In the thread about "My Clone Wars Morning", the idea was brought up of G.I.Joe doing a "Build a BAT" series, since it seems that practically every toy line around is doing some sort of Build-a-Figure concept.

BTW, I've seen the Marvel Legends Hulk series at Wal-Mart, with the "Fin Fang Foom" parts. The series is too expensive for me to collect ($14.76 apiece!), but that looks to be ONE -- BIG -- DRAGON.

Anyway, I expressed the unlikelihood that we would see a "Build-a-BAT" concept in G.I.Joe, since really, none of the figure formats that have existed including the 25th style really lend themselves well to being offered piecemeal, the lone exception being the BAT v.5, which while technically a newsculpt, was designed quite differently than most G.I.Joe figures.

But it got me to thinking. How COULD something like this work. See what you think of this idea.

Rather than a "Build a BAT" concept in single-carded figures, Hasbro offers, possibly as a store exclusive, a COBRA B.A.T. FACTORY. This could include a couple of "human" figures, let's say a couple of recolored Vipers that have been assigned to B.A.T. duty, just to keep the set as part of the existing figure format, but then includes enough assorted parts -- heads, upper torsos, lower torsos, arms, legs -- all decently articulated, of course, to build three or four complete Battle Android Troopers in a "standard" configuration if one so desires, but also to mix and match the parts around to come up with a fairly wide range of "prototype" B.A.T.s to throw against the G.I.Joe Team. The various parts would all be distinctive enough to make quite a variety of visually distinctive B.A.T.s. If Hasbro wanted to be really sneaky, they could offer different sets with different figure parts. Of course there would be plenty of interchangeable weapons accessories, as well.

Thoughts, anyone?

I've never been a big B.A.T. fan, but I'd buy a couple of those.

I think a "BAT Factory" concept similar to the Droid Factory could work very well.

Split the BAT into 7 parts that can be easily assembled into a 25th figure:

2x Arms
2x Legs
Upper Chest
Lower Chest/Waist
Head (Include the accessories with this one)

Either use the existing BAT mold with altered pegs, or tool up something new.

Alternately, the BAT V5 is already disassembly friendly. http://www.yojoe.com/action/05/images/b ... bled.shtml Just tool up some new legs with the ability to pop apart and with appropriately sized foot holes and you're all set.

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A BAT factory would be a great toy.

As for a figure that could be sold in parts with different figures, what about the pre-BAT robot that activated itself inside of The Pit in GI Joe #3?

It would be about 8" tall when assembled. It could even come with comic-appropriate figures from the issue: Dress Uniform Hawk, Dress Uniform Scarlett, muscle shirt Steeler, napping Stalker, napping Snake-Eyes, etc.

This somewhat mirrors my thinking when I suggested it in the other thread.

No, a 25th, or even a VvV or ARAH with O-rings would not work, but a simple protocol droid facsimile with limited articulation designed to flesh out the ranks and even some customizabilty I think would be doable.

Could they split up a 25th B.A.T. into six assembleable parts? most likely not, but it seems to be a concept that is selling, and selling is good, since selling means more product, more revenue........

Or better yet, as Viperlord suggested, use that existing figure/mold and split them 6 ways with no retooling
1. torso with legs attached and the Head
2. left human hand/gun hand
3. right human hand/gun hand
4. Torso and Backpack
5. right upper arm
6. left upper arm

I like the no retooling, since that saves Hasbro money, and shortens design to product time

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Sure they could split up a BAT into 6 parts.

Just retool the pegs to make assembly easy.

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Well, like I was saying in the other thread, but going a step further. They could have a torso with stubs for the arms and legs already attached. This would allow them to keep the torso the same as they designed it. Only new arms and legs would be required to be redone. With those, the upper arm and upper leg can plug into those stubs the same as changing BAT hands out. The head would pop on the same as the 25th style already does.

So what would a BAT factory look like? I've been playing around with the idea for about a year now. I had a simple design that would work, but I'd rather do a better one. I keep looking at this for a basic example:

http://www.draddog.com/robotech/indivir ... rtress.jpg

Naturally it wouldn't be "massive" though since BATs are human size. This would be a good place to talk out some ideas where we could get a basic agreement on what we'd like to see.

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To follow this up, I don't know if it's drawing a blank with everyone, but here's something of a prototype I put together:



This was a few months back, but it'll be better than this. Ok and yes this goes with the ideas of project CJack and I were working on. I'm about to be making a post about the Cobra Base, but for this post I wanted to throw around some BAT factory ideas. I've got my own ideas, but it could potentially be better with more input.

What you're lookin at in the picture is a moving part that 2 BATs can be placed on. The back part would have a picture that looks like a lab or what have you through a window. There would be a working elevator that lifts to the top section. There would 2 "arms" with one being a claw and the other a "welder". The front piece is where a computer console would go.

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Well, a "protocol droid facsimile" wouldn't necessarily have to have "limited articulation". I think that'd be a sales killer for fans. Any B.A.T. factory B.A.T. would have to at least be poseable at the head, arms, elbows, waist, legs, and knees. I don't call that limited. And I don't think they could use actual Star Wars parts in G.I.Joe.



SHEESH! Impressive. I guess great minds think alike!