kjaer21

I was tired of waiting for someone else to compare the Kenner New Batman Adventures Batmobile to the DC Collectibles figures, so I decided to buy one and show everyone for myself. It looks as if the figures could fit inside but would take some modding, cutting the bottom out and redecoing the interior. I wonder if this is in scale to the show though? It looks close but I am unsure?

I had to update my Falcon as I did not like the 25th ARAH take on it. The color scheme as well as the small head that looked nothing like the original kept bothering me. This was an easy kitbash as I ended up just using the web-gear/harness and the Shotgun from the 25th and putting it on the 30th Marauders version. What do you think? Should I paint the hair brown?

Why was there not any news on this at SDCC? It was the most perfect time to get the exposure and gain new fans and members that were not aware of the GI Joe Collector's Club offerings. It seems to me that it was a failure when it could have gotten more media hype like the Matty Monthly subscriptions are getting. All they had to do was announce the plans and perhaps 1 or two more figures to get the necessary buzz. WHY??? Is anyone else disappointed that they were AWOL as I really want the club to succeed?

Most of you have all of these, I am in no way trying to show off, I just think that it is neat to see them all lined up together. Here is a picture with every single Modern Era (25th, Resolute, RoC & PoC) figure to date. There is one of each figure that has been released. -For the Joes, I placed them in the order that they came out chronologically by year and the card-backs. -For Cobra, I put all of the Individual Characters in the front two rows and the rest of the Dreadnoks in the middle of the third row. --The only character that is missing is Ice Storm. He is in the mail. *Note: I have some characters in the photo that are duplicates that I consider different than what their File Card says, they are: Ninja-Ku (Storm Shadow - Black outfit) Glenda (Scarlet - Pilot) Air-Raid (Airborne - ROC) Ripcord (Ripcord - ROC) Speed Metal (I consider him different than Heavy Metel) Everyone: Joes: Cobra:

Updated the list with the character's individual name and most recent affiliation regardless of their costume.

-Will it surpass Marvel Legends in the near future as that is gearing up for the reboot to run along side Marvel Universe? Through May 2011, there are officially 157 individual characters by birth name confirmed for upcoming release across all 4-inch Marvel toy-line properties (Captain America: The First Avenger, Iron Man 2, Marvel Universe, Spider-man, Thor & X-men Origins: Wolverine). *Note - Black Widow (Yelena Belova) is on the list. -What is the deal with her? **Note - I did not count the variants nor repaints. As this is not a checklist to go by in those terms. There are many of other sites to see that. I am only counting individual characters by birth name only (I included the army builders on the list as well). If we were to count all the characters out so far including variants and repaints, then there would be close to 275 figures across all lines so far through May, 2011. ***Note - The affiliation is the character's most recent Team that they are on. 1. A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) Soldier (Various) [A.I.M.] 2. ABSORBING MAN (Carl "Crusher" Creel) [Lethal Legion/Ally of Loki] 3. ADAM WARLOCK/MAGUS (Adam Warlock) [Guardians of the Galaxy] 4. APOCALYPSE (En Sabah Nur) [Horsemen of Apocalypse] 5. ARCHANGEL (Warren Kenneth Worthington III) [X-Men/X-Force/Hellfire Club: New York/The Quentin Carnival/The Champions of Los Angeles] 6. BLACK GOLIATH (Bill Foster) [The Quentin Carnival/The Champions of Los Angeles] 7. BLACK PANTHER (T'Challa) [None; formally Avengers] 8. BLACK WIDOW (Natalia Alianovna Romanova) [s.H.I.E.L.D./Secret Avengers/The Quentin Carnival/The Champions of Los Angeles] 9. BLACK WIDOW (Yelena Belova) [s.H.I.E.L.D.] 10. BLADE (Eric Brooks) [MI-13/The Avengers] 11. BLOB (Frederick J. Dukes) [Deceased; formally X-Cell] 12. BUCKY/WINTER SOLDIER/CAPTAIN AMERICA (James Buchanan Barnes) [Avengers/Invaders] 13. BULLDOZER (Henry Camp) [Wrecking Crew] 14. BULLSEYE/DARK HAWKEYE (Lester/Leonard) [Deceased; formally Dark Avengers] 15. CABLE (Nathan Christopher Charles Summers ) [Deceased; formally X-Men/X-Force] 16. CAPTAIN AMERICA/SUPER SOLDIER (STEVE ROGERS) [secret Avengers Black Ops Unit/Avengers/Invaders/New Ultimates] 17. CAPTAIN BRITIAN (Brian Braddock) [MI-13/Hellfire Club: London] 18. CAPTAIN MARVEL (Mar-Vell) [Deceased; formally Avengers] 19. CARNAGE (Mar-Vell) [Maximum Carnage] 20. COLOSSUS (Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin) [X-Men] 21. CONSTRICTOR (Frank Schlichting) [Masters of Evil] 22. CROSSBONES (Brock Rumlow) [None; formally Thunderbolts] 23. CYCLOPS (Scott Summers) [X-Men] 24. DAKEN (Akihiro) [None; formally Dark Avengers] 25. DAREDEVIL (Matthew Michael Murdock) [None; formally The HAND] 26. DARK PHOENIX (Phoenix Force) [None; Formally X-Men] 27. DARK SPIDER-MAN (Macdonald Gargan) [formally Dark Avengers] 28. DARKHAWK (Chris Powell) [Loners] 29. DEADPOOL (Wade Winston Wilson) [X-Force/Deadpool Corps] 30. DESTROYER (Destroyer) [Guard of Asgard] 31. DOC SAMSON (Leonard Samson ) [incredible Hulks] 32. DOCTOR DOOM (Victor von Doom) [Future Foundation] 33. DOCTOR OCTOPUS (Otto Octavius ) [sinister Six] 34. DR. STRANGE (Stephen “Steve” Vincent Strange) [Defenders/New Avengers/Illuminati] 35. ELECTRO (Maxwell Dillon) [sinister Six] 36. ENCHANTRESS (Amora) [None; Ally of Loki] 37. FALCON (Samuel Thomas Wilson) [None; fomally Avengers] 38. FANDRAL (Fandral) [Warriors Three] 39. FIRESTAR (Angelica Jones) [None; formally New Warriors] 40. FROST GIANT (Ice) (Various) [Frost Giants] 41. FROST GIANT (Invasion) (Various) [Frost Giants] 42. FROST GIANT (Savage) (Various) [Frost Giants] 43. GALACTUS (Galactus) [Heralds of Galactus] 44. GAMBIT (Remy Etienne LeBeau) [X-Men] 45. GHOST RIDER (Jonathan Blaze) [The Quentin Carnival/The Champions of Los Angeles] 46. GIANT-MAN SKRULL (Unknown) [The Super-Skrulls] 47. GIANT-MAN/YELLOWJACKET/ANT-MAN (mini figure) (Henry Jonathan Pym) [Avengers Academy] 48. GLADIATOR (Kallark) [Emperor of the Shi'ar/Annihlators/Imperial Guard] 49. GREEN GOBLIN/IRON PATRIOT (Norman Virgil Osborn) [Hellfire Club: New York] 50. GROOT (Groot) [Guardians of the Galaxy] 51. GUARDIAN (James MacDonald Hudson Jr.) [Alpha Flight] 52. GUARDSMAN (Michael O'Brien) [None; The Vault Guard] 53. H.E.R.B.I.E. (Humanoid Experimental Robot, B-type, Integrated Electronic) (mini figure) (Secret) [None; formally Fantastic Four] 54. HAMMER DRONE (AIR) (Various) [None] 55. HAMMER DRONE (CONCEPT) (Various) [None] 56. HAMMER DRONE (GROUND) (Various) [None] 57. HAMMER DRONE (SEA) (Various) [None] 58. HAMMER DRONE (WEAPON) (Various) [None] 59. HAND NINJA (BLACK) (Various) [The Hand] 60. HAND NINJA (RED) (black) (Various) [The Hand] 61. HAND NINJA (WHITE) (Various) [Chaste] 62. HAVOC (Alexander Summers) [The Starjammers] 63. HAWKEYE/RONIN (Clint Fransic Barton) [Avengers/The Avengers/New Ultimates] 64. HEIMDALL (Rig-Heimdall) [God of Asgard] 65. HOBGOBLIN (Phillip Benjamin Urich) [None; formally Loners] 66. HOBGOBLIN (Roderick Kingsley) [Deceased; no former affiliation] 67. HOGUN (Hogun) [God of Asgard/Warriors Three] 68. HOPE (mini figure) ("Baby" Spalding/Hope Summers) [X-Men/The Lights] 69. HULK/WORLD WAR HULK (Robert Bruce Banner) [Defenders/The Incredible Hulks/Worthy] 70. HUMAN TORCH (Jim Hammond) [invaders] 71. HUMAN TORCH (Jonathan Lowell Spencer Storm) [Deceased; formally Fantastic Four] 72. HYDRA ATTACK TROOPER (Various) [HYDRA] 73. HYDRA SOLDIER (Dark Threat) (Various) [HYDRA] 74. HYDRA SOLDIER (Various) [HYDRA] 75. ICEMAN (Robert "Bobby" Louis Drake) [X-Men/The Quentin Carnival/The Champions of Los Angeles] 76. INVISIBLE WOMAN (Susan Storm Richards) [Future Foundation/Lady Liberators] 77. IRON FIST (Daniel Thomas Rand-K'ai) [New Avengers] 78. IRON FIST (Orson Randal) [None] 79. IRON MAN (Anthony "Tony" Edward Stark) [s.H.I.E.L.D./Avengers/Illuminati/Hellfire Club: New York] 80. IRON MAN 2020 (Arno Stark Sr.) [None; formally Heralds] 81. IRON MAN ROBOT (ULTIMATE) (Various) [New Ultimates] 82. IRON MONGER (Obadiah Stane) [None; formally Chessmen] 83. IRON SPIDER MAN (Patrick) [New Warriors/Scarlet Spiders] 84. IRON-MAN (ULTIMATE) (Antonio Stark) [New Ultimates] 85. JEAN GREY/PHOENIX (Jean Grey Summers) [None; formally X-Men] 86. JUGGERNAUT (Cain Marko) [Thunderbolts/The Worthy] 87. KING LAUFEY (Laufey) [Frost Giants] 88. KITTY PRYDE/SHADOWCAT (Katherine "Kitty" Anne Pryde) [X-Men] 89. KLAW (Ulysses Klaw) [Masters of Evil] 90. LIZARD (Curtis Connors) [None; formally Sinister Six] 91. LOCKHEED (mini figure) (Lockheed) [Pet Avengers] 92. LOKI (Loki Laufeyson) [The Cabal] 93. LUKE CAGE/POWER MAN (Carl Lucas/Luke Cage) [New Avengers/Thunderbolts] 94. MAGNETO (Max “Magnus” Eisenhardt) [X-Men] 95. MANDARIN (Unknown/Khan) [Non; CEO of Prometheus Corporation] 96. MARY JANE (Mary-Jane Watson) [None] 97. MAVERICK (Christopher Nord) [None; formerly Team X] 98. MISTER FANTASTIC (Reed Richards) [Future Foundation/Illuminati] 99. MOON KNIGHT (Marc Spector) [secret Avengers] 100. MS. LION (Ms. Lion) [Pet Avengers] 101. MS. MARVEL (Carol Susan Jane Danvers) [New Avengers/New Ultimates] 102. MS. MARVEL (Karla Sofen) [Thunderbolts/The Corporation] 103. MULTIPLE MAN (James “Jamie” Arthur Madrox) [X-Factor Investigations] 104. MYSTIQUE (Raven Darkholme) [None, formally Dark X-Men] 105. NAMOR, THE SUBMARINER [invaders/Defenders/X-Men/Illuminati] 106. NICK FURY (Nicholas Joseph Fury) [s.H.I.E.L.D./Howling Commandos/Secret Warriors/The Avengers] 107. NIGHTCRAWLER (Kurt Wagner/Kurt Szardos) [Deseased; formally X-Men] 108. ODIN (Odin Borson) [God of Asgard] 109. PILEDRIVER (Brian Philip Calusky) [Wrecking Crew] 110. QUICKSILVER (Pietro Maximoff) [Avengers Academy] 111. RAGNAROK (Rgnarok/Clor/Clone of Thor) [None. Formally S.H.I.E.L.D.] 112. RED GUARDIAN (Nikolai Krylenko) [Winter Guard/Protectorate] 113. RED HULK (Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross) [Avengers] 114. RED SKULL (Johann Shmidt) [Deceased; formally HYDRA] 115. REDWING (Redwing) [Pet Avengers] 116. RHINO (Aleksei Mikhailovich Sytsevich) [sinister Six] 117. ROCKET RACCOON (Rocket Raccoon) [Guardians of the Galaxy] 118. S.H.I.E.L.D. AGENT (Various) [s.H.I.E.L.D.] 119. SABRETOOTH (Victor Creed) [deceased; formally X-Men] 120. SCARLET SPIDER/SPIDERMAN (Benjamin Reilly) [Deceased; formally New Warriors] 121. SCORPION (Ultimate) (Peter Parker Clone) [None] 122. SENTINEL (Various) [None] 123. SENTRY (Robert Reynolds) [Deceased; formally Dark Avengers] 124. SIF (Sif) [God of Asgard] 125. SILVER SAMURAI (Keniuchio Harada) [Deceased; formally HYDRA] 126. SILVER SURFER (Norrin Radd) [Heralds of Galactus/Defenders] 127. SKAAR (Skaar) [incredible Hulks] 128. SKRULL SOLDIER (Various) [skrulls] 129. SPIDER-MAN 2099 (Miguel O’Hara) [None] 130. SPIDER-MAN/IRON SPIDER-MAN (Peter Benjamin Parker) [Avengers/New Avengers/Future Foundation] 131. SPIDER-WOMAN (Jessica Drew) [Avengers/S.H.I.E.L.D.] 132. SPIDER-WOMAN/ARACHNE (Julia Eugenia Cornwall Carpenter) [Omega Flight] 133. STORM (Ororo Iqadi T'Challa) [X-Men] 134. SUNFIRE (Shiro Yoshida) [None] 135. TASKMASTER (Tony Masters) [The Cabal/Shadow Initiative] 136. THANOS (Thanos) [None] 137. THE PUNISHER (Frank Castle/Francis Castiglione) [The Avengers] 138. THING (Benjamin Jacob Grimm) [Future Foundation/New Avengers] 139. THOR (Thor Odinson) [Avengers/New Ultimates] 140. THUNDERBALL (Eliot Franklin) [Wrecking Crew] 141. THUNDERBIRD (John Proudstar) [None; formally X-Men] 142. TITANIUM MAN (Boris Bullski) [None, formally The Hammer] 143. ULTRON (Ultron-11) [None; formally Sons of Yinsen] 144. UNION JACK (Joseph "Joey" Chapman) [MI-5] 145. US AGENT (John F. Walker) [None; formally Mighty Avengers] 146. VENOM (Edward Charles Allan Brock) [None, formally Sinister Six] 147. VISION (Jonas) [Young Avengers] 148. VOLSTAGG (Volstagg) [Warriors Three] 149. WAR MACHINE (James Rupert Rhodes) [secret Avengers/The Avengers] 150. WARPATH (James Proudstar) [X-Men] 151. WASP (mini figure) (Janet van Dyne) [Deceased, formally Mighty Avengers] 152. WHIPLASH (Ivan Vanko) [None] 153. WHIPLASH/CRIMSON DYNAMO (Anton Vanko) [None] 154. WOLVERINE/PATCH/WEAPON X ( James “Logan” Howlett) [X-Men/X-Force/Avengers/New Avengers] 155. WONDER MAN (Simon Williams) [None, formally Lethal Legion] 156. WRECKER (Dirk Garthwaite) [Wrecking Crew] 157. X-23 (Laura Kinney) [X-Men]

I updated the list. I was quickly typing yesterday before the end of work at 5 p.m. I was not as clear in my description. I was only counting the characters that were made in the O-ring scale that we have not gotten yet in the modern 4-inch scale. So far through May 2011, there are only 12 individual characters left to make using that criteria as I did not count troop builders as they are not individuals. For some reason, I thought that Pythona was made, but everyone is right, She was not. I did not have Lt. Clay Moore on there either so I fixed the list. It was a lot of hard work. I had also only included the Sunbow A.R.A.H. series of the cartoon as I have not finished watching every episode of the DiC A.R.A.H. series. Too elaborate on the episode selection, I had only counted story arcs as the episodes ran together as many different story arcs. There were a total of 65 different story arcs within the 100 episodes of the Sunbow series.

-To help you out with the individual character count (troopers and army builders are not added) on whom we are missing from the cartoon, I put this together a while ago after watching every episode of the Sunbow A.R.A.H. cartoon last summer. (I did not count the DiC cartoon as I have not seen all of that so far.) So far, through May, 2011, we are only missing 12 characters that have been made in o-ring form in the 25th/ME/RoC/PoC/Resolute scale. *Note - Not all characters have the the exact costume. For Example: Law & Order. Here is the list of Joes that appeared most in the ARAH Sunbow Cartoon. There were a total of 65 story arcs that expanded into 100 episodes (including the movie). **Note - On the list, I had only counted the story arc that the character was in as many episodes ran together making that story arc. Interestingly enough, of the 67 Joes that were in the cartoon. Lady Jaye was in the cartoon the most. I would have thought it would have been someone else. Also, we are only missing 8 total Joe characters from the cartoon. They Are: Cross Country, Iceberg, Tollbooth, Sparks, Jinx, Mercer, Taurus, & Red Dog Lady Jaye 47 Flint 44 Duke 40 Roadblock 39 Gung-Ho 37 Scarlett 34 Shipwreck 33 Wild Bill 31 Breaker 28 Snake Eyes 25 Cover Girl 25 Alpine 24 Beach Head 21 Low-Light 21 Bazooka 21 Ace 21 Dial-Tone 20 Spirit & Freedom 19 Hawk 18 Mainframe 18 Dusty 18 Wet-Suit 17 Leatherneck 16 Lifeline 16 Mutt & Junkyard 16 Cutter 16 Barbeque 15 Lift-Ticket 15 Quick Kick 15 Snow Job 15 Doc 14 Recondo 14 Thunder 14 Rock 'N Roll 13 Slip-Stream 13 Sci-Fi 13 Rip Cord 13 Deep Six 13 Footloose 12 Blowtorch 11 Airtight 11 Torpedo 10 Stalker 10 Clutch 9 Airborne 9 Cross Country 9 Iceberg 8 Zap 8 Sgt. Slaughter 7 Short-Fuse 7 Grunt 6 Tripwire 6 Flash 5 Tollbooth 5 Steeler 4 Frostbite 3 Sparks 3 Falcon 1 Chuckles 1 Tunnel Rat 1 Jinx 1 Law & Order 1 Heavy Metal 1 Big Lob 1 Mercer 1 Taurus 1 Red Dog 1 Here is the list of Cobra that appeared most in the ARAH Sunbow Cartoon. There were a total of 65 story arcs that expanded into 100 episodes (including the movie). Of the 24 Cobra main individual characters, Cobra Commander, was in the cartoon the most: Also, we are only missing 4 total Cobra characters from the cartoon. They Are: Thrasher, Zandar, Lt. Clay Moore & Golobulus Cobra Commander 58 Destro 40 Buzzer 31 Torch 31 Ripper 30 Zartan 30 Baroness 30 Tomax 22 Xamot 22 Dr. Mindbender 20 Major Bludd 16 Serpentor 15 Storm Shadow 12 Zarana 12 Monkeywrench 10 Thrasher 9 Firefly 9 Wild Weasel 7 Zandar 7 Scrap Iron 6 Copperhead 3 Lt. Clay Moore 1 Golobulus 1 Nemesis Enforcer 1

Since there are six versions of Cyclops out, which one is your favorite? X-Men Origins: Wolverine [Astonishing Costume] Secret Wars #4 2-Pack [Classic Costume] w/ Hulk 2-Pack Greatest Battles [Classic Costume Dark Blue] w/ Dark Phoenix Series 13 [Jim Lee Costume] 6-Pack/Giant Size X-Men [Classic Costume] 2-Pack/Greatest Battles [X-Men First Class Costume] w/ Marvel Girl

Which is your favorite F.A.N.G. of the 4 helicopters? Cobra FANG-76X3-6 ARG Comandos Helicóptero UK SAF Copter - 3028 AT Adventure Team Helicopter

25th Iron Grenadier Officer, 25th Iron Grenadier or PoC Iron Grenadier Iron Grenadier (pronounced Iron Grin-a-deer) Bonus: PoC Destro & PoC Iron Grenadier together:

25th Cobra Viper or PoC Cobra Viper

Which one is your favorite version of Edgar J. Skylar from Burlingame, California?

Here are some of the individual characters (non-army builders) from the 2011 Joe Con exclusive extras. They are the new additions to the Python Patrol Team. It is nice to have more individual characters in the ranks rather than various anonymous troops. I really like Lightning's new sniper rifle. I believe that it is the first time it has been used in G.I. Joe. Enjoy: Also, here is the Python Tele-Viper Officer's File Card to check his individuality: As the title says, the Python Para Tele-Viper Officer is an individual character. He is not a various army-builder as thought. Here is his FILE CARD info: Python Patrol Comunications Code Name: Python Tele-Viper Officer File Name: Unknown Primary Military Specialty: Communications Secondary Military Specialty: Infantry/Parachute Qualified Birthplace: Unknown The Python Tele-Viper Officer was once captured on assignment in North America and, upon being freed, was banished to Python Patrol headquarters in Brazil as punishment. His spirit unbroken, he vowed to prove he has what it takes to gain the respect of Cobra Commander, regardless. He has become something of a miricle worker, keeping cutting edge equipment in perfect working condition despite jungle heat and humidity. His secondary goal of cracking the encryption codes of listen g stations right in his own backyard remain elusive, although hd is beginning to suspect it was an impossible side mission designed to keep him busy permanently. Being signed to such an inhospitable post as the Amazon means he not only has to keep his team at peak efficiency, but also their equipment. This often involves under radar reflective parachutes to drop stealthy into locations his team has secured. This allows him to make emergency repairs, perform surprise inspections, and personally deliver information in case of telecommunications failure, all without breaking stealth protocols. Nevertheless, can he keep his team functioning when G.I. Joe comes and turns them off once and for all? "If I have to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft, your radio better be really broken."

Branson unveils 'flying' sub to plumb ocean depths - Yahoo! News -Now the question of it being a sub or a plane is finally resolved. Branson unveils 'flying' sub to plumb ocean depths. NEWPORT BEACH, California (AFP) – Billionaire Richard Branson unveiled plans to pilot a "flying" mini-submarine down to the furthest depths of the oceans, in his latest record-breaking adventure. The single-seater Virgin Oceanic craft will try to reach the deepest points in each of the world's five oceans -- in what would be the first such feat -- starting with the deepest of them all, in the western Pacific later this year. "With space long ago reached by man, and commercial spaceflight tantalizingly close, the last great challenge for humans is to reach and explore the depths of our planet's oceans," said Branson. "More men have been to the moon than have been down further than 20,000 feet," he told AFP, announcing the Jules Verne, "20,000 Leagues under the Sea"-style project at Newport Harbor, south of Los Angeles. Branson will share piloting duties with US sailor and explorer Chris Welsh, the chief pilot of the winged, Space Shuttle-shaped submersible, in the five dives planned over the a two-year period. If plans go well and pressure testing of the mini-sub succeeds, the first will be taken by chief pilot Welsh into the Mariana Trench in the Pacific, which goes down to 36,201 feet (11,033 meters), later in 2011. Branson, back-up pilot on the first trip, will then pilot the red, white and blue sub to the Atlantic's Puerto Rico trench -- helpfully close to his Necker island home -- which has never been explored before at 28,232 feet (8,605 m). If successful in reaching the bottom of the Mariana Trench, it would be following in the wake of the US Navy's lumbering bathyscaphe "Trieste," which got there on January 23, 1960. No one has been back since. The comparatively tiny Virgin sub can "fly" with a "completely unique flying wing" for up to 10 kilometers (six miles) at the bottom of the ocean, and operate autonomously for up to 24 hours, while filming never-seen marine life. Welsh said the potential risks of the adventure are enormous: to withstand pressures of up to 1,000 times normal atmospheric pressure, the craft is made from 8,000 pounds of carbon fibre and titanium, with a quartz viewing dome. "No leak is tolerable. A leak would cut through stainless steel or human flesh and mean certain death," he said. "The depth is beyond the capabilities of any other craft, so rescue is impossible. "It's like being on the dark side of the moon," he added. Branson -- who has coined the term "aquanauts" for those who go below 20,000 feet -- was sanguine about the dangers. "It's very important if you do adventures that you do think about the worst eventualities that can happen," he said, saying these included the pressurization system going wrong. While his deep-sea project is initially in a single-seater craft, he made clear he saw it going the same way as Virgin Galactic, which started small before planning to offer an eight-seater space craft. "At Virgin we believe that there are thousands of people who'd like to explore the oceans, and become aquanauts," he said. The project has a serious scientific aim, Branson stressed, noting that partners include the renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography which will be among its key science advisors. "From a scientific point of view, this is akin to discovering the Amazon for the first time. The amount that they're going to discover down there is incalculable. Sixty-year-old Branson, who hopes the submarine project will break up to 30 Guinness World records, is well known for his past adventures, including trying to circumnavigate the globe in a balloon. After starting in the music industry, Branson launched an airline and has since branched into a huge range of businesses, some groundbreaking: his Virgin Galactic project is on track to offer commercial space travel by early 2012. The Oceanic submarine was originally commissioned by Steve Fossett, Branson's former adventurer partner, who died in a mysterious plane crash in California in 2007. "It will be very much in his honor and memory that we'll make the dives," Branson said, adding: "We intend to finish what my friend started."