Super 7 - October 2026 Figure Reveals

I've been saying that I need to do more posts like this just to keep track of the various Joe releases.  I did it during the Hasbro Pulse era.  But, I've been slack during the Super7 era.  Which is too bad because some of the fun details of each release are going to be lost to time...just like what has happened with all the community discussion during the early 2000's. 

Super7 has (finally!) announced their October 2026 wave of figures.  (So, these figures showed up in August.  Super7 said nothing.  So, I updated this draft post to a title of September Reveals.  Super7 still said nothing.  Now, we're in October.  Snake Eyes has been out for almost 2 months and 2 new Ninja Force figures have already hit retail.  Super 7 really dropped the PR ball on this wave.)  The wave includes a winter coat Baroness, winter coat Shipwreck, a SNAKE Armor and Flint.  Target will be getting an exclusive Tiger Force Jinx,  too.  This wave is an all cartoon wave as Baroness, Shipwreck and the SNAKE are all based on their cartoon outfits and Flint is in his cartoon coloring.  On some level, this is disappointing.  Not because these are bad figure choices.  But, because the last two comic figures have been excellent.  Flash and Deep Six were both excellent figures that filled major holes in the Joe line.  So, seeing a break in that line is unfortunate.  I do expect them to pick back up in future waves, though.

The figures themselves are pretty strong.  Super7's sculpting is improving.  And, the smooth textured figures from the earlier waves are looking more and more dated as their skillset grows.  The headsculpts are the most notable improvements.  Shipwreck is light years ahead of human heads from the first wave or two.  The colors are very nice.  And, the accessories...well...they're improving.  But, still have a long way to go.  

Super7 was planning to announce the figures and have them in stock the same day.  Which, they did.  However, the figures appeared in Asia ahead of the announcement and collectors got a full look at them about two months ahead of the planned release date.  This isn't bad.  But, it might get Super7 to go back to  their old model of announcing the figures a month or so ahead of their availability so that early markets don't spoil the surprise.

Shipwreck:

Shipwreck is the plum of the wave.  For as popular as he is, Shipwreck figures based on his sailor uniform are few and far between. You have the original, a weird Tiger Force figure from Brazil and the Flaming Moth figure.  That's it.  It's weird that it took Super7 almost two years to get to a character who was so integral to the cartoon.  But, by waiting, they delivered a figure that looks really nice. The peacoat is a great addition as it gives the figure some uniqueness while not detracting from the sailor motif.  He's got Polly and his anchor rope.  But, bafflingly, he doesn't include a pistol.  Even if he didn't use in the cartoon, Shipwreck should always include a old timey pirate inspired gun.

SNAKE:

The SNAKE is a weird choice.  It's not a collector favorite nor is it heavily associated with the cartoon or the comic.  This figure isn't an armor in which you insert another figure, though.  It is a figure.  And, that's a neat idea.  It's oversized and looks like a SNAKE.  It adds something you don't normally see in the line.  Hopefully, this is a precursor to oversized figures like the Monstro Viper, Bio Viper or even a Manimal appearing in the line.  But, as a release, it's an odd selection.

Baroness:

Like Shipwreck, it's weird that it's taken this long for Baroness to appear in the line.  But, again, the wait will give us much better  quality.  The winter coat works with the Baroness' colors.  Her head looks well  detailed and is a different approach to her countenance than we typically see.  She's a solid entry and has me regretting buying a pink Daina  figure since this Baroness fills the role of a winter themed villain much more effectively.

Tiger Force Jinx:

I don't care for Jinx.  Never have.  At first, the blurry photos made her look  strong enough. She's cast in black and orange with some green highlights.  She's a nice rendition of a Tiger Force version.  Then, I  noticed that, for some reason, Jinx includes Falcon's shotgun and backpack.  I don't know why, but that little detail now has me wanting the figure.  I've never done much with Jinx's character.  But, with this figure, I now have an evolution arc for her that I might explore.  Should I stumble upon her at a retail store, I'll pick one up.

(No promo image for her, yet.  But, she's been out for over two months.  You all know what she looks like.)

Comic #2 Snake Eyes:

Technically, this guy was announced In August.  He was a surprise.  And, within a week, was already being memory holed.  It's a decent rendition of the arctic Snake Eyes.  But, I think there's too much uninterrupted blue on him.  The figure also looks like it was sculpted early in the line and is very smooth.  It feels out of place and the comic packs seem like a dumping ground for some early figure designs that didn't fit into the regular carded wave of figures.  The upside is the weasel skull necklace.  But, if you're making Comic #2 in a collector themed release, why not Kwinn?!?  I'm hoping these bland comic packs are discontinued so they can focus on the main carded line.

Flint:

I'll have lots more to say about this figure at some point in the future.  We all knew Flint would show up in the line.  And, he's here.  He's  pretty much how you expected it to go.  He's got really nice sculpting and includes vintage inspired gear.  Flint's tough for me because he's my favorite figure and I've overly critical of anything that treads upon his original design without improving it.  So, we'll explore that in more detail at a future date.

In sum, this is a good wave of figures.  Only the SNAKE is really a loser.  Generally, fandom seems pretty excited about the entire wave.  It will be interesting to see who ends up getting the most use.  My money's on Shipwreck just because there are so few other options for the character.  All in all, though, Super7's evolution is continuing and the figures are delivering more and more.  I'm happy with the release cadence and remain optimistic about the line's future.

2026 Super7 250th Anniversary Figure Reveals - Wal Mart Exclusive

Today, Wal Mart's website revealed a 2nd wave of 250th Anniversary G.I. Joe figures.  The first wave was a surprise.  It sold well.  But, there was no indication that a second wave would be coming.  But, it turns out that is the case.  Once again, it's four figures done up in white, blue and red coloring.  The four characters are Wild Bill, Flash, Snake Eyes and Chuckles.  Here are the carded figures:

First up is Flash.  He's kind of got a Bombardier vibe.  It's definitely a different look for Flash.  It kind of works.  It's not compelling like Lady Jaye was.  But, it's a fine figure.  And, it's good to see higher quality Super7 sculpts get repaints.  Flash's hair more closely matches his uniform colors.  So, that does add to his aesthetic appeal.

Then we get to Chuckles.  I've long wanted a Chuckles is alternate colors.  A guy doesn't  own one type of Hawaiian shirt.  I like the red.  But wish they had really gone for it.  I'd have preferred him to have a red and blue shirt with white pants: really owning the island look.  This design isn't quite what I've been wanting from a Chuckles repaint.  It's getting closer.  And, I suspect this figure will wear me down...especially if I can find him at a discount.

Then, we get the requisite Snake Eyes.  You need a major character to anchor any exclusive wave like this.  And, while I'd have preferred a subversive Cobra Commander in that slot, Snake Eyes makes more retail sense.  The thing is, this figure is just weird.  It's like a Black Major take on Snake Eyes as a Cobra.  That's not a bad thing.  Repaints should be offbeat and different.  And, this one foots the bill.  I always hate ungloved hands on Snake Eyes, though.  So, that degrades him a bit in my eyes.  But, slap a silver Cobra logo on this guy's chest and you've got a great Invasor.

Finally, Wild Bill.  I'm done with the Wild Bill mold.  It's old, bulky and not that great.  His cartoon coloring on the first release was almost enough to compel me to purchase him.  But, the more I looked at the large noggin, the less interested I was.  This sculpt has limitations and should be retired after this release.  Plus, in these colors, he looks like the Ramp Rat.

It's still weird to me that we're seeing these figures, now, while the Flint, Shipwreck, Baroness and SNAKE wave has been out in Asia for over 5 weeks with no official announcement from Super7.  It seems they bungle some of the PR on this stuff and miss great chances to generate discussion in the community about their products.  I suspect they're holding the next figure wave until the October G.I. Joe streaming day that Hasbro has, currently, planned.  We'll see.

In general, more G.I. Joe figures are better than fewer.  I'm not a huge fan of the white, blue and red color scheme.  It's tough to make it work....especially since blue is so associated with Cobra.  You don't really see the 1st wave of 250th figures being used all that much.  Lady Jaye had about a week of appearances and has all but disappeared.  I suspect these figures will follow suit.  

I'll probably talk myself into Chuckles.  Flash is not a definite "no".  You can get a couple of the first wave figures for about $15 right now.  At that price, I'd get Flash, no doubt.  So, we'll see where I end up.  

2026 Deep Six - Super7

Back in March of 2025, I wrote about G.I. Joe #36 that had been released 40 years prior.  If you look back at that profile, you'll see two separate scans from the comic that feature Deep Six in his "duty" gear.  The Deep Six character had been introduced in issue #25 and was a staple of Larry Hama's stories for the entirety of 1984 and into 1985.  He rarely, though, appeared in  his bulky, deep sea diver suit.  Instead, he wore a bucket hat, life preserver and a lined shirt.  This outfit was Deep Six's default look and allowed him to be used in more situations than his full dive gear.  Despite this canonical appearance, Deep Six was never released as a figure with this alternate look.  It took until 2026, 42 years after the character's debut for Super7 to surprise the collecting world with a useful Deep Six.

If you go back to the mid 1990's, Joe customizers followed some basic formulas.  They'd start with easy repaints like a red Stormshadow and a dark blue Cobra Commander.  From there, they'd advance to tackling the Oktober Guard and Snake Eyes' LRRP team.  After that, you'd see them attempt figures like Kwinn, the Soft Master and, yes, Deep Six with his bucket hat.  As the parts library was more limited back then, you'd often see Muskrat's head used since his had was the closest approximation of Deep Six's comic book appearance.  As the century turned, Hasbro released a hat on a version of Luke Skywalker that some customizers were able to morph into a removable hat Deep Six.  Then, in the early 2000's, Hasbro released some figures with removable hats and some other pieces became available in various military knock off lines that proliferated during that time.  And, with those bits, even better Deep Six figures were made.  The prevailing theme, though, was that comic Deep Six was a character who resonated with collectors of a certain age who came aboard during that 1984-1985 comic run.

As customizing skills began to incorporate more advanced sculpting methods and greater alteration of existing parts, though, Deep Six began to fade away.  You'd still see a custom, every now and then.  But, a younger crop of customizers who upped the game also lacked the youthful connection to an alternate look for Deep Six.  So, the prickly diver fell out of favor.  And, there was rarely a clamour for his more classic appearance to be commemorated in a figure.  Hasbro had so many other characters to consider that Deep Six wasn't really on the radar any longer.

Which, makes his appearance in the Super7 line somewhat baffling.  Super7 doesn't do that many comic book figures.  Their focus is 100% on the cartoon and ensuring that roster of the first two mini-series is completed.  So, getting this Deep Six was quite a surprise.  But, it was a welcome one.  While Deep Six would not have made my list of top 20 comic book looks to make, he would have made the list.  I even mention back in  that #36 write up that I'd buy a Super7 version of him.  And, I followed through on that statement.  

As a figure, Deep Six doesn't really break any new ground.  He's orange, blue and tan.  You can find similar colors to his on Cutter and Topside.  Though, he is substantially more muted than the orange colors that define those figures.  It's not about the palette, though.  Deep Six somewhat defined this look for a Joe.  He just didn't get a figure to cement it.  What this Super7 figure accomplishes is a solid homage to those comic book designs.  You can look at this and instantly know it's Deep Six from the mid 1980's.  Super7 does excel in this type of approach.  They are making a deliberate homage.  And, they tend to get it right.  This figure isn't going to win any awards for creativity.  But, it perfectly matches the intended purpose of the release: to give collectors a figure in a uniform that was never before offered in plastic.

I don't associate this Deep Six with either the SHARC or the USS Flagg.  I align him mostly with the ill-fated G.I. Jane.  This was the Joe ship introduced in 1984 that would be conveniently destroyed in #36 so that the Flagg could be introduced.  But, I also remember Deep Six as a member of the WHALE crew of issues #28 and #29.  These were my 2nd and 3rd G.I. Joe comics.  So, they were read hundreds of times and were very formative in my development of both Joe characters and my personal mythos.  As a kid, I always wanted a useful Deep Six who could man the gunner station on the WHALE.  That never came to be.  But, now, I finally assemble a crew of Cutter, Deep Six, Duke and Roadblock to match up with that early comic run.

And, it's here that I found the most value in Deep Six.  As a kid, his personality was off-putting.  But, that was the point.  After his introduction in #25, though, Deep Six was less of an in your face asshole and more of a sardonic side character whose prickliness was supposed to be endearing because it was, generally, harmless.  But, the idea of a Joe who didn't really get along with people while still being so good at his job that you had to have him around was intriguing.  And,  in the days when the Joe roster was pretty limited, losing a figure to the catastrophe that was the 1984 Deep Six figure was more impactful.  So, Deep Six always seemed like a character that would have been fun to have around but was just not available.  One of the reasons I was so keen on acquiring a 1989 Deep Six upon my return to collecting was because it gave the character a useful toy.  By the time of my acquisition, though, the notion of using Deep Six as his character was gone.  

So, really, I'm left with this figure as a scene filler or a display item on a shelf.  If I ever get around to exhibiting my WHALE, this Deep Six will be among the crew.  Until then, he'll be a guy who will find some use when I get heavy rains or take figures down to the creek.  He works very well in photos.  But, it's tough to find ways to really showcase this figure as the focal point of a scene unless you're recreating one of his early comic appearances.  And, once those are done, there's far less to do with the figure.  But, that's OK.  Some of the best figures in the line were guys like Alpine or Blowtorch: figures who had niche purposes and were background players.  This Deep Six continues that legacy and will be one of those guys who really helps to make a photo interesting, even though he's not really the subject on which the photo centers.  

Deep Six includes two accessories.  The first is the standard cartoon rifle that is based on Snow Job's XMLR.  It's weird to see a comic book figure include a cartoon weapon.  But, it works since the design aesthetic fits the time period of both character designs.  The second accessory is more esoteric.  In my #36 write up, I showcased a photo where Deep Six chops open a crate containing the MMS.  He uses a red axe to cut the ropes.  And, that red axe is included with this figure.  It's a very specific choice.  But, as an add on, it's great since it's such a specific comic book reference.  I used the image in my write up because it was memorable to me.  You can extrapolate that the image resonated with many readers of that comic and one of those grew up to design G.I. Joe figures for Super7.  So, its inclusion is a nice nod to an obscure bit of Joe gallimaufry.  

Deep Six's long term prognosis is probably pretty insignificant.  While the figure was welcomed by collectors and seems to have joined many collections, he hasn't made the splash that the Super7 Ninja Force figures have.  He is readily available and can be purchased from pretty much anyone who stocks the Super7 line.  For guys who hit the sweet spot to consume 1984 media, this figure is a must have.  But, for others, he's more of a novelty.  We'll see how he plays out over time.  For now, he joins my collection to fill a hole that's been open since 1984.  He's even got me considering an unboxing of WHALE that's been locked up since 2011.  If that appears in the photos below, you'll know that he was enough of a motivation to spur me to action.  Even if it doesn't appear here, though, I'll get him into the WHALE at some point.  He's just a figure who scratches that nostalgic itch enough for me to relive some childhood dreams.

2026 Flash - ReAction+

If you want to feel a little old, here's my measurement for today.  The Flash figure that was released by Super7 is the heir apparent to the Comic Packs and is one of the missing links to the completion of that set.  The Comic Packs debuted in 2004...22 years ago.  Those Comic Packs debuted 22 years after the original 13 Joes appeared at retail in 1982.  So, this Flash is as far removed from the release of the Comic Packs as those Comic Packs were from the debut of the line.  If you've been around the whole time, I can assure you that the latter 22 years have passed in a flash while the first 22 seem like a lifetime ago.  

With that bit of fun out of the way, this week both the Attica Gazette and I are looking at the Super7 Flash on the same day.  It's been a while since we've done this.  And, it's always fun to take a look at a figure from a couple of different perspectives.  So, check out his thoughts on the figure, too!

The 1983 Flash has a strong argument to be the best of the original 13 G.I. Joe figures.  His design was so strong among those early figures that he remained relevant for several years: even after the others were phased out.  Despite this notoriety, Hasbro utterly failed to get an updated version to collectors during the repaint era.  They planned one for 1997.  But, they "couldn't find" the mold.  We got the character as an astronaut in 2005.  And, then, there was a good enough convention version released in 2007 that used later parts but lacked a helmet and visor...thus limiting him.  Flash's absence might be the most glaring hole from that time period.  He was a character that would have been perfect for an update.  It just never happened in a meaningful way.  

Two decades later, Super7 has filled that gap with a new Flash.  The figure very much feels like an heir to the Comic Pack era.  He has that comic green.  And, his entire aesthetic is based around a pin up drawing of the character peeling potatoes that appeared in G.I. Joe #1.  It's a famous image.  And, the figure recalls that poster upon the slightest glance.  He features a waft of bright red hair that's coifed over his head.  Sans helmet, the hair looks cool.  But, is also drastically out of place among vintage Joe figures.  With the helmet on, he's more in line with a figure from the 2000's.  The rest of him is just...Flash.  He has the pads, the boots and the laser rifle rig that is forever associated with the character.

In short, this figure takes just the one chance with the drastic hair.  Aside from that, it's a pretty solid update to Flash.  He's not done up in 1990's style sculpting.  He didn't get a modern makeover.  It's the same guy from 1982 with a bit of a bulkier sculpt, more vibrant colors and a general flair that makes him a figure that seems like he could have been a 2000's release while also feeling newer and different.  It's a weird balance.  Initially, it works.  Flash seems fun to have.  As he's been in my collection for a couple of months now, though, his appeal is starting to wane.  He's fine for what he is.  But, the oversized head and not quite 2004/2005 green plastic as his base color prevent him from really integrating with the Comic Pack figures.  He seems like more of an outsider.

The biggest cause of this is that the general color palette for Super7 figures is different from that of both vintage Joes and those from the repaint era.  Vintage figures have a sheen to them that allows for vibrant colors without them being overpowering.  The repaint era figures tend to be dull and flat.  When you mix them, you really notice the difference.  On their own, both work really well.  But, it can be tough to find figures from both eras that work well together.  Flash brings a third vibe to the line.  He's bright, but doesn't have the finish of vintage Joes.  He's kind of a mix of the two eras but is also not really able to blend well with either.  I'm going to have to try some HQ shots of him to see if that softens him against his predecessors.  But, outside, his coloring is tough to integrate with toys from either era.

The Super7 o-ring Joe line has been light on two things.  Those are army builders and repaints.  Sure, there's been a few of each.  By and large, though, the line has focused on specific characters in each wave and hasn't filled the case assortment with repaints.  Instead, those have been the domain of exclusives for either retail partners or conventions.  Army builders have been even less frequent.  So far, we have the BAT, Royal Guard, Hydro Viper, Viper Gunner and, if you want to count them, Fatal Fluffies.  Ok, there's been 4 BATs.  But, the overall army builder contingent has been small.  I count both of these traits as positives.  Each wave feels fresh and isn't heavy on rehashes.  I'm at a point in my collecting life where I have enough army builders.  And, factory custom makers do a better job of keeping army building molds in circulation.  So, getting characters, especially ones that have been missing from the line is far appealing than a set of tepid army builders like we got in the 2000's.

Flash's accessories are a weird balance.  On one level, they're pretty good.  On another level, though, they have some flaws and issues.  The hose that connects the laser rifle to the backpack is excellent.  It's more pliable and flexible than the old black hoses that Hasbro used in the '80's.  And, it looks better, too.  It's soft enough to not force the weapon into certain poses because it holds too much tension.  Yet, it's strong enough to hold together when you pose it.  I'd love for more hoses of this variety to appear in the line as they bring a great look to the accessories.

Flash's rifle is missing the stock.  The reason for this is that in the comic book pin up photo, Flash's rifle's stock is blocked by the potatoes on the floor.  There is, obviously, a stock below the vegetable line.  But, Super7 just truncated it off.  So, while it's true to the image, it's also deathly wrong.  And, this is one of those things where Super7 needs to improve.  I get having homages.  The hair on this Flash is a perfect example of them getting it right.  You instantly recognize the Flash pinup when you see the hair.  But, the mistake on the rifle is one of those corner cutting measures that limits the figure to a degree.  One second of introspection would have created a proper laser rifle and made the figure better.  Super7 seems to get it better than Hasbro and, certainly, the club ever did when it came to collector appealing figures.  But, they still have work to do and should be taken to account to make it happen.

Flash's helmet and visor are decent.  They got the helmet to fit over the massive hairdo on his head.  The result is that, when on, the helmet does make the figure's head a bit too large.  It's one of the reasons that my interest in this figure has faded with it in hand.  Sans helmet, the figure's hair doesn't mesh with other Joes.  With it, though, he's too bulky and also stands out.  As a stand alone piece, the figure really works.  But, when integrated with other figures, he becomes more problematic.  The visor is nice and clear and captures the essence of the 1982 figures.  So, it was a nice inclusion.  I'd like to see them dial in the head sculpts and get them more proportional to the body, though, before we see any more helmet/visor combos like this.

Flash seems to be fairly popular.  He fills the gap from the Comic Packs and is appealing to people like me to don't, otherwise, really delve into the Super7 figures.  He's readily available right now and has been for several months.  Some Super7 figures sell out.  Others linger a bit longer.  Lately, the characters have been maintaining some decent availability over a six month, or so, period.  This is ample time for collectors to acquire one.  And, it's a nice compromise where the figures don't linger too long and make the line seem dead.  But, they aren't a flash in the pan that is gone instantly and leaves everyone wanting more.

While this Flash is really nice, I don't want to see a bunch of figures in this style.  Super7 has been pretty good about mixing it up and not doing too much of one thing.  A Silver Pads Grand Slam with a JUMP pack and new head in like 2028 would be fine.  But, getting the full set of 8 to 10 Joes like this would create the same redundancy issues from the Comic Packs and give every figure diminishing returns.  Flash works because he never got a proper updated in the 2000's.  Most other characters did.  So, no need to rehash them until we're a few hundred figures deep in the Super7 line.

2026 Lady Jaye - ReAction+

Lady Jaye occupies and interesting spot in the collecting world.  She's universally loved as a character.  But, pretty much everyone also agrees that her figures are...lacking.  From her action figure debut in 1985 through today, all of Lady Jaye's o-ring figures have had various issues.  Mainly, she's almost always wearing a hat...a far cry from her cartoon debut look from the fall of 1984.  The lone attempt at a hatless figure resulted in a pin head that didn't fulfill collector demand for a proper Lady Jaye.  In early 2026, a factory custom maker teased some Lady Jaye figures.  Mostly, they were a way to bring color to her mold and get out a Canary Ann figure that people could find and afford.  One of the renderings, though, featured a hatless head...exactly the type of figure collectors had long wanted.  Before these factory customs came to be, though, Super7 dropped a surprise release.  Hidden in a 4 figure set that was themed to the USA's 250th anniversary was a single, brand new mold of Lady Jaye.  Being Super7, she featured her cartoon look of a hatless head and included her iconic spears.  After 40 years, collectors had a new look for Lady Jaye.  And, it was a fairly good one.

One thing I tend to really enjoy among Joe figures is an oddly colored repaint of a classic character.  I like having alternate looks for characters as it gives them more diversity.  In the 2000's, we got tons of repaints.  Most were environmentally themed or were part of the Comic Pack series.  We got a lot of decent figures.  But, few were really innovative or took any chances.  That was the main appeal of this Lady Jaye figure.  The red shirt and blue pants are a drastic departure from any Lady Jaye appearance.  She's something new and different.  Had this figure been first released in a classic, green color scheme, I wouldn't have bought it.  I have green Lady Jaye figures.  So, this sculpt wasn't going to be enough to get me to buy one if it just offered the same, general appearance of figures I already have.  But, seeing an interesting, new color palette on the character was enough to get me to acquire one.

The 250th Anniversary theme isn't overdone.  In a decade, this will just be a Lady Jaye in a red shirt with blue pants.  That's why she works.  There's no reason for Lady Jaye to wear a color scheme like that outside of this theme wave.  But, since she doesn't have any stupid logos or is wearing a gigantic "G.I. Joe" down the front of her pant legs, the color scheme isn't limited by its intended theme.  We just got a good figure.  It's an alternate look for Lady Jaye and gives you something to stand next to Flint that isn't the sea of different green hues you get in all the other Flint/Lady Jaye pictures. 

I am too young to remember the bicentennial back in 1976.  What I do remember, though, are the haunted remains of the civic and personal displays that used to adorn small towns, roadside attractions and old barns along the highway.  Into the mid 1980's, you'd see celebrations from the bicentennial painted onto concrete walls, billboards, and structures.  They would be chipped and fading, the actual event having been years and years prior.  Restaurants would have dusty pennants on their walls talking about the "Spirit of '76".  But, as a youngster, these old attractions were enthralling.  They were like looking into a time capsule.  I wondered how something so celebrated would be allowed to rot in the elements...often in forgotten locations bereft of people.  It still seems odd to me that we're so quick to abandon something that was important to us for a moment in time.

My one big memory involving the bicentennial didn't occur until years later, probably in 1981 or 1982.  My grandfather had kind of gotten me interested in collecting coins.  He was a coin collector and had a magnificent collection.  When I'd spend a week at his and my grandmother's house, he'd give me a huge jar of pennies to look through.  He'd hide one really neat thing in it.  (Usually, an Indian Head penny.)  I'd spend an hour or two looking through it: sorting out the wheat pennies and, eventually, finding his hidden treasure.  As such, I liked coins and usually checked my dad's change every night when he came home.

One day, we went to a local nursery.  I seem to think it was near the Indianapolis Art Museum.  While there, I found a "Sensitive Plant" that I thought was really cool.  I bought it with a couple of dollars I had in my pocket.  When I got my change, I noticed a weird quarter.  It had a drummer boy on the back instead of the standard eagle.  And, the date was 1776-1976.  It was a standard bicentennial quarter.  But, I had never seen one, before.  And, just seeing the date 1776 on a coin was mesmerizing.  My dad told me it was just a regular quarter.  But, from that moment, whenever I got one, it was put into my coin collection.  My grandfather had given me giant, metal fire box to store the coins.  It was big and heavy.  In it were those old penny collecting books that were a dark blue and had slots for every year and mint mark for Lincoln pennies.  I'd drop the quarters into the bottom of the box.  At some point, I had so many that I gave up and just started spending the newly acquired ones.  But, my mother kept that metal box and it's still in her garage.  And, there are still a bunch of bicentennial quarters at the bottom of it.  

I have two major gripes with the Super7 figures.  The first is the smoothness of the figures.  The lack of sculpted clothing folds makes the figures seem more like cheap knockoffs than real Joes.  Since the first wave, though, Super7 has been working on this.  It was first noticeable in their Back to the Future line of ReAction+ figures where all the figures started to have some folds and wrinkles that made them look more realistic.  This Lady Jaye is a step forwards, too.  Sculpting changes can take a while to permeate through a line.  But, the figure smoothness is something that's getting better.  Lady Jaye isn't as detailed as her Hasbro figure from 40 years prior.  But, she's a lot closer.

The second area where I struggled with Super7 was the human heads.  Non human heads seemed OK.  But, their human heads all looked weird.  These sculpts, though, have been improving, too.  Compare this Lady Jaye head with the head from Cover Girl from the first wave of figures.  It's night and day.  Cover Girl is the 8-bit version of a human head.  This Lady Jaye is the 16-bit version.  She has some cheekbones.  Her nose and lips are better defined.  And, her eyes aren't hollow, uncanny valley sockets.  While I'm still not sold on the overall headsculpts (I still think they are too far removed from vintage Joes and make this ReAction+ line less compatible.), I do think that the improvement should be recognized, acknowledged and applauded.  One of the hallmarks of the vintage Joe was that the sculpting on figures was always improving.  1994 figures are light years ahead of 1982 figures in terms of details, face sculpts and design elements.  Super7 is following that tradition.  

Lady Jaye includes two accessories: a backpack and a spear.  The backpack looks nice.  It has painted details and fits onto the figure quite well.  The spear is what it is.  There's not much to the look of it.  But, it does fit into Lady Jaye's hands well enough.  It's rigid enough to not fall apart.  But, not so rigid that it will easily snap.  In general, Super7's accessories suck.  While the figures are improving, the accessories need to take a much larger leap forwards.  The gear doesn't seem properly scaled to the figures.  Guns and rifles are especially egregious.  As these are tantamount to any Joe line, I'd like to see some improvements made on the overall gear complements.  

The 250th wave includes 4 figures: this Lady Jaye, Snake Eyes, Duke and Falcon.  As this was both the debut of the Lady Jaye mold and a solid color scheme for her, she was the most popular figure in the set.  The Duke is generally terrible.  He's just weird.  Snake Eyes is barely recognizable as a subset member as the only distinguishing characteristic he has is a red visor.  Falcon is OK.  He's heavily blue...which is a tough color for a Joe to pull off when it's the color most associated with their enemy.  But, the original Falcon figure is pretty much sold out.  So, he seems to be the second most popular part of the set.  More figures in weird paint schemes are always welcome.  But, overall, this wave wasn't all that great, this Lady Jaye aside.  None of the other figures are as visually distinctive and will not retain the long term interest that you'll see in this Lady Jaye.

Super7 figures remain a complex collectible.  The production runs are, likely, pretty low compared to Joe's historical totals.  None of the figures are hard to get upon release.  And, most of the figures don't sell out quickly.  But, some do.  So far, they seem to have a common characteristic as cartoon figures who exist in no other form remain the most popular.  But, others (like Serpentor) have also been quick sell outs.  This Lady Jaye figure was one of the more anticipated figures we've seen from Super7.  At that same time, everyone fully expected this mold to be repainted into a cartoon or comic color scheme within the next year or so.  And, right on the heels of this 250th Lady Jaye, Super7 showed that exact figure repaint as a member of their Summer 2026 wave of figures.  So, once this mold exists in a more popular color scheme, will this red, white and blue figure still retain the cachet?  I'm not sure.  But, I prefer Lady Jaye in colors you can't get anywhere else and this figure fulfills that.

Since the dawn of the ReAction G.I. Joe line, Super7 has been retail partners with Target.  Their figures were sold in Target stores.  Starting in the latter half of 2025, though, some Target stores stopped stocking ReAction+ Joes.  No explanation was given.  And, other stores continued to receive later waves.  The 250th Anniversary wave then showed up as a Wal Mart exclusive.  As of this writing, we don't know if this is a one time deal for the promotion or indicative of a larger partnership.  Wal Mart's pre-ordering system for toys is famously broken.  And, this wave of G.I. Joe figures was no different.  Pre-orders appeared in early May and instantly sold out.  Some people had their figures shipped.  Pre-orders reopened and many people jumped to get their order in.  And, after a few days, they were all cancelled.  About a week after that, the figures were in stock and ready to be shipped.  In the ensuing weeks, the figures would rotate in and out of stock.  But, if you caught them when they were available for sale, your figures were shipped to you.  Shortly after the online orders appeared, some people did report finding the figures in stores.  And, ultimately, Super7 sold stock on their website, too.  So, the figure has good availability.  But, when she's gone, she'll be gone.

I have been harsh on  the Super7 Joe line.  The first year of releases wasn't great.   But, 2026, so far, has been pretty strong.  The figure choices are getting more interesting.  The sculpting is improving and looking more detailed and in line with Joe's long term aesthetic.  The heads are getting closer to vintage style.  I bought one Super7 figure in the first year or so of their line.  So far, in 2026, I've already acquired two more.  And, there are at least two more must haves in their next wave.  I'm never going to be all in on their offerings.  But, as they offer figures that are interesting, fill holes in my collection and are more vintage Joe compatible, I'll be picking up more of them.  I'm still holding out hope for a definitive Dr. Venom.  But, for now,  I'd rather he hold off until they dial in the sculpting even more so that the figure is perfect.  Until then, it appears there are going to be some figures to collect.  And, I'll do so.

Pythona

I have never seen the G.I. Joe movie.  It was not aired in my local market back in 1987.  In fact, I only learned about it from some friends who lived down the street.  They came back from being out of town and excitedly told me about this crazy movie.  It had real movie stars.  And, it had some weird bugs that turned Cobra Commander into a lizard.  The entire thing was completely unbelievable.  Their devotion to the bit made me think this "movie" was real.  But, in the back of my head, I still thought it was just a practical joke.

Eventually, the movie aired on a local station.  I saw that there were famous performers who starred in it.  But, it was late 1987 and I was pretty much done with Joe.  So, I didn't watch it.  And, in the ensuing 38 years, I've never had interest in rectifying this situation.  I was raised on the comic and my focus on Joe was related to the comic world.  I watched the G.I. Joe mini-series starting in 1983.  But, I didn't really remember any of them.  I watched the daily cartoon when it debuted.  But, again, it didn't really stick.  (And, the one time I tried to watch an episode as an adult, I didn't even last 5 minutes before turning it off.  It's bad.)  The cartoon was kind of an in-and-out experience where I watched it, but didn't care about it.  I have more recollections of the Transformers cartoon than I do the Joe version.  

All that is to say, I really have no background on Pythona.  My only experience with her was from other collectors who made customs or talked about her.  But, frankly, she wasn't a force in the early days of online collectordom.  Cartoon fans were largely drummed out of the community back in the 1990's in favor of comic universe focus.  I mentioned to a friend a few weeks ago that I really do wonder what might have happened had the club not decided to attack the cartoon focused Zartan's Domain website back in the 1990's.  It was the largest and most popular G.I. Joe site of the time.  But, some cretins did a whole bunch of, frankly, illegal stuff to harass the site's owner and, eventually, get him to close down the site.  With it gone, the collector focus turned almost 100% to the comic continuity.  Eventually, this manifested with the Comic Pack toys in the mid '00's.  I do believe that cartoon designs would have garnered more of Hasbro attention had their not been a concerted effort to relegate the cartoon to second tier status.  Just another example of the long history of Joe fans getting screwed over by a few people who happened to have Hasbro's ear.

That brings us to this figure, though.  Super7 pretty much has the Joe license because the owner loved the cartoon and the Joe movie.  And, from the ReAction days, the line has always been heavily cartoon favored with a few comic homages tossed in.  So, seeing Pythona isn't, really, a surprise.  The Joe fanbase has, mostly, moved on from the comic vs. cartoon schism of the early days.  Good figure ideas appear everywhere.  But, the cartoon has been eking out popularity gains for nearly two decades, now.  There were some figures in the anniversary era that touched on the animation.  But, Super7's foray into action figures has given the cartoon the representation it missed from the first twenty years of this century.

Personally, I don't much care for the ReAction+ figures.  The human heads look weird and don't mesh with vintage figures.  But, the non-humans are pretty solid.  The overall smoothness and lack of raised details really limits the figures.  But, the colors are spectacular.  All of which adds up to a Pythona figure that looks really nice.  Pythona's design is, by its very nature, smooth and absent of details.  So, Super7's sculpting limitations aren't in play.  Her colors are eye-popping.  And, they are well captured here.  And, Pythona's not supposed to be human.  So, the odd shaping and overblown size of her head work in her favor.  In short, this looks like a good figure.

And, it's likely to be the next Super7 figure I buy.  Normally, I'd have saved up all this bloviating for her profile.  But, there's no guarantee I'll find her at retail.  I'm not going to pay shipping on a $25 figure.  So, I'm going to be dependent upon my local Target store carrying this wave.  I don't much go to Target any more.  I've been 1 time this year to pick up the Star Wars retro pack.  So, I'm not likely to stumble across her on a routine trip to the store.  (All of this assumes, of course, that this wave will even be available at retail.....)  So, there's no guarantee I'll acquire Pythona.  Which, would kind of be a shame.  She's weird and colorful in a way that really appeals to me.  My extent of her usage would be some photos along with the Power Commandos.  But, that's a better fate than most figures I've acquired in the last decade.  The upside is that I'm content with not owning the figure.  She was not a part of the G.I. Joe I ever knew.  So, I have no attachment that would send me spiraling to buy one by any means necessary.  Even though I suspect that she'll find some decent after market appreciation after she's sold out, I'm OK with missing her.  I'd prefer not to, of course.  So, we'll see how things play out over the next few weeks and if she ever shows up via an avenue I'm willing to take to acquire her.

2024 BAT - Super7 ReAction+

About a year ago, Super7 attempted a crowd funding for an ambitious Cobra Mothership.  The campaign included a set of figures that, instead of the standard Super7 five points of articulation, would feature the classic o-ring construction of Hasbro G.I. Joes.  These figures proved more popular than the ship.  At some point during this process, it was announced that Super7 would be creating a full line of classically styled G.I. Joe figures.  This was somewhat remarkable: for Hasbro to abandon on in-house brand.  But, o-ring Joes had been a monumental failure for Hasbro.  (So much so that the stock is still lingering over 2 years later.)  And, Super7 had found success with  their ReAction branded Joe figures.  Hasbro wanted to, rightfully, put all their resources behind the Joe Classified brand.  So, licensing out the 3 3/4 license to a partner who was both willing and competent was a natural match.  In the summer of 2024, the first photos of the newly branded ReAction+ line surfaced.  They were met with cautious excitement.  As more images surfaced, the sentiment remained about the same.  People were excited for the figures.  But, at the same time, there were some doubts as to the final product.  Now, though, the figures are in hand.  And, the verdict on the figures remains, largely, the same.

Initial retail reports of the ReAction+ figures have suggested that Snake Eyes is the most popular.  Among collectors, the Snake Eyes was the least regarded figure.  We all have dozens of high quality Snake Eyes figures already.  Collectors were interested in Cover Girl and this BAT.  But, the BAT seems to be one of the most easily found figures.  This suggests that many of the retail buyers of these figures are casual fans who find interest in the major characters.  This is good since it will  leave the more obscure, collector oriented figures as something you can find at retail and, maybe, even army build.  And, it will sell out the less interesting figures of major characters that we all own in excess.

The presentation of the Super7 figures is geared towards collectors.  Unlike vintage figures that were meant to show off the toy, these modern releases are meant to be kept carded.  The layout of the figure and accessories are all geared for in package display on a shelf or in a case.  The figures are locked in place by a molded plastic tray to that the figure will still look great 100 years from now, long after the o-ring has dried up.  So, that's a nice feature for carded collectors and an added expense for loose collectors.

Accessory wise, the BAT is excellent.  You get two removable hands: one left and one right.  Then, there's the backpack that holds the additional three classic BAT attachments: the claw, laser and flame thrower.  The attachments are all new and feature updated detailing from their vintage inspiration.  The BAT includes one final piece: an oversized rifle.  As a Joe accessory, it isn't great.  But, when you look at the comic panels on which this figure is based, the rifle is a pretty nice match.  It's certainly better than the Hasbro accessories from the repaint era Comic Packs.  The Super7 weapons have been the weak point on the figures, so far.  It will be interesting to see how these evolve over time.  But, the gear has a precision fit to the figure in a way we haven't seen since about 1992.  So, that is a nice feature of these figures, so far.

I am also impressed with the quality of the figure.  The paint masks are sharp.  But, the real surprise was the joints.  All my ReAction figures had relatively stiff joints and would creak when you moved them.  Out of the package, this BAT has no such flaws.  The joints move freely with no sticking or catching.  But, they are also very tight and the figure can hold a variety of poses.  The removable attachments fit onto the pegs even better than those from the 1986 BAT do.  And, the figure could hold his accessories.  I could never get the ReAction figures to do that without fear of stripping paint or plastic off the weapon handle.  In short, they are very nice.  It's different plastic than vintage Joes and it's not the rubbery stuff that's rotting away from the 2000's.

So, my thoughts on the figure.  Since the beginning, I've felt something looked "off" about all the Super7 designs.  The most glaring design feature that drove this is the figure's heads.  The more cartoon inspired heads look very out of place on ARAH bodies.  And, the human heads, in particular are egregiously out of proportion to the older style body pieces.  But, even the masked and helmeted heads are a bit too detailed for the bodies.  The other thing that was noticeable is that the figures are smooth.  ARAH figures have just the right blend of folds, creases and pockets to give the legs and torsos some heft.  They are more realistic looks of how clothes hang on a human body.  The Super7 figures remain overly straight, though.  And, this gives them a bit of a knock off feel.  Remco and even Lanard skimped on sculpting and design elements like the detailed fit of clothing.  Super7 went the same route and it makes the figures stand out from vintage Joes and appear more in line with the cheap imitators who dominated the discount stores of the '80's.  

The last thing, though, was not something I really recognized until I got the figures in hand.  This BAT features a ton of sculpted details on his chest and legs.  But, they are all flat to the figure's body.  There's barely any elevation at all from the base sculpt.  In the vintage Joe line, the sculpted details protruded quite a bit from the body.  Pouches, holsters, knifes and even superfluous details like zippers extend out from the pants, chest and arms in realistic proportions.  When looking at this BAT, his sculpted details are flush with his body.  This accentuates the smoothness issue because you don't have the visual break of extended details.  It also takes away some of the realism of the figure.  Things seem out of proportion because they don't have the necessary width.  It's not a design choice that, alone, makes the figures bad.  But, it contributes to these figures being very different from Hasbro figures and, to me, makes them more Joe-adjacent than actual Joes.

Where the ReAction Joe line succeeded was mining the depths of the Joe cartoon for obscure characters and offbeat paint jobs.  It was the most diverse Joe line released since the vintage days.  So far, the ReAction+ line seems to be following that formula.  Cover Girl, Tomax and Xamot are all cartoon icons.  Supposedly, this BAT was from the comic.  Upon first glance, I would have guessed it a cartoon paint job.  But, the this is the BAT coloring from its first appearance in G.I. Joe #44.  So, technically, it's a comic figure.  (I'm going to have to write about G.I. Joe #44 at some point because it's been mined so deep for figures that have actually seen release even though some of the best ideas from the issue have yet to be considered.)  If Super7 continues a mix of comic and cartoon figures, they'll do well.  And, to be sure, I'm invested in the line if only for the possibility of both a Dr. Venom and a proper Kwinn figure in both his cold weather gear and the khaki shorts.  I assume we'll get at least one of these in the line: along with a multitude of other figures that will exist in no other form.

ReAction+ figures are $20.  That's a lot for what you get.  But, it's a boutique line with low production numbers.  So, you're going to pay for that.  Historically, the first wave of figures of a new line is overproduced and, eventually, ends up on clearance.  This isn't an indicator of success or failure, it's just the nature of an exuberant launch.  So, I fully expect you'll be able to get this BAT for a discount at some point in the next few months, especially as future waves roll  out.  Like the ReAction Joe line, these o-ring figures are available at all online retailers as well as Target's brick and mortar stores.  It's nice to be able to buy a figure on the pegs.  And, were it not for this retail presence, I would not ever have purchased one of these figures.  Target was pretty committed to the ReAction line.  So, I hope that partnership will not only continue, but also bring us weird foreign repaints that are exclusive to the retailer.

I have no real prognosis on the future collectability of these figures.  I never thought the Toys R Us repaint figures would be anything more than late line oddities.  But, now, some of them command substantial premiums.  And, it's pretty likely that these Super7 figures will have similar or lower production runs.  So, in time, they'll disappear.  It's just a question of whether collectors disappear at a faster rate.  If they do, it won't matter.  But, if they don't, there might be some future interest in these figures.  For me, my interest in these will be as a supplement to my collection.  I'm not going all in on them as they still aren't a close enough integration with classic Joes for me to do so.  But, you can be sure I'll pick up some characters who appear in unique paint jobs or have never been otherwise released in ARAH Joe form.  

Super7 O-Ring Figures

So, we finally get to see the Super7 take on o-ring G.I. Joe figures.  They are...pretty much as expected.  Basically, they are ReAction figures with vintage Joe articulation.  They feature the same heads, smooth sculpts and trademark hand design as the 5 points of articulation figures.  So, they will stand  out among vintage Joe figures.  But, they are also somewhat close and will work with vintage figures.

My thoughts:

1. The heads are too large and detailed for the vintage style bodies.  They will definitely not look like vintage figures.  
2. I'm not a fan of the hands.  But, the main reason is that the gear is much less likely to be compatible with vintage Joes.
3. The bodies are just too smooth.  They lack details that the vintage Hasbro team used to give the figures depth.  The smooth bodies look like knock off figures from the '80's.  (The smooth upper arms are especially egregious.)
4. The waists are too big and blocky.  This is a feature that also plagues many kickstarter figure lines.  
5. The crotch is short and stocky.  It's straight off of a K-Mart Remco figure.  It's hugely noticeable among vintage Joes.
6. The accessories don't look great.  The cartoon inspired designs are OK.  But, the guns included with the BAT and Snake Eyes look like Chap Mei type weapons that are overly large and embellished.

So, I'm left with an existential question: am I an o-ring figure collector or am I a vintage style Joe collector?  Because, I don't see these figures as being an extension of the vintage Joe line.  Really, the entire success of this line will likely hinge upon the paint masks.  If they offset the cheapness of the sculpting, these figures will be really nice.  But, even skimping on one or two masks will leave the figures looking more like knock-off Joes instead of an upgrade over Hasbro's work.

I'll  definitely use them to supplement my vintage collection.  Especially if they make missing figures like Dr. Venom or the Khaki shorts Kwinn.  Figures like Snake Eyes and Cobra Commander seem unnecessary since I have plenty of them that are already compatible with my collection.  The Twins (a surprise announcement!) and Cover Girl fall into the middle tier.  For the right price, I'll get them.  But, $50 or more for the Twins is a no.  Though, $35 might be doable.  

We're seeing Hasbro and other toy makers dropping prices and also pushing discount lines at brick and mortar retailers.  But, collector lines haven't felt the full pinch...yet.  So, it will be interesting to see where the price point on these ends up.  They were going to be expensive.  But, the market may not support that, now.  So, we'll see where they end up upon release.  I'll be hard pressed to pay $25 plus shipping for these figures.  $20 at my local Target seems like a lot for all but the best figures.  $12 seems great.  But, that's just not going to happen.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

The Mothership Fails

There are failures.  And, then, there are embarrassing failures.  And, the Cobra Mothership was nothing more than one of the most complete and utter disasters the Joe world has seen.  Even the failed DTC experiment had an initial modicum of success.  The failure of the Super7 Cobra Mothership, though, is so thorough that it's tough to take away any useful lessons.

I was an advocate for the Mothership.  I wanted it to succeed because cool toys need to be made.  I was clear that it wasn't a toy for me just due to the sheer size.  But, up until  the end, I was optimistic that the ship would fund.  It needed about 2500 backers on the final day.  This isn't an insurmountable number.  And, Haslabs often have 5,000 or more backers on the final day of funding as they blow through tiers.  Kickstarters are notorious for seeing a surge of last minute pledges.  It's a fundamental truth in the crowdfunding world.

But, with the Mothership, there was no final day surge.  Sure, the numbers went up a bit.  But, not even 100 people backed it in the final day.  That is unprecedented.  And, it is that lack of last minute interest that bears the most scrutiny.  In the end, 1598 people out of a necessary 4000 backed the project.  That is an astoundingly bad showing for a product whose community regularly generates 15,000 or more backers for Haslabs.

Throughout the campaign, I was surprised by Super7's lack of advertising of the product.  It was only near the end of the timeline that they started reaching out to toy influencers on YouTube to hype the toy.  And, even then, their presentations were tepid.  While it's likely that Super7 could not create any advertising showcasing vintage Joes in the Mothership, there was no reason why an online personality couldn't have done so in one of their videos.  It would have been a nice visual.  And, would have gotten some play in the vintage Joe discussion groups.

Speaking of those groups, though, Super7 never even attempted to use them.  Facebook is full of Joe groups with 10,000 or more members.  Why didn't Super7 do a quick Q&A livestream with one of the  admins of these groups?  It would have been free and a way to instantly reach most of the still active Joe fans who exist.  And, things like that are FREE!  Which, for a project that only sought $2,000,000,  was probably an essential component.

To me, the complete lack of fanfare over the toy was the single reason for it's failure.  Items like the Skystriker, Hiss Tank and Dragonfly generated discussion in the Joe community every single day of their campaigns.  The Mothership did not.  Part of this is that it wasn't a Hasbro product.  And, that means a lot as there are many collectors who view non-Hasbro product as non-official, even if it's fully licensed.  Part of that is that the Mothership was somewhat obscure and not a toy that had ever really generated a lot of speculative interest.  The Cobra helicopter?  Sure.  Collectors have wanted that for 30 years.  But, the Mothership never even appeared on the once common "wishlist" items that dominated online Joe discussion.

The final issue was price point.  I have no doubt that $500 was a necessary price to make this happen.  But, even Hasbro has shown that the sweet spot for crowdfunding is between $200 and $300.  At that level, the items don't seem like such a big ticket purchase.  But, they also make the item seem special.  I don't think that Super7 could have created a version of the Mothership that was viable within that optimal price range.  So, they took a huge chance on a more spectacular product.  And, it backfired on them.

So, what does this all mean?  Truly, I have no idea.  We are certain that 3 3/4" o-ring Joes are dead to Hasbro.  They have been farmed out to Super7.  I doubt the failure of this ship will alter those plans.  Super7 has had enough success with their 5POA line at retail to justify a solid attempt at o-rings.  And, figures always do better than vehicles in today's toy landscape.  I'm sure there's some hand-wringing at Super7 HQ today as its leaders wonder if they bet too much of their company's success on a single brand that, frankly, has a lot more failures under it's umbrella in the past 25 years than it does successes.

 

2023 Cobra Mothership Tracking - The Home Stretch

So, yeah, I've been offline for a couple of weeks.  Lots of stuff going on and it was simply easier to drop Joe from my life for a bit than it was to try and keep up.  So, I haven't updated the tracker since 11/23.  And, in the two weeks since then the Mothership...still hasn't moved.  Here's what updates I did track:

11/25/23 - 1443 + 0
11/26/23 - 1443 + 0
11/27/23 - 1446 + 3
11/28/23 - 1446 + 0
11/29/23 - 1446 + 0

And, on 12/8/23, the total number of backers is 1484, less than 40 in two weeks.  The bulk of that number was a small jump from the Super7 announcement that they will be bringing an o-ring line of Joes to production in late 2024...about the time this ship will be distributed.  (Assuming it funds.)  But, more on that later.

For now, we're three days shy of the deadline for the Mothership.  I still think we'll see a last day surge.  But, we should be seeing some folks back it this weekend.  So, now, I'm non-committal on the funding.  It probably won't fund at this point.  But, it still might.  I definitely want it to fund, even though I'm not backing it.  And, I'm going to HATE the terrible takes that will dominate the Joe world for a day or two if it fails.  (Hint, they'll all be completely wrong about why it failed and will be all based on myopic, pre-conceived notions rather than actual data.)  

As for the announcement of the o-ring line...I'm ambivalent.  I'm not going to collect it, per se.  In cases where it will supplement or augment my collection, I'll buy a couple.  I'll certainly pick up any I find on clearance as it's tough to find any o-ring figures for under $8.  But, I'm past the point of picking up a new line.  And, it's pretty obvious that the new line will be a homage to the vintage line rather than a continuation.  Even Hasbro has utterly failed to capture the essence of the vintage line's sculpting and design.  

I expect the Super7 line will look decent.  But, it will be different from the vintage Joes.  A Dr. Venom will be a nice supplement to my vintage Joes.  But, the first Cobra Commander is going to look out of place among 1983 Cobra Troopers.  So, I'll pick and choose.

When I look at the figures that Super7 has made for the ReAction line, there's several designs I'd have bought in o-ring format.  But, there's many great designs that simply don't have any resonance with my collection.  The Gamemaster figures are great.  But, I'd never buy them as I'm not a cartoon guy.  But, I'd buy a cartoon coloring of Flint in an instant.  

I do wonder how the line will do.  Hasbro proved there is no market for $25 o-ring figures among Joe fans.  That line crashed and burned faster than the Dungeons and Dragons line.  And, with different construction, I'm not sure they'll appeal to the standard ReAction figure fan.  You'll see people talking about lower production numbers for Super7.  But, the Pulse o-rings didn't have high production runs.  And, they still failed.  If the Super7 figs go to real retail, they might do better.  But, I still wonder if there's a long term market for any o-ring line.

I'll be interested to see what Super7 comes up with.  But, I'm not going whole hog on the line.  It's doubtful that the gear will be compatible.  And, the heads will stand out quite a bit.  That's doesn't mean, though, that I won't buy some, photograph them and write way too much about them.

We'll touch base again on Wednesday when we know the Mothership's final fate.