Thursday, February 24, 2022

February 2022 Hasbro Pulse Reveals (Cobra Army Builders and the Baroness)

It's hard to believe that we now get some new G.I. Joe news about once per month.  Today revealed a whole bunch of new 6 inch figures.  But, those aren't anything in which I have interest.  So, instead, I'll focus on the meat of the new info today: the ARAH anniversary homages.

The first new reveal was additional images of the upcoming Cobra Trooper and Cobra Officer 2 pack.  There's really not much unexpected here.  It's the same Trooper and Officer we all know and love on the cardback inspired by their vintage design.  The set is now $41.99 and goes up for pre-order today.  The only real reveal is that they will include a mortar, stand and green bazooka so you can kind of recreate the JC Penny Cobra 3 pack that very few kids actually owned and few collectors actually care about.  

In this case, the homage part actually gets in the way of something useful.  The bazooka would be MUCH better in black or blue plastic.  In green, it just looks like you stole the bazooka from a Zap because you lost the Cobra Trooper's rifle.  The club used to do this type of stuff where they'd sacrifice quality so that something would be a "proper" homage.  I'd rather have a weapon that looks better and is more useful than something that references a release so obscure that it wasn't properly documented until like 2015.  Maybe we'll get lucky and get another darker green, A-1 bazooka, too.

2022, Cobra Trooper, Cobra Officer, Hasbro Pulse

2022, Cobra Trooper, Cobra Officer, Hasbro Pulse


2022, Cobra Trooper, Cobra Officer, Hasbro Pulse

2022, Cobra Trooper, Cobra Officer, Hasbro Pulse


Next up is the reveal of the filecard and code-name for Ace's co-pilot in the Skystriker.  The new character is named Fail-Safe.  As names go, it's better than what Hasbro cooked up in the early 2000's.  And, the filecard isn't bad as it's focused on his specialty.  It's more believable that someone is an expert in one aspect of training than also believing he's perfect at everything.  

2023, Haslab Skystriker, Wayne Ruthel, Fail Safe

The final reveal is the one I struggle with.  I don't really care for the Transformers.  But, they had a bunch of G.I. Joe crossovers, so I understand the fascination with them.  And, as Transformers is a much larger brand than G.I. Joe, combining the two helps bring in some additional fans to buy Joe toys.  But, in this case, if you want a brand new Baroness figure, you have to spend $89.99 and also get a transforming Megatron.  Sure, he turns into a full sized Hiss Tank that can hold figures.  But, it's not a toy in which I have interest.  And, you can be sure there are a ton of Transformers fans out there who have no interest in paying an additional $20 for a Baroness figure.  

But, there's lots of interest in stuff like this.  While I don't, personally, care for it.  This will sell a lot better than a Baroness and a Retro Hiss Tank mold for $50.  And, I ended up buying one.  You'll note that Baroness will come carded in the box.  So, you'll have to get one for a full carded collection.  This isn't scheduled to ship until January of 2023.  Maybe it will come earlier.  But, it will be a while before we see it in hand.  

2022 Hasbro Pulse, Baroness, Megatron, Hiss Tank, Transformers

2022 Hasbro Pulse, Baroness, Megatron, Hiss Tank, Transformers

2022 Hasbro Pulse, Baroness, Megatron, Hiss Tank, Transformers

2022 Hasbro Pulse, Baroness, Megatron, Hiss Tank, Transformers




12 comments:

  1. So Ace and Fail Safe are just Maverick and Goose from Top Gun. Hopefully Fail Safe doesn't suffer Goose's fate.

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  2. I need more plain Cobra Troopers/Officers and a Baroness figure like I need a hole in the head. This fascination in the community with buying product they already have is mystifying to say the least. Are we that desperate for new Joe product that Hasbro can give us any old thing and we'll be perfectly happy?

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    1. I do hope we see more figures like the upcoming Cobra Commander where it's something we didn't get in the early 2000's. CC is great. I'd love to see a Shipwreck before a 1985 Flint just because we haven't seen any Shipwrecks and there were plenty of Flints.

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    2. so true dude...it seems like this happens all the time,just like the repaint era...rewarding hasbro for these mediocre offerings giving them no incentive to try something new. at this point i think ive got like 7 baroness figures and a draw full of trooper and officer molds and thats way too many

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  3. So Megatron/Baroness presold out...HOW? This product is a year away. MAKE MORE. This artificial scarcity is as bad as paying for cardstock. I don't care that much, it's at least twice what I'd pay for a set, so I didn't preorder one. I don't have much interest in Transformers. If I want a HISS there's been plenty. Baroness with soft hands? Buy another Chameleon.

    One might have expected Baroness and Destro to be a set. Nah, we have to keep doing this weird Baroness and vehicle pattern.

    I did preorder a Officer/Trooper set because I love the slip case artwork where their weapons are swapped. Nah, it's because they are complete recreations and I know they'll never get cheaper. Even then I regret caving in...I was holding that for the CC/Duke set.

    Limit 2 per customer, maybe that's why they haven't sold out as of this writing. How can anyone army build at $21 a figure, though. Even with 6 inchers that's dedication...and they are because the 6 inch Viper set preorders sold out.

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    Replies
    1. The Baroness/Megatron pack is also on pre-order at other retailers. Amazon still has them available. I suspect that Pulse got a smaller stock of them since the other retailers are carrying them. So, the quick sell out makes sense there. Especially since you can get them elsewhere.

      Hasbro needs to get another option for army builders. It's one thing to pay for a card. It's another to pay for a card and a box. I get they don't want to sell $9-$11 figures in baggies. But, at least make them an option, even if you have to buy a boxed set to unlock.

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    2. Production chain issues have screwed everything up recently. The Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow set also sold out quickly, but came back in stock a couple times since then and is currently in stock again. Splitting the release up among a host of retailers only makes things more complicated.

      The Baroness/HISS set is still available for preorder at several sites, including Amazon. I expect that Pulse will open up orders again soon as well.

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    3. Yeah, I forgot that set wasn't Hasbropulse only.
      Star Wars has army builder 4 packs in white boxes not, around $10 a figure. Could that happen with o-ring GI JOE. Not too soon.

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  4. I would have loved to finally finally be able to build up a huge army of blue shirts!

    At almost 50 dollars a pack that isn't happening. The price point is very disappointing.

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  5. Hasbro dropping the ball left and right on o-rings. Wish they got the attention they deserve like Legends.

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  6. Not surprised the Megatron set sold out. TF fans are crazy, there are a lot of them, and they are used to dropping that kind of money. They probably see the Baroness as a mostly free bonus. Where as we see Megatron as some giant thing we have to buy just to get her.

    So any way yeah I blame them. :)

    But also that Megatron is kinda cool...

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  7. I agree with most of you about the transformers. I don't care and was never into them. I am really struggling with the Baroness figure, I want it, but I already have several older versions of her and I don't need a transformer or a hiss tank.

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