Both Sides of My Mouth, Eh? OK... - Michael Unplugged
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- #retroblasting #gijoe #actionforce
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Some people seem to think I'm being duplicitous (or at best confused) about G.I. Joe vs. Action Force. Let me assure you, you've fallen off the stool.
Action Force, while adding it’s own unique take on it, is living off the same nostalgia that the Classified line is. Hell, Bobby was even strategic enough to lock down the name the brand was known by outside the USA, Steel Brigade and Sgt. Slaughter.
Then he made upgrade kits to retrofit the Classified figures to make them more like their original look.
He has also managed his risk by positioning this line to sell more to a collector audience and not in major chain stores.
None of that is said to knock Action Force, as I hope he can successfully keep the line going. Just don’t try and pretend it isn’t living off G. I. Joe fan nostalgia.
Gi joe collectioner are older in 40 plus . They want gi joe at 6 inch scale to be the the old 3.75 scale figures ir the cartoon. That thing retoblasting is for getting. Same with transformers G1 inspired toys out sell any other transformers lines by alot . Hasbro know that fans will buy it at any price as long as it old school. The hiss tank just provides that.
This was my point exactly. I’m trying to get a understanding of how he’s seeing Action Force is future focused but not GI Joe other then multiple things being the same thing at the same time.
I enjoy retro tearing things up. It’s who he is. It seems like. I’m new to these channels and I’ve watched a few of these toy content creators. It does seem like he seems to be closer to the action force creator than maybe he realizes or cares to admit. Action force was introduced to me by a friend that I share the love of Joes. I don’t have to hate one and swear fealty to the other. I can enjoy both. If we are being honest new things aren’t always a hit. The action force lore is still in Bobby Vala head. He doesn’t even have the comics for sale so maybe there is some background I could get into. I only have the file cards and that is not one hundred percent telling the story. I look forward to finding out about this group/universe. I’m still going to be a Joe fan. By the by I feel most of the action force fan base is introduced by word of mouth. I introduced my fried to the action force as I was introduced to it. My friend had bad interaction with the Vala site. I feel bad since I introduced him to the line. So I’m not here to crap talk Vala. I’m going to say no company is perfect. I’m definitely not a hasbro apologist. I just want everyone to remember. If you’re not having fun don’t buy it or engage with it. It’s your money and all these companies new and old need to remember that they are competing for our dollars.
@@terryxperryI’m not sure that that’s exactly the case though. Just from looking at the GI Joe Classified line, the numbered mainline figures, at least the ones past the first wave, which seem to be more respectful updates and modernizations, seem to do better sales wise than the retro carded 6” line which more faithfully recreates the original figures in 6” scale. I think the first waves were a little too outside what the audience wanted. But both Valaverse and Hasbro found that sweet spot of more detailed more real world military with a slight SciFi twist.
That Snake Eyes movie was a masterclass in absolute incompetence.
The government needs to force stores to clearance those figures. I’m tired of looking at them, they are blocking new figures from appearing
@@AlphamagnusCreations For real. They're like a turd that won't flush. The Baroness and Akiko are especially pervasive and everyone would be better off if all remaining stock was gathered up and recycled.
Snake Eyes fought giant demon snakes. It's so late 90's studio executive note movie that it's beyond comprehension
Snake Eyes: A character who doesn't speak, show his face, and has a pet wolf. Let's make an origin movie where he doesn't become silent, hide his face, or meet Timber. Let's also make it ABSOLUTE garbage. PERFECT!
I literally got sick watching it knowing how much I absolutely hated it and the fact that Larry Hama was incomprehensibly cosigned its story and even made a cameo. The Snake Eyes figure from that movie is still a pretty good figure though. The rest are throw aways.
Action Force is not really future focused… it is a niche line for adult collectors… that is sooooo not future focused! It really is in the same boat as GiJoe… at the end of the day both lines have an aging fan base … neither really have any younger customers.
What’s wrong with having an audience that’s primarily adult based?
@@kaylemathewcomendador6964 Nothing. But that adult audience typically wants nostalgia and what was. So, trying to come up with new ideas is tricky and ultimately not profitable for Habro. If all of their buyers are pushing 50 ang 60 there's no future in the line. Hasbro owns the property so they will try different things and rereleases and relaunches but GI Joe A Real American Hero from the 80s, is back in the 80s. Things change. Kids don't care about this line.
Well said
Nostalgia keeps the toy companies in business because kids don't buy toys anymore.
I agree with this statement. The very name of this channel is “Retroblasting”
It looks like the first wave of Classified was a part of the video game that was released. I think they know exactly what they’re doing… Hence HASBRO one of the biggest toy companies in the world.
Yea they know. Just like with Transformers, they make a figure that feeds off nostalgia but it's only 65% there. Then they re-release the figure with slight retool and/or color - it's 85 to 95 % right on with the vintage look most want.... then they sometimes hit us one more time with the figure we wanted all along 99% perfect. You have to be patient with modern toys unless you are a " gotta catch them all " person. Of course I'm ignoring the toys bought for kids which is still the biggest piece of the pie, they don't care about the small details we pick on. Hasbro definitely does listen to collectors but they have other parts to factor in.
Biggest doesn't mean best. In fact, now that they are practically a monopoly, there is no longer any competitive pressure to be the best. And if a small toy company does start to be a problem, HASBRO will crush them or buy them.
Something you said reminded me of conversations I've had in the past with other geeks online. Just because you like something doesn't mean it's doing well, while conversely, just because you dislike something doesn't mean it's doing poorly.
Like you, I'm concerned for the "nostalgia properties" (Transformers, GI Joe, TMNT, MOTU, ThunderCats, etc.) once we, the generation who grew up with them are gone. And let's face it, that's going to happen sooner rather than later. Hell, I'm 47, and likely within the next 20 years I'll probably have to stop collecting, and who is going to want all this stuff we've amassed?
That's why I'm a fan of the new CG MOTU show, because they're at least TRYING to make the property appeal to a younger demographic. I'm not sure if it's successful, but at least they're trying.
I honestly think all of these properties are only being consumed by people like us in their late 30s and early to mid 40s. I think physical toys are just done for kids growing up now past an earlier and earlier age due to the insane technology, graphics and hence draw of video games. Add in social media and other forms of living your entire life online and it makes it practically dead.
“He’s gonna need a body bag!”
That is all.
That poor Lando figure,I keep seeing dozens on shelves every toy section I check out around town. Lando's everywhere!!!
Rose tico gotta be worse
@@turtleanton6539 I got the Empire 40th version for $5 at Walmart a couple of years ago. Still saw a couple until they were practically giving them away. Shame too, Lando's a great fig and one of my favorites from the OG trilogy
There's been so much inconsistancy at my locals. The MOTU brands keep bouncing around, and the last few months the Origins have been regular price while Revelations and CGI toys are on clearance, but they haven't gotten any NEW MOTUO figures in months, they are the same 4
Things can be both new and familiar, in fact, a little bit of both can lead to a brilliant outcome! Just look at G.I. Joe Renegades!
As a child of the 80's I grew up watching reruns of Buck Rogers, Doc Savage , Alan Quartermain etc etc so when the Rocketeer came out in 91 I fell in love with the old school 30's/40's feel of the film . Heck I may be the only person alive that liked Sky Captain and the world of tomorrow for similar reasons. The best example of I can think of recently is Star Trek Picard. After the train wreck of the first 2 seasons they are going full nostalgia mode on season 3 . When done right nostalgia is a great thing. When done wrongly it risks ruining the original memories it's trying to recreate.
Two examples of G.I. Joe that went off the beaten path were Sigma 6 and Valor vs. Venom. Both tried to reinvent the series and while both lines might have gained some fans and traction at the time, they ultimately aren't remembered well. G.I. Joe has been trying to reinvent itself for so long that it has nothing left but nostalgia to cling onto. Nostalgia is the writing on the wall for any series before its death if you go by history and the death of other series.
I don't remember much about the Sigma 6 toys but that cartoon was fucking AWFUL
Celebrates 10 years of a channel called RETROblasting. Complains about nostalgia.
Points out obvious, unrelated fact in a snarky manner, tries to look smart. Fails to do so :P
@@kaijukidsam Snarky comment on a RB video? Its like the 80's anti-drugs PSA where the dad asked the kid where he learned to do drugs. There's never any snarky comments in a RB video nor in the comment section. Throw in any cliche you wish. Birds of a feather. Reap what you sow. What goes around...
I like the hypocrisy of building your channel on nostalgia but telling companies they need to move forward. Just like I like seeing someone gripe about a company yet present a collection or team of figures they put together from the company they're griping about.
@@derekwildstar5735 You're griping because someone with a themed channel that exclusively comments on the industry of toys, their history and their current state of being has criticisms and well thought-out arguments. That's genuinely as shallow and tunnel-visioned as you can get, bro :P
@@floorboss it seems that a lot of you guys have trouble understanding the concept of having a themed Channel while also making critique and commentary on nostalgic things in the modern era, so maybe the problem isn't with him huh? To me it seems you guys just don't understand the nature of this discourse
I like most of the 'classic' Joe updates we've had after the first wave (and got me to actually buy a bunch) - however, like the Mattel masterverse line, they need to add new characters here and there. I was just thinking about how diverse the original line was - but I don't think they ever did a black female character? Are there modern military positions that can be created for the Joe team? Now would be a great time to do so with all new characters. Heck bring back the GI Joe adventure team (with the "A" logo) as a new faction. Definitely agree the line needs to stay fresh as well as updating the classics.
I think with Masterverse, there's different avenues for Mattel to explore for figures between the New Eternia concept-inspired designs, Filmation, the vintage toys/comics, New Adventures, 200x, etc. while GI Joe is largely the 80s comics/toys and the Sunbow cartoon with some variants peppered in (The failed Snake Eyes movie for one).
@@PowerChordEPS Would definitely love to see even more variants and new characters peppered in. Heck my favorite figure in the anniversary line was the Cobra Shock Trooper with the riot shield. Would love to see that done in 6 inch scale.
How is Action Force future focused? I enjoy both properties, gi joe and action force, but I don't see one any more future focused then the other. I'm sorry the rocketeer didn't do well and take off. I enjoyed it but it really wasn't good enough to go beyond what it was. That was it's biggest problem not the people.
The Valaverse figures are based on real, now days, soldiers. That’s the focus. This is why this line has a real future.
@@joaquinpinedamoncada6128 -90% of the line is not based on that but they do have Sgt. Slaughter he's real lol. Just kidding around, I hear you but it's still no more future focused then any other toy line. Mike makes great arguments sometimes but that was not one of them.
I never had GI Joe as a kid. I'm English, and had Action Force, and didn't even know it was the same thing as GI Joe till probably 7-8 years ago. And I am LOVING the Classified line. I don't care about resale value, I care about having something cool to put on a shelf. I still recognise the wave 1 figures as the characters I know and love.
In my opinion, GI Joe Classified pisses all over the 80th reiteration of Spider Man or the 300th Funko.
Its not for you? So what? Folks are buying and liking the line. At the end of the day, the Classified line will only as good as the media behind it, and that to me is where the problem lies. There needs to be a modern TV show or at least decent movies. Until then, any GI Joe line will only be popular with retro nerds.
Glad it makes you happy
I have no complaints about the Classified line. I did when the Target Exclusives were impossible to get , but that has gotten a lot easier and I was able to get all the figures. I don't mind that the figure roll outs have been slow, just gives me more time to makes ure I can afford my Pre-Orders LOL. I have been waiting for good GIJOE figures again ever since the POC line ended. Also, the last good GIJOE movie or cartoon ever made was GIJOE: Resolute. Yo Joe!
@@malcontentman9820 I think even Hasbro knew the Cobra Island debacle was a shitshow for the ages, hence why they reissued the figs en masse and you can still find some on discount. I.E. the one Barbecue hanging out at Dirt Cheap for $10. They course-corrected to some degree with the Tiger Force and Python Patrol waves, nowhere near as hard to find as Beach Head was
I thought Michael had every toy he ever wanted?
Putting deck chairs out on the Titanic while getting the band playing.
I almost thought you were going to go with "Kick his ass, Seabass!"
*addendum
Michael, you know that if you keep responding to these pretentious detractors and self-appointed watch dogs, you're going to spend more time explaining the same things over and over. If they didn't get it the first time, they aren't going to get it when you say it the second time. And a big reason for that is because they only care about finding that magical "gotcha" to prove their superiority to everyone (especially themselves). You know that you're not wrong. And if the people who enjoy your channel feel the need to disagree with you, you know we'll try to do it in a fashion that is both respectful and dialectic.
Sorry for the rambling. As always, well said, and I appreciate your integrity and honesty. Thank you for the effort and time you invest in entertaining and educating us.
These kinds of videos are my FAVORITE though.
Something about watching these makes me feel like I'm Goku watching Gohan finally defeat Super Perfect Cell.
I hope Michael NEVER stops doing the unplugged series.
One of my most popular blog articles was written on a whim when i got sick of reading the same comments about the color of a toy and cartoon character, and why it looks different in various conditions in media and lighting etc. Stupid arguments and wrong headed views can lead to interesting thought pieces like this RB one. Im all for it 😃
I would definitely go see an “Action Force” movie or watch an animated series!
That miss with trying to get new people in while also using nostalgia made me think of Expendables 3. They tried to gain more audience but making it a PG-13 movie but the people that they are trying to get didn't grow up with Arnold, Stallone, Chuck Norris, etc... so they took the gore, violence, and language out for nothing.
Retroblasting 2050, sponsored by Fixodent 😉
Personally I really have no issues with nostalgia, today we have more choice than majority of us can keep up with and were in the peak of design/articulation/detail. If people want to re-buy what they already had but in 1 : 12 scale with 2022 standards go ahead.
Well said. I too loved The Rocketeer (also saw it in theaters) but know that it is never gonna ever be culturally impactful (heck, they even did a sequel cartoon for the Disney Channel that came and went years back with barely anyone watching or noticing). Nostalgia is a very fickle thing to try and take advantage of.
When David Lynch and Mark Frost brought back Twin Peaks a few years back, Showtime spent a lot of cash and effort promoting it. The problem was that Frost/Lynch did something that turned off audiences. They tried something NEW, and didn't just make the same show as the original. It turned off casual fans, and even some of the hard-core folks abandoned it before the end of the 18 episode run. The show only had only 140K viewers its the last episodes. Fans have been trained to expect the same old thing, in newer slicker packaging. While I loved it, and am happy Frost/Lynch did something creative and got a nice fat paycheck, Twin Peaks is now well and truly done. And I'm fine with that.
Do or do not Fire Walk With Me
🦶🦶
🔥🔥
Growing up, my Granny lived down the road, so the school bus could drop me off easily at either place. Since my Dad had to work late a lot, I'd spend a lot of time there - & she loved Twin Peaks! I, in turn, loved it although I didn't quite grasp all the plotlines. Rewatched during college years & that was quite the trip!
I missed out(?) on this latest run, however - no subscriptions besides cellular. Should I get the set as a nostalgic completionist, or just leave it wrapped in plastic?
(Um, heh... ty for your time lol)
@@favoritemustard3542 See if you can watch season 3 ep 1 for free somewhere... If you like it, buy the set. Otherwise...
A pro-tip? I thank you, @@JosephDickersonUX! Screenshotted for research.
I liked the Rocketeer, but it could have been better. I wanted more full costume Rocketeer, and flying sequences. Pretty much the same stuff I got in the first Ironman movie. I do appreciate the film as a period piece now that I am older. Good set design, FX, music, and direct. I just wanted more.
That Scarlett figure is on Amazon for $6.99!
I'm sorry you paid $24.99 for it.
He's taking it back, that's why he didn't open it.
@@cobracommander9138 It's hard to tell if something is opened with modern boxes. I did buy 6 G.I. Joe Snake Eyes Origins Storm Shadows for a ninja troop. Amazon had them on sell for $10. That is how I knew about Scarlett.
@@AlphaProto I bought Scarlett for full price from Target. I pre ordered the whole Movie wave. When I saw it on clearance on Amazon I think it wa $8 I got it and took my Target one back.
I can’t imagine being a toy executive these days. The early 80’s had the most amazing toy lines ever created. Gi joe, Star Wars, transformers and He-man. I lived through this time period and I loved and had all these lines and I’m loving this new motu line because it speaks directly to my inner 9yo. But has anything new, exciting and fun that is generation spanning been created since 1985….nope. So what do you do …do you try and come up with some new toy concept like they had too with these 4 lines or do you just go back to someone else’s ideas and just rerelease them for a guaranteed audience?? I love the motu origins line but did that take any imagination or creativity or any development whatsoever…??? Nope..the blueprint was already made, characters already made, stories already written. Just update and package. You’re absolutely right Michael. What toy lines will my kids remember 20 years from now are there any that transcend like our did. Doubtful
Major properties created after 1985: TMNT and Power Rangers. (I was too old to get into them, but admit they were huge hits.) I get the feeling toy execs today are afraid to put their necks on the line and invest serious money in new properties.
Ironically when heman went down it made Mattel more risk averse and afterward they doubled down on aquisitions and releasing existing brands over new brands. So they had the same problem mid to late 80s. Just not as visible as stores always had something on shelves. 😃
@@lo1bo2 power rangers is a wiggle. Its more a 70s derived long runnings show series and toyline just rebranded like transformers and robotech. But still a valid point, tmnt and rangers dominated early 90s. 😃
20 years from now those shitty Snake Eyes Origins Classified figures will still be clogging the shelves. 😆
I think kids need their own original stuff, the next generation we will be playing with the toys of their grandparents.
GI Joe Classified wave one was bad except for Snake Eyes, but they have improved and made some really good looking figures since. Hasbro has been doing a great job listening to collector customers. People complained about eBay exclusives and Hasbro responded by adding more stock. Now you can get the Target exclusives fairly easily. They stopped making the sci-fi themed weapons, though it is a part of G.I.Joe. People forgot that the cartoon characters had lasers. I don't see modern weapons with lasers, yet people complained about it and wanted modern looking weapons. The criticism of wave one is old news. The movie figures deserve criticism, but it isn't Hasbro's fault an anorexic looking woman was cast as Scarlett. The criticism was valid at the onset, but the figures coming out now are pretty good and at least we see signs Hasbro is listening.
Fun thing I've observed, several commenters on Vala's videos and the 3POA comments about his sci fi weapons being too unrealistic like those early GI Joe nerf guns. Except his weapons are all real guns, his knives are real knives, they're just dumb asses looking for something to gripe about.
Kind of like folks who complained about MOTU Revelations. It was a continuation of Filmation, not a scene for scene remake. Smith said himself, in the oft-quoted "we're picking up where they left off" continued with "we're exploring unresolved stories from that and exploring those relations more thoroughly." Which is what he did. And Netflix didn't do him any favors by cutting that story where they did for release. But he brought all of those characters up to a more modern perspective and deepened their relationships in a way Filmation never did and somehow, that's a dig? The Filmation cartoon was shit, so sorry to every stupid man baby who still clings to that as "the standard" but it was shit. I loved it too, when I was 5, but I'm 45 and it's shit. The 200x cartoon was a MUCH better overall story, and Smith cleary brought some of that to the table too. And it was good. It's a good season of TV, and I'm looking forward to Revolution. The only folks who were lied to coming into that cartoon are those who established their desired show in their heads before the actual cartoon ever aired.
Back to GI Joe though, I didn't mind the nerf guns either, it was an interesting way to cross brand the toys, and the nerf guns weren't as dorky as the weapons were in the cartoon every one seems to love. And yeah, the accusation about them making Joe Fortnight designs is so close enough to feel true, while simultaneously showcasing a complete lack of truthfulness. They were modeled on the Operation Blackout video game. You could say that game was modeled on Fortnight, but then, Fortnight was modeled on about a dozen games that preceeded it too... but yeah, waves one and two classified came direct from GI Joe: OB.
I mean, the term "Classified" can imply that which is in the vaults so to speak. So, not sure Hasbro is hiding behind that term too much. Plus, the logic that "just because you like it doesn't mean it's a good plan" can also be stated as the reverse: just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's a bad plan. Clearly, these items are selling.
They never intended it to go this hard this fast. They have serious distribution issues. Some figures show up on 1 side of the globe and fail to come at the other. This is the main reason why Classified is having trouble. Other than that the line is doing well and they are implementing their "future strategy" as we go. With the Kamakura figure which isn't a 80s character. At least not named "to not be bothered by lore fanatics" his main era is the 2000s. This indicates that they are looking to expand beyond the 80s already.
As someone that likes the Mego remakes, I wish there was a remake of the original GI Joe/AT figures from the sixties/seventies as I missed out on those 8 in figures.
I do like the vintage/retro SW and Marvel lines though.
Well, Super Joe is getting made.
I am very much aware that if Hasbro came out with an Adventure Team themed figure line it would be an absolute nostalgia play. Still, I would buy it. I could even see them releasing it in the RAH size to get some of the vehicles and play sets out there.
But, like I said, I would see it for what it is: a total nostalgia play that would ultimately not grow the line.
10:35 The movie figures are the bane of many people's existence right now. Due to the horrible distribution of classified, the movie figures shelfwarm while the actual figures either never make it to shelf or sell out instantly, save for minor exceptions like Lady Jaye and Gung-Ho which while decent figures, miss the mark on specific factors that the walmart exclusive "retro line" re-releases fix for people somewhat. 1st wave roadblock can still be found shelfwarming places that haven't clearanced it out due to the really weirdly dead looking headsculpt he has. My point though is the movie figures are the worst things to use as an example of the line "not taking off" when people aren't even able to get the normal, actually popular figures half the time due to scalpers.
I enjoy both Valaverse/action force and classified in terms of individual figure design, but Classified does indeed seem to be somewhat directionless, having gone from updated "modernized" takes in the initial concept phase and the first snake eyes figure they released, to the scifi nerf gun aesthetic of the first wave, to just trying their hardest to get the nostalgia bait type of detailing going. One f the figures I feel gets the right blend of old and new is the target exclusive first release of the cobra trooper (despite the weird nerf guns with the visible pegs) and major bludd who's a kind of a heavy retooling of the trooper. In terms of non-exclusives, Zartan is great, but they of course have "deluxe" versions with more detailing locked behind convention and store exclusives. Biggest issue for me with classified is how Hasbro keeps making the definitive releases of character designs a limited one time release or a store exclusive. Mindbender and Serpentor are going to suffer this fate as well despite being incredibly popular characters, with no standard release versions in sight. Though Valavarse does not suffer these problems as it's doing it's own thing, the only action force figures I've managed to get ahold of so far are the botcon exclusive wasp raider and a standard blue generic riot trooper due to them being a smaller and even less distributed line, only being carried by online stores and some independently owned hobby shops. This leads to situations where some scalpers are charging $50 for a swarm trooper backpack. There's been some places that have restocked and I'm hoping to get some more eventually when I get the money for it but I'm also worried mildly due to the QC problems of wave 1. My figures as far as I know from wave 1 don't have the issues but it's apparently a gamble according to what I've heard from people that own the figures.
The toy industry is dead and gone, it really, really needs solid ideas with help coming up with brand new concepts I.P. that will last 30 years or more collecting toys is changing rapidly in obviously going the wrong direction at least I think!!! That's my own opinion not knocking any toy companies, but the 70s,80s,90s toy I.P. are all long gone!!! Next generations will never know 70s,80s,90s era will never be the same again!!!! You either love it or hate it!!! It can be frustrating understandly!!!!! Toy action figures collectors are leaving the game for good!!!! That's a real shame!!!!!! Toy companies not saying names, really doesn't care about the true fans and collectors at all, only what sells,not the interest of fans and collectors alike!!!!!!! Thank you!!! Michael for your input and honesty!!! I whole heartly agree with you all the way!!!!!!
Great video thanks for make my Friday
I remember back in the day when nostalgia was cool. 😁
Instead of getting into Fortnight, GI Joe should get it’s own official game. Their version Call of Duty or Battlefield. Imagine running or flying into a battle with every GI Joe and cobra character with all their own unique abilities and weapons.
They tried that. Operation Blackout (released 2020). I got a new version cheap maybe a year ago. It is a low budget FPS with no online component which killed it dead. It was OK (for a low price) but pretty limited. I am not a hard core gamer but if it wasn't GI Joe I wouldn't have played it. You can unlock the old cartoon PSAs in the game.
They modeled the first line of toys on that game so if you play it, you will see that. How you release a video game without an online playable version is beyond me.
Nostalgia is obviously what's fueling the line. The problem is Hasbro has tried reinventing the line before and kids aren't interested. Hasbro is making money and giving Joe fans what they want. It's a win for them and the fans. Over the next few years, they can try to reinvent and/or introduce some new characters or shut it down and figure it out later. Kids don't care about GI Joe. There isn't a cartoon or video game that's captured this generations imagination. Everything isn't for everybody. The nostalgia play is the only profitable play they have right now.
9 seconds in.... Michael is about to go off. Had to pause to grab a drink as I don't plan on stopping the video until it's done.
I actually kind of like that Scarlett figure. Not 25 bucks like it. I snagged it on clearance for 10 bucks which was about perfect. Oh yeah and you're not wrong, pretty accurate. I wish I still had my rocket pack I made in 1991 out of two classic quaker oatmeal containers.
It’s toys, should it be that serious as to make a video on this topic? In the next ten years none of this will matter because we will all be closing in on 60 and probably won’t care..
Social Media Motorboating is the greatest phrase of all time.
Every time someone says “He-Man Revelations” I die a bit. I’ll be getting that fixodent soon. lol
I believe it's the episode "the problem with power", where Adam forfeits the sword after He-Man is tricked into believing he has killed an innocent man by skeletor. Our heroes were left with no choice but to go it alone, and when skeletor was using a portal to bring villains in from another realm Teela opted to sacrifice herself to blow up the gate.
She wasn't playing the victim, she wasn't stepping on her male counterparts, and she wasn't trying to do manly things. A strong woman is someone who stands up against the odds even though she knows she can't win.
I don't know what this side shaved biker bar aficionado is that we were given with this modern cartoon, but it certainly isn't Teela. You see unlike Kevin smith, I'm not crying. I just don't like being lied to.
because it is actually: Revelation and not "He-Man Revelations" ?
The Rocketeer didn't take off? His rocket pack must have malfunctioned 😁🚀
Origins sort of course corrected too though, ditching those early He-Man and Skeletor face sculpts. All of the latest waves match the vintage characters much more than the some of the ones in wave 1 & 2. Which I'm happy about.
Great video Michael I love the motor boating lol
The first wave of g.i.joe was tied to the new video game. Which was the idea behind the design which was an amalgamation of the originals with a modern day take. Just like snake eyes and destroy were almost 100% vintage accurate. Even Duke was almost exactly the same. With the only difference being his shin guard pads and his communicator on the shoulder I show the examples on my review. Even road block looks like his second vintage release without the white shirt. The only character that was drastically different was Scarlett and that's because in today's day and age. The bathing suit style outfit is a red flag which is silly to begin with.
Now I know you may or may not agree with my thoughts but I truly believe. That hasbro was trying to reach a new audience of kids with the old school fans to coincide with the release of the video game. Which to be honest is a good idea for the line to continue to live on with future generations. I also truly feel that the real big issue with wave one was the fake looking guns more so then the figures. I appreciate your thoughts in the matter but I feel like alot of Joe fans. We're way to hard on the idea of the first wave not being vintage enough. Especially since there was alot of other little details, like the new video game look an aesthetics and Scarlets drastic costume change.
Us the consumers and fanboys alot of times take things the wrong way or everything is a conspiracy theory. When in fact a situation can really just be a company like hasbro trying something new with something old. Just to see if they can find a new audience that will appreciate the line. Even though with us purest it may rub us the wrong way or it may look like just brand bullcrap.
I thougt Scarlet had a 80' aerobics suit. Lol. She could still sell today in that suit if they change her bio from counter intelligence to GI Joe fitness instructor.
@@TankAce69 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
The Rocketeer fan here! Lost the Betamax tape of it along with the others during the flood in our town, unfortunately.
I’ll admit, I made a very similar comment on your ‘valaverse’ video to the one you highlighted at the start of the video, and honestly, even after watching this video, I’m still confused on your stance.
So if you could start gi joe classified all over from the start, you would not use anything from the past (nostalgia based)and a have a line of newly designed figures but keeping in line with gi joe theme ( military) to future proof the line?
Is this how we also feel about the Original Star Trek series and the Next Generation and every series afterwards, not to mention the movies and toys? I was looking at some screenshots from the Original Series pilot The Cage and I think it’s a stroke of genius because it is the Star Trek before the Original Series got started, so in some ways we see a different Star Trek! I’m very curious about that Star Trek-but heaven forbid any studio from trying to create a series based on The Cage and anything just before that episode!
Seems like all the most popular toy lines are using nostalgia to sell product. Planning for the future is tough when kids nowadays aren’t interested in action figures like we were.
Is Action Force future focused when the people buying that line are GI Joe collectors?
That's what I don't get. Are kids buying Action Force? Or is it the same middle aged, overweight, over worked, balding, with the nagging wife, men that need a little nostalgia buying that line?
It has to start somewhere. Obviously it has limited reach due to being exclusively online or at conventions. However, I believe Bobby has stated that he intends to bring action force to retail stores, and they are making a movie. For my part, I did not grow up with Gi Joe nor do I own any classified figures yet, but I do own a few action force figures already and am following the line closely. People like me are in the (probably extreme) minority but we do exist.
@@cobracommander9138 To me it's like the GI Joe team, but 10% more dirtbag. Most of the Action Force figs come with mall ninja knife, the heavy gunner looks like a guy who does "real talk" youtube vids inside his truck, and they have a weapons pack with a gold-plated Desert Eagle.
@@driver8sk That's a great description!. I can see "real talk" guy's veins popping out as he screams into his phone making his video. To me I think Valaverse are cool because I was in the military, and the whole Bobby story but that's about it. I don't have any real connection to it.
I honestly don't know how you still have hair dealing with all of these people that hear only what they want to hear or twist themselves in logic pretzels to justify their narrative.
An no gray!
Great video Michael! I guess that is why in 20 years , toy stores will still sell Playmobil and Lego. Funny thing, I was surprised when Playmobil went down the Nostalgia road.
it should be mentioned that the first wave was meant to go with their new video game designs, that nobody cared about or at least not enough cared about it , and on side note i turned that scarlet into a cover girl
I saw the rockateer in the theaters too and the phantom. Liked them both.
vala's action force is still nostalgic
Hasbro's G.I. Joe line isn't just nostalgic, it's a legacy line. There's a difference. The line started back in the 60's. Now over 50 years later we are STILL talking about G.I. Joe, STILL buying G.I.Joe figures, STILL talking about bad Joe movies. The G.I. Joe brand is part of American culture. 50 years from now no one will be talking about Action Force, or M.A.S.K., or 21st Century Toys, or Johnny West. But G.I. Joe will still be around in some form or fashion. It's not just nostalgia .
GI Joe is a legacy nostalgia brand because Millennials grew up with a hot property. There is nothing that today's kids have a cultural attachment to. A Fortnite crossover? Yeah, that'll generate big bucks in 30 years.
GI Joe is, for all intents, stagnant. As a property, it has not tried to attract new kids to the toy aisle since the turn of the century. It has not tried to get kids to gather around the television set for a cartoon since 2004. It realized that all of the money it was generating was from adult collectors high on nostalgia gas, so it leaned into that surefire demographic with no thoughts to the future. As a legacy brand, it has no legacy once the last Millennial dies.
@@RockandrollNegro And how long will it be until the last millennial dies? Ten years? Twenty? Forty? And all that time G.I Joe will still be a money making brand.
You know it's bad when before you showed the GI Joe figure you picked up at Gamestop I already knew which one it was. And we don't even live in the same time zone.
Dang, GameStop is trying to sell movie Scarlett for $25???
I'm so glad I stopped collecting in the 1980's when Star Wars faded away.
Let me say something guys the only toys that will survive not even action Force figures that will survive some characters from marvel legend some characters from DC and Star Wars everybody else is gonna fade away include an action force the only ones collecting toys right now are people between 30 and 40 years old or should I say 30 to 50 years old no kids are going to collect toys anymore it’s over for everybody except us older guys no no no
With the original 80s G.I. Joe I could find every figure on the pegs with a little patience. I would have a hard time experiencing nostalgia with Classified since I cannot find the ones i want in stores. Probably for the best.
That R ocketeer reference hit the heart-strings. I loved the whole feel of the movie. But I was reminded mostly about the Shadow; when hismovie came out I was already a fan of his radioplays, his 70s DC comic (and Batman appearances) and saw all the toys and fastfood based on him that I was silly enough to think he might have a sequel (even picturing him either teaming up with the Rocketeer or finally doing a Doc Savage movie in the Rocketeer style). Then I raved about him all week or more and after so many people had no idea who I meant, the cold realityset in.
The mention of picking a course and sticking it (nestolgia or new) reminds me of how they try reboots/adaptations of classic TV shows in hopes of bringing in new and existing fan-base. Those often seem like the people who care about the original will be usually upset aboutthe liberties taken and those who don't mind usually don't because they don't care about the original and so that angle was wasted on them.
So weird seeing only one Lando.
Well said Michael. Cobra Kai is a good example of how to hit the nostalgia points and move the story forward.
Actually I think the opposite and think it's doing exactly what Michael is accusing GI Joe of doing. 🤷♂️
Agreed. Cobra Kai is phenomenal in my opinion.
Cobra Kai is fun and I watch it purely for nostalgia and yeah the story for these old characters. But moving forward? With what? Hannah Montana meets karate? It is a weird hybrid between a teen drama and adults from a bygone era. There is no cohesion even though I really like it. But I like it for the wrong reasons. And am willing to admit it.
Do I think this is a show that will stand the test of time. No way. Quality wise no. But like with most things, diehard fans will love it.
Nostalgia's only prospect for future success is that we have kids that follow in our footsteps....HAVE THEY MET US?
That's not going to happen. Only person I know that collects their father's toys which for us would be those 60's GI Joe Dolls is Tony from Analog Toys. My dad never owned a toy in his life. Never cared for a toy, never wanted a toy. I'm really lucky that he actually bought me toys but he never saw them as anything more than a trinket.
I knew it, you are the inspiration for Viper Island .
Love the rocketeer. When I got older I finally got some of the Dave Stevens rocketeer books.
Those Snake Eyes movie figures still are peg warming in stores.
GI Joe Classified made the same mistake Transformers Alternators/Binaltech made in 2004. Tried to update a retro toy line with new designs. Tried to appeal to the nostalgia of G1 fans but the new designs weren't recognizable to a lot of older buyers like myself or younger buyers. Alternators/Binaltech sold in the beginning, but by around 2007 Alternators/Binaltech was all but forgotten by collectors.
Have a lot of Classified and the Retro carded Joes and some of the later ones don't really fit with Wave 1-2. It feels and looks like two different toy lines on my shelf.
It's sad that Hasbro doesn't know what to do with their property. The first wave of classified was supposed to be based off a video game that went nowhere.
That video game was actually worse than the figures. Total loss all around.
everyone has their own preferences of course which makes it hard to please everyone. for me i like the nostalgia, helped out by the fact that every time these franchises try to do something new i dont like it and i dont like the new look they give it. i definitely dont think i am against them trying to do something new with stuff, but ive yet to see anyone do that correctly.
i was 10 in 82 when the 3 3/4" Joe line came out and i went crazy for it and since i was already crazy about Star Wars figures and several other 3 3/4" lines it was all great. in fact i loved those lines so much i never even got into MOTU or Transformers or MASK because none of that stuff fit in with all my 3 3/4" figures., but by around 88 i lost interest in G.I.Joe because i simply didnt like the way any of the new figures looked. luckily for me that coincided with me turning 16 and having friends with cars and playing guitar in bands so i hot preoccupied anyway. but just a few years later in 90 i graduated and started collecting, getting all the figures i had wanted but never had and all the figures i did have but had beat the absolute crap out of as a kid.
when the 25th line started i was super excited as honestly years of broken o rings and broken thumbs and discoloration and so on had dampened my love of Joe figures some. i actually loved/love the style of modern Joes and that was something new, but i liked that they were done in the modern build but with the retro looks and outfits. it didnt seem like long though before the films came out and they started making the figures to look like the film versions of the characters which i didnt care for at all and that quickly led to reimagining's of the classic characters but in sort of generic looking semi realistic modern military gear which i also didnt like the look of. the saddest part being they kept making the figures designed and looking better but not doing them in the vintage designs i wanted them in, when i think of the difference between those first 25th series Gung Ho and Destro figures vs those TRU exclusive versions they did of both towards the end of the modern line i sure wish all of them could have gotten updates that nice. but they have switched their focus to 6" now which apparently they cant get right wither, and i will never buy anyway just as i didnt buy other scale lines when i was a kid. just recently i have seen a few of the 6" figures that are done in the proper vintage outfits and they looked pretty good, oh well no use to me.
still thinks its pretty messed up that its the 40th anniversary of the 3 3/4" line and they are celebrating it basically with 6" figures. WTF.
"Get him a body bag!!" Lol
One of the least talked about strategy that cemented Star Wars and GI Joe toys was that they made something for every price point that worked together. You could walk into a store with $2 or $200 and walk out with a Star Ware or GI Joe products that you could play with all the other ones you had at home. This is why every kid you know had some of these toys. Today there is only one item at one price point so if you are a kid with only $10 bucks you will leave the ST Black (and now Vintage) and buy a handful of Hot Wheels instead.
“They need Fixodent and all kind of crap like that instead.” LMAO 🤣👍🏽
Michael is exactly the type of grown up I wanted to be as a kid.
Whew~ I panicked thinking it was one of my comments. 😓💦 "Get the body bag, yeah..."
I have to be honest when I saw "Michael Unplugged" I was expecting accoustic guitar, maybe some harmonica and if things got really wild a bit of yodeling.
We keep hoping...
Wave 1 failed? What are you talking about? News flash for ya…kids don’t play with action figures anymore. Those days are gone. These “toys” are made for 40+ year old dudes.
This guy is something else 😂.. Acts like he speaks for all of us, and then feels attacked when someone says something.
I also play with them some times😅
Very well put Michael, this is why I don’t collect new stuff and my collecting is 1993 and back - appreciate your sharing !
Just keep doin you Michael...You NEVER have to explain your opinion, on anything. You are very simply, giving your take on, anything you want really...Thank you for your videos and, YOUR OPINION, on something we all enjoy. Preciate ya Sir! 🙏
My Thoughts Exactly.
You always hit the nail right on the head, Which is why I'll always be a fan and subscriber of retroblasting.
Good stuff retro blasting 👌, keep up the awesome work 👏 👍 ... FACTZ... NOSTALGIC 🙌😎👌
Gotta agree with Michael on this one. Gung-ho was the most egregious, with Scarlett right behind him. They didn't look like GI JOE at all if you're looking at the classic 1980s ARAH.
Michael is on the money with this point! Well said!
I'll be honest - I don't know any kid who knows G.I. Joe or even buys the toys from franchises of the 80's like He-Man. Even those over-sized toys from that new He-Man cartoon barely move at all. I doubt that today's kids will care about old franchises like Thundercats when they grow older. Nostalgia will only get you to a certain distance.
There was a GI Joe movie in the last 12 months?!?!?
Give them the crane kick!
Illegal kick disqualification
Can’t disagree, but right now the nostalgia is market is targeting the portion of the population that has the most disposable income. All current commercials are targeted at our age group. The 35-50 year olds have the income to spend.
Another excellent video!
Great video as always sir. I own several valaverse action force figures. I think bar none they have the best articulation from shoulders to hips, the torso is above all other companies. The level of detail is ALL there. Having said that the line probably isn't for me long term as I don't have shelf space for modern military type lines. This includes GI Joe too, which is the EASIEST line out now to be able to pick and choose what figures I want.
I’m in complete agreement with you but I would like to know why you say Action Force is future focused vs GI Joe when I see the properties being one of the same, or a bit of biting from one another.
Good example with the Rocketeer
I love Meryl Streep and her movies especially French Lieutenants Woman but they have and never will be of enough interest to generate memorabilia and toy figure lines like other 80s stuff like Terminator and Alien
I was all for buying the classified figures when I saw they were looking a bit more sci-fi. I enjoyed the 'nerf' guns. When they started shifting to the more nostalgia oriented releases, I found I was less interested. For classified, the nostalgia piqued my intertest, and I wanted to see how they would update the characters for modern times - futuristic weapons, more sci-fi feel.. now it's just larger versions of original figures, and that makes me sad. I'm not going to buy figures that make me sad.
Good for you. Less competition for the rest of us who have to wake up at 2 in the morning and sit by the batphone waiting for preorders to go live so we can get a shot at not having to pay scalpers' prices for merchandise that will sell out in 2 minutes and will never appear on store shelves. Thank you for your sacrifice, and thanks for watching this video about a toy line you're not even interested in anymore!
Agreed. The Nerf guns were a neat little easter-egg and could've generated interest among kids. But there was much screaming and we had to shut that down.
@@driver8sk I think they could have had it both ways - Sell the figures with the sci-fi nerf gun inspired weapons, THEN, like back in the day sell weapon packs, but these are more real world inspired. It's not like those wouldn't sell.
Can we get this man to 100k already??!!
I happened to really like the Rocketeer when it came out. Still do, I remember going everywhere looking for figures & never could find anything for the longest until one day i found a "bend em" figure w/ removable backpack somewhere. Maybe Kmart...
There were toys for The Rocketeer? I loved the movie, but the only merch I can remember was the lame coloring book I had.
@@chrislorusso433 The term toys is subjective, there was a bendy figure and an extremely limited articulated plastic statue like figure I think it was made by applause. We really didn't start getting the rocketeer legitimate toys until about 10 years ago.
Bait and switch is all over in our society today, it just from action figures but movies, tv shows, politics, government, people, etc…. Seems to be today all they can do is promise or give hope to people that things will be one way from what they have grown up with and known their whole life from a baby age to 80 years old. Then that said item comes out and it’s absolutely nothing what they told u it would be or is. Bait and switch should be the theme of this last generation.
Thanks as always for the figurative bucket of cold water to the face that some company execs need to wake up and give new properties, new stories a chance to succeed in giving them something for the future generations who need their own nostalgia properties to one day purchase merchandise for.👍🏼
An interesting thing is that Hasbro had already done the same nostalgic ploy with gijoe 15 or so years ago with the 25th anniversary line, which was all about nostalgia, and than burn out only a few years later. You would think they had learned that it only works in the short term. Your right about nostalgia not being the way forward, and if you keep looking back while you're trying to move forward...your just going to fall flat on your face.
At the end of the day greed is Hasbro's problem. It shows the most in GI-JOE, where they've been selling on nostalgia with little effort or cost put into the actual process. And the sad thing is GI-JOE stans go for it. Take the GI-JOE movies... You cant convince me Hasbro puts any effort into those. Ironically, around the same time Stallone came out with the Expendables franchise that made for much better GI-JOE movies. So given the quality of what Hasbro is doing. I would say they are not just selling nostalgia, they are exploiting it.
@@meg-k-waldren At the end of the day Hasbro is a corporation who exists to make money. GI Joe is what it is. Most modern kids don't care about it whatsoever. That leaves the older collector who isn't open to new interpretations of the line. So, Hasbro will try to introduce some new characters or themes to the line eventually. Maybe they'll take, maybe they won't. But most action figure lines nowadays are for adult men, not children. Kids don't care about GI Joe. So, if nostalgia sells and fans are calling for nostalgia, I don't see the problem.
Love the channel
I just visited my local Target and as far as G.I. Joe Classified figures I saw, there were only two. The first was The Baroness from the Snake Eyes movie and the one behind it was the same Scarlett figure that Michael picked up. Mind you, this place has managed to sell the other Classified figures (albeit slowly, but they did sell). Thank goodness Hasbro cancelled their plans to open a movie studio.