how many people are still into the joes?

Sideshow Serpentor.

Spot on!

It's on the back burner for me now.

There are a litany of reasons. Mainly pursuing other interests and hobbies right now. Some are friendlier to my bank book than collecting and more worthwhile.

But I like to look at all the pictures of figures that I've cancelled or passed on.

I'm still collecting Joes, I just don't post that much anymore since my computer is broken. I'm still getting use to using a tablet.
I just got Barrones a week ago, and just this past week, started to get back into the 4 inch Joes. I couldn't recommend Ultimate Storm Shadow enough, fantastic version of SS, one of the best!
Custom 1:6 Joes are just too expensive for me to get into lately. I have Dean's Snake Eyes heads coming so I'm going to start on another custom Snake Eyes soon, gotta start saving up for that now.

In all honesty looking at the three headless Steel Brigades have killed Joes for me right now.

Waiting on from Sideshow:

1. Scarlett Maquette

2. Scarlett Figure

3. Scarlett (or Lady Jaye) vs Baroness diorama

4. Baroness Maquette - I still think the shown prototype is far better than the PF.

https://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=9&itemid=22333

Interesting opinion article on the state of G.I. Joe.

As for my own experience...G.I. Joe is what led me back into toy collecting and the eventual 1/6 figure collecting I do now.

I was a late 80's/early 90's kid and grew up around the late days of Joe. I distinctly remember buying the 1988 Snake Eyes and I loved that figure. When the Eco-Warriors, Ninja Force, DEF and other brightly colored figures hit the stores, I didn't care and loved them. Most Joe fans frown on the bright colors and crazy designs but I grew up playing with those figures.

Fast-forward and my love for comics eventually attracted me to Devil's Due G.I. Joe comic resurrection and slowly I got back into Joe. The toyline around then was TERRIBLE and known as "G.I. Joe vs. Cobra". The figures sucked, brightly colored and lacking the metal "t-hook" leg design that many people remember from past Joe figures. But someway, somehow...they sold and Hasbro slowly improved the figures. What was JvC then became "Spytroops" and each followed with a successive theme (Valor vs. Venom) and different iterations of popular characters along with the introduction of new ones. It all culminated with the 25th Anniversary series and the successive Waves. G.I. Joe was BACK! We had an amazing toyline that catered to both collectors/fans and kids. Several cartoons such as Resolute, Renegades, and Sigma Six kept G.I. Joe in the spotlight.

Then G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra happened. And I believe that was the beginning of another "G.I. Joe Lull" as the opinion article mentions.

The movie was a joke and was a glorified cartoon commercial gone horribly bad. It strayed so far from the G.I. Joe everyone knew and loved that even Hasbro realized it did damage. Successive toylines from the Rise of Cobra actually tried to bring back the militaristic designs and familiar looks of characters to draw collectors and sales back up (Pursuit of Cobra).

Then Retaliation was SUPPOSED to happen. Fans were excited because it looked like G.I. Joe got back to its military roots...then the movie was DELAYED and the toys disappeared. Seems like retailers didn't even care to get them back when the movie finally hit theaters months later and they had sold out their initial stock. Retaliation was better, but not great and not the kick in the pants that the Joe franchise desperately needed. Hasbro failed again...

On top of that, retailers noticed. Do you really see much G.I. Joe when you go to the store? Seems like Sideshow dried up too. Hot Toys did give us several fantastic 1/6 characters.

As for me, I sold my entire collection back towards the tail-end of the 25th Anniversary waves. Gone is my 1985 carded Snake Eyes, my plastic-protected Wave 1 of the 25th Anniversary series...my endless boxes of Spytroops,and Valor vs. Venom....even my customs I made.

I'll always love G.I. Joe, but I don't have the heart to get into it again and I really REALLY hope it bounces back again as I'll always be a longtime fan, but not a Joe collector anymore.

Well both movies suck and the movies are a disgrace to even have them titled G.I.Joe...both movies don't even ressemble the 80's ARAH I grew up with at all....Forget G.I.Joe 3-The final piece of Crap... and just reboot the thing properly

I don't think Sideshow is done with GI Joe...if nothing is shown at SDCC,then you can say the Sideshow joe line is over....

The biggest problem of all is that Toy retail stores are fading away as kids are not buying action figures as much like the good ole days...kids only care about games and gadgets,which in the long run is going to kill the retail toy store....just like KB,and other Toy departments,Toys R Us is slowly heading into extinction too considering they are in huge debt,closing 100 stores and only have a few more years to get it right again before it's adios as the last big box toy store retailer

It definitely felt to me like the Joe revival hit its peak in 2007-2009 or so, when the 25th Anniversary line was strong, the Sideshow Joe line really took off, the animated series got re-released, and Resolute and the movie came out. But it does feel like that interest has petered off. Could be my own subjective feelings are biasing my perceptions a bit, but the 25th-type line clearly isn't available in stores in the way that it used to be, Sideshow is not putting out the quantity of product they were, and people are disinterested in the movie franchise. I think it was just something that hit the right nostalgia buttons at the right time, and now that has passed. I still love GI Joe, and various Joe characters, but my interest isn't nearly what it was. I sold off all my 25th Joes last year and didn't regret it at all.

Bardoon said:

https://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=9&itemid=22333

Interesting opinion article on the state of G.I. Joe.

Click to expand...

Pretty good article and most of it is true. Sad that is is the 50th Anniv and there is hardly any noise being made. That is a long time for a brand to be in production.

Also agree on the video games. That is what kids want. My 8 year old nephew didn't want anything for xmas other than video games. I would be all over a MGS or Call of Duty version of GIJoe. Using the fantasy weapons like Monkey Wrenches spear or Spirits Dart gun and missions like recovering the Weather Dominator fragments.

Another bad sign is that Hasbro wasn't at the G.I. Joe CON that was just this past week or two.

They've been at them annually for the past decade or so....this is the first time they didn't go in a long time.

So far the only thing Joe to look forward to is the Kre-o figures and the Cobra Terror Drome,and maybe a couple of the GI Joe subscription figures......unless Sideshow gives us something soon or at SDCC,it doesn't look good..I'm okay with it though,considering there is alot of other things to collect

Plus lots of stuff out there to make your own.....

Joe is a very niche targeted brand for Sideshow that does not have widespread mass appeal like DC or even Star Wars. It's no wonder it's always an afterthought for them. I can see them doing maybe one more wave of 1:6 like Scarlet, Snow Job, Snow Serpent before Joe becomes another in a long string of abandoned licenses for them.

It's sad reading through this thread. I'm a GI Joe collector of nearly 5 years now, 3 3/4 inch ARAH but I branched out just before Christmas 2013 as I couldn't resist the Snake Eyes V2 and Zartan! I now have 14 of the range and there's several more I'd like to pick up. To hear that this "Might" be it sort of ruins it although I still really rate this range. I'm a purist to a degree but I love the re-interpretations of these classic characters. With every new release Sideshow have been getting better and better and although still not the massive revenue that say the Star Wars franchise must bring in it's still, I'd like to think selling. It is strange that the Exclusives aren't flying out but maybe they're making larger numbers than before? "The whole "Exclusive" stamp must help figures sell so why not make more?

I'd like to think that by the end of this year there's be 2 new figures on pre-order at least, Scarlett would be amazing!

I asked CAhobbit (Alex) if Sideshow was done with GI Joe and her reply was she has not heard anything of Sideshow calling it quits..

call that a good sign? or maybe she is not so deep into the company info hole to know if more new product is coming and just doesn't really know

It's a shame that Sideshow rep's don't chime in or hint at anything just to keep us interested.We havn't heard a thing of Joe since SDCC and Destro's pre-order in October

If it's dead and gone, they won't say anything until it has been obvious for a long time.

teemu said:

I asked CAhobbit (Alex) if Sideshow was done with GI Joe and her reply was she has not heard anything of Sideshow calling it quits..

call that a good sign? or maybe she is not so deep into the company info hole to know if more new product is coming and just doesn't really know

It's a shame that Sideshow rep's don't chime in or hint at anything just to keep us interested.We havn't heard a thing of Joe since SDCC and Destro's pre-order in October

Click to expand...

They killed the line themselves with Disastro but they will blame their failure and the demise of the line on us for not supporting it.

kl241 said:

They killed the line themselves with Disastro but they will blame their failure and the demise of the line on us for not supporting it.

Click to expand...

Destro didn't kill the line and the line isn't dead yet

Sideshow has sold out every figure with the exception of the new releases so far (Bludd,CC,Baroness) and Crimson Guard (eventually they will dry up too)....I wouldn't say the line Didn't sell,but takes a little longer to move

It is most definitely Sideshows fault, the loss of momentum on a line kills interest! To not have any new releases or teasers between SDCC's loses interest. I am fairly new to this stuff and I am already losing hope I'm Teemu's wish list! The only thing keeping me interested at the Custom's here! I sure hope we see something before July!


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