G.I. Joe thread - 2027 Preorders begin
- Thread starter TriBlurr
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Super7 is expanding into vehicles! Another remnant of the Cobra Mothership, I think, Super7 is doing Trouble Bubbles!
BBTS will be carrying them as SDCC exclusive carry, so I’m not sure if they’ll be doing a “mass release” later on.
toyhabits.com
I’m glad to see Super7 stretching into vehicles, given the cartoons and comics often deviated from the original designs, especially early on (like the “El Camino” style HISS tanks often seen in the comics).
BBTS will be carrying them as SDCC exclusive carry, so I’m not sure if they’ll be doing a “mass release” later on.
Trubble Bubble and Python Version GI Joe ReAction+ SDCC 2026 Exclusives Tease - Toy Habits
Super7 teases GI Joe ReAction+ SDCC 2026 exclusives featuring a Trubble Bubble and Python version figure, available via Big Bad Toy Store.
toyhabits.com
I’m glad to see Super7 stretching into vehicles, given the cartoons and comics often deviated from the original designs, especially early on (like the “El Camino” style HISS tanks often seen in the comics).
The thing with GI Joe from RAH onward is that Cobra is by far the most interesting thing about it
Be it a cult of snake people trying to undermine the world of men, a domestic terrorist group born from a disillusioned used car salesman, or a secret society that dates back to antiquity pulling strings behind the scenes, Cobra is just intriguing. Add onto that what you're getting at, that despite being evil they actually seem to care for their own, and there's so many interesting things you can do with them.
The Joes become an afterthought.
Well the original concept behind Joe is basically "The US Army vs the Legion of Doom" so yeah one half of that is naturally the more interesting half.
But Joe does have guys in green power ranger suits, psychics, multiple colors of ninja, multiple cyborgs, Battleforce 2000, and Tiger Force. Not to mention the Dinosaur Wranglers and Alien fighters:
They are doing their best to fight back in the "Interesting" category,
-ZacWilliam, there a reason I like the later and the weirder Joes the most.::
But Joe does have guys in green power ranger suits, psychics, multiple colors of ninja, multiple cyborgs, Battleforce 2000, and Tiger Force. Not to mention the Dinosaur Wranglers and Alien fighters:
They are doing their best to fight back in the "Interesting" category,
-ZacWilliam, there a reason I like the later and the weirder Joes the most.::
I feel like this is G.I. Joe's problem these days. The most interesting characters and iconography are all on Cobra's side to begin with, though it evens out a little bit if you go into the later weirder years (though what nostalgia brand does that?). And it is interesting stuff full of personality. But someone in Hasbro is convinced that Snake Eyes is the most marketable character that has ever existed and nothing else matters. What are they doing? The marketing department has so much to work with here and they just don't.
They think he is. I'm not convinced he actually is.
Can't wait til I have to take out a home equity line to purchase those Trouble Bubbles!
He absolutely was in the 1990s, when his name was bigger than the team's on the cover of the Comics and Ninja Force was in full bloom.
Now a days nothing Joe is as big as it was in the 80s or 90s so the comparison seems off, but at the properties height he was absolutely the Wolverine.
-ZacWilliam, that said I don't really see Hasbro pushing him like Kenner Batman or anything. He's not in every wave of figures. Not even every other wave. He gets the most repaints but it's in like the "one or two" a year zone, so you don't see him on shelves most of the time.
That's what's promising about Classified.
It started off with fresh takes on the characters... fanboys complained and it shifted from its interesting "reinventions of classic characters" to "just do the 80s again." Boring, right? Only they seemed to have come through the other end of that.
Now they're touching stuff that the fans hated. They're doing Cobra-La and Ninja Force. Tiger Force and Python Patrol. They're dipping into crazy variants and new designs with little to no nostalgic basis.
It's a wild line, and it's heartening to see that the conceit to the fanboys didn't just stick it in an 80s rut. They've taken it to some very fun places. Even boldly embracing elements fans scoffed at for years.
Gives me hope some of that mentality will seep into the Transformers team across the hall and we'll get our bloody Machine Wars capsule.
This isn't the most scientific survey, admittedly, but if you go to BBTS and filter "GI Joe Classified" by individual characters, Snake Eyes does have the most characters listed, at least as far as their inventory goes.
The Cobra Viper technically has more variants, but that's a troop builder. Snake Eyes still comes out on top with the most releases of individual characters, with five. Cobra Commander and Storm Shadow (aka Snake Eyes' Vegeta) are behind him with four.
Again, not a comprehensive study of the line, but still. He does seem to outpace everyone else, even today.
Also, he's the one they tried to make happen with a solo movie.
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Target’s newest batch of Super7 ReAction+ exclusives are reportedly starting to hit shelves (perhaps in advance of the final Target Geek Out event on Friday).
Tiger Force Wild Bill is joined by the Ninja Force duo of Snake Eyes and Cobra Commander.
So…Talley ho, gents? I’m HOPING to get the Ninja Force guys, but I’m not about to lose my mind over it. BBTS actually picked up the 250th Walmart exclusives recently, so I’m hoping Super7 is a bit more proactive in alternative distribution methods.
Tiger Force Wild Bill is joined by the Ninja Force duo of Snake Eyes and Cobra Commander.
So…Talley ho, gents? I’m HOPING to get the Ninja Force guys, but I’m not about to lose my mind over it. BBTS actually picked up the 250th Walmart exclusives recently, so I’m hoping Super7 is a bit more proactive in alternative distribution methods.
Snake-Eyes is the guy they have to spend the least amount on paint for.
That is the literal reason he exists, yeah.
-ZacWilliam, they were able to squeeze one more figure into the first assortment provided he needed no paint budget.
Snake Eyes has a lot going for him. He wears all black and a cool helmet (sick), is part of a ninja clan (badass), dual wields katanas (wicked), and took a vow of silence on a quest for vengeance (epic). He also has a pet wolf (metal). He's mysterious, cool, and tragic. Which means he's very attractive to kids and adults alike, for different reasons.
Even on just a visual level, he's more interesting than Duke, Roadblock, Flint, or Heavy Duty. Who all have their strengths as characters, but they do all read as various shades of "generic Army man." On a pure visual level, Snake Eyes stands out as unique.
Even on just a visual level, he's more interesting than Duke, Roadblock, Flint, or Heavy Duty. Who all have their strengths as characters, but they do all read as various shades of "generic Army man." On a pure visual level, Snake Eyes stands out as unique.
In the cartoon, Snake Eyes is the vaguely ninja-ish dude with killer break dancing moves who occasionally dresses like a Material Girl.
In the Hama ARAH comics, he's like the lynchpin of the Joe universe, having direct connections with Scarlett, Stalker, Storm Shadow, Cobra Commander, Firefly, and Zartan, just to name a few. (Maybe also the Baroness, but I've sorta lost track.)
He's not my favorite Joe character, I'd much rather read about Mainframe, Lifeline, or watch Shipwreck episodes of the cartoon, but he seems to be or have been fairly popular throughout the years.
In the Hama ARAH comics, he's like the lynchpin of the Joe universe, having direct connections with Scarlett, Stalker, Storm Shadow, Cobra Commander, Firefly, and Zartan, just to name a few. (Maybe also the Baroness, but I've sorta lost track.)
He's not my favorite Joe character, I'd much rather read about Mainframe, Lifeline, or watch Shipwreck episodes of the cartoon, but he seems to be or have been fairly popular throughout the years.
Never underestimate the appeal of a black costume and cool mask to preteen and teenage boys. That principal made George Lucas a billionaire.
Worked pretty good for Bob Kane, too...(with sometimes very dark gray)
Indeed, so why not stick with what works and make him a main guy?
Plus all the other stuff said here adding to it.
Well they did give him his own movie, and it didn't go well.
From my admittedly very uninformed perspective, I feel like everything that makes him work only works because he's in an ensemble full of big personalities that can do all the talking he doesn't. He has his theme, but so does everybody else. He sticks out and fits right in, like everybody else. This isn't the U.S. Army vs the Legion of Doom. This is more like superheroes vs the Legion of Doom, but the superheroes joined the Army and are issued normal rifles like everybody else, but out in the field they mainly do their superhero thing because it's what they're good at.
Imagine they finally do the obvious thing and make a proper G.I. Joe videogame. They nail the characters. They nail the tech. It's fun, and sometimes funny. And they just put Snake Eyes on the cover. People who don't know better are going to look at the cover and think "Oh, brown and grey shooter. I have that at home." And that's not at all what the game would be.
From my admittedly very uninformed perspective, I feel like everything that makes him work only works because he's in an ensemble full of big personalities that can do all the talking he doesn't. He has his theme, but so does everybody else. He sticks out and fits right in, like everybody else. This isn't the U.S. Army vs the Legion of Doom. This is more like superheroes vs the Legion of Doom, but the superheroes joined the Army and are issued normal rifles like everybody else, but out in the field they mainly do their superhero thing because it's what they're good at.
Imagine they finally do the obvious thing and make a proper G.I. Joe videogame. They nail the characters. They nail the tech. It's fun, and sometimes funny. And they just put Snake Eyes on the cover. People who don't know better are going to look at the cover and think "Oh, brown and grey shooter. I have that at home." And that's not at all what the game would be.
Your superhero parallel works, though. I saw an article at one point where Hasbro wanted to re-work the Joe team and basically use specific superheroes as the template for each character. ( . . . and this looks like a whole "he tell me" thing, but I can't find the article now.)