I can't quite figure out what Hasbro is doing with the GI Joe "brand." They're not producing crappy product in order to kill off the whole line. I mean, why bother with the crappy product when they could just kill it outright. They could do that at any time.

The brand itself is a valuable asset. Plus with the movie on the horizon it simply doesn't make any sense. But there is obviously a huge difference in the way the company treats GI Joe as compared to Transformers or Star Wars. They kind of treat GI Joe like the ugly step-sister. I don't see why they needed to switch to yet another construction format for the 25th stuff. (Its not like the VvV stuff wasn't selling because the figures had an o-ring. Its not like the increased detail in the 25th stuff required the deletion of the o-ring. You can't tell me the public was clamoring for spindly legged, fragile figures with goofy looking heads that couldn't sit or hold their guns.) If Hasbro really wanted the line to succeed we wouldn't see these distribution problem, and they would already have new vehicles and new playsets on the shelves. Instead we're waiting for a re-issue of the Shark and Hiss tank. Come on. If they were serious they would be giving us some fresh stuff, like a new Tomahawk, Whale, or Terrordrome. Instead were getting small cheaply produced remakes.

Maybe it has to do with a lack of creative ability. With both Star Wars and Transformers, Hasbro is producing figures from movies someone else has made. Not a lot of creativity involved on Hasbro's part. Or, maybe the Star Wars and Transformer fan base is less fragmented and fickle than the GI Joe fans.

I don't know. I wish someone would really hold the Hasbro-execs feet to the fire and find out what they are really thinking.