So, it's finally happened. After some teasing, Super7 showcased a real flagship toy for 3 3/4 G.I. Joe figures: the Cobra Mothership. You can pre-order it here.
The toy is from the cartoon and fits with the Super7 strategy of mining cartoon designs for their toy offerings. It is $495 plus shipping. That's a lot. But, this thing does look amazing.
Really, it's the type of toy that Joe collectors have pretended they want since 2001. Now, we finally have one. We'll see if people are really willing to spend $600 after shipping to support a toy like this. It's got a lot of play value. It's designed to be a display piece for collectors. And, it holds tons of figures in various spaces so you can set up displays to your heart's content. It's a dream for Joe photographers.
For me, though, it's probably a no. It's not because I don't think the toy is worth it. From appearances in various photos from the NYCC, it appears to be in line with pricing for a toy of this intricacy and size. But, it's the size that gets me. The ship is 32 inches wide. So, it's massive. And, I just don't have space for something that size. I do love that you can open it up and display tons of figures on the inside. That is a big plus for me. But, I'm at a point where I'm not sure I want another massive display toy. And, I'm not dropping $600 to keep this thing in a box in a closet. In a smaller scale, this toy would suck. So, it needs to be big.
The real news is that there is a 5 figure Viper set that's available as an add on. Actually, there are 2 of them. One is the standard ReAction style. But, the other is an o-ring set. What does this mean? Really, I'm not sure. Will Super7 do more o-rings? I hope we'll find out as the weekend progresses.
For now, though, speculate away. Complain about the price. Rage about how Super7 isn't your preferred vendor. Pontificate about the scourge of crowdsourcing. The bottom line is that 3 3/4 Joe fans now have another opportunity to show whether or not they're a large enough group to support a crowdfunded toy. I hope this thing gets made. Just because good toys should be supported. It's just not something that's really in my wheelhouse of collecting any longer.
When I was a kid, I made this ship out of some cardboard and I sat it on a bar stool to simulate it flying. This is a very tempting buy for me.
ReplyDeleteI'd worry more about Super 7's quality control issues as of late than them being your vendor.
ReplyDeletePoor Brian Flynn unveils a crowdfunded terrorist flying fortress just before International Jihad Day whatever.
I mean, escapism is great...but you look at the world and think "A year from now who knows if we'll get this or even care?"
The O-ring "Vipers" again, Super 7...hasn't done these before. Maybe they'll be fine. Maybe they'll break out of the package. I guess I'll think about them, but if the Ship don't fund, the troop builder sets are done. So it depends on the ship making it.
I have to imagine that vast majority of people contributing to this hitting it's goal would be people ordering figure sets, unless I'm misunderstanding if you can order them without ordering the ship. I love that the Officers use the BAT inspired legs and come with approximation of the Dusty v3 SMG to nod to the 98 Trooper/Officer pack. It gives a distinct identity to the concept of a "Viper Officer" that has slowly been materializing. That is the kind of touch and care to history and lore building that I desperately wanted from Hasbro's O-ring offerings, so I would be stoked to see Super7 give them a try.
ReplyDeleteThis thing is super cool. The price is high but, $600 in 2023 is worth $209.75 in 1985, the year the Flagg came out. So the price is not THAT bad, adjusted for inflation. Like you, I wouldn't know where to put it. Yeah, I could take some really cool pics with it, but then it would honestly just sit there! That's just sour grapes though. With the economy in shambles, two wars going on simultaneously and a host of other problems, I have more important things to worry about.
ReplyDeleteA little plain on the outside, don't need the lights, kind of a weird look, awesome interior, very big (would need a whole table to display (I'm not hanging it from the ceiling lol)). Seems like a rich person's toy though; prediction is that it won't fund. Price is probably just too high. I hope this doesn't kill Super7 potentially launching an o-ring line. That would be typical for o-ring supporters however.
ReplyDeletethat is exactly what this is...a rich collector's "toy". that is super 7's buyer base... nostalgic tech bros. it won't fund because the majority of us joe fans simply don't have or can't justify spending that kind of money for a playset. bring that thing in yr house and I guarantee domestic disturbance... so off to the basement it will go to be half-forgotten, dirty, broken, and missing parts in no time flat.
DeleteIf Joe fans would finance that Skystriker retread, I can't see why this beauty couldn't get funded.
ReplyDeleteThis is cool. The Sky Striker was cool. The transforming Hiss was cool. But I don't want them. I want the figures that came with them.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I can't be alone? If they just did one stupid Kickstarter for a whole wave of O-Ring figures, for a few hundred dollars, I think a lot more people would be all in.
Strike Force Alpha, Callsign: Longbow, Operation: Recall, Legends of the Hidden Force, and In the Navy pretty much got that covered. We also have Zica's RetrOs coming soon.
DeleteI'm with you on the figures only. This mothership has only cemented the point that the Skystriker really started: I'm too old for vehicles/playsets. I don't have room for them. They're not something I'm going to play with any longer. And, the display shelf requirements for 1 flagship toy are huge. Try adding in a flagship toy per year and it's untenable.
DeleteBut, I could display 100 figures quite easily. And, I can swap them out and keep the spares in, literally, a shoebox. That's something that's realistic to store. I love vehicles. But, I think my vehicle buying days are done.
The kickstarters out there show the market is there. And, for real Hasbro product, it would be even higher. I just hope that as the kickstarters deliver product, that it meets the high standards that collectors have. Unfortunately, the first couple I've seen that are starting to deliver (over a year late in once case!) have final product that, frankly, looks like garbage. I have more faith in Legends and Recall. But, I'm not committing money to any figures until they have finished product in hand.
I think Hasbro could make so much money if they did HasLab (or retail release) carded sets - like "The Class of 1982" including the original 12. Maybe if they want to use some later molds they could do a set of later figures that were made for the original Joes - and create some new ones for figures that did not get a v2.
DeleteI felt the same. I loved the SkyStriker, but I really wish I could have gotten the figures separately, partly so I could take them out and play with them. (I know, blasphemy!) But hey - if we had large sets, that are like a dozen figures, it would also feel like a better deal than paying $50 + shipping for two figures as we had before. I think it'd do well.
Now, if they want to do a HasLab of the Terror Drome, I'd be all about it, though.
There likely won't be another GI JOE 3 3/4" Haslab. They won't share the GI JOE budget with 3 3/4" when Classified is more popular. And that's what happened to the 2023 retro 3 3/4" plans, it's said. They would've taken budget from Classified, so beside the Transformer Crossovers, the retro was axed.
DeleteLess than 300 backers so far. This thing is crashing and burning harder than the animated version it was based on.
ReplyDeleteI get that this isn't going to be as popular as a Haslab. But, less than 300 backers (about 60 signed up today) seems like a really poor start.
DeleteI do wonder how many o-ring Viper packs they've presold. They've said the Vipers won't happen if the ship fails. But, if they get a couple of thousand o-ring figure orders...they might have to change their tune.
This is so far beyond tracking to fund right now. Hopefully they still have the green light to produce o-rings though. At least we have the Zica KS tomorrow.
DeleteI'm on the fence for this one. For me like many others its a cost and space issue. I can certainly appreciate what Super 7 is trying to do, it's an ambitious project and I think it is very cool aesthetically. It certainly has divided up us 3 3/4" O-ring enthusiasts. If this was done 2-3 years ago during the peak of o-ring collecting a different and much more enthusiastic response probably would have occurred. Many of those "covid collectors" seem to have left the hobby with after market prices stabilizing at their high point or slightly decreasing.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it will fund but I do hope that somehow they reconsider the o-ring figures as I certainly plan on buying a pack of those vipers.
Funded it. Looked too good not to. Now gotta sell to cover it!
ReplyDelete