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Whitewolf

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Everything posted by Whitewolf

  1. Sorry...I decided to make this a seperate post.
  2. Back in 1982, those of us "oldtimers" were introduced to ARAH with Cobra Soldier and Cobra Officer...and then Cobra Commander in 1983. These were the main enemy forces our Joe figures battled in backyards across the country. Then, by 1986, Hasbro started to release all sorts of new weapons, vehicles and playsets specifically for Cobra. Our Cobra figures finally got their base in the form of the Terrordrome, with the Rattler, they had a fighter jet to go toe-to-toe with the Joes' Skystriker and practically every other Joe vehicle or Battle Pack had it's Cobra equivalent as well. It was also in 1986 that saw the introduction of the Cobra Viper. Hasbro originally intended the Viper to be an updated and "cooler" replacement grunt to the less-detailed Cobra Soldier. But over the years, it seems that the Vipers have somehow been brought into the Cobra fold and the basic Trooper has been left in place as well. So my question is this: what exactly is the difference between a Cobra Viper and a Cobra Trooper? Have the Vipers become the Cobra equivalent to Special Forces and the Troopers are just the basic infantry? Anyone know exactly how the Vipers fit into the Cobra Command military heirarchy?
  3. Hold on everyone... I have two words for you all: Princess Leia There have been just about as many variations of this Star Wars character as there have been of Han Solo or Luke Skywalker or any of the other core characters. And if Star Wars sales are any indicator, she sells just as well as her male counterparts. So Hasbro certainly isn't "girl shy" when making action figures. At any given time in Hasbro's (and before that, Kenner's) past, there has been a New Hope version (classic white gown and cinnamon-roll hairdo), at least two Empire Strikes Back versions (Hoth gear and Cloud City gown), and two Return of the Jedi versions (Jabba's slave girl and her Rebel military uniform). So I'm not entirely sure if the old "female figures don't sell" marketing demographic really applies as much as we all think it does nowadays. Core characters, as a whole, are what drive a TV show/toy line's popularity, and therefore drive sales. Scarlett is the "token cute chick" on Sigma 6, mainly designed to attract female viewers. This is a formula that toy makers have been using for years. Look at Power Rangers. There has always been a Pink Ranger, no matter what incarnation that toy line has been in. Scarlett is more than likely to see a Sigma 6 figure at some point, but whether or not she'll be geared more toward a Bratz doll than an action figure remains to be seen. Don't be at all surprised if her Weapons Locker doesn't include some sort of "hair-styling accessory" to bring in the female demographic at the cash register.
  4. Are these the same blue Vipers that come in the Gung-Ho/Cobra Viper 2-packs?
  5. Another sad fact is, that most of the live CSRs at Hasbro don't even know much about the products you are inquiring about. For example, I called Hasbro's Customer Service number a few days ago, and the guy on the other end of the phone sounded as though interacting with the public was akin to a dentist's drill. I had called to ask whether or not spare decal sheets could be purchased for GI Joe vehicles, since my R.H.I.N.O.'s decals were applied horribly. My first indicator that the phone call wasn't going to go well was his question of "What is a RHINO?" After I told him that it's a GI Joe vehicle, he then said that the name didn't sound familiar to him. He had to actually log onto Hasbro's website and search their own product catalog to get pics of it. This astounded me! How can you honestly be placed into a customer service position at the largest toy company in the U.S. and be clueless about your company's line of products? CSRs are (for lack of a better term) the ambassadors of any given company, interacting with the public on all sorts of issues...from inquiries to complaints. My personal experience with Hasbro's CS has left a bad taste in my mouth as well.
  6. I passed up on this "steal" today. He said that it was no big loss, because he had been planning on dismantling the Terrordrome and selling the individual parts for $20 each on eBay. Good for him... @hmmm@
  7. Yeah, that was my first reaction too. I don't even think I've ever seen a complete MIB Terrordrome go for that much on eBay, and eBay isn't exactly known for its "bargains."
  8. Okay, before everyone and their brother starts PMing me on how much I'm selling the aforementioned Terrordrome for, I must make it clear that I AM NOT selling one. Rather, I have a friend whom I've recently gotten back in touch with who has one that he's willing to sell me...for the small sum of $500. Now, it's complete, but doesn't have the box. All pieces are in good shape, with the exception of the white parts being slightly yellowed. What I'd like to know is this: is $500 a fair price to ask of this playset or is this a blatent example of trying to price gouge? He's laying on the "it's a pristine-condition 80s GI Joe collector's item that I could easily get $1000 for" song and dance pretty thick. I know that several of you on here have snagged completely or nearly-complete Terrordromes from other forum members, eBay, etc. What did you all pay for yours? My first instinct is to pass this gem up, considering that he's asking for what amounts to the monthly car payments of both mine and my fiancee's vehicles. Any feedback on this would be greatly appreciated.
  9. Whitewolf

    jay c

    Man, it does around my house about once every 28 days! @loll@
  10. According to information given on the HTS Customer Service "Instant Answers" FAQ, Hasbro has all but answered the question as to whether or not the 3.75" Joe line will continue or not. As many can reluctantly agree (I can feel S6 haters cringing all over the place), the fate of GI Joe now rests squarely on the success or failure of Sigma 6. If Sigma 6 fails like many hope and pray it will, Hasbro is talking like it may just pull the plug on the whole franchise indefinitely. @grumpy@ Here is a Q&A about why Hasbro chose to discontinue the 3.75" Joes: Question: Why have you discontinued the 3-3/4" and 12" G.I. Joe figures? Answer: Every generation of kids has had their “own” G.I. Joe. In the 60s, it was real military, in the 70s, it was the Adventure team. The 80s saw the birth of Real American Hero and today’s kids will experience Sigma Six, which is simply “not your dad’s G.I. Joe”! With the launch of G.I. Joe Sigma Six this fall, Hasbro once again “reinvents” action figures with an exciting new storyline, Saturday morning television programming on Fox, and new action-packed figures that carry lots of gear for “covert operations.” And here is a Q&A about why an 8" scale was chosen for Sigma 6: Question: Why did you change the G.I. Joe line so drastically? Answer: Every generation has it's own G.I. Joe and Sigma Six is geared towards a new generation. The key to keeping a brand popular is to keep it fresh with new figures and themes that appeal to kids current tastes. G.I. Joe Sigma six captures the action and adventure that made G.I. Joe a boyhood rite of passage, but in a way that is tailor made to a new generation. We have a brand new look and scale of the figures, plus an exciting new animated series that will debut on 4Kids TV this fall. Keep in mind, this is directly from a Hasbro rep, not a 3rd-party rumormill. With all the "Wal-Joe Scandal" stuff going on and the fact that Hasbro has no immediate plans to go beyond a Wave 5 of DTC figures and no more vehicles at all (read the article over at CobraIsland.com), it looks like Hasbro is indeed putting all its eggs into the S6 basket.
  11. I listed this in my very first post, but here's a recap: Here is what I received this year is: Sigma Six Commando Wave 1 Sigma Six Soldier Wave 1 Sigma Six Cobra Commander Sigma Six Long Range DTC R.O.C.C. DTC R.H.I.N.O. VvV Snake Eyes/Swamp Rat VvV Bombstrike/Croc Master DTC Barrel Roll DTC Crimson Guard x2 My fiancee was doing some last-minute Christmas shopping at two different TRUs in our area, and she was half-heartedly checking the GI Joe section of the first TRU when a dark blue figure caught her eye in the very back of a row of Wave 1 Duke figures. She said she pulled it out and there he was...the S6 Cobra Commander in all his $14.99 glory. She got one of each S6 figure she could find, which accounted for the entire Wave 1 Commando line. She said that this particular TRU had gotten a new shipment of VvV 2-packs, so she picked up a couple of those. Then, a trip to the second TRU... This particular store has its S6 figures on a free-standing display near the Star Wars section. She couldn't believe the find she came across. There, between a Wave 1 Snake Eyes and a Spirit Iron Knife was a single Long Range figure. She told me today that she searched through the rest of the figures and only found the Wave 1 Soldier assortment, so she snagged Tunnel Rat, Kamakura, the Ninja B.A.T. and Sea Ops Duke as well, but the Long Range figure was a perfect example of being at the right place at the right time. And I bought myself the R.O.C.C., R.H.I.N.O., and a few DTC figures with Christmas money sent to us by family. Over all, it was a great holiday.
  12. @loll@ @loll@ @loll@ @loll@ @loll@ @loll@ @loll@
  13. Thanks everyone! Glad to be here. The sticky oil leaks mostly inside the two side compartments with the fold-down doors. The slide-out deck plate's track on the right side of the R.H.I.N.O. seems to be where its coming from. There were areas on the helipad itself and along the underside of the vehicle that also had this goo on them. I used a small amount of 409 on an old washcloth to clean the excess oil out of the compartments and off of the outside. It worked like a charm, but I'm going to be watching for more leakage in the next few days. As for the decal issue, I called Hasbro Customer Service this afternoon to see if I could possibly purchase a decal sheet. The CSR I spoke to sounded supremely disinterested in my inquiry and wasn't really familiar with the item I wanted the decals for. He took no less than 8 minutes to look up the vehicle from Hasbro's own website so he could get pics of the R.H.I.N.O. Not a good way to instill confidence in your customer base if your Customer Service Reps don't even know the products your company is selling! @hmmm@ Once he found the R.H.I.N.O., he then informed me that GI Joe products are not given "spare parts" listings except for O-rings and certain weapons. The only option I had was to repack the vehicle and return it for another R.H.I.N.O. or the amount for it could be credited back to my credit card. It just seems like an awful lot of trouble to go through just to possibly get another vehicle with the same amateurish decal application. A bit frustrating, to say the least. @bH@
  14. Hello all... Greetings from Maryland. I've been a lurker on these forums for a while now, but this is my first post, so bear with me if I cover a topic that's already been done to death. This year, my fiancee made the holidays into "GI Joe: A Real American Christmas" for me. #US1# lol I got a veritable boatload of Joes, both 3.75" figures and vehicles and Sigma Six figures. I know that there is a huge rift between the Joe "purists" and the Sigma camp, but I have to admit that I can truly appreciate both scales for what they are. What I received this year is: Sigma Six Commando Wave 1 Sigma Six Soldier Wave 1 Sigma Six Cobra Commander Sigma Six Long Range R.O.C.C. R.H.I.N.O. VvV Snake Eyes/Swamp Rat VvV Bombstrike/Croc Master Barrel Roll Crimson Guard x2 Not a bad haul, to say the least, especially with the two brand-spanking new Sigma Six figures that have only been out mere days before Christmas. All in all, I'm impressed with everything I got...with one small exception: the decals. Now don't get me wrong. The design of the R.H.I.N.O. and the modular "swap-out" design of the weapon mounts on both it and the R.O.C.C. are nothing short of innovative. But as I said, there were problems that I found with these vehicles in the form of their decals. To put it bluntly, they look like they were applied by a 1st grader. They are uneven and haphazardly placed, with some of their corners already peeling right out of the box. I collected Joes way back in the 80s as a kid, and I remember the really impressive decal sheets that were always included with each vehicle or playset. The new Joe line seems to lack that added element, but whatever the reason, the pre-applied decals show a surprising lack of care from a quality control standpoint. Another problem I found with the R.H.I.N.O. is that the inside compartments and some outer surfaces are covered with what looks like a goo with the consistency of maple syrup. I can only assume that this is a kind of light machine oil Hasbro uses for the "slow-rise" helipad's mechanism. But it seems that a design flaw allows this to leak into the troop compartments. Has anyone else ever had this problem with any of their more recent vehicles? Just wondering. Thanks for letting me ramble...
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