And I feel fine.

Okay, to start: this is not a rant or even a negative post by intent.

As folks who have read my posts know, I've been commenting on the unfortunate state of coordination in Hasbro's marketing efforts related to Joe and their negative implications for adult collectors for some time.

When items we saw previewed at SDCC this year started dropping out of anticipated wave line ups (Data-Viper, most likely Kwinn), I feared the worst. It appeared that -- just as hasbro was showing us what it's truly capable of in regard to some of our favorite characters (Low-Light, Sci-Fi, Techno-Viper, Lifeline, etc.), the plug was being pulled on yet another iteration of Joe and Hasbro was going to go all-in on the next round of movie tie-ins.

For the record, nothing has changed since I first made this dire prediction. Except for the way I feel about it.

I just pre-ordered my 2011 wave 3 figures, including extras of the Techno-Viper and the surprisingly cool Renegades Cobra Trooper, and a sense of calm and peace washed over me as I realized something: If these are the last non-movie Joe figures Hasbro releases at retail, I'll be just fine with that.

Don't get me wrong. I'd love to get my hands on the Sci-Fi, Airtight, Lifeline and Law we've seen. Kwinn, too. But realistically those figures are bound to come out somehow -- if not at mass retail, then in limited release like the once-hard-to-get Volcano Vipers. And, if not there, then through the Club. And if, for some reason, they don't come out or are ridiculously hard to get, I'll be okay with my existing customs.

With what we're likely to get this year and early next, at retail and through the Club, I'm much more comfortable with the idea of Hasbro shifting it's attention and efforts wholly to the (typically poorly executed if not just inherently misguided) kid-targeting movie line and leaving the Club or my own ingenuity to fill in the blanks in my collection.

Heck, I'm even likely to support the movie line (marginally) to get a Rock head and possibly a good base figure for Jinx. But, aside from that, I may be ready for an amicable and plausibly permanent break-up with my long-time, on-again/off-again, routinely unfaithful toy love.

Her sister (the Club) may not be as pretty, and she may be slightly higher-maintenance with an unjustified attitude despite really just dressing in the older sister's hand-me-downs, but she at least makes no bones about wanting to please me and trying to make our relationship work.

So thank you, Hasbro, for all the great Joe times and the fantastic figures you've given me over the years. Especially recently. I'm glad we gave it another shot. I wish you the best of luck with your future relationships and I hope you guys have fun at the movies. I do plan to keep in touch -- you know, just to see what you're up to.

Now, do you mind loaning your sister that really sexy lingerie you wore on our 30th anniversary? Thanks.

Yeah, I know how you feel. I think you hit the nail on the head. But one thing that keeps getting said that I think is inaccurate is....

OMG Deth oftheL1n3!!! Mainly because Hasbro won't let Joe die. It'll starve it, kick it and beat it, but it won't let it die. Not in the 1994-2001 sense anymore. It's too valuable as a brand to do nothing with, but right now it's got very little attention. It will live on on life support, and they'll try to pull a transformers with the next movie, but I don't think it's gonna work. Instead of the line dying, we'll just sit by its bedside as it utters things we want to hear from time to time.

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IMHO, i think that they really don't care where they go with GI Joe, also i think that's why i am losing interest in the line, now the New Dreadnok 7 pack along with the Marauders 7 pack is great, but other wise, meh.....

They need to do like they do with Star Wars, run a wish list poll of what we really want to have in figure form and vehicles, so many GI Joes and Cobras that need to get updated and made, but yet they keep releasing the same old, same old, to many Dukes, Snakeeyes, Storm Shadows, Cobra Commanders, ect..., ect...

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To me, Hasbro seems to feel G.I.Joe is their property that will not go anywhere. It's like that backlog project you have and everyone wants to see but you'd rather put more focus over here, or over there. It's THEIR's unlike Star Wars, Marvel, and such. They don't feel the need to really sink so much of their time into it. Flawed logic in my opinion, but that's the way it comes across.

But I'm not going anywhere still. As long as I have the like of collecting figures, I'm there. We all know the movie will come and go. They'll probably get back where they are leaving off. I figure eventually these other designs that are "canceled" will come out. Kwinn, Data Viper, I doubt they'll just forget them. It just might take time but they'll probably show up.

Even the Zarana crap that happened. I was able to fight my way in and get the pink one. I know if I really want the other version, I can pay Ebay prices. They will go down eventually. They have dropped somewhat already. It sucks that Hasbro had to do it the way they did, but it's sort of expected now days with these stupid exclusives existing.

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G.I. Joe is one of the few truly "in house" brands at Hasbro that isn't licensed from a third party or shared somehow with another company. Hasbro owns the rights to it, lock stock, and barrel, so I have little doubt that no matter what happens, some format of G.I. Joe will likely be out there in one way or another.

Not only that, but G.I. Joe was so revolutionary in the way it performed in the 80's and it essentially gave birth to the entire Hasbro corporate identity, and I think Allen Hassenfeld still has a great attachment to the brand because of that.

I'm in your boat, to be honest, Spin (though I usually am). I absolutely love what the Joe design team is capable of doing. They are doing so many things right... but if it ended tomorrow, I think I would be okay with that.

Certainly I would like an expanded Renegades cast, but we're not going to get that anyway. I strongly doubt they will ever make every single figure I want to see (an improved Hit and Run, Blackout, Some unexplored DDP stuff) and while their new concepts seem to hit more home runs than strike outs these days, I find myself oddly satisfied with what I've already got.

I think Spin, you can probably identify with this somewhat...

I'm finally getting my ass in gear to get rolling on my final dio-story installment. And when I used to do these, there was no question which version of a particular figure I was going to use. There were clear favorites. Now? Yeesh... now when I'm thinking about which Duke to use, there are a bunch of great ones to choose from. Snake Eyes, the same. Cobra Commander... Destro... there are great versions of all of these figures already. Sure, I would love Hasbro to keep on keeping on and continue making fantastic toys as long as they possibly can, but damn. I've got somewhere around 2500 Joe figures as it is, if I can't find something to love in that mess of plastic, I'm not trying hard enough.

Heck, part of me hopes Hasbro lays low for a bit so the GIJCC can get access to more PoC tooling and do some really cool stuff with it.

Somehow I suspect the movie toys will be impressive, though... even if some of them end up somewhat kiddified with limited articulation and action features.

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But good articulations has always been part of the GIJoe brand since 1964.
Maybe they might cut into a ball jointed wrist or ankle, but I doubt they'll go beyond that.
He's GI freakin' Joe, America's movable man of action.

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I would rather get the Zombie Viper before the whole line goes into flux because of the upcoming movie, but, no, I'm not going to cry if I don't.

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for me I use the RoC figures I like alongside the 25th figures I like along side the PoC figures I like... they all fit together I am sure most of the stuff from the new movie will too.

I would not be "OK" with Hasbro not offering me the awesome figures they have been showing off all year If they don't want to put them at walmart then they should load up Hasbro Toy shop. I am not buying collectible, I am buying toys. I play with my toys, I do not expect any of these toys to increase in value. I don't care of the toys do. So the thought that cool toys like Quinn might only become available through outlets like the club or sdcc, does not work for me.

I will say though even with my hatred of exclusives and short packed and variants, If Lifeline, Airtight, Quinn, Data Viper, Law and Order, Roadpig, Sci Fi.... and a few others where what the club was showing as their subscription figures, I'd be more inclined to subscribe.

as far as being actually upset about not getting something, no I won't be. who cares right they're just toys.

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I wouldn't care *at all*

Nothing released since 25A do I use as the characters they were intended as, or even as GI Joe characters so I wouldn't even blink if Joe had to take a break for a while. In fact I welcome it.

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i'm still going to laugh at the 12" dolls that have sat unsold since summer. ideas like that ruin any momentum the brand has worse than another set of snake eyes/storm shadow/duke variants.

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I've kind of been stocking up on fodder, it seems for just such an event. I like to see new sculpts come out, but like some others, I rarely buy a figure to be the character listed on the package - unless it's for my son.

I'm really looking forward to the movie line, to be honest. I think there will be some gems in there. Heck, while I didn't like the ROC figs as Joes, I use their parts for customs still to this day. And ROC, at least, wasn't done up like any other types of movie lines. It had a ton of different figures actually make it to the shelf. It had issues, but for what I do, I liked the line. I can only hope for the same enjoyment of the next one.

With all that said, I get what you're saying Spin. I think some of it is the customizer's perspective more than anything.

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I'm pretty cool with things as they stand right now. As a collector, I've come to understand that the faithful updates of old favorites are going to be few and far between, and I'll take what I can get. Lifeline, Sci-Fi and Airtight look perfect, and I imagine they will find a way to sell them to us. The two seven packs aren't as nice looking, but I do really appreciate the effort to give us so many fan favorites in one swoop, and with that many new parts. Those packs could have been so much worse, or could not exist at all. And the non-classic stuff, the POC re-designs, the Renegades, etc., are of such high quality that I'm always happy to get them and quickly customize them into something new. I'm actually excited for new movie toys because I think the custom fodder is going to be excellent. As long as they keep the quality this high and throw us older guys a bone when and where they can I'll be interested.

EDIT: Bindy beat me to some of these points. I agree about ROC, I kept less than a quarter of them as is, but it was such a varied and vast line and it allowed for tons of quickies and LBCs, which I had a lot of fun putting together. I think the sequel toys will be even better. My customizing goals are still rather vast, and if I can LBC a whole line of figures into characters I want... well, awesome.

I liked most of the RoC toys so as much as I'm looking forward the announced PoC toys, I'm sure that I'll get a bunch of the next movie line as well.

RoC gave us the Impact Armor which doesn't really scream GIJoe, but it makes a pretty cool base to make high tech spies and cyber-ninjas. Same with the Delta Armor which is a pretty good base to make some LBC Space Marines and such.

Classic updates make great modern version of our favorite characters while other "interpretations" will give us the material to create our own.

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Yeah, I gotta have Lifeline, Sci-Fi and Airtight. Then I can be done.

Although I'm sure I'm gonna want me some Bruce Willis Joe Colton.

I think there's some excellent points raised here as to, for lack of a better term, why G.I. Joe is the way it is right now, and I admit I am concerned about the effect the next movie will have. I don't think the first movie and its related product did G.I. Joe as a whole any great favors. But then I tend to feel the same way about Transformers. There was SOME cool G.I. Joe movie product, but I am of the opinion that once the movie had run its course and the remaining product proved hard to sell, carrying on with G.I. Joe beyond the movie was an even tougher sell.

I remain very disappointed in the cancellation of the Data-Viper. Very cool looking figure, and a NEW TROOPER, that I was very much looking forward to. I wouldn't have said no to Kwinn, either.

Although I will never be as ardent a fan of the modern Joe as I am of the original, there has been some impressive product, and I do believe the figures have improved over time. I was pleased to pick up a couple of Hazard-Vipers, would like to find a few more Jungle BATs, and am looking forward to the Techno-Viper, and hope that Sci-Fi might yet make it out.

And I will always be grateful for the return of the SKYSTRIKER!

I am also impressed with the Club's subscription figures, and hope that I will be able to get in on those. While I have yet to see anybody that impresses me as much as Quarrel and the Nano-BAT, there's some interesting individuals here.

Wouldn't mind getting those Dreadnoks from BBTS, either. Not sure that's going to happen.

As to the future? What happens, happens -- which is a lot less gung-ho (no code-name pun intended) than I was in 1994. I suspect it will depend largely on the performance of the next movie. I would not wish to see the demise of the line, however. I would like to see it better supported, both by Hasbro and especially by the retailers. Hasbro can come up with the coolest stuff imaginable. If the retailers don't want it, it's not happening.