Hasbro Q & A 2008 Round 2 ANSWERS Options

[General Hawk]

Good morning, guys. Very sorry for the delay on getting these out there, had a busy night last night. Here are the answers to the JoeSightings' Round of Questions for Hasbro:

1. How many waves of basic figures can we expect in 2009 before the movie line begins? How many figures too if you answer the previous one?

We cant talk about 2009 yet, but expect 8 waves in 2008 with over 40
single carded figures!

2. Will we see more Joes from the 86 to 91 years? We've seen quite a few Cobras from that period, but few Joes. The line was supposed to cover all 25 years of G.I.Joe, but these years have been neglected. Characters like Low-Light, Mercer, Tunnel Rat, Jinx, Shockwave and Hit & Run have their fans too. It's great to see later incarnations of Cobra Commander, Destro, & Snake-Eyes, but it'd also be great to see characters that had their debuts during those years.

We evaluate every era of GI Joe to find the character with the most
impact. Some characters are more popular and therefore have more versions
made. When reviewing the list we look for a mix of gear, color, role, and
historical impact to the brand.

3. Comic packs are one of my favorite items so far. Including a new or reprint comic with a pair of newly redesigned or BRAND new characters is a great move. Will the comic packs continue into 2009?

Yes, the fans have voted and comic packs will continue into 2009.

4. First off, you guys are doing an amazing job on the line, and we thank you very much for all your hard work. Although some issues with the figures have been corrected, we're still seeing new ones pop up in each wave---from body proportion problems like too-long torsos or tiny heads, hands that can't hold weapons, or even characters like Steeler who look nothing like their original counterpart. Yes, we've heard some problems happen in your overseas factories, but some of these problems should have been spotted before final production was initiated. Why is it seemingly so hard to nail an individual figure just right in all aspects, and what is being done to minimize these issues in future waves?

With each figure our design team strives to reach perfection and when we
don't, we are continually trying to improve. We hear you on the weapons
and are working to improve this. Head sizes are a result of having a
large team of sculptors working on the line and trying to come up with a
uniform figure for the brand, we are working on this as well. Steeler was
never meant to be in the line, but we added him late as a nod to fans and
did not have time or tooling dollars to give him a new head (instead the
guys were working on the BAT) but wanted to get him into the line. Thanks
for the feedback; keep telling us what you dont like and we will keep
fixing it!

5. We see a lot of focus on some more obscure characters (which is great!) but there seems to be a number of pretty core characters like Ripcord, Recondo, and Dusty who don't even appear to be in the works. Can we expect to see some of these characters that are so vital to the history of G.I. Joe?

Yes…some of your favorites are on the way and will be revealed at JoeCon

Thanks as always to everyone for submitting questions!

[Airborne Rigger]

I've heard rumor of Recondo and Dusty but I'm praying for Ripcord!

Thanks for the update on the Q&A, Justin!

[Slicer X]

Don't worry about the delay General, I'm just glad you posted them. Most of the Q & A answers from around the web were kind of blah, but here we got a couple of things to hold us over until the Joe Con.

1. Hasbro is adding an extra wave of basic figures for this year. I'm hoping out of the last 12 figures that were rumored that Blowtorch is in this assortment.

2. SOME of our favorites implies more than 1. So since Hasbro told us in a previous Q&A, They didn't have plans for a 25th style Ripcord. Hopefully this means we'll be getting Recondo and Dusty. I hope I'm not reading too much into this. It would be cool to get Ripcord too.

Anyway I take this as good news. Lets keep the 25th style Joes coming!

Slicer X

[Werecat]

I think it's a strong likelihood we'll be seeing Recondo, Dusty, and Ripcord in their original incarnations sometime before summer of 2009; as with several others who have not been announced yet.

[General Hawk]

I think it's a strong likelihood we'll be seeing Recondo, Dusty, and Ripcord in their original incarnations sometime before summer of 2009; as with several others who have not been announced yet.

I would agree with this whole-heartedly. I know a lot of folks are discouraged at seeing so many repaints, reissues and figures like Matt Trakker, but the fact remains that there is a HUGE amount of slated product between now and next summer that we do not know about. There will be plenty of slots for everyone, and I have a feeling by the time next summer rolls around, it'll be tough to think of some character favorites that haven't been touched on.

I might be wrong, but that's just my gut feeling...

Justin

[inferno v3]

The only thing than gets to me is that just about all the forums asked about the comic...

I understand that everyone wanted to know, and the timing of the announcement but... I thought there was a little more communication ask to what questions would be asked...

This post has been edited by inferno v3: Jun 4 2008, 04:23 PM

[Masked Madman]

Agreed :\

[Scrap Iron]

I know a lot of folks are discouraged at seeing so many repaints, reissues and figures like Matt Trakker, but the fact remains that there is a HUGE amount of slated product between now and next summer that we do not know about. There will be plenty of slots for everyone, and I have a feeling by the time next summer rolls around, it'll be tough to think of some character favorites that haven't been touched on.

I'll believe it when it see Billy. And if I don't, I'll blame Matt Trakker, and whoever's bright idea it was to do a "tribute" figure of him.

This post has been edited by Scrap Iron: Jun 4 2008, 04:25 PM

[cmderinchief]

4. First off, you guys are doing an amazing job on the line, and we thank you very much for all your hard work. Although some issues with the figures have been corrected, we're still seeing new ones pop up in each wave---from body proportion problems like too-long torsos or tiny heads, hands that can't hold weapons, or even characters like Steeler who look nothing like their original counterpart. Yes, we've heard some problems happen in your overseas factories, but some of these problems should have been spotted before final production was initiated. Why is it seemingly so hard to nail an individual figure just right in all aspects, and what is being done to minimize these issues in future waves?

With each figure our design team strives to reach perfection and when we
don't, we are continually trying to improve. We hear you on the weapons
and are working to improve this. Head sizes are a result of having a
large team of sculptors working on the line and trying to come up with a
uniform figure for the brand, we are working on this as well. Steeler was
never meant to be in the line, but we added him late as a nod to fans and
did not have time or tooling dollars to give him a new head (instead the
guys were working on the BAT) but wanted to get him into the line. Thanks
for the feedback; keep telling us what you dont like and we will keep
fixing it!

In other words, shut your pie hole, yer gettin' army builders. Hey, I liked the answer....doesn't mean I had to agree with it.

Don't worry about the delay General, I'm just glad you posted them. Most of the Q & A answers from around the web were kind of blah, but here we got a couple of things to hold us over until the Joe Con.

I kind of disagree here Slicer. I think people are learning how to ask questions which do not lead to the escape answer of "stay tuned" or "you'll see at the Joe con". I think this round of questions produced much more substance in the past and were a bit more informative then last. Just know not to ask "when are we going to get figure X?" or "when can we get X playset made?" and make it more than just a simple yes or no and they will have to answer it.

The only thing than gets to me is that just about all the forums asked about the comic...

I understand that everyone wanted to know, and the timing of the announcement but... I thought there was a little more communication ask to what questions would be asked...

With JOhio, we purposely decided NOT to ask anything about the comic. Mainly because we figured Reloaded would ask it and I believe, 5 of 5 of their questions followed suit. I know one thing, JOhio will NEVER ask a Red Shadows question. We'll save those for the BFTB site. Oh, and call me biased, but I believe all of JOhio's answers did not produce a canned response.

I'll believe it when it see Billy. And if I don't, I'll blame Matt Trakker, and whoever's bright idea it was to do a "tribute" figure of him.

Any mention of a Billy fig gets an AMEN BROTHER from me.

[Werecat]

I have a feeling by the time next summer rolls around, it'll be tough to think of some character favorites that haven't been touched on.

How about Spearhead and Max?

The only thing than gets to me is that just about all the forums asked about the comic...

I understand that everyone wanted to know, and the timing of the announcement but... I thought there was a little more communication ask to what questions would be asked...

At least it wasn't 20 questions about the Viper's hands.

[cmderinchief]

At least it wasn't 20 questions about the Viper's hands.

Word!

[Flintwo2]

I've heard rumor of Recondo and Dusty but I'm praying for Ripcord!

Thanks for the update on the Q&A, Justin!

I don't mean to sound greedy, but I want all 3!

[Recondo]

Yeah.. I gotta admit, I have been very patient & have not flown off the handle (yet) about not seeing my favs... and this is mainly because I am holding out hope for the Joecon. If I don't see any of them there, I am going to be very let down. I know, I know.. there are many Joe characters & just because they are my favs, doesn't mean they are everyone elses.. but these guys have a very solid toon and comic presence, and without them, the 25A line won't feel right. For me, it has always been:

Recondo
Dusty
Footloose
Falcon
BeachHead

..with Ripcord, Repeater, & Low Light right up there.

Thankfully, we've at least gotten 1 (Beach Head) & we're slated to get Falcon.. so that's better than absolutely nothing, but I am shocked and frustrated that none of the other 6 have even been hinted at, officially projected, listed on some store computer, or whatnot.

[samvimes85x]

Recondo Posted Today, 09:35 PM
Yeah.. I gotta admit, I have been very patient & have not flown off the handle (yet) about not seeing my favs... and this is mainly because I am holding out hope for the Joecon. If I don't see any of them there, I am going to be very let down. I know, I know.. there are many Joe characters & just because they are my favs, doesn't mean they are everyone elses.. but these guys have a very solid toon and comic presence, and without them, the 25A line won't feel right. For me, it has always been:

Recondo
Dusty
Footloose
Falcon
BeachHead

Yeah, it has been weird that we haven't seen Dusty, especially since he seemed to get a lot of love from Hasbro since 2001. Recondo is another iconic figure I thought we'd see. Maybe the design team wanted to save a few big names for 2009.
Footloose's absence is a pretty weird, since he'd be so easy to make from existing parts and a little new sculpting and gear.

Werecat Posted Today, 04:15 PM
How about Spearhead and Max?

Seriously, how can Hasbro have a tribute line for RAH, without the Joes' infantry man/former insurance salesman and his bobcat?
Maybe we'll at least see a Shockwave or Tunnelrat at the Con.