Could 2020 Be The Year We See 6" G.I. Joe Figures From Hasbro?

[JayC]

2020 seems to be shaping up as a pretty good year for action figure collectors who grew up in the 80's. Mattel plans to bring He-Man back to mass retail with its new Masters of the Universe: Origins line. Super 7 is working to bring ThunderCats fans highly detailed 7" Ultimates figures which hopefully will allow collectors finally to finish out the main team in modern form. Various companies such as NECA and Super7 are bringing fans highly detailed collector-oriented Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and McFarlane Toys will bring DC Comics figures to shelves in a big way this year.

Then there is Hasbro. Arguably the leading toy company in the boys' action figure game, they already bring fans 6" figures for Star Wars, Power Rangers, and Marvel as well as pretty cool G1-inspired Transformers, which this year will include Earthrise figures. But what about G.I. Joe? Deemed as one of the staples of boys' action figures in the 80's, G.I. Joe has been missing from retail shelves for several years now. Could that change in 2020, and if so does that mean Hasbro will finally give fans some action figures of their favorite Real American Heroes in classic uniforms for the 6" scale?

For the first part of the question of whether G.I. Joe will return to retail this year, the answer (while not confirmed) seems most likely yes. Reports indicate a new G.I.Joe movie that focuses on the team's most popular member Snake-Eyes will see a release in October 2020. If a new movie does happen, that virtually guarantees G.I.Joe toys will happen as well. Retailers are always much more inclined to carry toys backed by a major motion picture release. We have also seen reports of Hasbro filling key positions needed to get G.I.Joe toys back to market, such as John Reale's role overseeing the line as Vice President, Global Design and Development at Hasbro. There also have been rumors of a new G.I. Joe Evergreen line in the works.

For the second part of the question of whether we might see 6" Marvel Legends-style G.I. Joe figures from Hasbro, well that is more complicated. While 6" figures have become a very popular scale for Hasbro in recent years, there is no denying that G.I.Joe since the 80's were always first and foremost a 3 3/4" line. If Hasbro tried to release 6" figures without also releasing 3 3/4", my guess is that you would see a revolt from a large segment of the collector population. Of course Hasbro could try to do both scales, but even with a movie it's not clear how excited retailers will be carrying G.I. Joe again. The previous two movies certainly seemed to do little to boost popularity for the brand. In fact, some might even argue that it had the reverse effect. So will retailers want to carry Joe figures in varying scales, or will they want to stick with what's cheapest and most attractive to kids? It's possible we won't even see highly detailed 3 3/4" scale figures released in any large way as those tend to cost more. For a collector line, the larger retailers might prefer to carry 6" figures over 3 3/4" ones as 6" figures are generally seen as giving people more for the money they spend.

I have no doubt G.I. Joe will see a return to retail soon, at least for a bit when the movie comes out. The big question in my mind is will the line be able to continue beyond a movie and will it be strong enough to allow Hasbro to do more than just the basic kids stuff - like collector oriented 6" and 3 3/4" figures?

If you had to choose one scale for collector oriented G.I. Joe figures to be done in, which scale would you choose?

Shown below are 6" Custom figures done by BoreDad Cuctoms.

[Classic_Action_Figures]

I would love to see new G.I. Joe in both 3 3/4 and 6 inch formats. The 6 inch can focus on just the main characters.

We also need cool small vehicles for the 3 3/4 inch format.

[JayC]

4 minutes ago, sonic360 said:

I would love to see new G.I. Joe in both 3 3/4 and 6 inch formats. The 6 inch can focus on just the main characters.

We also need cool small vehicles for the 3 3/4 inch format.

I know both is the most optimum answer and agree. But if you had to choose one scale which would it be?

[Classic_Action_Figures]

If I had to choose, I would go for the 3 3/4 inch format. But only if the figures are fully articulated. Hopefully, they will make them compatible with most past vehicles and toys.

[Roadpigmaster]

2 hours ago, JayC said:

2020 seems to be shaping up as a pretty good year for action figure collectors who grew up in the 80's. Mattel plans to bring He-Man back to mass retail with its new Masters of the Universe: Origins line. Super 7 is working to bring ThunderCats fans highly detailed 7" Ultimates figures which hopefully will allow collectors finally to finish out the main team in modern form. Various companies such as NECA and Super7 are bringing fans highly detailed collector-oriented Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and McFarlane Toys will bring DC Comics figures to shelves in a big way this year.

Then there is Hasbro. Arguably the leading toy company in the boys' action figure game, they already bring fans 6" figures for Star Wars, Power Rangers, and Marvel as well as pretty cool G1-inspired Transformers, which this year will include Earthrise figures. But what about G.I. Joe? Deemed as one of the staples of boys' action figures in the 80's, G.I. Joe has been missing from retail shelves for several years now. Could that change in 2020, and if so does that mean Hasbro will finally give fans some action figures of their favorite Real American Heroes in classic uniforms for the 6" scale?

For the first part of the question of whether G.I. Joe will return to retail this year, the answer (while not confirmed) seems most likely yes. Reports indicate a new G.I.Joe movie that focuses on the team's most popular member Snake-Eyes will see a release in October 2020. If a new movie does happen, that virtually guarantees G.I.Joe toys will happen as well. Retailers are always much more inclined to carry toys backed by a major motion picture release. We have also seen reports of Hasbro filling key positions needed to get G.I.Joe toys back to market, such as John Reale's role overseeing the line as Vice President, Global Design and Development at Hasbro. There also have been rumors of a new G.I. Joe Evergreen line in the works.

For the second part of the question of whether we might see 6" Marvel Legends-style G.I. Joe figures from Hasbro, well that is more complicated. While 6" figures have become a very popular scale for Hasbro in recent years, there is no denying that G.I.Joe since the 80's were always first and foremost a 3 3/4" line. If Hasbro tried to release 6" figures without also releasing 3 3/4", my guess is that you would see a revolt from a large segment of the collector population. Of course Hasbro could try to do both scales, but even with a movie it's not clear how excited retailers will be carrying G.I. Joe again. The previous two movies certainly seemed to do little to boost popularity for the brand. In fact, some might even argue that it had the reverse effect. So will retailers want to carry Joe figures in varying scales, or will they want to stick with what's cheapest and most attractive to kids? It's possible we won't even see highly detailed 3 3/4" scale figures released in any large way as those tend to cost more. For a collector line, the larger retailers might prefer to carry 6" figures over 3 3/4" ones as 6" figures are generally seen as giving people more for the money they spend.

I have no doubt G.I. Joe will see a return to retail soon, at least for a bit when the movie comes out. The big question in my mind is will the line be able to continue beyond a movie and will it be strong enough to allow Hasbro to do more than just the basic kids stuff - like collector oriented 6" and 3 3/4" figures?

If you had to choose one scale for collector oriented G.I. Joe figures to be done in, which scale would you choose?

Shown below are 6" Custom figures done by BoreDad Cuctoms.

I go for this option

Retailers want to carry Joe figures in varying scales...

If you see Spiderman, TMNT, Star Wars and others, they all come in different form factors so I think they will go that route to do not step behind their competition...

Edited January 2, 2020 by Roadpigmaster
Adding a word

[JayC]

10 minutes ago, Roadpigmaster said:

I go for this option

Retailers want to carry Joe figures in varying scales...

If you Spiderman, TMNT, Star Wars and others, they all come in different form factors so I think they will go that route to do not step behind their competition...

Well they don't really, not at mass retail. 4" Marvel Universe is all but dead. TMNT collector figures are online or limited retail exclusives. Hasbro is doing larger scales for Power Rangers for both collector and kid stuff. Star Wars is a much bigger brand so it has more staying power than other properties but even it has struggled giving us good collector oriented 3 3/4" figures in recent years. Hasbro went the cheap route in that scale with Star Wars for awhile. It wasn't until recently they stated giving us more of the VC stuff. Highly articulated 3 3/4" figures at mass retail are few and far between these days because they end up costing int he neighborhood of $13-$15. By the time you get that expensive the general thought is just pay $20 and go with a larger 6" figure.

[memocromatico]

I'd rather they were in 6". I personally have no love for GI Joes, but if they were to do a 6" line there would be vehicles, and army builders, to give me more scenery for my displays. 

Not dissing on GI Joes, I'm just not from the US so I didn't really grow up with that franchise and the movies did nothing for me.

[JayC]

2 minutes ago, memocromatico said:

I'd rather they were in 6". I personally have no love for GI Joes, but if they were to do a 6" line there would be vehicles, and army builders, to give me more scenery for my displays. 

Not dissing on GI Joes, I'm just not from the US so I didn't really grow up with that franchise and the movies did nothing for me.

I doubt there would be vehicles for 6". At most might see a motorcycle or such for Snake-Eyes. If you want vehicles then 3 3/4" would be the route to go.

[memocromatico]

17 minutes ago, JayC said:

I doubt there would be vehicles for 6". At most might see a motorcycle or such for Snake-Eyes. If you want vehicles then 3 3/4" would be the route to go.

Definitely the trend, but I wouldn't buy 3 3/4 vehicles. One can only dream of eventually getting a 1:12 chopper or tank

[JayC]

15 minutes ago, memocromatico said:

Definitely the trend, but I wouldn't buy 3 3/4 vehicles. One can only dream of eventually getting a 1:12 chopper or tank

While I agree that would be cool, I think there is more a chance I'll hit the PowerBall lottery than us getting something like that in 6" scale from Hasbro for GIJoe.

[SubZero]

I never got people's fascination with wanting 6" GI Joes. I wasnt a fan of the 4" scale toymakers tried to standardize 10 years ago, but Star Wars and GI Joe are really the lines that should have that scale. Vehicles are also a main selling point of GI Joe and 1:12 scale military vehicles that seat multiple figures would be way too expensive. 

[Blackmada]

I would be very happy with figures in both scales. But I would only want a select few in a 6" line each year while the main focus was on the 3 3/4" figures.  I have no interest in army building a 6" line.

If I had to pick one scale it would be 3 3/4" just for the vehicles, playsets and army building. I would want at least as much articulation as the 25th Anniversary line, good detail in the sculpts and lots of cool accessories. NO 2 PACKS!!

[Roadpigmaster]

2 hours ago, JayC said:

Well they don't really, not at mass retail. 4" Marvel Universe is all but dead. TMNT collector figures are online or limited retail exclusives. Hasbro is doing larger scales for Power Rangers for both collector and kid stuff. Star Wars is a much bigger brand so it has more staying power than other properties but even it has struggled giving us good collector oriented 3 3/4" figures in recent years. Hasbro went the cheap route in that scale with Star Wars for awhile. It wasn't until recently they stated giving us more of the VC stuff. Highly articulated 3 3/4" figures at mass retail are few and far between these days because they end up costing int he neighborhood of $13-$15. By the time you get that expensive the general thought is just pay $20 and go with a larger 6" figure.

Oh ok. That's a good point of view that I think I did not took into consideration since I'm not that involved into the toy business...

[mako]

Hmm. Not sure Hasbro's gonna take a break from Marvel, Star Wars, Transformers, Power Rangers, and Overwatch to introduce a new scale to a line they abandoned years ago.

[memocromatico]

27 minutes ago, mako said:

Hmm. Not sure Hasbro's gonna take a break from Marvel, Star Wars, Transformers, Power Rangers, and Overwatch to introduce a new scale to a line they abandoned years ago.

Not sure they would have to, I think their business could be growing enough to start reviving lines.

[mako]

27 minutes ago, memocromatico said:

Not sure they would have to, I think their business could be growing enough to start reviving lines.

Hey, that's a good argument. Tell you what, call up the Hasbro bean-counters and tell them they've made enough money that they can revive a line that died in the red. See what they say.

BTW, if you hear a dial-tone halfway through the call, don't wait for an answer.

[SclassHiei]

That would be a dream hasbro 6 inch g.i. joe line i still have 3.75in gi joes

[memocromatico]

16 minutes ago, mako said:

Hey, that's a good argument. Tell you what, call up the Hasbro bean-counters and tell them they've made enough money that they can revive a line that died in the red. See what they say.

BTW, if you hear a dial-tone halfway through the call, don't wait for an answer.

Ah, good old fashioned sarcasm. All I said is MAYBE they wouldn't have to take a break from their other lines to revive another one, more lines could mean more money, right? But keep on pretending you understand what you read and answering like a teenager. 

[jedicrippler]

4 hours ago, Blackmada said:

NO 2 PACKS!!

Unless they're strictly Cobra troopers/officers/CGs/BATs/every other type of Cobra grunt or some generic green shirts for the Joes. Those multi-packs they put out in the mid-00s were pretty nice.

[Blackmada]

4 hours ago, jedicrippler said:

Unless they're strictly Cobra troopers/officers/CGs/BATs/every other type of Cobra grunt or some generic green shirts for the Joes. Those multi-packs they put out in the mid-00s were pretty nice.

Oh yeah! Troop packs are cool. I'll take them from 2 to 20 packs if they are all troop builders. Just no Gung-Ho vs Neo Viper crap.

[tudortiger2000]

I think Fwoosh already paved the way in partly satisfying the lack of G. I. Joe figures with their Articulated Icons. One can clearly see a Storm Shadow, Snake Eyes and even a Quick Kick in 6” scale. If Fortnite was not in 1/10 scale then we could’ve added a Firefly. I believe Hasbro has it in the works already, testing waters with their Marvel Legends (I'm looking at you Killmonger) for basic dudes in fatigues. And 2020 will be am opportune year for G. I. Joe! 

[Belmont13]

I was a fan of GI Joe and had quite a few of them but I don't have the fascination for it that a lot of people have. As for 6'' GI Joe this has been talked about for years now and whether it will happen or not, remains to be seen. Myself, I agree that GI Joe works best as 4'' scale due to the nature of the property ie the use of specialized vehicles, it's better suited for a smaller scale and even then I wouldn't be so sure considering the pricing of recent Star Wars vehicles. There's no guarantee that if Hasbro would announce a revival with either 5 poa $9.99 or $12.99 more articulated GI Joe figures that they would do well. A 6'' line could work but honestly I give it a 50/50 chance of success, GI Joe just doesn't have that kind of appeal anymore. It is possible with the upcoming movies we could see a renaissance of sorts but I sincerely doubt it; not even putting The Rock in the last movie worked and pretty much everything that guy touches turns into box office success. If they do make them I would definitely pick up Storm Shadow, Snake Eyes and Firefly but I'm not sure beyond those characters, depends on how they turn out. If they release figures that can pass off as generic soldiers I could see collectors picking them up to display in dioramas and for action figure photography work. I could see Hasbro making the smaller vehicles in 6'' scale, vehicles they could at the $39.99 range like the Marvel Legends Legendary Rider series.

[JayC]

8 hours ago, tudortiger2000 said:

I think Fwoosh already paved the way in partly satisfying the lack of G. I. Joe figures with their Articulated Icons. One can clearly see a Storm Shadow, Snake Eyes and even a Quick Kick in 6” scale. If Fortnite was not in 1/10 scale then we could’ve added a Firefly. I believe Hasbro has it in the works already, testing waters with their Marvel Legends (I'm looking at you Killmonger) for basic dudes in fatigues. And 2020 will be am opportune year for G. I. Joe! 

Been a number of companies doing small batches of 6" figures similar to GIJoe including the recent Action Force Kickstarter. IMO I don't think the Articulated Icons sold anywhere near the numbers a company like Hasbro would need to see to justify doing such a line.

[JayC]

I think in their height both GIJoe and Star Wars did much better as smaller scale lines because the vehicles where every bit as much a part of those lines as the figures where. The problem is, in today's world vehicles don't sell like they once did. For collectors the main reason being price and space. For kids and parents its mainly price. So when you remove the vehicles from the equation that does tend to make the larger 6" figures more appealing IMO. They display better on shelves, they have more detail and you can do more with them.

[Roadpigmaster]

11 hours ago, JayC said:

I think in their height both GIJoe and Star Wars did much better as smaller scale lines because the vehicles where every bit as much a part of those lines as the figures where. The problem is, in today's world vehicles don't sell like they once did. For collectors the main reason being price and space. For kids and parents its mainly price. So when you remove the vehicles from the equation that does tend to make the larger 6" figures more appealing IMO. They display better on shelves, they have more detail and you can do more with them.

That's true but the playsets and vehicles is what made the line very appealing to fans like Star Wars did and continue doing...