Finally picked up the retro cardback version of Sgt. Stalker. Not really sure why I held off on it for so long, but glad to finally add him to my collection. One more checked off from my list of missing Classified figures. One day I’ll get them all!
🎼Farewell and adieu to you fair Spanish ladies
Farewell and adieu to you ladies of Spain
Cause we've received orders for to sail for old
England,
But we hope in a short time to see you again.
We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors, We'll rant and we'll rave across the salt seas, Until we strike soundings in the Channel of England, From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-four leagues.
We hove our ship to, with the wind at southwest, boys, We hove our ship to, for to take soundings clear.
In fifty-five fathoms with a fine sandy bottom
We filled our main tops', up Channel did steer.
The first land we made was a point called the Deadman,
Neaxt Ramshead off Plymouth, Start, Portland and Wight;
We sailed then by Beachy, by Fairlee and Dover, Then bore straight away for the South Foreland Light.
Then the signal was made for the Grand Fleet to anchor,
We clewed up our tops'Is, stuck out tacks and sheets
We stood by our stoppers, we brailed in our spankers,
Then anchord ahead of the noblest of fleets
Let every man here drink up his full bumper, Let every man here drink up his full bowl, And let us be jolly and drown melancholy, Singing, here's a good health to all true-hearted lass🎶
Over the past couple days I’ve seen quite a few posts, across different platforms, where people seem to have an issue with the idea of Jem potentially having a Classified Figure. I personally don’t understand the issue with her or her band getting figures. I feel like GI-Joe and Jem and the Holograms have always been tied together. I think it makes more sense for Jem to be included then it does some of the other characters from pop culture that I’ve seen people wishlist or some of the characters that have already had GI-Joe figures made of them in the past.
At least Jem and the Holograms have crossed over with GI-Joe on more than one occasion. Their poster inclusion on the SDCC Cold Slither box set, their appearance in the comics, the concert held this year at SDCC which featured them alongside Cold Slither just confirms how well they belong in the Joe universe, but it seems that doesn’t matter to those I saw complaining.
So, I had an idea which could be a way to get those who don’t like the idea of Jem getting a figure, to potentially like it. It would all come down to backstory which would need to be entered into the comics, or given on a very detailed file card:
While touring with Cold Slither, Jerrica Benton (Jem) has an affair with Zartan. When the tour ends Jem and the Holograms disbanded. Jerrica Benton sells off Starlight Music and moves out of LA, to disappear from the public’s eye. Changing her name, she settles down outside Chicago (the last city played during the Cold Slither/Jem and the Holograms Tour), where she would raise her daughter. Despite all the love and care given, the daughter would grow up despising her and constantly trying to find out who her father is. The daughter grew more and more dangerous as the years passed by. Eventually scared for her life, she would fake her own death. The daughter would then burn down her childhood home and seek out her father in the Florida Swamps. A few years later Cold Slither is back on the scene and touring once again. Jerrica would return to LA and reform Jem and the Holograms, but they are now secretly covert operatives working for GI-Joe to get close to Cold Slither and find out Cobra’s plans. Jem also sees this as an opportunity to try and win her daughter back. Will Jem be able to reconcile with her daughter and win her back from her father or will she once again fall under Zartan’s charms?
I think making Jem the mother of Zanya would win over anyone who thinks that Jem doesn’t belong in GI-Joe. Solidifying a relationship like that would certainly make the characters more integral to the overall story and not just make them a passing crossover. It’s simple and easy enough to work into the stories without having to drastically change what already exists.
Hasbro would only need to release a box set, similar to the Cold Slither set, just change the colors of the instruments, add some microphones, and do five figures instead of four. I’m pretty confident it would sell quickly. I think more people would be interested in having the figures if they were made, and if people aren’t interested then they could just pass on by. If you don’t like something or don’t want something, you don’t have to buy it.
Yes, there are certainly other characters and things that I would rather see get made in the classified line, but I wouldn’t be against Jem and the Holograms being made, and I would definitely add them to my collection if they are made. Seeing random characters like these get made would actually be good for the line, since it would show that Hasbro has faith in the line and it’s longevity and they could slowly build out the more wanted characters over time keeping fans hanging on for them. If Hasbro just pushed out all the most wanted characters right away, then fans would just stop buying all together since they’d have everything they want, and the line would die.
I’m curious what those on this Reddit think. Would you want to see Jem and the Holograms added to Classified, or do you think they don’t belong?
Had taken the time a few days ago to set up a makeshift practice lair for the Dreadnoks/Cold Slither, and for some reason had thrown Laurel & Hardy in the background. They’d just been sitting there since I set it up, and I decided that there should be a little story to go with it.
Not explaining why or how they got into the lair in the first place Stan decides to comment on Cold Slither’s music. To which Ollie responds by claiming to be a better singer. Which of course Zartan overheard and challenges Ollie to prove it. Ollie steps up, and sings (any L&H fan knows he actually can, and can fill in which ever song of his they want here). Zarana ends up being impressed by Ollie’s singing. Lucky for Ollie he didn’t quite end up in “Another Fine Mess” this time!
A few months back there were quite a few posts all dissing Zandar. Most were all focusing on the bandana tied around his neck, and debating whether or not it’s the bottom half of Zarana’s shirt (it is). They were also wondering if the two are closer than they should be considering that they are twins (they are). Then there was a few questioning his and the other Dreadnoks intelligence. So of course I put a NSFW post up with the Zandar and Zarana figures appearing to be intimate, and I also posted an image where Zandar was quoting Virgil.
Obviously the NSFW post had people uneasy, but I was a little shocked by the dislikes on the philosophy post. I had planned to do more, and maybe make it like a running joke, where I constantly put the Zandar figure in new places, but have him quoting different philosophers in each post. I just never got around to it, despite pulling and saving quite a few different quotes for him to use.
At the beginning of the month a group I follow put a post up where they wanted people to submit Haiku’s based on topics that are typically considered Geeky. Most were submitting LOTR, Harry Potter, Star Wars/Trek, Marvel, and DC Comics related poems. I was going through and laughing at how many were not legit Haiku’s, but was also trying to decide what to write a Haiku on. As I panned around my room looking for inspiration, I noticed Zartan and the Dreadnoks.
No one had touched GI-Joe as a topic, and I didn’t want to just do a basic Haiku talking about the Joe’s or Cobra. I wanted it to be character/faction specific, within the property, to see how many would even get the reference (no one did). As I focused on the Dreadnoks, I came up with a proper Haiku, but didn’t want to stop just there. I came up with another for Zartan, and decided to do just one more for Zandar & Zarana. Now having the poems made, I knew I had to get back to the idea of getting some shots of Zandar, and having him make the poems in the pictures, but having some medical issues come up, delayed me from getting them done when I wanted to.
I finally had some free time this weekend, and got a couple shots done. I still have some quotes I want to do a similar thing with, but need more time to get those done (hopefully soon).
So, I dedicate this post to the few people who couldn’t stand seeing an intelligent Zandar, and who can’t stand that he loves his sister, and wears a souvenir of that love around his neck! I doubt most will even read everything I wrote, and I’m still expecting the dislikes, but I hope some actually enjoy this. I’m looking forward to creating more content like this!
Doesn’t matter the version, Zartan will always be the 🐐! I will always buy any and all versions of him!
While I personally love both the Cold Slither and Ninja Force looks for Zartan, I know there are those out there who don’t care for them, and figured combining the two might be a way for more people to like and appreciate them. Using Ninja Force Zartan gives off a Metal look for Cold Slither instead of the 80’s Hair Band vibe.
Thanks to a Facebook Marketplace post I was finally able to add Scrap-Iron to my collection! I had only come across him once at my local Walmart, but didn’t pick him up, because someone had torn open his box and stole the drone from it. Thankfully this was still brand new in box, never opened, and sold to me for less than retail price! Now I’ll just have to rework my Cobra display to see where to add him in.
Just been messing around with my figures, and the ‘66 Batman Villain’s Lair has kinda turned into a makeshift Dreadnoks (Cold Slither) rehearsal space. I kind of like the set up, and may keep it as the Dreadnoks Lair for a while!
Got Blackbeard in the mail, and just love how this line is coming out! Got The Black when that was first put up on Valaverse’s website and couldn’t stop coming up with ideas for photos I want to take! Ordered Vane when the Series Six and Black figures went up for preorder, and after receiving him in the mail, turned around and immediately ordered Blackbeard. Now that I have Blackbeard I really need to get two of the Corsairs A and two of the Corsairs B! The Riptide Vehicle and the Jolly Roger 🏴☠️ playset will also need to be a pickup once those release! I’ve definitely been enjoying this subline way more than my Action Force figures, and more than probably 95% of all the other toy lines I collect! It’s been fun coming up with stories and ideas for these characters, and I threw a little bit of that into my last photo on this post!
So, I saw someone post about how Walmart had the America 250 anniversary Duke in stock. Figured I was probably too late, but decided to check anyway. Turns out my local Walmart has it and is offering it to be shipped to my home for same day delivery! Since I have a bad left eye, and can’t drive, I pulled the trigger and figured it’d show up a bit later. Around 1pm I got a notification saying that my order was delivered. Thankfully I was home! I couldn’t believe that Walmart delivered the item in a Brown Paper Bag that they stapled shut! No box or packaging, and no protection or anything wrapped around the figure! I know Walmart doesn’t care about collectors, but this was insane! What annoyed me even more was it was raining today! Had I not been home, that bag would’ve disintegrated and who knows how the figures box would’ve held up (thankfully I’m not an in box collector)! Anyone also could have easily just walked up to my stairs and just slipped the figure out that bag! I’ve never seen a company care so little about how they deliver customers products! Like I said, I’m just glad I was home when the delivery came!
Then on top of the piss poor delivery, this figure is trash! I hate saying it, but it’s just so disappointing! I expected so much more from this release! I don’t know why Hasbro decided to make the File Card even bigger than the previous Retro Cards, but the oversized File Card isn’t needed! Stop putting multiple languages on it, especially on this one since it’s supposed to be in honor of America! The File Cards need to go back to just one language, be way smaller, and then use the back of the box to cross sell or write a bio about the line!
Now onto the poor excuse of a figure! I love the Retro Card Duke, but this repaint feels like a cheaper plastic was used, and that cheaper paints were used! The figure (not just the weapons) feels rubbery, and gummy in places! The hands practically folded like paper when I touched them, and the elbows and knees feel like they won’t hold up for long! The white knife that goes in Duke’s boot sheath will never come back out of that sheath, as it looks pathetic! The helmet, binoculars, fisted hands, and the plain white rifle are immediately just thrown into an accessories bin! Since this is supposed to represent the anniversary of America, Duke should’ve came with a right saluting hand, and a pointing hand as the alternate hands; not fist! The display stand also should’ve been done better! Again since this is supposed to represent an anniversary, make the stand say, "America 250", or color the GI-Joe logo on the stand in Red, White, & Blue! Hasbro also easily could’ve thrown in an American Flag 🇺🇸 that Duke could’ve held the flagpole of! I think Hasbro was just so eager to get something out, that they just cut as many corners as they could to get this out as fast as they could!
I really wanted to like this figure, and the render reveal had me excited for it, but this is by far one of the worst releases in the line! I’m glad I got it for retail price, and didn’t get ripped off by some scalper, but even paying the retail price for this figure is a rip off! Definitely not worth the $27.99 tag, and probably not worth a $9.99 one either with how cheap it feels and looks in hand! I hope others are happy with theirs, but this is going to the back of my displays, and I had wanted it to be front and center! So disappointing!
I’m sorry, I just couldn’t help myself! Turning Vane into Dogknott was just too tempting!
For those who don’t know; the actor Zach McGowan was the inspiration behind Vane, as he played the character of Vane on the TV series “Black Sails”. He also played the character of Dogknott in both “Gen V” and “The Boys”, and I just couldn’t help but make those jokes!
Got the Zach McGowan inspired Vane figure in the mail today. I’m loving how this figure turned out. I’m also loving The Black sub-line better than the actual Action Force line! I can’t wait to continue expanding this line!
Ninja Force Zartan finally arrived from Target! This had always been the version I most wanted, especially since I missed it growing up! I was given my brother’s GI Joe collection, and I also received a collection from a close family friend. However both collections only contained figures, vehicles, and playsets released in the 80’s, and by the time I was old enough to start getting into the Joe’s it was already the mid 90’s. I was able to get a few Ninja Force figures in my collection, but I never had or found the Ninja Force Zartan.
Zartan has always been a favorite of mine, so I knew I wasn’t going to let this figure pass! Just was frustrating to preorder it the day it went up, and then watch stores and so many others get their’s on and around the release date, only to see my order get changed to backordered. None of the Target’s within a reasonable driving distance even had it, cause I was tempted to drive to one of them and grab it, but that wasn’t an option. Then Friday I received the shipping notification, and it’s now in hand!
While I haven’t taken the time for a proper photo session or taken the time to bust out other figures for Zartan to interact with, I did quickly snap some shots out on my deck, just to get a feel for the figure. The figure itself is great, and has a pretty good range for all the poses and fighting stances I can think of to put him in, but I still think the retro cardback Zartan will still be my main display Zartan figure! I most likely won’t be displaying this figure with a majority of the accessories he came with (though I do like all of them), but they just don’t feel right for him. I’m not sure exactly how he’ll be displayed overall, but I know the backpack and swords will not be displayed. I probably won’t use the bow either, but I’ve been going back and forth on it. I think it’s going to come down to whether or not I put him on a motorcycle, with the Dreadnoks, or in a Ninja Display. If he goes in the first two, then no bow, but if he goes in the Ninja Display then I’ll return the bow!
I have a lot of ideas and shots I want to take with the figure, but my depression hit like a fist earlier, and I just haven’t been motivated to get the other figures out to start setting up some of the shots I want. Hopefully this mood will pass soon, as I was very impatiently waiting for this figure, because I had been extremely excited to take pictures with this figure, and currently the motivation is almost completely gone!
Love this figure and can’t wait to get the other crew members, the Riptide, and the Jolly Roger 🏴☠️ that was announced! I have so many ponds and lakes by me that I can’t wait to shoot more photos of these figures at!
I hand made/drew the map, and yes it was inspired by a certain 80’s movie, but intentionally not replicated!
Valaverse’s The Black figure with a custom hand drawn/made map I made (yes it was inspired by a certain 80’s movie).
Took the figure into the swampy woods on the side of my house to make it look as if he’s trekking through them in search of the treasure he seeks.
Once I get the other figures to go with him, the Riptide vehicle, and the flag that they announced to go with them, I plan on bringing them into the ponds or even the couple of lakes near me to really add to these photos!
Now that I finally have both Spirit figures, I had to mess around and have him have both Eagles on him at the same time! Both figures are great, but I think I like the colors of the Mad Marauders better, but Freedom is better than Niyol as far as the Eagles go!
Found a seller not too far away from where I live on Facebook Marketplace, and thankfully he was willing to trade and was able to help me out with filling in a few of the missing pieces from my collection. I took a few profile type shots of each of the figures, but then I just couldn’t help it and had to run out to the woods on the side of my house to get a shot of Spirit, Low-Light, & Niyol. I know I still have to take more shots of the others, but I need to find the right locations for each of them first!