2014 Club Membership Figures/Vehicle

[Ben]

The GI Joe Club revealed the membership incentives today:

http://www.gijoeclub.com//showthread.php?75-2014-CROSS-COUNTRY-3-3-4-inch-Membership-Figure!

3.75 inch Cross Country, plus an add-on HAVOC which looks like a repainted Snow Cat.

http://www.gijoeclub.com//showthread.php?74-2014-MAN-OF-ACTION-12-inch-Membership-Figure!

12 inch Man of Action, plus add-on accessory set.

I have to say, I'm really liking the Cross Country figure. Looks much better than Iceberg last year, and it finishes the Joes from the 1986 series. Think I can pass on the HAVOC Mk. II since I have a vintage one, but depending on price, I may try to get one.

[Ben]

No love, eh? Guess I'll skip the thread about the Eco Warriors con set.

[efranks]

I'm actually pretty excited about Cross Country and the HAVOC especially since they're using the Snow Cat design, which I like.

I'll end up with both figures and add-ons this year.

I'm not up for either of the Convention sets, though.  Maybe I'll change my mind on the 12" set once we see it but from the announcement the only thing I'd really be interested in is the 3.75" Colton figure coming with it...which will probably be easier to get than the carded version they're going to sell.

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[John C]

I might do that sub

[Jesse James]

I was told people were really going ape**** over the last figure announced?

I kinda wish there was something like this for Star Wars, honestly...  If we were getting obscurity for a premium that basically Hasbro guaranteed us they weren't ever going to do, so deal with it here or not at all, I think I'd be in with just a tinge of bitching. 

Tonnika Sisters, complete with camel toe, anyone?

[Greg]

I was told people were really going ape**** over the last figure announced?

I kinda wish there was something like this for Star Wars, honestly...  If we were getting obscurity for a premium that basically Hasbro guaranteed us they weren't ever going to do, so deal with it here or not at all, I think I'd be in with just a tinge of bitching. 

Tonnika Sisters, complete with camel toe, anyone?

I didn't get the Joe subscription, but that final "bonus" figure sure did seem like a slap in the face. For the price and quality (or lack thereof) I really think the Joe club is a total farce, and I would be very disappointed if a similar operation got ahold of rights for Star Wars .

[Paul]

If I ever win one of those huge Lotteries my plan is to buy the Joe club license. Or may just Hasbro. You heard it here first.

[efranks]

Yeah, the 13th figure from the FSS 2.0 is kind of lackluster.  I know who it is and have seen the photos but mine hasn't shown up yet.  I think Blackout for the FSS 1.0 was a better choice. 

But I've also seen people that think the FSS 2.0 had a better offering of characters and I don't agree with that.  We had 3 female characters in the first round which, IMO, was the better choice.

I don't know if I'll be in for FSS 3.0 if they do it.  So far the figures that I've wanted the most I've had a shot at buying individually from the Club after they shipped to subscribers. So I think I may just buy them individually next time.  The only chance I'd be taking is they know the 13th figure out of the park and I wouldn't be able to get it.  But, even though I thought Blackout was a good figure, if I'd missed him I wouldn't be crying.

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[Ben]

Today's the last day to sign up/renew for this year's promo figures.

I skipped the 2.0 sub. I'm really not that big on/care about international variants, and this set seemed to have too many straight-up repaints. There are only three figures I really want from it (Tollbooth, Keel Haul, and Cesspool), so I'll just grab them eventually. The Club has just about all the figures in their store anyway, at a limit of five per membership, which is a huge increase from the one per they allowed for the last set.

[efranks]

I never looked, I wonder if the 5 per limit was available from the start or if they upped it after limiting it further at the start?  I know that when FSS 1.0 figs hit the store they mostly sold out in a couple of days, with only a couple exceptions. 

Or, I wonder if they have more this time around because they ordered based on FSS 1.0 numbers and didn't get as many takers on the full sub?  I wonder if some of the info on that will be talked about during the Club's panel at the Con next month?  I'm sure if they're planning on doing a 3.0 sub we'll probably hear about the figures at that show, they announced 2.0 at last year's con.

Although, who knows if you'll be able to register for this year's Con?  Technical problems have kept it from going online so far.  I'm not going and I won't be ordering either set although I do like the 12" set this year.  Just looking at it, though, I don't think the value is there.  And I've seen it reported that other than the freebie for attending, there isn't an add-on set for the 12" release this year, but I'm not sure that's a 100% yet.

I'm still in for the Havok and Cross Country and the accessory set for the 12" figure, which I have picked as my free fig this year.

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[Jesse James]

I get Joe info second hand since I don't buy the line, so I didn't even know who the figure was that was causing a fuss, but man it sounded like Star Wars bitching x 1000.    Part of me always likes knowing there's a crowd more manic than the Star Wars one in some way.

I get what you're saying Greg, but if you were guaranteed that ONLY some sanctioned club thing could get you the Tonnika's and a handful of figures Hasbro just out and out said, "Nope, never will happen under us specifically, but a 'fan club'...  eh...  yeah...  we'd let them do something", I'd cave on something like that.

Something mass produced, not "garage kit" stuff made out of resins and whatnot...  Something real, sanctioned, and interesting.  I'd pay the premium I think if it were done decently.

It is far, far more difficult (and impossible, really, given licenses and such) for that to happen with Star Wars, than Joe, since part swapping isn't nearly as universal...  But the thought just entered my mind.  To get the Tonnika's?  And I mean, good Tonnika's, not just Padme's with a different deco or something, then I'd probably be in.  I'd bitch on the price, but I'd be in.

[efranks]

The membership figures and accessories went up for pre-order on the Club website today (Thursday).  They're a little more expensive than I thought they would be.

I picked the 12" figure as my sub freebie so I ponied up for the accessory set and box for him ($40), Cross Country (carded $30) and the H.A.V.O.C. ($42).  Over $126 shipped.  I wasn't really pleased with that total.

I didn't really want a carded Cross Country but there was no option for a bagged figure so I don't know if I offered to trade him to someone getting the free version that's a carded collector would work or not.  I don't think the $42 for the vehicle is actually that terrible.  It's a limited run on a decent sized toy that was $20 or $25 at retail the first time around...Same price as the Eagle Hawk is now.

I expected $40 on the 12" set mostly because of the box.  It's the only 12" Joe stuff out there so I feel like I needed to support it.

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[Ben]

My bagged Cross Country arrived today. Hopefully all the incentive figures are this great going forward.

[efranks]

Yeah, Cross Country really turned out well.  I got my package Wednesday with Cross Country the HAVOC and 12" accessory set and my free figure came also, in it's own box.

I'm really happy with all of it.  I didn't open CC yet but I put the HAVOC together and it's a solid toy. 

I also think the Man of Action turned out really well.  My figure has great joints, the ******* is nice and the uniform fit well.  I've had a couple QC issues with the 12" figs in the past but this one is rock solid.  It makes the price tag for all of it seem a little better but that was still a lot of scratch for this year's lot.

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