A Good Place to find Wave 10

[gojira77]

I just picked up Tiger Force Duke and Mutt from my local Fred Meyer, and I left a Crock Master on the pegs. Fred Meyers are a great place to find Joes, I think in part because like Kohl's they're not the first place your average collector would look. There is still plenty of Waves 7, 8 & 9 on the pegs, so my guess is that Wave 10 will remain more of a trickle until heavier holiday shopping makes some more room. Really guys, I think we should just buy up those peg warmers and stuff them in the Toys for Tots bins-- they're still good toys for kids that don't already have them (or much else). Just a heads up.

 

I've already read reviews on these two, and I'll give my own impressions after I've had a chance to play with them a bit and take some pics. One thing's for sure-- throw away all your other Dukes, Tiger Force is sooooo much better! There is nothing wrong with these new arms, so long as you wait for a figure with good QC.

[Outsiders]

Nice but the Meyers in my area isn't opening for another 2-3 years...

[Ren]

Richland Target had wave 11 today, I was in the tri-cities for work today and stopped on by, great price

[gojira77]

Mutt:

Really, the best thing for me about this guy is the dog. The thing about the thighs isn't new, but here it just makes his pants look a little puffy. He has some unique elbow joints unlike any I've seen on another Joe, where the elbow flap and upper arm to the shoulder or all one piece, and the swivel is all in the lower arm. The left arm works, but the right one comes off weaker. It appears to be sculpted to favor a hand-on-hip or going-for-the-holster pose which isn't really how an arm looks at rest. Mutt does have a cool Charles Bronson-like face, and his colors and accessories are dead on. Junkyard has to take the prize for Miniature Rottweiler of the Year, though. Despite looking a little odd, Mutt has no real articulation problems and seems fun to play with-- worth busting out of the package and deserves a passing grade. I think I'd have gotten him even if he didn't have such a cool characterization on his filecard and in "The Revenge of Cobra".

 

BTW I wanted to share some pics, but Photobucket is acting really crappy for me-- can anyone suggest another site to host my pics?

[Goldbug]

Mutt:

Really, the best thing for me about this guy is the dog. The thing about the thighs isn't new, but here it just makes his pants look a little puffy. He has some unique elbow joints unlike any I've seen on another Joe, where the elbow flap and upper arm to the shoulder or all one piece, and the swivel is all in the lower arm. The left arm works, but the right one comes off weaker. It appears to be sculpted to favor a hand-on-hip or going-for-the-holster pose which isn't really how an arm looks at rest. Mutt does have a cool Charles Bronson-like face, and his colors and accessories are dead on. Junkyard has to take the prize for Miniature Rottweiler of the Year, though. Despite looking a little odd, Mutt has no real articulation problems and seems fun to play with-- worth busting out of the package and deserves a passing grade. I think I'd have gotten him even if he didn't have such a cool characterization on his filecard and in "The Revenge of Cobra".

 

BTW I wanted to share some pics, but Photobucket is acting really crappy for me-- can anyone suggest another site to host my pics?

 

How about Imageshack.com?

[CaptainTriumph]

I'm not even sure there is a Fred Meyer store in Pennsylvania or atleast near me. If anyone knows different, please tell me.

[nonameshmo30]

I have never herd of fred myers i dont think we have them here in NC. Wish we did i haven't seen anything new since the revision cases of wave 1 with the non foil flint i have yet to see croc master or wrath. Sucks!!!!!

[gojira77]

Pics, at last!

Yeah, definitely a BOY dog!

Whatdya think, Doc? Should we amputate it?

DeathWish!

[gojira77]

I have never herd of fred myers i dont think we have them here in NC. Wish we did i haven't seen anything new since the revision cases of wave 1 with the non foil flint i have yet to see croc master or wrath. Sucks!!!!!

You might very well have the equivalent-- a grocery store that is also a department store with a decent toy department (Fred Meyer started One-Stop-Shopping long before there were any Super Wal-marts are Targets). I've read good things on this forum about grocery stores with Joes...

[JoeRhyno]

I think they're owned by Kroger, and some Kroger's have HUGE holiday toy sections.. and if you have a Food 4 Less like we do here in Chitown, they're also Kroger owned, so check there too cause they up their toys up a tad for the holidays.

[gojira77]

I think they're owned by Kroger, and some Kroger's have HUGE holiday toy sections.. and if you have a Food 4 Less like we do here in Chitown, they're also Kroger owned, so check there too cause they up their toys up a tad for the holidays.

Yes, they are owned by Kroger now, and I do believe that you're on to something there. Fred Meyer started out, I think, as a local company of the Pacific Northwest. But the idea of a grocery dept. store isn't exclusive to Washington State.

[darthcamaro]

I just picked up Tiger Force Duke and Mutt from my local Fred Meyer, and I left a Crock Master on the pegs. Fred Meyers are a great place to find Joes, I think in part because like Kohl's they're not the first place your average collector would look. There is still plenty of Waves 7, 8 & 9 on the pegs, so my guess is that Wave 10 will remain more of a trickle until heavier holiday shopping makes some more room. Really guys, I think we should just buy up those peg warmers and stuff them in the Toys for Tots bins-- they're still good toys for kids that don't already have them (or much else). Just a heads up.

 

I've already read reviews on these two, and I'll give my own impressions after I've had a chance to play with them a bit and take some pics. One thing's for sure-- throw away all your other Dukes, Tiger Force is sooooo much better! There is nothing wrong with these new arms, so long as you wait for a figure with good QC.

 

 

Kohl's, Meiyer's, Smith's, & Fred Meyers are all owned by the same company, so when one gets a set of things like Joe's Star wars, Hot wheels etc, it's always good to hit them up.

[gojira77]

Tiger Force Duke:

I said from the beginning that I would wait on the Wave 10 figures until I saw them in the brick 'n mortar stores, where I'd have my choice of QC and the option of easy return or exchange, and I'm so glad that I waited. Despite the horror stories I've read in various early reviews from folks who just had to get theirs first and then couldn't wait to nitpick afterwards, I have found NOTHING wrong with these arms. Like many figs, you've got to fiddle with the arms and rotate the lower arms a little right out of the package, but then you get a great looking figure with more than adequate articulation. Having a Jet Pack Duke at home, I could tell at the store that Hasbro does indeed listen to us and did actually retool the upper arms as well at the bicep. It still can't quite make a right angle but 95 degrees ain't bad in a line that contines to struggle with articulating Joes who have billowing shirt and jacket sleeves (including Hawk, and Airborne from what I've read). And, yes, he can hold his weapon with BOTH hands without pulling his lower arms out of their sockets. Folks getting the later wave Docs and upcoming Ninja Vipers are going to love these arms; I can only hope that the rumored upcoming single card Falcon gets a couple of these, too.

 

Tf Duke doesn't have the drastic retooling to his crotch area that was shown at the Summer cons, but he still has the improved hip articulation of the Jet Pack version, which is on par with many later 25th Anniversary figures, though not at the very top of the class. His colors perform the double duty of providing an homage to a 'classic' RAH figure while also surpassing it in every possible way. Far from a "boy scout" uniform, the colors take the simple inversed Duke outfit of the late 80s (he pretty much went from tan top green bottom to green top tan bottom) to much darker, less satuarated tones of brown and sienna. The pants have more of a 'clay' color, and most of his gear is now that deep olive. I could easily picture him in a Southeast Asian jungle trudging along through the mud and foliage. The red highlights (which go back to the 'toon BTW) and lighter boots are here to keep the guy from looking boring and too much like an ordinary soldier. And I love the dark gun-metal gray they used for his guns, and very much prefer it over simpler black molded plastic. He actually has a little too much gear for me, so the binoculars and helmet go to another Duke. Unlike too many backbacks, this one's just the right size and he's keeping it.

 

The paint on the face is a little thick this time, which is neccessary because the base color is darker now, but the artistry and craftsmanship on this guy's face is just good enough for me to forgive that. I could easily switch out this Duke's head for a Wave 4 Comic Pack one, like I did to replace the poorly painted head on the battle pack Duke, but I honestly don't want to. This time they got the painted face right! Just look at the pic of the two Dukes with painted heads, and how different they look-- like two separate people or at least one person at two different times in his life. This is the veteran Master Sergeant that I've wanted for about two years, though not in a color scheme that I would've expected. The best Duke yet.

[Goldbug]

Kohl's, Meiyer's, Smith's, & Fred Meyers are all owned by the same company, so when one gets a set of things like Joe's Star wars, Hot wheels etc, it's always good to hit them up.

 

Uh no they aren't. They are completely different companies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meijer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KOHL%27S

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Meyer

 

I don't have any Kroger or Food 4 Less near me.

[gojira77]

Two Kinds of Patriotism...

[JoeRhyno]

Kroger companies...

 

 

 

 

Meijer and Kohl's aren't

[JoeRhyno]

 

Is the head molded in flesh this time? I might get one and just pop his head on the reg one and then pop his arms off and drill some holes in the original too, even though I'll be money Hasbro will give us a fixed one in some way shape or form anyway in a multipack, lol

 

EDIT: nevermind.. I thought I read somewhere that it was, but just read your lil' "review"

[gojira77]

 

Is the head molded in flesh this time? I might get one and just pop his head on the reg one and then pop his arms off and drill some holes in the original too, even though I'll be money Hasbro will give us a fixed one in some way shape or form anyway in a multipack, lol

 

EDIT: nevermind.. I thought I read somewhere that it was, but just read your lil' "review"

 

S'Okay! The Wave 4 CP Duke has an unpainted flesh-tone head which is really nice and looks similar, and you can get those loose for cheap on Ebay (that one also has the best M-16 in the line, complete w/ painted "bluing"). The head is painted to match the lower arms, which my guess is that they share their mold with the cuffs and elbows. Screaming DVD Duke (who looks a lot better in the photos of the 'Tank review, very Mace Windu/ Leonidas-like) is painted in a similar way.

[darthcamaro]

Kroger companies...

 

 

 

 

Meijer and Kohl's aren't

 

 

I stand close...but still when these companies get new stuff they all appear too.. even if it ain't 100%.

[JoeRhyno]

I stand close...but still when these companies get new stuff they all appear too.. even if it ain't 100%.

 

Could be they get their toys from the same toy distribution company

[TheRealDubya]

You're right Goj -- I've found lots of good things at Fred's. I found 3 yellow Stalkers and 2 shark tat Shippys way, way back...saw a TF Duke and Mutt tonight. They have Torpedos and Wave 9 ripe for the picking. They don't restock often, but when they do it, they do it right.