Blasphemous, I know.

I'm all about the 25A figures now, which many see as the gold standard. I like them as much as ARAH figures now. However, I would really like to see some new ARAH figures.

Maybe it was seeing the upcoming Big Lob figure, though it's not too terribly impressive. Maybe it was getting a big eBay lot of ARAH figures as a Christmas gift. Maybe it was the excitement of seeing the old school GI Joe logo on the "Past & Present" set and the news that more will follow. Maybe it was the fun of making several new ARAH customs.

Whatever caused it, I really want to see Hasbro (or Master Collector) kick out some new ARAH figures. Inventively mix and match pieces. Make some new heads and thrown in some 25A gear when appropriate.

Remember about a year ago when some Hasbro guy said we'd "never" see the ARAH figures again? Well, never say never. The P&P set shows that Hasbro will still try to get a dime out of old molds if they think they can. I think we'll eventually see a few. Perhaps a few MC mini-sets like the Operation: Flaming Moth sets would be the right thing to hope for. Fantastically detailed but woefully overpriced.

Any thoughts?

Think you missed viewtopic.php?f=10&t=21029 thread where it talks about the Past and Present sets coming out....using COMIC pk figures not new molds.

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No, no, I read it...

Those are essentially going to be re-releases of previous figures, so I'm not excited about them. I want new combinations of ARAH parts to make new characters.

My immediate thought about that fellow is "Hanging is too good for him."

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well, I'm hoping after the backlash of last year's Con set, that the club will go back to ARAH figures for this year's set. (which we should have pictures of by now)

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Well I'm done with that style of figure. If this year ends up with over a hundred different figures again I'll be slacking off there too. I'm over loaded with stuff and last year really slapped me down with having so much to buy. I've remained one that's wanted at least 1 of everything and I know that can't be done anymore. Plus too after clearing out a lot of stuff with Zombieguide, there's so much that I "really want" at the time and grow to not care about very quickly after getting it. How many different version of Snake eyes, Duke, Cobra commander, etc. can I possibly get before it's ridiculous?

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kingofpain 26,

I didn't realize there was a backlash caused by this year's con set. It doesn't surprise me.

I opened up the package when it arrived. I thought, "Wow. I spent a lot of money on this and it has absolutely no zazzle."

J_Man,

Which figures are you done with? (Not being sarcastic, I don't follow if you mean ARAH or 25A) Either way, your disgust with so many Snake-Eyes and other overdone characters is one I to which I relate.

That's why my pipe dream would be for new characters. Even though some of figures from '00 were head-to-toe repaints released as new characters, some were new heads on Frankensteined bodies. I'd like to see more new heads atop more inventively parted bodies.

Here's the thing, I don't want Hasbro to make RAH figures. I want Hasbro to focus on the future of the brand which seems to be plenty enough to worry about. I want the Collector's Club or whoever else wants to step up to focus on the what could have beens.

Let's be honest. Hasbro's attempts at using those molds have been pretty sad overall. Because they have to cater to the retailers' desires, they have to produce the cheapest possible sets with the broadest appeal. The Club can give better pant apps, focus on obscure characters, and mix and match parts for new characters, because they are catering to a completely different fan base willing to pay more for a better product. Big Lob might not be the perfect representation of the character, but I applaud the Club for their attempt because he's exactly what the Club should be focusing on.

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I don't think I can hold the 25A as the gold standard anymore though. I have them displayed under my ARAH collection in the same display cabinet and every day I grow more dispondent and tempted to sell them off. It's probably because Hasbro switched direction towards ROC and they've left our 25A collections pretty incomplete. I see the awesome customs Spin Doctor and some others churn out to fill in the gaps and it makes these holes seem that much larger in my 25A collection.

But I wouldn't want Hasbro to make ARAH figures again. Like any profitable company, they must evolve - and if ROC paves the way for future Joe fans so be it. The Club's prices are too rich for my blood, but I did get that sense of appreciation you mentioned when Big Lob was revealed, even if Mercer's head was a bad choice to make.

ARAH has it's place in time with hundreds of characters from '82 - '94, I'm not missing the fact that there aren't any new ones.

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Well, I loved the con set. Paid more than I would have if I'd rejoined and ordered, but don't regret it. I wanted a squad of Crimson Vipers and I got one, plus a nice Crimson Baroness and the parts I needed to make actual Crimson twins.

I don't miss the uninspired ARAH rehashes Hasbro was releasing at all. In fact, their absence has done something amazing...it's made me interested in the ARAH customs folks are posting for the first time (well, other than LIVEVIL's and Sgartz's stuff). It seems not having new product has really inspired a bunch of folks to step up their customizing games and I don't think that's a bad thing at all.

Pluv,

The Club or a similar entity would be a more appropriate producer, no argument from me on that.

Bandalero,

It could be that I've had too much of 25A/ROC, driving me to appreciate ARAH in a new light. Taste/preference issues aside, there are just toooooo many new 25A/ROC figures coming out. Is anyone out there really excited about buying so many figures at a time? In just a few months, Hasbro pumped out more different figures for the ROC line than it did in the first several years of the ARAH line.

SD,

Exactly. If customizers can make gems out of old molds, there's no reason it couldn't be done at a larger scale by MC. Incidentally, I don't think all of the '00 era figures were bad. Crossfire is pretty good. Surefire is also damned good, even if it's just a new head on an otherwise intact reissue body. Admittedly, Double Blast... not so much.

Good point Spin. The lack of ARAH has made the ARAH customs better overall. There are one or two everyday on the home page.

I agree that ARAH has it's place in time. They are some great figures and toys overall. I wouldn't buy them over the new figures though. The new figures are just better made.

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Oh yeah I completely agree. Movie reviews aside, I still can't swallow the bland colour palate ROC has (Joes = blue urban camo/weathered black and Cobra = black). And admittedly I can't tell all those ROC Vipers apart. But instead of continuing the 25A in parallel, Hasbro abandoned it and we'll never get old favourites with updated 25A sculpting/articulation. So I'm appreciating my ARAH figures much more these days, and with a cast of hundreds, I'm rediscovering some lost gems like - what an asthetically pleasing figure!

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I've been thinking of buying the Corps! boxed set of 10 figures just for the "new o-ring guys" feel.

Kinda tired of 25th. They look GREAT, they pose GREAT, they SUCK for playing with.

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There were a few things I wanted rehashed on the RAH roster that didn't come in the last decade:

a new face-plate Cobra Commander
a new v2 style Snake Eyes
a new Torch
a new Tele Viper
a new v1 style Mindbender

They finally did a 86-style Viper (after doing a bunch of other color schemes), they did a basic Trooper and CG... by and large I think the 2000-present RAH style stuff was pretty good, even if it was just phoned in towards the end. The Past & Present stuff just seems uninspired to me and I'm not overly thrilled. I also haven't bought a single ROC item yet.

Y'all are right. I'm at the point where I'm almost looking forward to Big Lob.


bearcatcc