Hey everybody,

If you are o-ring fans, stop in here and vote:

http://savethesurvivors.wetpaint.com/

Let's try to get some of these made before they are all gone

What exactly is this for?

Saving the molds?

Please explain...

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Having flash backs of O-Ring MIA.

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The objective is to make it clear to the GIJCC and possibly Hasbro which molds we still want to see used in the future as exclusives and whatever else they come up with.

At the convention, fans were asked which ones they would still want if available. The purpose of the site is to make a definitive list in one place of what people want to see made again.

Some people have issues with the GIJCC but it is probably our best if not only place to get these figures again so why not communicate with them and try to help out?

Here's my thoughts on this: I congratulate you on your intentions and passion, but I wonder if you're missing a key point here. Hasbro has determined that the molds are deteriorating and the cost to store and maintain them is more than it would cost to , as they have been doing these past three years with the Vipers, and Lady Jaye, etc, and re-cast the key parts if and when they need them.

I think if they want to produce an O-ring version of the 1982 Snake Eyes upon GI Joe ARAH's 50th anniversary they will simply make a new mold based on their records concerning the original.

I don't want to pretend I have greater knowledge than you. I encourage you to contact Hasbro and get the facts before putting too much effort into this. Destroying the molds isn't destroying the items, they have AutoCAD files and milling machines and can probably produce a new one-up in a half a day's work.

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I posted the above before I saw your response. Well, if that's the case, isn't this list fintended for the CollectorsClub rather than Hasbro?

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That's why it says possibly hasbro. Who knows what they may do in the future.

I'd actually prefer that Hasbro make new molds for whatever they decide to release down the line instead of spending a bunch of money to refurbish old molds that are starting to lose detail from overuse anyway. That way if they want to do a new o-ring Viper, they can make it a crisp copy of the original mold, legs and all. Same for all the 82 figures. Same for the 86 BAT. And so on and so forth.

Then again, I really wouldn't be too sad if we never saw another o-ring figure ever. While those old figures are near and dear to my heart, the o-ring's time has passed IMHO. It was great in 1974 when it was invented for Microman, it was great in 1982. But in the 21st century they're really old fashioned. Good for nostalgia, not much else.

The 25th style figures really are the wave of the future.

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Much as I hate to say it.. Amen.
The O-ring outlasted every gimmick made for toys.
Technology has taken over, instead of them dumping money into releasing more of the same stuff that's readily available on Ebay, they should stick to new stuff we haven't seen before IMO.

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Agreed. Im to the point where I don't know what to do with my pile of o-ring figures anymore. They're more a novelty to me now, taking up space. I futz with and pose my 25ths far, far more.

The bigger logistical problem here is narrowing down the wants of an entire fanbase. You may be able to eliminate a few clunkers, but by and larger if every fan voted for the molds he wants to see saved, by the time you're done, you'll be dealing with a list of almost every figure made between 1982 and 1994.

And I think the Club and Hasbro already know we'd like them to save everything. Without a list of what's available so we can pick from what's possible to save, this isn't a viable way to have anyone's voices heard.

Thanks for the support guys............


Trust me, I am a huge 25th and RoC style and fan and that is definitely the future of the line. But some people still like the old stuff. If you don't, that's cool. You don't have to be a part of it. Simple enough.

I love the O-rings! I bought two o-ring figures at an antique store yesterday! My point is that When it comes to Hasbro the molds are irrelevant. With modern technology they can put an action figure in a digitizing machine and produce a new mold instantly. J_Man can do that, although not very pretty, with a $5K machine in his garage - so let them destroy the old molds. The mold isn't the issue for Hasbro.

Now Collectors Club is different. Hasbro is Amoco and Collectors Club is your shade tree mechanic. CC doesn't have access to the technology Hasbro does so they need old molds or they have nothing. I'm all for CC keeping as many molds as they can because I like CC convention sets.

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I think what it'll mean in the end is that fans will be turning to other fans for their O-Ring fix. There are many sites out there making parts and it's probably only a matter of time before someone figures a way to semi-mass produce their own line of figures. I would hope they'll make enough changes so that the figure will be their own and they can't be shut down, but we're probably not too far off from that. These people will just use RTV too most likely instead of huge steel molds.

I love to support my fellow fans though. I always try and help if and where I can. I'm not really sure where a campaign like this can go, but I do support your effort. I think in the end Hasbro will still do what they want to do. The molds they don't want will go away. We really don't know what goes on behind the scenes. The new "then and now" set with Snow Job for instance. We speculate that they used the old mold to make the "vintage style" Snow Job, but they might have made a complete new mold. For Hasbro it's easy and no big deal. But like it was pointed out, for the collector's club, it is a big deal.

What the molds going away will probably mean is that the collector's club will be doing more 25th style figures and such than they will anything else. I'm fine with that, but it might open the door for the previous mentioned possible fan project to step up. We're seeing in the Transformer toys where there are actual fan "toy companies" now creating add on parts, trailers for Optimus Prime, and several other things. Again I think these molds going away might open the door for someone if they choose to step up.

But yeah, for support I'll send you a list of the ones I still like of the vintage figures. I'm not necessarily wanting to see them again, but I don't mind giving support in whatever way I can.

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Fun Publications, The collector's Club Pays Hasbro for the Fan club license. The Club uses Hasbro's tools in factories contracted to Hasbro. Any New tool produced for the Club is owned by Hasbro...(Look at the Hydrofoils)

What would be BEST for the community is if the Club or Hasbro would release a list of what they have...If they had one to release...and were allowed to release it. That is unlikely to ever happen because of how the Club likes to operate their secret squirrel club.



We got about 5-10 figures like that from the 25th line...everything else was just a re-do of vintage figures, that "same stuff that's redily avaiable on Ebay".
The Club has been able to give us near double that number using mostly vintage tooling with select new tools in a format that is a proven winner and excellently engineered.

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