You are quite entitled to disagree with most of what you have read, just as you are entitled to your opinion on the 25th anniversary figures. All I ask is that you please don't dismiss the opinions of those who disagree with you with a "yawn". I'm happy for you that you like the new figures and will buy them. I don't like them (for clearly stated reasons) and so won't buy them. Hopefully we can all continue post our opinions here without being disrespected by those who disagree with us.

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"The future's uncertain and the end is always near." - The Doors "Roadhouse Blues".

Thats cool and all but my post was really aimed at those who criticised without a comment to state why they were rubbish.. you in particular didn't really state on the first post I highlighted what was crap about them.. hold an opinion but at least back it up with something rather than a drama queen comment .. "Oh gosh R.I.P GIJOE" .. c'mon play ball.. I admit your follow up mentions
[[ exaggerated, farcical cartoonish caricatures.]] is the reason you wont be making a purchase but the vast majority here seem to be bandwagon jumping with stupid one line sentances.. which is pointless.. and utterly unproductive to the thread... hence my yawans.. .

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"I can glide silently and land without a sound, I am the eerie presence in the pitch black room"

The figures are fantastically well sculpted and look like amazing action figures. But the fundamental traditional aspects of G.I.JOE are lost on these figures. Things that make G.I.JOE the toy that it is.

I doubt I will say anything that hasn't been mentioned already.

I'm not sold on the articulation, I liked added articulation, but like in the Style of Depth Charge of Spytroops Snake Eyes. Not stupid looking chests... whats with that?

The sculpting is beautiful, no doubt about it, but whats with the daft proportions? Some of the VVV stuff looks better. I'd rather have awful figures like the VVV Tunnel Rat than figures that don't look like Joe's. I was in a sci-fi shop in Edinburgh a week ago. They had some of the new Hasbro offerings under the Marvel license. I'm sure I saw figures like the 25th anniv Joes, they might have been Fantastic Four. I can't remember. I'm sure they were blue though... They were 4 inches tall, give or take. Identical style articulation. It looked hideous compared with my beloved original style Joes. Even the new sculpt Joes from 2002 onward shared some design characteristics with those figures that came before it. I'm now very scared that what I saw is gonna be like the Joe's that are to come.

Tradition... Oh my, I thought Hasbro would have learned after the T-crotch fiasco... it seems not. The O-ring and customising possibilities of the pervious varied sculpts of Joe's have always been a hit with collectors. It seems we are losing the O-ring again. I wonder if there will be an uproar amongst collectors like there was years ago.

Again as some have pointed out, I can't see the old figures blending in with the new anniv line. The will look awful I think. Nothing in common at all.

It saddens me a lot that while these new action figures look fan-bloody-tastic, They will be sold as G.I.JOE because G.I.JOE, they most certainly ain't!

There is a great deal of hope that with these new style figures, G.I.JOE will be a force again in the toymarket like it was in the 80s. I hope so too. But I can only hope Hasbro doesn't forget the roots of the figure design entirely and stop selling old style O-ring figures. Which I fear will be the case.

I can't believe Hasbro have been so unfaithful to the design lineage of Joe. Perhaps its evolution. But to me Hasbro is using the 25th anniv to re launch the characters to kids. I'm in no doubt that the anniv line isn't for collectors. For me Hasbro have decided that the current figures aren't working. I think its a case of Hasbro not working. So many wrong decisions between colour scemes, releases and lack of marketing. For me, H has taken it for granted that collectors will buy the 25th anniv line because they carry the Joe name. I know I for one will probably do so. Even though I don't like them and think they are awful. I will still probably buy them.

That my sound crazy given everything that came before in this post, but whether the sculpt was old or new, the ugly Star Brigade, or the Fabulous Night Force subteam of the 80s, or even the awful neon Eco Warriors, they were still Joe's, that was there for all to see. That gave me a huge sense of tradition and pride. But I just can't get that with these new figures. I'm left luke warm. Mostly because while they look like who they are supposed to be character wise, they don't look like Joe's.

I find that almost heart breaking.

Hasbro has pee'd on us from a great height. I have a feeling they will do again if these figures take off amongst kids.

RIP G.I.JOE? Perhaps not quite... But the original styled Joe's are probably deader than disco, as Cobra Commander would say.

Where does that leave collectors like me? I don't really know.

For me, Hasbro have turned what should have been the collectors line of Joe's into a major relaunch and retail offensive in the action figure market. The 25th anniv is just the excuse and publicity they need to get it going.

For sure, Hasbro have let the die hard collector down. But in saying that some die hard collectors will buy it anyway, like me most likely!

Anyway this post is huge and I'm leaving it there.

Good luck to Hasbro with the new anniv line. If they thought collectors let them down with the DTC stuff, I think the majority will pass this stuff up too. Hasbro may well be in for a shock. Why didn't Hasbro just stick to something more traditional. The thought of the 25th anniv has kept me going through these dark quiet DTC months. If I knew Hasbro were going to do this I wouldn't have got my hopes up. I was a fool to get them up anyway I suppose! I should have known better!

Dave

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* Pavel is a Geordie! *

WOW Dave, VERY nicely put!!!! My hat's off to you.........

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Non illigitamus carborundum~Vos mos non effrego mihi

Coming soon: 'JoeSpecialOps'

I am betting they will be in scale with the Marvel Legends Showdown figs since construction looks to be very similar. Also, Hasbro has compared the new construction the that of their Super Articulated Clone Trooper so I am saying they will be very close to the 3.75" scale.

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You have the look of a man who accepts what he sees because he is expecting to wake up. Ironically, that's not far from the truth.

Jings Scarlett, I thought it was daft unstructured long winded ranting, but I think I got my feelings and points across. Thats all I cared about!

No planning went into it. I typed what I think/thought. So I appologise for the length etc.

I loved yer Declassified comic by the way!

Dave

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* Pavel is a Geordie! *

Well, just typing what you feel is always the best way to go!!

And thanks!! I'm pretty fond of it m'self!!!

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Non illigitamus carborundum~Vos mos non effrego mihi

Coming soon: 'JoeSpecialOps'

What's wrong with you guys???

We're GI Joe fans! We're supposed to blindly buy what Hasbro makes without question or thought! This I command!

*snicker snicker*

"RIP GI Joe" was a statement of my feelings; if this is the style of GI Joe to come, then for me it is RIP GI Joe as I won't buy them and will be out of the hobby for good. As for drama queen, I'll assume you didn't mean it, and let that one slide for now out of respect for everyone else who posts here. If this is the kind of attitude that will prevail in these forums from now on, where people don't respect other's opinions and resort to childish name calling, then I'm outta here. Adios!

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"The future's uncertain and the end is always near." - The Doors "Roadhouse Blues".