I'm still not convinced, this sounds more like someone trying to drag something down because they were failing and creating more of a ruckus then, then by actually writing a good story.
You have to realize that in all the other examples that you showed, it was series with a limited amount of characters - not like gijoe which has a character for every taste, flavor and season. It really doesn't have that impact to the general public as say killing off Superman. And as the money grabbing, bucks oriented company we all know Hasbro to be, I just can't see this as a good solution to make more bucks. I mean wasn't that the whole reasoning of bringing back Serpentor?

As I said: I'll be more convinced when I see an interview in a magazine or somesuch, for now I'll agree to disagree ;)

back on topic.
Me being a 25th fan I'd love to see a 25th con set (Complete Dreadnok set or something - or Zarana, Zartan, Zandar and maybe Zanya?)- but highly doubt that will happen.

They weren't trying to get the comic buying public to buy it, they were trying too get Joe fans to buy it. The DD comics sold terribly for a long time.



Hasbro didn't care if the comic made money, they got their money through licensing fees. Devils Due was the one who worried about sales.

Like I said, you had to be on the JBL years ago when Jerwa and Blaylock released all this information in their chats. :D

Therein lies the problems with the franchise. In order to have GOOD new characters, you need to develop them. As a cash cow, Hasbro doesn't want to give up Old characters. (that's why we have more versions of breaker, Flash, Lady Jaye, etc coming out). They have a core of Old figures they stick to as "tried and true" that's why every wave has at least ONE version of Duke, Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, Cobra Commander, etc. As the Toy Company owns the rights and dictates what can and can't be written, I think Joe has gone as far as it can go in the Comics Arena.

I still say the best way to get rid of old characters and keep new ones rolling in is to set the code names up as billets and as Joes die, retire, etc., they get a new guy to take the code name and fill the billet. For Example, Stalker dies and they get a new Stalker (but it's NOT Lonzo R Wilkinson). But that's me. A Real Military unit expects casualties in high risk operations and the team is trained to multi task and when you lose a team member, he is replaced.

As for the Con set, I think the GIJCC has found a selling formula that works.....3 figures, 12 Army builders (all Cobra) and a bonus set of 3 joes. The sets that sold the worst were ones who had the most "named" figures (2004 Dreadnok set and the 2007 Tanks set!) the ones that sell best are basically Cobra Army Builders. (2002 Crimson set, 2003 Anaconda set, 2005 IG set, 2006 Mercs set and the 2008 Headhunters set).

If they do Red Shadows, they should do the 3 bosses, Van, Lila and the other guy (I forget their names) and make 12 Red Shadows Troopers. Then make a bonus set of Flint in Dark Attire, Lady Jaye and Duke. That would sell!

I really have NO IDEA where they can go from here with the Con set. I'd like to see ParaVipers and Air Troopers in ARAH Molds...

I don't think the Mercs set sold very well because they were selling loose figures from it at the last convention at low prices IIRC. Hell you can still get that one and Iron Grenadiers sets bagged, you can't with the 2007 set. In fact I think the only con set that sold out in the first year was the Crimson set. I'd love too know where you got your sales figures, because what your saying doesn't match with the Club's store.

Also if they do Red Shadows and use the DD characters I don't think it'll go over very well because I think more people care about the Action Force Red Shadows than some black chick and Bam Bam Bigelow

Bambam
 

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE BAMSTER :confused: I USED TO LOVE THAT GUY. :D

The Mercs set Cobra figures aren't all that popular on the aftermarket, except Mortal and that's because of hype...from what I understand the figure itself is so fragile as to be useless for anything beyond display (making it an exercise in pointlessness IMHO).

From a "universe" standpoint, the Mercs set smacked of wasted potential. Cobra recruits the world's baddest mercenaries...which amounts to Bludd and some Cobra-trooper looking goons who all have the same hair color, Overlord (a merc?) and green TARGATS sans helmets, and a recolored Snake-Eyes. Imagine if it had been 15 different characters, many of them new.

Dreadnok set had bright colors for the Joes and Noks that made for ugly figures. It was mostly a waste of the molds it used, sadly some of which will probably never see a retail release again.

I think a mix of new and underappreciated characters/troopers is appealling. The 2007 set had a mix of both.

You can repaint Destro, Cobra Commander, Bludd and put 12 Crimson Guard in blue and someone will like it, but for the $$$ they're asking? Not appealling. The Crimson Viper set was the first of its kind, to just do that again would meet with a collective "meh."

Look at last year's offerings. What does it add to the mythos? A Headhunter....DRIVER! They have no vehicles (due to bad planning). The mixed-up BATS are big whoop. The Joes looked fairly decent, especially Long Arm. But for a real addition to the GI JOE universe one had to get the BAT MECH with Hotwire.

Perhaps I shall ask this.

What are the purposes of the con sets?

Is it for the fans to relive the ARAH days?

Is it profitable for the club (or do they break even)?



Sonneilon sez, if the consets don't need to be ARAH-oriented, then why not just use 25A molds? Make new characters off that. Certainly, it'd be cheaper to use recent existing molds than the old ones?

This should be like "simon says", so that it would be done :D

With all the repaints of the 25th it still has a vast selection of parts to chose from now, to make said characters.
I would love to see some 25ths for the con set - but this will definitely be a hate/love thing with the people on this board (and collectors everywhere).
I'm expecting the "I won't buy them" spamming if it turns out to be 25th that is released.

Time & time again it has been said that the 25th style sculpts will not be used by the Club & by Hasbro.
The Club will only use the older molds. I feel like a broken record reminding people about this. :p

I hope you're right, us old o-ring fans need some new stuff every now and then! ;)

Goldbug, things can always change.

The Collector Club has to pay Hasbro to get them to make a limited run of figures. I can only assume that they figure out costs based on how many figures are made. I'm just saying, using the 25th molds have to be easier by now with all the interchangable parts (well, Hasbro can change them up easier than the buyer) and it'd have to be cheaper. Or at least, I'd think it'd be cheaper.

As for a decrease in buyership, that's another matter. It kinda comes down to the WHYS of doing Con Sets which nobody has answered. When I first heard about the Crimson Viper set way back when, I thought the main purpose for them were incentives to go. I'm guessing that's not the case anymore. And I suppose a 25A body style wouldn't scream COLLECTOR IF the Con Sets are seen as Collector Items.

For someone like myself, the con sets are a chance to pick up some new and (mostly) cool figures. But then again, I've never been a Joe collector per se, but more a Joe fan. I never leave anything in the package, I buy toys to use. And I'll happily modify the rarest figure if I think it needs it, because the resale value means nothing to me because I'll never sell my Joes. I don't automatically buy the con sets just because of what they are - if they don't appeal to me, then I don't bother with 'em. All I know for sure is that if they ever went to 25th style, it wouldn't matter how cool the concept was, I'd pass on them.

True but for now Hasbro is keeping the 25th molds to themselves.
As far as I know the Club has to ask Hasbro for permission to use any molds. Hasbro has told them they can have access to all the old o-ring ones.
Also the Transformer Con exclusives are usually older molds too. Ones that Hasbro isn't currently using etc.

Well there we go. I thought I had read something like this as well, but I wasn't 100% sure. :)

Good point about sales. My question is, if you can't purchase a bagged set until you order a boxed set, one would assume roughly a 1 to 1 ratio. I wanna know how they sell out bagged sets BEFORE the boxed sets? Do they allow you to buy multiple bagged sets AFTER you get a boxed set?

The reason I think they haven't sold out the 2007 set is because no one wants to pay for 15 figures when they only want 7. Honestly, how many sets do you think they would have sold if they made 12 Night Stalkers, Lt Clay Moore Rip it and the Night Stalker Commander instead of rehasing a bunch of the original 12 and adding sparks and Female Doc? I know that the 2005 and 2006 sets didn't sell that well, but I bought 2 of those, but not 2 of the 2007 set for that reason. Everyone talks about how they want some nightstalkers, but don't wanna dish out $268 for them. Ok, maybe this paragraph is more about me than the public at large. But notice how fast Army builders tend to sell? Well, if the Idea is good! (Can you say Cobra Bazooka Trooper = Peg Warmer? )


I know, most people won't pay that for the con sets, anyway. The Price does make it out of reach for a lot of people. The good thing is like Outrider says, it gives "The Fellowship of the O Ring" something new and cool to buy. I've started to buy troop builders in 25th mold, but I'm not gonna buy joes. If they switch back to ARAH (which they're not!, I know!) I'll start buying again...but they will flood every set with te same figures like they do with the 25th....I think I'm just gonna selectively collect. Buy what I want and screw the rest. I quit being a Completionist in 1991.

The DD Red Shadows were different than the Action Force Red Shadows? I mean I know they were different, but are they THAT different? School me.....

Frank, I was getting the idea from earlier posts that the UK Red Shadows coming from Action Man are quite different than the US version, whatever that means. But being US-Centric, what Joes are called in other countries aren't really GI Joe to me.

Same here Frank. Once Hasbro discovered neon colours I became very selective. :rolleyes:

The thing about wanting the con set to be 25th style.

So you want to pay $300 for 15 repaints? Aren't fans complaining about those now at regular retail prices?

I mean, I'm out of touch and well, cheap. But I don't want to pay a lot for figures, especially repaints.

I never wanted to collect collectibles. Collectibles are useless objects pushed as having value based on hype. I just want cool action figures.

Some of the figures we are getting (repaints) are cool figures ;)
I would pay if it was well done.

I agree, prices go up no matter what. Even if the 25th figures were the original molds, do you really believe they still be 2.99 or 3.99 like they were in the 80's?

Thats foolish thinking, nothing is the same price it was back then, not even fast-food. I would gladly purchase the Con-set if it were 25th style, no matter the price. However if they make the con-set from the O-ring molds, which they are most likely to do, I will not be purchasing them... I can not fathom the idea of spending more than $2 on ANY o-ring figure, no matter how cool he is. All the o-ring guys I buy are from my local 2nd hand GI Joe store and the most I pay for a figure is 3.00 and it has to be a damn good figure.

Ok. You GOT me on that one, absolutely. Good call.