Stevy Maximus

Just noticed this line in returing to thread. Sigma Six is actually mostly a rebranding and upscaling of Robot Rebellion. Notice how heavy Overkill is scene in the tank and robots are used. Bats that we did get in 3 3/4" scale btw. So the sigma six stuff is actually based on Robot Rebellion! not the other way around. I still think we missed out on some excellent toys and wonder about it sometimes. I knew some guys who had inside sources at the time, and you have NO idea what we missed out on.... New RAM with Lt. Falcon New DDP comic packs (with new figures, like the Covergirl set, I heard there were plans for Serpentor, Roadblock, Raptor Vipers, etc) New Crimson Guard and Cobra Trooper figures And pretty much everyone who appeared in a non-Sigma Suit in that cartoon? All had a figure on tap (like Buzzer and Zartan, Hasbro showed the Destro at the Hasbro tour) And there were plans to continue the "sub line" theme like Ninja Battles, next one would have featured the Stall family and featured Sgt. Barrage, Muskrat and Voltar. So yeah, we missed out on a LOT of kick ass stuff Hasbro had in the pipeline.

Amazon never advertised the Dreadnok cycle (oddly, despite having the tools, Hasbro never did do any Alphas for DTC), it DID however appear in a leaked retail list for the first wave of Robot Rebellion product (along with stuff like the CLAW Mech and repainted Defense mech). Amazon DID, however, advertise a "Joe Mech Walker" (presumably the Iron Hammer prior to being modified for 2.5") and the Cobra "BAT Tracker". The only image I know of the BAT (BET?) Tracker was an animation image from the 05 Joecon, it was a Cobra vehicle which never ended up appearing in the Sigma Six cartoon series http://www.mastercollector.com/neat/gijoe/minneapolis/images/hasbrobooth/PICT0456.jpg Though my memory is a bit fuzzy, I don't think the Doomcycle and the Sigma Six Dreadnok cycles were the same (though, Hasbro could have still used tooling from that old vehicle in making the current one)

1. Mattel's in that classic "damned if you do/damned if you don't" situation there. My guess is there might be a SLIGHT discount when buying by the case, but it'll amount to at best a buck off retail for each figure (not factoring in the tax variation) 2. Hasbro has been selling ALL of their retail items through Hasbro Toy shop for almost 4 years now without any ill effects I can see. If Walmart or Target dump the line, it will be because it wasn't selling to their expectations. And given Matty Collector's pour reputation, most who buy online already have preferred sources. Realistically, Matty offering cases will not have a meaningful impact on the line through other retailers. Sorry, but Marvel Legends never "wiped the floor" at the retail level to begin with. Yes it was popular with collectors, but it was never a heavy player. In case you hadn't noticed, but Hasbro pretty much owns the action figure aisle, and are making a profit on top of that. If you took the average retail space for all of Mattel's action figure lines (DCUC, DCIH, Batman, Avatar), you MIGHT fill up half the space the Marvel brand gets at retail. And that's not counting GI Joe, Transformers, and Star Wars (the latter two basically able to take an entire aisle to themselves) Hasbro may not be catering to collectors with their brands like Mattel is doing with DCUC and Masters of the Universe, but Hasbro is actually making money on their house brands and as a company. Despite being the "number one" toy maker in the world, Mattel hasn't turned a meaningful profit since last Christmas (if that)

And it isn't helped by the fact Jakks has lost the WWE license, so they may very well have underproduced some assortments so they don't get stuck with leftovers when Mattel's stuff hits. And CS SE is only rare for now because the fans have hyped him up. It's 25th Flint all over again. Give the stores holidays to clear out the backstock they have and he'll be out in number. As far as I know, Hasbro doesn't have another wave set for release before March at the earliest.

For what it was, it was a great popcorn summer action flick. Which is all I expected it to be, and in many respects, is probably a better film on its own than even Transformers 1. I think what ultimately dissappointed me was how comparitively little support it got compared to Transformers or even STar Trek. I really think this film could have completely rejuvenated the brand from a mass market standpoint just as the 07 film did for Transformers. But it seemed a bit lost in the shuffle between Star Trek and Transformers 2. In effect, it was competing against more viable competition (especially with Transformers). I think had the film waited a mere one year, or simply NOT been hitting the same summer as TF, it would have done SO MUCH better (not that its current success is anything to sneeze at but you get my point).

Actually, I think if the Flagg is a prominant feature of the next feature film, we may get A Flagg playset. But it won't be a reissue of the original, nor would it even come close to replicating any of the "size elements" of that toy. Most likely scenario to me is the central control tower, a bit of the lower decks, and a cardboard runway for a retail in the neighborhood of $130 (assuming retailers will invest in such an item after the rather mediocre performance of the current line at retail.)

www.mattycollector.com does not carry retail product.

And what is the corporate perception when all these toylines get dumped at the discount outlets? That there is no market for them at a profitable level. Which means stores reduce (if not completely cease) ordering said lines because they don't sell. And when the stores stop ordering...lines end. I'm not going to defend Mattel here (and seriously, considering as far as my area is concerned DCUC doesn't even EXIST), for being "the largest toy company in the world" toylines should NOT have the quality control issues fans have been complaining about for years now. At this point, Mattel should NOT be making the same pig headed mistakes with distribution, character selection and case ratios they've been doing for over a damn decade. HOWEVER, I think a LOT of you need to remember that prices DO go up. Inflation and cost DO rise over time. I remember when Transformers Basics/Scounts retailed for $5. Now, they run $8. Deluxes finally went up to $13 this year. You don't want to pay the price at retail for these, fine, that is your choice. But do remember that if the retail stores don't feel like they are making enough profit with these toylines, they will NOT hesitate to dump the line.

Pfft, that doesn't mean anything. I recall more than a few snickers and mocking of the first TF film after a group saw the initial teaser (the Mars Rover one). It was mocked because a LOT of people think mocking is funny or cool. But I'll bet real money just about all of the ones that said that will see the movie within the first week. When I saw I saw RotF for the second time (yes, I actually sat through it twice, dang sister wanted someone to go with her...), we were near a young child who responded quite well to the GI Joe trailer (loved the TF film as well, he liked them robots!). My feeling is the Joe film will basically be a "Transformers in miniature", ie, critics and fans will tear it apart, but the kids and mass market will respond well to it and more than a few toys will be sold.

Hate to burst your bubble, but GI Joe (in so far as the 80s line) has ALWAYS had a hefty futuristic/sci-fi slant. The 25th line succeeded heavily on nostalgia and retro designs, not because the figures were expressely "war heroes". In fact one of the single most popular 25th figures (the BAT) is a ROBOT! Keep in mind that the 25 line (not to mention the original line itself) is loaded with such "contemporary" items like a weapons dealer with a metal mask, ninjas, bikers, jet packs and robots. You're free to enjoy GI Joe however you like, but GI Joe: RAH has NEVER been a source for a super realistic toyline.

A better question might be...which "comics"? The original 60s comics (which have ALL been retconned/refashioned to some degree over the years)? The Ultimate comics? The "Marvel Adventures" Comics? And that's just Marvel DC is an even bigger mess with Golden Age, Silver Age, Modern Age pre and post Crisis, and god knows what else in the past few years I don't know about. And to be honest, it seems a vast majority of complaints about the superhero films has less to do with the quality of the adaption, and more the visual representation of the material. Clam, for example, completely ignores how accurate the first Spider-Man was to the mythos in favor of the visual look of the Green Goblin. Most of the complaints about the X-Men films has less to do with the story or characterizations and more to do with the fact the costumes weren't yellow spandex. Ultimately, it is moot whether fans think the changes are good or bad. Changes will be done regardless because no group of fans will ever come to any sort of consensus.

The Battleship game I believe is from Hasbro and will be available at retail. But the "classic" Joe monopoly set is being done by the same crew that did other niche monopoly editions like The Simpsons and Transformers G1. So if you found those at retail, you should be able to find the Joe set, but I've only seen them at specialty stores.

Not only that, but check out that gear! Just from what I can see, we got 3 or 4 different helmets (depending on what it is in the top left of the blister), some 4 guns, 3 vests, AND a tactical shield. AND NO spring loaded weapons! This is probably the closest we get to an accessory pack for a LONG time.

That's largely it. The studios were expecting/hoping for a $50-$60 million opening though, so it performed noticeably above expectations. That's good. It probably hasn't fully opened "worldwide" yet, either. Good word of mouth should keep it performing reasonably well, even if Angels and Demons will likely boot it out of the top spot next weekend. I think Star Trek could end up like Batman Begins. That film didn't have a huge opening weekend (by comparison/expectations), but the word of mouth and positive reception caused it to pull solid numbers for several weeks. So I wouldn't be surprised if the film broke the 250 Million mark by the end of its theatre run, it will just take longer.

Comic packs are a different animal than the regular carded assortment. To a very large extent, comic packs are largely composed of "one off" molds, figures who will not likely see another use outside of the comic pack release. A good example being Darth Krayt, he is basically an all new figure. But outside of comic packs, he will never be seen again. So it's either cut the articulation and get all new molds, or see a LOT more rehash than the line already sees. Compare a single card Star wars figure, and they pretty much DO have the same set of articulation outside of the hips.