G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra pt. 5 — Single-Carded (C1 W2-3, C2 W3)

More carded figures from The Rise of Cobra line of G.I. Joe toys. It’s amazing that in a 2-month period, 37 figures spread over 2 collections and 3 waves have been released. I have 34 of them and only missing Wallace “Ripcord” Weems v2 [Reactive Impact Armor], Conrad “Duke” Hauser v3 [Delta-6 Accelerator Suit] and Storm Shadow v3 [Arctic Threat]. This gallery finishes off the remainder of Collection 1 Wave 2, Collection 2 Wave 3 and introduces 4 of the 7 figures available from Collection 1 Wave 3.

Collection 1 Wave 2
• Snake Eyes v2 [Paris Pursuit]
• Storm Shadow v2 [Paris Pursuit]

Collection 1 Wave 3
• Baroness v2 [Paris Pursuit]
• Para-Viper [Cobra Paratrooper]
• Rex “The Doctor” Lewis [Chief Experimental Doctor]
• Snake Eyes v3 [Arctic Assault]

Collection 2 Wave 3
• General Clayton “Hawk” Abernathy [Attack on the G.I. Joe Pit]
• G.I. Joe Pit Commando A [Covert Military Force]
•  G.I. Joe Pit Commando B [Covert Military Force]

Snake Eyes v2 — Carded Front

Snake Eyes v2 — Carded Close Up

Timber [grey] — Carded Close Up

Snake Eyes v2 — Carded Back

Storm Shadow v3 — Carded Front

Storm Shadow v3 — Carded Close Up

Storm Shadow v3 — Carded Back

Baroness v2 — Carded Front

Baroness v2 — Carded Close Up

Baroness v2 — Carded Back

Para-Viper — Carded Front

Para-Viper — Carded Close Up

Para-Viper — Carded Back

Rex “The Doctor” Lewis — Carded Front

Rex “The Doctor” Lewis — Carded Close Up

Rex “The Doctor” Lewis — Carded Back

Snake Eyes v3 — Carded Front

Snake Eyes v3 — Carded Close Up

Snake Eyes v3 — Carded Back

General Clayton “Hawk” Abernathy — Carded Front

General Clayton “Hawk” Abernathy — Carded Close Up

General Clayton “Hawk” Abernathy — Carded Back

G.I. Joe Pit Commando A — Carded Front

G.I. Joe Pit Commando B — Carded Front

G.I. Joe Pit Commando A — Carded Close Up

G.I. Joe Pit Commando B — Carded Close Up

G.I. Joe Pit Commando — Carded Back

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra pt.3 — Dragonhawk XH1 & Target Exclusives

Here are some carded and boxed shots of the latest vehicle packs to come out.

The Dragonhawk XH1 is a Bravo Class vehicle that includes Wild Bill.

The four carded vehicles are from the first wave of Target exclusive 2-packs. These include:

• Air-Viper Commando / Cobra C.L.A.W. — a repainted A.V.A.C. (Vehicles w2) and Cobra C.L.A.W (Vehicles w3).
• Cobra Eel / Wave Crusher — a repainted Cobra Eel (w11) and vehicle from the 2003 “Spy Troops” sub-line.
• James “Grand Slam” Barney / Air Assault Glider — a repainted Grand Slam (Target Exclusive Vehicles w1) and vehicle from the 2003 “Spy Troops” sub-line.
• Snake Eyes / Arashikage Cycle — a frankenjoe Snake Eyes (top half from DVD w4) and a repainted Ninja Lightning Cycle (from the 2004 “Valor vs. Venom” sub-line).

Dragonhawk XH1 — Boxed Front

Dragonhawk XH1 — Boxed Front (Wild Bill)

Dragonhawk XH1 — Boxed Back

Air-Viper Commando / Cobra C.L.A.W. — Carded Front

Air-Viper Commando / Cobra C.L.A.W. — Carded Close Up

Air-Viper Commando / Cobra C.L.A.W. — Carded Back

Cobra Eel / Wave Crusher — Carded Front

Cobra Eel / Wave Crusher — Carded Close Up

Cobra Eel / Wave Crusher — Carded Back

Grand Slam / Air Assault Glider — Carded Front

Grand Slam / Air Assault Glider — Carded Close Up

Grand Slam / Air Assault Glider — Carded Back

Snake Eyes / Arashikage Cycle — Carded Front

Snake Eyes / Arashikage Cycle — Carded Close Up

Snake Eyes / Arashikage Cycle — Carded Back

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra pt.2 — Single-Carded

Hoo boy. Here is a gallery of more carded RoC toys. These things are popping up like crazy and look great!

Collection 1 Wave 2
• Cobra Commander {no holes in armor}
• Conrad “Duke” Hauser v2 [Reactive Impact Armor]
• Ice-Viper
• Shana “Scarlett” O’Hara v2 [Desert Ambush]

Collection 2 Wave 2
• Heavy Duty v2 [Reactive Impact Armor]
• Elite-Viper [Elite Regiment Officer].

Collection 2 Wave 3
• Agent Helix
• Anthony “Flash” Gambello
• Cobra Eel
• Crimson Neo-Viper.

Toys ‘R Us Headquarters for Heros
• Barbecue.

Heavy Duty v2 — Carded Front

Heavy Duty v2 — Carded Close Up

Heavy Duty v2 — Carded Back

Barbecue — Carded Front

Barbecue — Carded Close Up

Barbecue — Carded Back

Cobra Commander — Carded Front

Cobra Commander — Carded Close Up

Cobra Commander — Carded Back

Conrad “Duke” Hauser v2 — Carded Front

Conrad “Duke” Hauser v2 — Carded Close Up

Conrad “Duke” Hauser v2 — Carded Back

Ice-Viper — Carded Front

Ice-Viper — Carded Close Up

Ice-Viper — Carded Back

Shana “Scarlett” O’Hara v2 — Carded Front

Shana “Scarlett” O’Hara v2 — Carded Close Up

Shana “Scarlett” O’Hara v2 — Carded Back

Elite-Viper — Carded Front

Elite-Viper — Carded Close Up

Elite-Viper — Carded Back

Agent Helix — Carded Front

Agent Helix — Carded Close Up

Agent Helix — Carded Back

Anthony “Flash” Gambello — Carded Front

Anthony “Flash” Gambello — Carded Close Up

Anthony “Flash” Gambello — Carded Back

Cobra Eel — Carded Front

Cobra Eel — Carded Close Up

Cobra Eel — Carded Back

Crimson Neo-Viper — Carded Front

Crimson Neo-Viper — Carded Close Up

Crimson Neo-Viper — Carded Back

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Toys

With the upcoming release of the G.I. Joe movie (which, to me, does not look all that great), we get the release of the toyline in advance to drum up interest and support. Initially, upon seeing the figures being discussed on the internet, I was reluctant to buy into the toys because I am a fervent supporter of the 25th Anniversary/Modern Era line and would rather see more updates of classic figures. The movie line of toys effectively killed or put that notion on hold (with the exception of the incredible online exclusive Cobra Island 7-packs coming soon).

And so I was not looking forward to the movie toys and was actually glad that perhaps I could save money this Summer. Boy, was I wrong!

I think my desire for anything new from G.I. Joe was channeled into getting the toys; that and the constant updates and sightings on forums such as Hisstank and The Terrordrome fuelled my excitement.

Overall, I think the figures are successful. The Joes suffer from some bland looks and the Cobra forces look great. They come with many accessories, the most notable (and most unfortunate) are the spring-loaded weapons that are HUGE and ungainly. They DO NOT belong in any toyline! They do provide playability and when I was a kid, I loved spring-loaded weapons. So kids may love ‘em. I do not.

The following gallery is not a complete collection, but they are the ones I bought that I thought looked pretty cool. Enjoy!

G.I. Joe: RoC — Baroness [Attack on the G.I. Joe Pit]

G.I. Joe: RoC — Baroness [Attack on the G.I. Joe Pit] (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Cobra Viper Commando

G.I. Joe: RoC — Cobra Viper Commando (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Courtney “Covergirl” Krieger

G.I. Joe: RoC — Courtney “Covergirl” Krieger (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Destro

G.I. Joe: RoC — Destro (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Duke [Desert Ambush]

G.I. Joe: RoC — Duke [Desert Ambush] (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Heavy Duty

G.I. Joe: RoC — Heavy Duty (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Neo-Viper [Attack on the G.I. Joe Pit]

G.I. Joe: RoC — Neo-Viper [Attack on the G.I. Joe Pit] (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Sgt. Stone

G.I. Joe: RoC — Sgt. Stone (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Shana “Scarlett” O’Hara [Covert Ops]

G.I. Joe: RoC — Shana “Scarlett” O’Hara [Covert Ops] (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Shipwreck

G.I. Joe: RoC — Shipwreck (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Snake Eyes [Ninja Commando]

G.I. Joe: RoC — Snake Eyes [Ninja Commando] (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Storm Shadow [Ninja Mercenary]

G.I. Joe: RoC — Storm Shadow [Ninja Mercenary] (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Night Raven (front)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Air-Viper (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Night Raven (character art)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Night Raven (back)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Snake Trax ATV (front)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Scrap-Iron (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Snake Trax ATV (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Snake Trax ATV (back)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Steel Crusher APV (front)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Nitro-Viper (CU)

G.I. Joe: RoC — Steel Crusher APV (back)

G.I. Joe Wave 13 (MOC)

Once again, hot on the heels of the release of Wave 12 at the end of November comes the release of Wave 13 at the beginning of this month. This wave is actually meant to be Wave 1 for 2009 and introduces the new subline, Resolute which is based on the upcoming animated TV series.

In a word, the Resolute figures are incredible. Consisting of mainly all-new molds, they are a fresh update on classic characters. Plus, you get Blowtorch, an amazing figure in its own right. The duds in this wave, Firefly v2 and Dreadnok Torch, are repaints that do little to excite the imagination unless you are a completist. For now, I present the carded figures for you to enjoy while I prepare a review.

Blowtorch (front)

Blowtorch (front CU)

Blowtorch (back)

Duke: Resolute (front)

Duke: Resolute (front CU)

Duke: Resolute (back)

Cobra Commander: Resolute (front)

Cobra Trooper: Resolute (front CU)

Cobra Trooper: Resolute (back)

Cobra Trooper: Resolute (front)

Cobra Trooper: Resolute (front CU)

Cobra Trooper: Resolute (back)

Dreadnok Torch (front)

Dreadnok Torch (front CU)

Dreadnok Torch (back)

Firefly v2 (front)

Firefly v2 (front CU)

Firefly v2 (back)

G.I. Joe — Wave 12: Dreadnok Ripper — Dreadnok

 DREADNOK RIPPER — Dreadnok

• Body/Accessories — Dreadnok Ripper (cp w2)

Nothing new here since it is just a repaint of the comic-pack figure in uhm, more comic-y colors. It’s cool to get him on a card, but still all in all rather dull.

Figure: **
Excitement Factor: No stars 

Holiday With All The Trimmings

Hot DAMN! So stoked right now.

Big Bad Toy Store has just processed my pre-order for Wave 13 of G.I. Joe carded figures in which a new line, Resolute, makes its debut; Also Vehicle Wave 4 (which premieres the Sting Raider (aka Water Moccasin) and the Ghost Hawk (aka Sky Hawk)) is being processed. That means in about a week and a half or so, more lovely packaged pics for all to enjoy.

So I am extremely stoked! And poor. So very, very poor.

In any case, Happy Thanksgiving!

G.I. JOE — Cobra Commander w/MASS Element Carded Variant

I only just noticed this because it is only a packaging variation of a figure that isn’t terribly exciting to begin with. However, for completion’s sake, I offer the following pics:

Wave 8 release

1) COBRA COMMANDER w/MASS Element — Wave 8

This is the carded figure that was released initially with Wave 8. This wave was the first one to officially mark the end of the 25th Anniversary logo in the upper right corner. In its place one would find one of three different logos that would place the character’s source: 1) A faction logo such as Python Patrol or Tiger Force, 2) A “From the G.I. Joe Comic Series” logo, or 3) A “From the G.I. Joe Cartoon Series” logo. Here you will see a logo for the TV series. Also, the foil treatment of the G.I. Joe logo and card border was ended and a plain white color was substituted.

Wave 12 release

2) COBRA COMMANDER w/MASS Element — Wave 12

Much to my chagrin, this figure was re-released for the Wave 12 case assortment; while its inclusion makes sense as you get three characters with all the MASS element cannisters needed for the MASS Device, I had wished that another character had been mixed into the assortment. Anyway, completists and collector’s may find the package variation enough of a reason to seek this figure.

l. Wave 12 release, r. Wave 8 release

• Emblem changed from Cartoon Series call-out to Comic Series call-out
• “A Real American Hero” tagline removed
• Artwork angle rotated clockwise slightly and enlarged
• In the character art, Cobra sigil enlarged and placed on center of chest
• Background explosion not as high contrasting, more diffuse
• “Cobra Enemy!” shield moved over the stripes in the G.I. Joe logo
• Type size of “Cobra Leader” reduced
• Background behind the packaged figure changed from white to yellow

 

l. Wave 12 release, r. Wave 8 release

• “Cobra Enemy!” shield removed from upper-left corner
• File card artwork and copy reverted to that found on the Cobra Commander 5-pack version; black color-field instead of yellow

G.I. Joe — Mail-Away Figure: Doc

This figure was available only by sending 6 proof of purchase stickers found with the comic 2-packs, as well as a shipping/handling fee. For some reason, even though I sent away for only one, I received two!

Doc (front)

Doc (close-up)

Doc (back)

Foil Treatment — “embossed” version

Foil Treatment — “matte” version

**REVIEW**
Doc comes in a plain white box with the G.I. Joe logo on one side and, in small print, G.I. Joe Doc on the opposite side. Opening the box reveals the carded figure nested within a plastic keep-case that prevents some crushing and all minor dings.

He comes on a 25th Anniversary foil card with the Wave 4 figures on the back. Definitely part of the appeal of these figures is the eye-catching character art.

Doc is a great example of re-using parts to create a wholly new figure. It’s basically a repainted Duke body with a new head and new accessories. The familiar stretcher and flare gun accompany Doc, but he also now comes with a silver pistol that fits into a thigh-holster,as well as a packed-in stand that comes with all the figures in the G.I. Joe line. Finally, he has a removable shoulder bag.

A great looking figure and well worth the effort to secure in your collection.

**UPDATE**
Knowing that I had two Docs, I was all set to open one to provide loose pics. However, I discovered that Doc comes on a variant cardback, similar to several of the Wave 7 single-carded figures. The foil treatment on one card is the regular “matte” version — a flat foil treatment; on the second card, the foil is embossed and shinier. It‘s a subtle difference that is difficult to capture on digital camera, but I believe that I was able to get it.

Foil Treatment — “matte” version

Foil Treatment — “embossed” version

G.I. Joe — The Rest of Wave 9

I realize that I may have been stingy when I just put up the images of Major Bludd a couple of posts back. So, in fairness of equal time, here are the rest of Wave 9 — definitely some of the cooler sculpts and characters to come out of the revamped G.I. Joe toy line.

Barbecue — Firefighter

Barbecue (close-up)

General Hawk — G.I. Joe General

General Hawk (close-up)

Sgt. Bazooka — Missile Specialist

Sgt. Bazooka (close-up)

B.A.T. — Cobra Android Trooper

B.A.T.(close-up)

Snow Serpent — Polar Assault

Snow Serpent (close-up)

Storm Shadow — Ninja-Ku Leader

Storm Shadow (close-up)