was awesome to get a peek behind the curtain and see how this game was put together. Let’s hope they get a chance to do a GIJOE game for us in the future, I would have complete faith the game would kick major ass. After all, Activision is involved with that little game called COD…. just something to think about!
Last, but not least – GIJOE Exclusives 2012? That’s right, word is there is a chance that we may see some exclusive sets released before GIJOE Retaliation to bridge the gap of new product for us fans. None of this is set in stone, and will come down to retail demand. With that said, we need to make some noise on the Tank! Did you like the figures you saw via the GIJOE Concept Vault? I think Hasbro was taken off guard by the overwhelming positive feedback from what was shown in those cases. To help further along what may turn out to be new GIJOE 7-Packs (Speculation) HISSTANK.com will be holding a new GIJOE Concept Vault Madness! Much like our annual GIJOE March Madness, fans will be able to vote via face-off polls to determain the most popular picks from what was shown in the GIJOE Concept Vault. Just to be perfectly clear, this event is for fun. It is not an official Hasbro Poll and we may not see new product before next year, however it’s awesome that we can show Hasbro what we like from those cases and show them what we want to see in an exclusive 7-pack. MAKE NOISE!!!!
The voting will start tomorrow 7/19/12 sometime in the evening hours. So check back then and get in on the voting action!
DESTRO says
GIJOE State Of The Union SDCC 2012
Check out my write up of Highlights and Events at SDCC 2012
GIJOE State Of The Union SDCC 2012 - GI Joe News
JoeMama says
well written, buddy.
Saboteur says
Was there something said at Joecon to the effect that Wave 1 Retaliation product would be re-released next year?
Tauron says
I'd definitely buy 1 of just about everything I saw in the pics of the Concept vault and at least 5 of each Cobra troop. Loved Grunt (if it was Grunt-be great for further 30th style original 13 customs) Flint, Lady Jaye, and Hit and Run. The Tele-viper looked great and is a notable improvement from the 25th version, which I bought 5 of. Only pass for me would be the Steel Brigade in traditional color scheme. This figure looked great but was so close to the one we already got that I don't see a reason to go forward with it.
Hasbro-please take my money. I'm holding it in my hand as we speak. Make those Joes and make lots of them.
P.S. make than Kwinn!!!!!
Noga87 says
Yes...I have money...gimme gimme gimme
KingStalin says
I would buy 2 of everything shown from the vault.
2 7 packs with figures from there would be instant hits.
cobratrooperlui says
I'll be voting tomorrow.
DESTRO says
If you care about Fall of Cybertron here is our review.
TFW2005 Fall of Cybertron Hands On and Impressions - Transformers News - TFW2005
Steevy Maximus says
I wouldn't be surprised if the wave 1 rerelease amounted to a few revision cases primarily filled with later figures.
kingphilbert says
I would gladly make some noise to get Concept Case figures released. Another Joe site even has a very indpeth survey ranking figures shown and what you liked, didn't like, and would like to see. I think it's worth spreading the love and participating wherever possible to let Hasbro know what you want.
Keep reading: GIJOE State Of The Union SDCC 2012 - Page 2
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