If you were put in charge of GI Joe, what would be your insane edicts? Many of us, self included, complain about things, but don't always say what we'd do.

This is what I'd do:

1. Increase overall production. There shouldn't be empty shelves/pegs almost every time I walk into a store.

2. Reduce new figures per year. I know it's a business, but in the 80's a kid could manage to buy 20 to 30 figures in a calender year. Right now Hasbro's putting out about 60 a year. We had another thread a while back and someone was kind enough to crunch the numbers and figure that out. Can't remember who or I'd give credit. This toy line might be made for adults, but it should still be kid-attainable, too.

3. Bring back ARAH and NS molds. I'd keep the 25A figures, too. There are some molds that are hideously outdated ('84 Roadblock) or so overused ('84 Firefly) that don't need to see the light of day again. But there are plenty of molds, mostly NS, that really deserve to get the Master Collector treatment and be reworked with better or different color schemes.

I don't personally understand the ARAH vs. NS vs. 25A mindset some collectors have. If you don't like it, don't buy it.

4. New characters. Even if it's just new heads on old bodies, we need new blood in the line.

5. Hire some people with prior military experience or good general knowledge to help develop the line.

What would you do?

You know, I can't honestly say I've got anything I'd change right now except maybe distribution.

Otherwise, Hasbro seems to have been paying attention.

For years I posted about how cool it would be to get cartoon- or comic-themed dio pieces included in multi-packs. Check, thanks to the DVD packs.

For years I've posted about how I'd love to see environmentally themed repaints and frankensteins of core characters and army builders. Check, thanks to the upcoming extreme environment packs.

For months I've posted that I need a fixed Major Bludd. Check, thanks to the desert pack and what appear to be some desert-themed Joe repaints revealed at the con.

Right now Hasbro is definitely in my cool book.

I'm very happy with what's happening now.
The figures are great.

Maybe do some polls a few times a year to feel the pulse of which characters people want.

ARAH is in a good direction.

As for the 12" I'd bring it back to its roots for the older collectors and a newer generation.
I'd go with the Adventure team but with more defined characters like they did in Europe.

No more molded shirts. I'd update the body for better proportions and articulations.
Basic adventurer figures with extra mission accessory sets and uniform.
I would also make an AT 3 3/4 line with vehicles and playsets.

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If I ran Hasbro:

1) I would be heavily into 'quality testing', meaning I would be playing with the figues and vehicles all the time.

2) I would get an inventory of what ARAH molds are still available.

3) Challenge the design staff to submit ideas for what they would like to see, not just what is the norm.

4) Ask for input from the fans, collectors, and parents. Is there a demand for ARAH or new sculpt products? Is they a demand for specific parts? Listen to the suggestions.

5) Task the designers to see what parts from the various lines can be re-used in other lines to save money. Just simple parts that can be exchanged between lines-like some Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and GIJOE heads. (Some Indy figures, like Sallah and Belloq, could be used as Jedi with new head sculpts while some heads, like the German Soldier, could be used for Imperial Officers. Vogel could be repainted for an Imperial Security Bureau Officer like in the old West End Games RPG books.)

6) Given people like army builders and seeing characters in different outfits, I would see about offering simple, but very usable fodder/army builder sets: Viper sets, Cobra Soldier sets, generic og13 sets. Maybe even take the Snow Job torso and Snake-Eyes Arctic waist/legs (or even just the Arctic version as a whole) and put a Viper head on it. Why not even an Arctic set using the Snake-Eyes mold and just put different heads on them (Duke, Stalker, Gung-Ho, Firefly, Major Bludd, etc).

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Three things I would love to do:

1) Bring back lenticular assets. Not only for the accessories, but I would issue vehicles with lenticular RADAR, data, medical, and Night scope scenes. Motion, even a little, rocks.

2) I would offer, since there are indeed machines now to handle this, the "create your own figure", like the Cobra and Steel Brigade figure, but this time have your likeness made into the figure's head. Let yourself "live the adventure".

3) Follow Galoob's great invention, the multifaceted playset. One of the greatest aspects of the MicroMachine playsets, be they dinosaurs or military, were the functional play pieces. When I look at the ALIEN playset, with its Kane on the table with a moving chest burster, the hidden Alien in the wall, and the opening and closing eggs in the lower half, I see this as pure genius.

Imagine 3 3/4 playsets with moving screens via lenticular, and movable pieces such as traps, windows that break, or adventure sets with gators that snap, and big leopards that lunge out. Or a great white shark set that lunges outward at the side of the raft.

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Sit back and pay people to work for me...I'd maybe go to the office once a year

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I would put into production a good cartoon like when we were kids, also getting Bill Ratner as Flint and Mary McDonald as Lady Jaye and as many of the original voices as possible.

Video Game !! A good one ... I'm not dumbing it down "for kids". Shoot up those terrorist Cobra Scum !!

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I'd bring back Extreme. And finish up the 1995 year.

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I was going to say that there was only one thing I would seriously edict changed immediately, but you made me stop and think, and I whole heartedly agree. I had a metric buttload of SW toys before Joe came out, and my all time favorite piece was the Hoth base with the collapsing bridge and the generator room that "blew up" I've never been a huge fan of "action" features on figures (karate choppin' and such), but I love this stuff on vehicles and especially on playsets.

Now for my Crazy Edict: I don't care if NO other outlet ever got anything to make it happen, HasbroToyShop.com would NEVER be sold out of any item.

Make production runs of "custom" figures instead of the same snake eyes, stormshadow, cobra commander, repeat ad nauseum.

But over all, pretty happy with the joe line, 90 percent of it is super cool.

And the DVD battle packs, I'm getting multiple copies of all of them, Christmas in my family is gonna be every kid getting them.

We need them out there buying joes.

So, I guess, with that in mind, a quality cartoon would be ok, I'm sure we'll see one after the movie,

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Here's what I'd do if I was given control of the Joe brand:

I would create 4 sublines under the umbrella title of "G.I.Joe".

The main line would be "G.I.Joe: America's Hero" ("International Hero" when promoted abroad) and feature updated modernized 25A styled figures of characters from across the entire Joe saga (including Extreme, Sgt. Savage, Sigma 6, comics, cartoons, etc.). A full compliment of vehicles (3 price classes), comic packs ("realistic" deco only!), and 2 large playsets (updated '83 Joe base and a Cobra Temple like in the 'toon) would round out the line.

The next line would be "G.I.Joe: Adventure Team" and feature Joes in world exploration roles. The core team would be updated 25A versions of the Joe Colton and the classic Adventure Team (in basic Adventure Team jumpsuits) with environmentally themed characters (i.e. Alpine, Snowjob, Torpedo, Eco Warriors, etc.) as reserve members. Accessory Packs would be a big part of this line and consist mostly of multiple sets of new, unique webgear and environmentally specific gear (i.e. scuba gear/skis/spelunking gear/etc. for a 6 man team) as well as items like binoculars, machetes, shovels, etc. A full range of exploration vehicles (amphibious buggys, 4x4s, hang gliders, etc.) as well as playsets with included comics (i.e. pyramid w/exclusive mummy figure, undersea set w/great white shark, etc.) would allow kids to act out any number of adventures. NOTE: no firearms outside of maybe hunting rifles or pistols would be represented in this line to keep parents happy.

Next comes "G.I.Joe: Star Brigade 2199". This line will feature a completely new cast of characters (some will have to be decendants of original characters to provide a link to the franchise's past) will take the Joe/Cobra storyline into the far future. The Lunatrix Empire will be the main villians of this line and be expanded to include multiple species of aliens, warbeasts, and cyborgs. The line will have a full range of futuristic vehicles(i.e. starfighters, gunships, shuttles, hovercraft, landers, etc.), comic packs (deco'd to match the rest of the line), and 3 large playsets (Joe Satellite, Cobra Moonbase, Lunatrix Mothership).

Finally, there is "G.I.Joe: Animated" and will revolve around the all new cartoon I would commission. The characters will be more or less the same, but the storyline will be modernized and rebooted to feature the newly formed Joe team battling the rising threat of Cobra in 2009. The figures would be 25A styled and painted to match the cartoon models. A full line of vehicles, DVD packs, and 2 large playsets ("cartoon" redecos/retools of the ones from the main line) will complete this line. Any new characters or vehicles introduced in this line will eventually get "realistic" decos when they are introduced into the main line so that everyone can use them in whatever collection they may want to add them to.


All figures/vehicles/accessories/playsets would be fully compatible with each other to maximize playability!

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I don't know if anyone else has seen this where you all shop, but at my local Target they have this set that includes a shark head that extends out of a barrel type container. It's either for the little skate board toys/BMX bikes/etc. It has these ramps that allows the toy to, get this, jump the shark

I have been watching these on clearance and will probably grab when soon. Other than using it in a dio shot (cropping/filming in a way to hide the lack of a body) the use I most want to see would be to do something that I can post on the board here as a response anytime a company/thing/person/idea jumps the shark.

I figure I could put the shark head in place and maybe have the 25th Major Bludd doing the honors.

Anyway, I will try to find out what company makes it and let you all know. It seems to be the right scale if anyone was trying to do a JAWs meets GIJOE thing.

EDIT: Here it is!

Scroll down to the bottom.

http://www.gokidsnj.com/Motocross-toys-info.html

It is the 'MXS Pro Stunt Rippers Shark Jump Challenge.'

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I'd pat the guys designing the figures on the back, give them a raise, and leave them alone.

Seriously, can't think of a thing I'd change.

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1. Give Broklee a Job
2. Make Violentfix's dio cannon let him write the new comics
3. Sit back and collect checks
4. Go on Larry King live or maybe Oprah
5. Get the Guys who made Metal Gear (Snakeyes) and Ace Combat (Ace) to make video games

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I'd step up production. With all the stores saying that they're not getting all the cases that they've ordered, Hasbro's obviously not meeting demand.

Make weapon/accessory packs and blank stands available to online retailers. This time, they wouldn't be molded in weird colors. Possibly do the same with generic bodies, molded in all one color, and sold unassembled.

Possibly bring back some of the smaller vehicles from the late 80s and early 90s in better colors, and remolded to fit the 25a style figures. Things like a Swampmasher molded in olive, dark brown, and black.

Free PDF downloads, of base kits. Just print them out, glue them to some carboard or foam core, and peg them together. They'd be completely modular, and allow for not only multi room structures, but also multi level playsets.

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