Joelanta 2011 - Part 1

Every year, Atlanta gets to host its very own GI Joe convention/toy show. Buddy Finethy & the crew behind Joelanta do a stellar job every single year. This year was no exception!

Today's show was a step above others that I have been to with the inclusion of a very special guest - Larry Hama! The mastermind behind much of the mythos of the G.I. Joe: Real American Hero line, he is always a welcome sight to see at any venue. Plus I got his autograph! So I'm happy!

I'm going to post a few updates during the week regarding some of the stuff seen at Joelanta. This year's show was very 1/6th scale heavy. Tons of stuff for the big Joe collector! A decent amount for the small scale collector, but mostly big dude stuff.

There were some amazing deals to be found today. There were several great boxed 1/6th troops that were being sold for below retail costs. I was sorely tempted, but I've got too much 1/6th stuff as it is.

I highly recommend this yearly event for any Joe collectors that can get here! Not near as involved as the big GI Joe convention, but it works just great for me!

Stay tuned for more updates!

GI JOE Dragonhawk gunship

It's my opinion, and I have nothing to back this up, that some of these ROC vehicles were left over from the Sigma six small scale and just rebadged. The Dragonhawk is clearly such a thing.
And it's just as clearly a piece of crap!!!!!
The 10year old in me says "it's ok" And it is an ok toy.Just not in any sense a good toy.
BUT, it comes with a Wild Bill that is 1 accessory away from being perfect. A Dang helmet (and not a tiny one like before) and Wild Bill ROCKS!!! Ok, that's it for the good stuff. Well, it is a tough toy. Mostly, the gear will break, the rotors are tough to put in and easy to put in wrong the first time.But the toy will hold up to play. Good thing, because it will spend a lot of time crashed and burned.
The toy is ugly,misshapen,clunky and small. The gun is a joke, like a fire hose nozzle stuck in a near useless angle. The rocket pods are tough, neat,multishot and UGLY when deployed. The deploying lever is UGLY. In a word, this is just ugly. And compared to the Cobra Razor it sucks.
It's kinda like an Apache, and we know there was no way to do an Apache in an affordable way, (BBI made an awesome Apache that was expensive). So what Hasbro should have done was reissue the dragonfly Huey Cobra looking helo. And they would sold like hotcakes. (HOW do hotcakes sell in your neck of the woods?)
I got mine a TRU on sell for under 10 bucks.I figure I bought Wild Bill at premium price but he came with a cool accessory

ROC Cobra Gunship

So, I have one of these and it's been modified (like most stuff, not finished).

But since Wally World is selling these things a bit cheaper and at least mine is covered up in them, I thought I throw my 2 cents on the table. First off, there are "2 different figures" in the stores. I will find out soon if they are really different or if it's just the helmet. In any case, the vest is a nice near copy of US Navy survival vest, and my first one went to my Will Smith pilot figure (Rip Cord with odds n ends).











I might as well get another in case I ever get the f14 or F18. Moving on, it's just a blah figure.
The biggest issue we have with the gunship is size. In the movie, it's a 2 place bird, with a big enough cabin to hold 5 people. Not real comfortable, but it will do. So the gunship needs to be the size of the Power team Dauphin/ChiComm gunship (in the US , Gunless Ship). BAM!!! perfect repilica!!! They got the look down with Cobra's Gunship (also might be known as a Razor).
And the Dauphin, likely made at the same factory as the Razor, was cheap. And sells out FAST when ever and where ever it shows up. So Hasbro misses the boat by penny pinching and giving us a 1/35th scale toy. But, this is a 46 year old boy review sooooo.....

The Bird looks GOOD. It has 2 working missile launchers that look ok. It comes with a figure (Firefly? huh?) and you generally get your choice, red or black helmet. The thing can carry 3 more figures in the cabin if you're careful. 4 if you're not picky. So an Air Assault is out, unless you buy an armful of these things. I see THIS toy as a scout (cobra has lots of "scouts") vehicle or a small delivery craft of the REAL Firefly. The new Firefly looks really good with this thing what with all the angles and colors,or a recon/commando team.The bomb dropping is ok, better than a Fury/Rage can lay mines in any case.

The 46yr old man, says, well made,solid, will survive most play dates. the 2 rocket pods are solid, will fire most ROC missiles. Awww, wait...Ok, the pods are good, but, the movie pods were multi shots,finer,more aerodynamic affairs...oh well.
The cockpit can be broken easily, but looks good, even if it's 1 man and cut off from the cabin. In the movie, 2 neo vipers are flying it and they can be seen from the rear of the cabin.
The color is off, but uniform and fitting. The landing gear is wrong. but sturdy. This toy is pretty good, especially when compared to the Joes gunship, coming next.

Finally though, as this thing comes from MARS , it of course can fly. It flies, hovers, thrust vectors...HOW??? I think I see nozzles on the sides and it has big intakes.. but dang, Joe needs to up his purchases from MARS, since it seems like everything comes from MARS.

HISS!

I got lucky last weekend and found another HISS tank at Ross. These things are pretty cool. Gotta' get the stickers on the new one.

Wess is a little irritated with me for finding a second. If I find another, it is heading on a slightly northern journey.

Just a quick look at mounting both sets of weapons on one frame. Pretty sweet!

Flight Pods & Pictures & Stuff

I just thought that I would post a few pictures to tie into Wess' post about the Flight Pods. Pretty cool little vehicles - and like most GI Joe/Cobra vehicles - not very practical in a 1/1 version.

A comparison of the original colors of the flight pod and the ROC version. The black & red one came from a Target exclusive set that was so exclusive that it was only sold at Ross. What?

I guess that just shows how bad the ROC line was starting to suck. Retailers didn't even want their own exclusives!

So Wess suggested that I switch the canopies to see how they would look. The clear dome on the black body looks pretty cool. I didn't take a pic of the red dome on white body, just didn't look right together.

The other Elite Vipers share a good laugh at the new guy's uniform.

Maybe this is why Target bailed on the exclusive. The colors on the Elite Viper pilot are just... crappy? I thought that this type of color pallete for GI Joe toys was abandonded back with the demise of the original line in the early 80's. Yeuch! Just custom fodder!

So he becomes custom fodder. I took the helmet and switched it out for Destro's chrome melon and - maybe a new version of a SAW viper? Sounds good to me.

Well, actually, it doesn't. I have since switched out this head with a ROC neo-viper head. Looks even better.

Sorry, pale pinkish hued Elite Viper, back to the island of misfit toys.

Cobra Flight Pods aka Trouble Bubbles

I may be the last 10yr old on Earth to get one of these. Stands to reason, I'm 46.

So, let's get into the Trouble Bubble. The Flight Pod, a flying machine only a cruel mother could love, was highly influenced by Cobra Commander. Look at his touches....big,ungainly commander replica windscreen...This thing is like flying thru the air with a drag chute open.
On mine, the Target exclusive from Ross, (Thanx Tom!!!!!) the screen is red. clearly a nod to protecting from red L A S E R S......(in my mind, when I type the word "laser" I hear Dr.Evils voice saying L A S E R. Very clear, what you don't?)
But let's look closer. no protection for the pilot. hell he doesn't even get a foot rest. He's zooming along (more later) and his feet are hanging down, so his legs go numb because the seat cuts off the circulation. Distracting....
flex tubing or conduit exposed to , what is it, a L A S E R (did it again) cannon? That begs for a tree limb or something to interfere and disable the gun.
Did I say ZOOMING? ok I'll bite. HOW? At least the Ghost Hawks had pivoting engines.
The bubbles zoom straight up and more likely straight back down. Well, actually they would kinda fall over, maybe spin around like Curly from the 3 Stooges , maybe they strafe in a circle at ground level?
I see the fins on the engine pods, thrust vectoring? In a left or right direction...but fore and aft? Maybe the big helmet acts as a sail when the wind pushes it back? Then, what a bomb load! or are those missiles? Hope it doesn't weigh down the bubble TOO much..

I see these things as scouts....until you realize they look like clowns in their red "star fleet kill me" uniforms. EDIT: Seems the box puts THESE pods in action in "a large asian city" so I figure, lots of neon lights, colored bill boards, etc, so the cammo kinda works...
So now, they are more like giant red clay target pigeons....Good thing they are cheap (in Cobra scale) to make. Bet the learning curve to fly is STEEP.

But, as a 10yr old, these things are GREAT!!! I can see zooming em around blastin everything in sight (whether it needs blasting or not)!!! Kinda like the Speeder bikes in Empire Strikes Back.
I have 2 and I could use 2 more.

Guest Review: the Mom here at the toy farm, LOVES the "Trouble pods, or Flight Bubbles or what ever they're called"...she says the bright red cammo and the red domes, are just the ticket to surviving the low level hell that is a green (well, green-ish) carpet. For comparison, she chucked a Beach head and a Neo-viper to the floor and said "SEE?" (it took 10 minutes to find the mp5 Beachhead had carried....)
So thanks again Tom!!!! I now may get at least 2 more to fill my Cobra hanger bay.But the Vipers are getting a repaint. Say, is it me or do they look like Snake eyes?

Cobra Resolute Troopers

Just a quick post about a recent minor custom project. I saw a custom on Joedios.com or maybe Joecustoms.com using the belt from Blackout and it looked great.

I carefully carved it out with my Dremel and it worked! Adds a little extra to the team leader.

Plus I switched out the Para-Viper goggles for new Alley Viper googles. Much better and the helmet has a tighter fit on the troop's head.