Has anyone tried to (or is attempting to) get a license from Hasbro (US, Europe), or other companies (that still have the molds) such as Funskool or Takara and produce a series of reissued ARAH GI Joes?

Not retro, not variations of the O-ring design. Exactly what you got from 82 to 84. The same quality plastic, paint apps, the same everything. Just like what Takara did with G1 Transformers years ago.

Is it not possible to get a kickstarter going and make this happen? It's been a burning question that has had me dumbfounded for the last 20 years.

Is there a problem with licensing? A lack of demand? Since Hasbro seems determined on doing everything but reissues it seems an outside source is the only way to make this happen.

really outside my depth of knowledge about old joes. i assume you know about black major and red laser type lines. i've read about old molds and people paying for new molds etc.
i'd wager it would be cheaper/easier to use current technology and computer design to replicate and print the parts. i think most of the og figures shared a lot of parts.

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All licensing would go through Hasbro. Since very few of the existing tools for the 82-94 figures exist (some having been retooled for comic packs TRU exclusives) that would be a huge upfront cost to anyone able to acquire the license. Hasbro will also shut down any Kickstarter unless the rights are acquired legally.

And you have Takara and Hasbro backwards on Transformers. Hasbro licensed several Takara lines to make Transformers.

I guess this comes down to someone with th resources and a pitch good enough to convince Hasbro that they can have competing GI Joe lines on the shelves (or virtual shelves) at the same time. Something Hasbro has been hesitant to do with this brand.

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I believe ALL the original o-ring molds are gone now

are the black major/red laser figures made with new molds of old figures?

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Yup.

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sounds like getting in touch with them for this type project would be the way to go since they have the experience and contacts. i guess there is the legal issues too, but if enough people want them maybe it would still be worth it.

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Even then, both Black Major and Red Laser focus on parts reusage to get the most bang for their buck. Black Major runs color variations until the molds crumble. Red Laser creatively reuses the parts library to release different parts combinations for different characters.

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So, Hasbro don't have any of the hundreds of molds but they keep churning out 1983 Skystrikers and 1985 AWE Strikers etc.

That doesn't makes sense to me but only a handful of people would probably know.

I've heard of Red Laser and Black Major but they aren't legit (or are they?). I really don't know much about these guys other than a few auctions on Ebay.

Regardless, it strikes me as odd that Hasbro keeps trying to evolve the old line with next generation action figure technology yet they're using the same characters and outfits.

I feel like I'm in the minority when it comes to people that have wondered why Hasbro (or anyone else) never put out reissues like they did with the G1 Transformers reissues in the 2000's.

They aren't churning out '83 Skystrikers and '85 AWE Strikers -- they made new molds and tooling and attempted to get as close to the original as possible in most instances.

molds degrade like anything else. even metal molds have a shelf life and i would wager that sitting unused is the worst thing for molds. i know rubber molds only last for a few hundred wax casts before they start to warp and the pieces get less and less perfect.

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Hasbro did put out a lot of gi joe reissues in the early 2000's. I guess they didn't sell enough.

But I'm surprised no one is doing a retro style O-ring line for various movie and TV licenses.

i think o-rings and the related hardware are way more expensive in parts and labor. why spend $1 on each when they can spend .20 cents and sell them for the same $20? big companies are still just in it for the money. i worked for a medium sized retail chain and mark ups on everything from socks to diamonds would make you sick. 500% is standard for jewelry that way a 50% off sale is easy on them. socks and clothes with a designer label might be more like 1000% mark up or more depending on the name.

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So, if that is indeed correct, then you just proved Hasbro can do what people like Black Major and Red Laser are doing. Perhaps even better since they have the money, resources etc.

It could have happened, instead of (or maybe including) new style version Joes. That keeps everyone happy.

I mean, hell, have Haslabs do it and I bet you even with an inflated price, the ARAH collectors will STILL pay it. I'mnot encouraging that strategy AT ALL, but it's an option.



Yes, they put out ARAH O-ring figures, with washes, and new paint apps, retooled comic style versions and 2 figure,6 figure or convention box sets, again with new apps.

Not once have Hasbro just simply reissued the same old vanilla flavor of ARAH figures. The same figures, weapons, packaging, style, artwork.

It's like they just HAD to ''fix it'' each and every time. Just how many times does Hasbro have to mess with something that does NOT need to be changed???