Guys,
I've been watching the collector realm for a very long time and have noticed something...there is a mentality among some collectors that figures MUST NEVER be removed from its package. This is especially true in circles like the Star Wars and Star Trek collectors. If this belief has infiltrated the minds of the Harvard/Yale MBAs running the show at GI Joe HQ, this would explain the "Show Case" that the five packs are all being packaged in. The 25th anniversary single packs are all glossy and showy and can easily be hung up to display.

Now I like to "play" with my figures. This means they rarely stay in their packaging unless I have multiples of them or they are common enough that I feel that I can find a MOC later. I know that all of us have loose figures, but I think the reason we're seeing such poor quality in these new figures is that;

A) They are not being play tested at a level close enough to the directors that they can see the short-comings, ie. the directors don't have children of the right age to take these toys home to them.

B) The directors have adopted a "Never Open" stance in a way of "better supporting" the collectors - not that they know what the majority of GI Joe collectors really want.

C) The line needs an enema. A strong backstory and someone with a firm grip of the vision behind the story to direct the development of the line and direction the line should go in.

Star Wars has been held up as the figure line to beat. Yes, Star Wars was the first widely accepted 3 3/4" figure line in the US...but they have had to adapt the line to kids who remember the old GI Joes with swivel battle grip and articulated knees and elbows. Eventually, even Lucas (George Lucas has final say over the toy designs that Hasbro releases - a deal he didn't have back in the Kenner days) had to acquiesce to the demands of a fanbase who wouldn't accept the same stick figures that started the line.

The real problem comes back to the Hasbro GI Joe Directors who are under pressure to reduce the cost of the individual units. If tooling and molds similar to the ones used for the Star Wars line is utilized then a separate design and engineering department doesn't have to be hired to maintain the line and research the materials needed to produce the line. The legal department doesn't have to follow up on every potential figure patent and design infringement - there is only one way to produce the figures so no matter which line, if the patent is infringed upon it is very easy to prove.

There are multiple business reasons that GI Joe has suffered. It looks like Extensive Enterprises won in the end.