[Chain Base Comics] #018

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[Review] Captain America: The First Avenger Concept Series Desert Battle Captain America

I'm not sure where and when this Marvel "concept series" thing actually started, but I can fondly remember that my first encounter with it dates back to the release of the first Iron Man movie's toy line. Some people in the toy community say that the idea behind it was to take comic influences and mix them with the movie design to create new Iron Man armors, thus tying the Armored Avenger with the origin of this "concept series" phenomenon. That may really be the case, and I have to admit that as an Iron Man fan, I actually fell for it. But who didn't? What I'm trying to say is that this "concept series" stuff suits Iron Man perfectly because it fills a particular need, and I don't know if Hasbro understands that.

[Acquisitions] G.I. Joe: Pursuit of Cobra Cycle Armor with Ashiko

I have a confession to make. To be completely honest, I'm slowly losing my interest  in G.I. Joe products. Why? Because it takes a lot of effort on my side to be able to get the latest figures and vehicles that I want. I either have to travel all the way to Greenhills or have the items shipped here in Bataan just to get my POC fix. A good sum of my toy money actually gets wasted on transportation and/or shipping, and it's beginning to irritate me.  Curse you, Playkit!

[Review] G.I. Joe: Pursuit of Cobra City Strike General Hawk

 

When I first saw this figure, I told myself that this is the "must-own" figure of Wave 5. And up to now, that's still how I feel about this figure. Yes, the Cobra Trooper figure is wicked as hell, but everybody knows I'm more of a Joe-guy, and my vote goes to General Hawk. Heck, the Cobra Trooper isn't even my second choice, because the Steel Brigade soldier is my clear number two. I told you so, I'm a Joe-guy.

[Acquisitions] G.I. Joe: Pursuit of Cobra Wave 5 Figures

 
Here's another batch of items from my Greenhills trip last June 3.Yeah!

Is the Pursuit of Cobra line the best G.I. Joe line ever or what? Well, for me it is, hands down. But for those of you who are still on the fence, Hasbro has released another wave of figures to convince you. Like what we've come to expect from the Pursuit of Cobra line, Wave 5 features some top-notch figures like General Hawk, the Cobra Trooper, and the Steel Brigade soldier. There are also a couple of good figures in the form of the Jungle B.A.T. and the City Strike Cobra Commander, but there's also a head-scratcher in the form of Blowtorch. Overall, three great figures in a set of six isn't bad at all.

[Review] G.I. Joe: Pursuit of Cobra City Strike Iron Grenadier

Wow. I can't believe that my last post was two long weeks ago. Well, we're really busy at work, and that's going to continue until the middle of next month. I usually go home very tired, and I can't seem to find the passion to write reviews anymore. I've been spending my spare time following my fave NBA team's playoff run, I've been watching games and those pre-game and post-game analysis shows, and I've been reading a lot of basketball-related materials from various sports websites. Honestly, I'm a Miami Heat geek as much as I'm a toy geek. Yup, I'm a big Miami Heat fan sine 2003, but may be we can talk about that some other time.

[Review] G.I. Joe: Pursuit of Cobra Desert Battle Cobra Viper

 

To be completely honest, I wasn't aware of the Cobra Vipers' existence until the 25th Anniversary line came out. The G.I. Joe toys that we had as kids consist mostly of Battle Force 2000 characters and the neon-colored figures that fans would later love to hate. Though we enjoyed our Joes back then, I never thought that we were actually missing out on a lot of good stuff. The classic Cobra Viper is probably one of the most sought after army-builder figures, and it's because the design of the figure is so iconic you just have to own some. So, when I first met the Cobra Viper while I was expanding my 25th Anniversary  collection, I instantly got hooked. The G3 figure looks nice, but it suffers from a lot of fundamental errors that later turned the figure into one of the most-lambasted G3 figures ever. I was able to look past the faults of the G3 release (permanently angled hands, removable goggles that won't stay in place, bad ankle articulation), and I, even up to now, consider the figure as one of my favorite figures from the TFAC era. Responding to criticism, Hasbro tried to make improvements on the base figure on later releases, and they somehow got the figure right. And now, with the POC line consistently giving us modern takes on our favorite characters, a new Cobra Viper has emerged, and this new figure puts every single variation that came before it to shame.

[Review] G.I. Joe: Pursuit of Cobra Jungle Assault Crazy Legs

I was planning to review the Wave 6 figures one by one from the worst to the best, but it's pretty difficult to get into a rhythm that way. So, I decided to do it the other way around, from the best to the worst. Crazy Legs and the Cobra Viper are the stars of this wave, but I'm starting off the reviews with Crazy Legs because this is the character's first G3 rendition, and for me, that gives him the edge over the Cobra Viper.

[Acquisitions] G.I. Joe: Pursuit of Cobra Wave 6 Figures

Back when I still had extra cash (about a month or so ago), I pre-ordered these figures from Great Toys Online. Looking back, I think that I really made a very wise decision spending my dough on these figures while they weren't out yet. If I hadn't done so, I don't think that I'd still have the money to buy these figs today, 'cause I'm pretty sure I would have spent my dough on something else. Aaahhh, such is the life of a cash-strapped toy collector.

[Chain Base Comics] #008

[Chain Base Comics] #007

[Chain Base Comics] #006

[Review] G.I. Joe: Pursuit of Cobra Desert Battle Duke

A lot of Joe fans are simply sick and tired of Duke, and for good reason. Since the G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary Collection debuted back in 2007, we've been inundated with more than 20 versions of Duke in G3 construction. With the majority of those figures being just repaints and rehashes, it's not hard to lose interest in the character. But every once in a while, Hasbro brings its A-game and dishes out a great reinvention of the character, and I'm glad that's the case with this figure.

[Review] G.I.Joe: POC Cobra Shock Trooper

I've always been a fan of urban warfare and close quarters combat, and I'm really glad that Hasbro decided to include a MOUT (Military Operations on Urban Terrain) theme into their Pursuit of Cobra line.

[Acquisitions] G.I. Joe: Pursuit of Cobra Low-Light + Cobra Shock Trooper + Pre-Production Storm Shadow

I ordered and paid for these items yesterday, and roughly 24 hours later, they're here! That was pretty quick, Kramer! Thanks!

[Customs] G.I.Joe: POC Arctic Threat Duke

I'm not really the artistic or creative type, so I won't be doing articles like this very often. Whenever I try to create customized figures, I only do gear-swaps and head-swaps, and that's about it. I haven't even tried disassembling, sculpting, or painting a figure. I may be too lazy to try those things out, but that doesn't mean I can't dish out a neat-looking custom when I find one worth doing.

[Acquisitions] G.I.Joe: POC Pre-Production Duke + Ripcord

What a week! After getting injured while playing basketball (severe back spasms), I had to spend the next five days resting. It was really tough, I couldn't even stand/walk during the first three days, and all I could do was surf the net and shop for toys on eBay. The Marvel stuff arrived first, and I've already posted articles about them yesterday. Well, today I received the G.I. Joe pre-production figures that I ordered from Kramer: Toy Warden.

[Review] G.I. Joe: Pursuit of Cobra Snake Eyes w/ Tornado Kick

Note: This review was originally posted at TS118's Forumer site on November 4, 2010. 

Is this figure Jungle Assault Snake Eyes? Technically, this figure is NOT Jungle Assault Snake Eyes. That's because nowhere in the packaging will you see the label "Jungle Assault." But if you read the details on his file card, the last sentence states, "He expertly swings his nunchaku and crescent blade, then slams his enemy to the jungle floor with a tornado kick." So, I guess it's safe to assume that this IS Jungle Assault Snake Eyes after all. They say that when you assume things, you make an ASS out of U and ME, but let's not get in to that.

[Review] G.I. Joe: Pursuit of Cobra Desert Battle Snake Eyes (W1)

Note: This review was originally posted at TS118's Forumer site on November 3, 2010. 

This figure was supposed to be an arctic-themed figure, but when it got released we found out that he's brought his talents and gears to the desert. So, does he fit in with the other desert-themed figs? Read on... 

[Review] G.I. Joe: Pursuit of Cobra Desert Battle Dusty

Note: This review was originally posted at TS118’s Forumer site on November 2, 2010. 

Unlike other people, I love environmentally-themed figures. I just love having figures that I can put in a sub-group, and this figure has just bolstered my love for such figs! Why? Read on...