I wouldn't worry about them being fragile. Hasbro took over the Marvel Legends line and with their first wave improved on the articulation and durability of the joints big time. Looks like they are implementing some of that articulation design into these figures so you can rest assured they will hold up.

Lets face it. Going off this one pic this line of figs is going to be superb. The production photo is usually better then the actual fig but with Hasbro its usually not that big of a diff.

Compatible?
 

To me what makes a great figure is:
1. A properly proportioned realistic sculpt
2. Realistic color apps (no purples and oranges)
3. Appropriate accessories

Storm Shadow looks great on all those criteria. But I buy figures to use them is dios and photos. I have a hard time justifying buying something I can't or won't use in photos. I'm really doubting that these figures can be used along side the stuff I've already got.

I really wish they hadn't decided to drop the o-ring, and the ball heads look stupid in photos. Just look at the head of the Barrage figure in all the Barrage photos on this site and tell it doesn't look stupid.

If Hasbro was intending to market these primarily to collectors they would have stuck with the o-ring. The shift means they are trying to market to kids and collectors, which is always dicey. The investment in new construction also signals that Hasbro doesn't want the line to die here.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

There is this to consider.

IF these don't go to the mass retail stores, expect the MSRPs to be higher. IF these can get into Walmart, Target and TRU (and other B&Ms), there's a better chance of them going with that $25 route. Which would be nice. There's a lot of speculation on the packaging and price point.

As well, I LOVED the huge muscled Joes of JvC. Imo, that's what Joe needed to step up in today's toy world. I hope when they release the Roadblock pics, he's a big buff daddy.

I try to approach things like I would as a kid, what plays well with something else. When I take photos, I sometimes mix RAH and New sculpts, and sometimes don't. Asthetics I understand. But these are toys, and I haven't played with purely Joes by themselves...since...forever. (not that I play with them now, but on my dresser, the latest Star Wars and Joes tend to hang out together...). I wasn't one of those nitpicky kids, other than peferring 3 3/4". When I think about seperating styles of Joes in the past, my next thought was "why don't I just sell off the new sculpts". And I did sell a couple and now regret it, since I was acting like a RAH purist collector and letting that override the fun aspects of the hobby.

HAHAHHAHHAAAAA... See, I sold all my ARAH stuff off on ebay. I didn't want to touch the stuff cuz I'd worry the o-ring would detoriate more. I had guys lying in my APC and the o-rings busted w/o me touching them. I figured, there are collectors out there who want them far more than me. I got the new stuff. It was like a new chance to get into a current day Joe and not be stuck w/ the past. I guess I'm more open to alternative Joe verses than I ever was with TF. I mean, the thought of HotRod and crew were ok, but after the movie, i was totally lost. And any incarnation of TF after that, bleh.

I'm a nu skulpt guy now but when we get the full listing of the 25th, I'm worried about how these will look together. Hmmmmm...

Hmmmmmm...I'm still not convinced. I'd rather see a picture of a proper character rather than base my judgement on a darn ninja figure. I'll wait and see. :confused:

Comparisons.


-image from yojoe.com-


-image from hasbro.com-

25th Duke!!!
 

Duke's the next up for show. Originally shown by Fred over on the JBL this morning, it was later pulled. Now, TNI has it up and well, it ain't going anywhere!

Discuss, yo!

-yup, run on over to TNI...-
I am Duke!

Looks kinda stringy. Dunno about him. I was hoping to be blown away by Duke.

Still wondering how these figure will sit, splayed out? Might be hard to use them with vehicles. I mean Sgt. Savage had socket style and those could not sit for sit!

Whooohooo! Another Version of Duke, to put with my 40 or so other "Army Buliders" of America's Blond haired, blue eyed Aryan posterboy of rightousness!


I should have figured Hasbro had to have Duke out front! BLAH!!! He's like Jeff Gordon, Oscar De Lahoya, and Dannick Patrick, Poster kids!!

Hasbro's gotta do the CORE. Hasbro's gotta do the most popular. Maybe they do a poll around the US : Who are the most recognizable GI Joe characters? Duke, Snake Eyes, Cobra Commander. The triad of GI Joe.

I can deal with this Duke. We gotta assume by now that H is taking the original designs and giving them an updated sculpted style. So while we'd love definitive versions, that would be another line or theme. Maybe when H did Duke for JvC (uh, the more-articulated version), there were hoping fans would embrace that version as the definitive. And I bet they were hoping they could push that JvC SE (the articulated version) as the definitive too. Hard to say since comic and toy are pretty separate now.

So for a figure based on the original, he looks pretty good. Can't expect much more from the old ARAH Duke, right? It this reasoning that I worry about Roadblock. Will he be as boring as his v1?

I will be out of character being a dukie hater here: this is the first Duke I have ever desired to have and own (never ever owned a Duke or planned to...even S6).

25th Duke
 

I thought it looked cool. The detailing is superb. For a 38 year old collector like myself, it beats all the other versions. Uh,who was the guy flipping me off with the Cobra sigils? Cobra Commander maybe?

Yeah, I have to admit, it's probably one of the best versions.



BUT.... Why is Duke the most popular and most recognizable? Because everytime HAsbro makes a picture with a bunch of joes, who's out front? He's popular bacause they made him that way! :P LOL!

Same here. Most of my Joe friends know that I really HATE Duke. But this one I want to put hands on.

lol. That was Fred who was asking (me) not to hotlink to his stuff. ;)

I kinda like it, though I must agree he does look a little scrawny. I like the Storm Shadow that was posted there too.

First off, That Duke is cool and I'm gettin him!

Second, Hasbro gave that fig Star Wars points of articulation! An even more poseable joe!

He does look a little gangly... he's pretty slim, and the rolled up sleeves help make him look tall too. And in a turn of irony, 25 years later, the head could maybe be very, very slightly bigger...? I like the additional articulation, so long as the ankles don't swivel (Depth Charge) -- you can't quite tell from Duke but it looks a possibility, rather than the JvC Snake Eyes (which I would MUCH prefer for these figures)! I'm a little worried about the waist, though, as from this pic it looks like they'll be swivel-only if they're articulated at all...

Hasbro did say they're doing the "definitive" versions of the characters or something like that, so unfortunately it doesn't look like we're going to get anything cool that might have been added post-'86. Shame, as I'd love to see a DDP-style Scarlett in this line... I bet they do Snake Eyes v2, though, instead of having everyone in a v1 outfit. Unless there's 2 Snake Eyes in the 25...! I really, really hope they make it to mass-retail. Imagine them on the end display of an aisle at Target -- they'll probably catch more casual shoppers' eyes, there'll be people who see the 25th thing and think "25 years? Really?" then look closer and say "Hey, I remember these guys! They look great, a lot more detailed than the ones I had as a kid!" and probably end up leading to a LOT more sales than if collectors out looking for them are the only people who really get to see them... Hell, the DTC packaging probably would have helped a little in that respect, but they didn't have the iconic character designs...

Not as thrilling as stormy, but better than the version I use (tiger force v1). I will buy this.

Yes! That is, as the old saying goes, what I'm talkin' 'bout! Sure, he's a little skinny, and I wish they'd re-tooled the comic pack head (which looks exactly like the cartoon) and put it on this body, but just the same-- This is likely to be the greatest representation of my favorite Joe ever produced.

I'm even more on board with this concept than I was yesterday when I saw Storm Shadow.

Will these be compatible with 3 3/4th figures in dios? I'd like to know.
And will they make Flash and Grand Slam too? :confused:

Jeff Gordon!...I can handle critcism of mere mortals, But not Super G. Next thing you'll be dissing Jimmie Johnson! :eek:
And as for Duke.....well, I'm still not convinced. The detail in the sculpting looks awesome, but he does look a little gangly. And the articulation is worrying too. Certainly an improvement over that ninja though! :D

No the articulation is really good! Its all SW joints! He's just like my Obi-wan fig who is the most articulated jedi! At the rebelscum photo archieves on the figs they show the poins of articulation. Just like on duke.

25th Anniv Scarlett!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

http://www.hasbro.com/common/images...arlettLarge.jpg

The more of these new figs I see, the less I'm liking them. :(

Dave

The construction looks like sigma six characters. No way they are compatible with what I've already got. I don't know why people are saying they are so detailed. They say the same thing about new sculpt stuff. The ARAH stuff form about 1986 forward is way more detailed than these figures or the new sculpt stuff except for maybe the heads.

Because the nu skulpt stuff usually had sharper edges to the sculpts as opposed to soft edges. And to protect the old stuff, of course the 86+ figures have more 'stuff' on them. These were the original designs from the early/mid 80s and mass gear on them wasn't an issue. Look at 1982. How can you even pick on them when it's meant to be simplistic?


-image from Hasbro.com-


-image from yojoe.com-

THis Scar works for me. I don't have a Scarlet figure i'm happy with now. Same with Duke.

The construction would be more accurate to say Microman articulation even tho MM still has more. I'll be getting these regardless.

I agree that the 1982 Scarlett is neither realistic looking or very detailed. And yes all the ARAH figures before 1985 or so weren't very detailed. It really is next to impossible to use those figures from the first few years in dios with older figures. But this new Scarlett isn't very detailed or realistic either. The comic pack Cover Girl is a much cooler figure. It is the perfect example of a new sculpt based on the original figure done right.

But you're missing the point. Cover Girl was based on the comic renditon from DD because those are comic pack characters. Plus, DD updated her look. 25th Scarlet is based on a 1982 design so it's not like anything would be added or taken away. It'd be more accurate to say that this is how the current sculptors would do the 82-85 designs.

At least they gave her long hair.

And try comparing DTC SawViper and Rollbar to ARAH Falcon or SKy Patrol Airborne and tell me the sculpting isn't tighter on the newer stuff in some cases.

I can like this Scarlett. But she is not what I was expecting. Talkin' with Nem on MSN I told him that this wasn't the sculpt I was expecting, but have to admit that the colors are very good. I just worried about the joints, look at the waist join with the legs. It is ball jointed, my issue here is that it can became loose, what would trough away posing possibilities, since I'm a toy photo taker.

25th Scarlett
 

Interesting, I don't see much of a difference between this one and the comic book version. I would like to have seen her in her 1982-83 dark colors instead of the purplish gray. I'm thinking it over bout getting this one.

It's all about the go-go boots, man. :D

It's interesting that this figure definitely seems to owe more to how she was portrayed in the comics than the original figure (lighter blue, long hair). I do like the design/style of this figure, even though she seems to be continuing the trend of looking a little too skinny/gangly.

TG: I don't think the hip joints are balls, not like Sgt. Savage. These look more like Marvel Legends-style joints, which are basically the same as original, RAH figures' shoulders.

What bothers me is something I couldn't tell from the other figures, suspected with Duke but it seems confirmed with Scarlett: no waist articulation. Not even swivel. I can't believe they made such a fuss over the added articulation but they've apparently REMOVED a significant point. Sure the mid-torso joint will perform a similar function but it's going to affect the poseability, particularly for the ninjas.

From what I'm gathering elsewhere, the waist doesn't actually have articulation. People cite that it is 'more realistic to swivel just beneath the torso'. Shoot, I'll just cut n paste what Jmacq wrote on the JBL.

You may want to double check there, buddy, cause it sure ain't your waist that's moving much. Unless you're some kind of freak of nature. (No offense if you in fact are quadruple jointed or somesuch)

Of course the only way to truly replicate "natural" torso swivel would be Luke's ingenious "gumby Joe" idea, but seriously, the pivot point for your torso is closer to mid-torso than at the waist.

You can make your shoulders face about 90 degrees to either side, but you normally can't make your bellybutton do it.




So here's what I was worried about. I guessed earlier on that Hasbro would most likely be taking the old designs and giving them a modern-day sculpting. Such seems to be the case so far. What I questioned was (and Dave and TG and Shane and well, the MSN guys already know), how do we know that the designs aren't outdated? Scar is still wearing her bathing suit w/ tights underneath, y'know?

If we wanted an updated version (like the 2002+), then Hasbro would have to create a new 'theme' or whatever. They've tried 2 versions of Scar since 2002 and now they are doing a Greatest Hits for the 25th. I don't know what you guys really expect or expected.

I think nostalgia is the motivation here, so they'd RATHER go with the "classic" look -- I like how they've made things like the grenade and calf-pouches more distinct. Personally I would have loved a figure, with this type of construction and sculpting detail, of how Scarlett looks in the DDP comics as that's a great update to her original design, but I feel this is more appropriate for something that's about the history of the line than establishing a new foothold on the market. If it manages both, then great, and they'll probably end up doing another new Scarlett for whatever theme they feel the need to go with (I'd prefer "G.I. Joe" personally...). Design-wise, I don't really know what else anyone would have been expecting either!

In terms of original design but making more of the details, these figures REALLY remind me of the He-Man relaunch. Although admittedly, barbarians with ray-guns aren't as likely to look dated...!

My concerns boils down to this:

Limited posability - take a look at the way the boots and ankles are sculpted where they are angled and the fact no ankle articulation exists, and you might find her leg poses are limited, also the neck articulation is left to right only, that's one aspect of 82' that I would not miss at all.

Calves are oddly scultped

Not to say I won't get her but whether I'll use her for dios will depend, I suspect that some though may just try to swap the 25th head with the comic pack body for their needs.

25th Scarlett
 

Scarlett is quite a role model for girls and for women!! I think her character did more to change male thinking as to how women can be portrayed. They are no longer damsilles in distress. They are strong, tough, can fight with the boys and still retain their feminine quality. I'm not so concerned about articulation because these will be probably the last figures I get. They look good and are accurate . So I gotta say, I'm gettin all of them. As for dios, you guys are extremely talented!! I'm sure you can make them work for you!!

Just been told that there is ankle articulation so scratch one of my concerns, but the neck and calves still are problematic IMO

Maybe if they do 3.75" next year, we'll get something entirely different. At least we didn't get Sigma suits, right? And at least we didn't get AE suits either! I admit, I can't imagine an outfit for Scarlet unless I went real generic or real weird. Maybe the boys at Hasbro are out of ideas? lol. Seriously tho, if you're dealing w/ an anniversary of something, it would seem to me that you are honoring the roots.

My thoughts...on Scarlett
 

I'd have to say this is a good figure overall. I can't complain too much on it because its a significant improvement and way big step up from V1.

The face/head to this Scarlett are totally spot on.. and I definately can see myself getting these so far. My overall view point so far would be that the way they have been released is the same as the order I see them in quality.
That said.. I would also like to point out that Scarletts top/upper torso is pointed or aimed in the direction of the camera.. whilst the other section is aimed slightly away.. and so is the other leg.. giving the impression she's skinnier than she actually is.. I dont think anyone should technically write the figure or figures off until they've actually sampled them.

The actual construction of the torso reminds me very much of the WWE Figure torso's used in 2000 for the Titan Tron Live figures.. they didnt have O-Ring construction and they too had two sectioned torso's.. they were incredibly good when it came to posing and stances.. :cool: