BrentSR94... I agree 100% I want the nostalgia of the 82-88 era and for anyone that doesn't know about automotive stuff, neoprene Orings for ac compressors are indestructible, they hold up to refrigeration chemicals like R12 and don't weather like rubber.
I just watched Hasbro's live stream fan Friday for the 40th anniversary we are getting a Duke/ cobra commander 2 pack and a cobra troop builder 2 pack to start off in February, in addition to the haslab skystriker with seven awesome figures, I just wish I'd ordered two or three, one for Joe's, one for cobra's and one to keep sealed. Orings or keep it as far as I'm concerned
The only 25th I liked was the bat because they should be bigger than 3.75 and the updated accessories were awesome.
I will admit, the haslab figures look spot on where the Duke/CC and cobra two pack figures look cheaper, more like the comic 3 pack oring figures did but my only real complaint with them were the heads mainly, and the hands were slightly softer/ cheaper rubbery plastic.
Return of the O-king!!!
My vote is YES, bring back the classic O-ring. Being a collector since 1981, I have seen the de-evolution of the Joe line. The early to late eighties was the perfect time frame, afterwards into the 90's the line went into bright neon colors and off the wall vehicles. Fas forward to the Valor vs Venom line. There was a mixture of O-ring and articulate figures, some were cheaply made like the star wars figures. Let's fast forward to now. Comparing the classic Bazooka O-ring to modern Bazooka. 3.75" for original almost 4 inches with modern. The modern looks goofy compared to the original, in fact the whole line is out of proportion.
Why do feet need to swivel? Why do hands? Yes, you can argue that they look better, or the thumbs don't break or whatever argument you can come up with. I'm 46 I grew up with the original ARAH line, to me that line the first 7 years was the best and cannot be topped. The vehicles were better, the figures were better.
Now let's look at price, when I first got into the Joe's they were .99 cents, ok inflation within a few years the became $2.50, GIJOE Retaliation movie time $4.99... today $12.99. No one really wants to buy cheaply made figures fore that price. Granted they are buying the name brand. But still... Bring back the classic O-Ring style lower the price and the sales will sky rocket. Less detailed movement and sculpts. Save that for the Classified 6" line.
True Joe collectors want the classic O-Ring style back. We are not fond of the crap that gets passed off as GIJOE now. It's not impressive. Ask anyone in any Joe collector group and they will say the same thing I am.
I'm with many others in that the back pack screw needs to come back. I never have mastered the boil and pop method, they either don't pop or warp The 0-ring is what i prefer but, heck i'd settle for a just waist swivel. At first i hated them, but i kinda got used to the chest henge now. It sucks on some characters (cc being the big one here) and on others (females, figs with vests over them and muscle men like gung-ho) it actually looks really good. I've also just accepted we probably won't get them back.
I actually have more of an issue with the double jointed knees than i do the chest hinge. I'd love ball jointed knees! They can be done right look at the new Ml cable. or the indy tribal dude. How on earth did that indy tribal guy get ball jointed knees and a t-crotch? that makes no sense whatsoever to me.
the new construction doesn't bother me. Why? I personally don't play with them, and I don't customize them either. So it's not a real issue for me. VH has said it may times before (at least I think it was VH), that the 25th Anniversary Joes are mainly for looks and not so much heavy-duty playing (no pun intended). (lol) And that's fine with me personally...
Well, I doubt too many of us are actually "playing" with them, like we did with our toys as REAL kids.
Still, I'm a fan of the era of G.I.Joe when it WAS a kids toy, for real kids to really PLAY with, as that's what I started collecting as a young adult ARAH toy collector back in the early 80's. The adult collector mentality has hurt the toy industry to a degree in this aspect....imo. Why have articulation on them at all, if the majority of them never see the light of day OUT of the plastic bubble prisons, or if they DO, only adorn a middle-aged geeks display case?
The old toys were made for boys but entertaining and interesting enough for MEN!
I've wondered though; if Hasbro's looking for new ways to articulate figures at a cheaper cost, but retain the looks of the figure, then why don't they make a ball-jointed waist? They could still do without the o-ring, but you would have a more "o-ring-ish" movement. And it'd look a heck-of-alot better than the chest-joint I think. I'm like Clam; the only thing the chest-joint does is allow the figure to swivel from side to side. I don't see the added articulation. For that matter they could have done a t-cut swivel waist to achieve the same effect.
Yeah, anything that brings the articulation back to the WAIST area, for some swivel and tilt, is going to be better. I don't care HOW, O-ring or not (seeing how O-ring hating is in vogue all of a sudden ) I'd just like to see something better than what is at the moment....swivel-only tits. The head joints barely have much more than a swivel side-to-side as well, with little tilt motion, but I can live with that, if they can't fix it right.
If there was something used 50 years ago that is "BETTER" than what's being used for the same thing...today, I say stick with what WORKS best and screw any notion of it being "dated".I don't understand the indifference taken against something just because of some "date" attached to it, or merely because it's old and for some reason, we can only approve of something if it's "NEW"? New and improved isn't always an "improvement"...is it?
The new articulation features on the Joes are not exactly improved, but yes, they are definitely NEW, so that must be all that matters. If it's NEW, a new generation can glob onto it and adopt it as their own, above and beyond the old-timers, as though that's the only way they can feel as though they have any seperate connection to an OLD toyline?
If there's anything "improved" in them, it'show cheaply they can be made, in comparison. That doesn't benefit ME much.
You're only saying that because you're an OLD man being replaced by NEW collectors. @smilepunch@
Exactly! @loll@
Seeing how I'm basically a work of PERFECTION.....there's no way to make another me BETTER! @smilepunch@
I got to agree with you on all accounts however.
Good Man!
The o-ring allowed for a more natural, fluid movement; trust me...I logged-in alot of hours playing with them as a kid. (lol) There's no arguing that point. It's a fact. BUT...having said that, the new construction doesn't bother me. Why? I personally don't play with them, and I don't customize them either. So it's not a real issue for me. VH has said it may times before (at least I think it was VH), that the 25th Anniversary Joes are mainly for looks and not so much heavy-duty playing (no pun intended). (lol) And that's fine with me personally...
I've wondered though; if Hasbro's looking for new ways to articulate figures at a cheaper cost, but retain the looks of the figure, then why don't they make a ball-jointed waist? They could still do without the o-ring, but you would have a more "o-ring-ish" movement. And it'd look a heck-of-alot better than the chest-joint I think. I'm like Clam; the only thing the chest-joint does is allow the figure to swivel from side to side. I don't see the added articulation. For that matter they could have done a t-cut swivel waist to achieve the same effect.
If there was something used 50 years ago that is "BETTER" than what's being used for the same thing...today, I say stick with what WORKS best and screw any notion of it being "dated".I don't understand the indifference taken against something just because of some "date" attached to it, or merely because it's old and for some reason, we can only approve of something if it's "NEW"? New and improved isn't always an "improvement"...is it?
The new articulation features on the Joes are not exactly improved, but yes, they are definitely NEW, so that must be all that matters. If it's NEW, a new generation can glob onto it and adopt it as their own, above and beyond the old-timers, as though that's the only way they can feel as though they have any seperate connection to an OLD toyline?
If there's anything "improved" in them, it'show cheaply they can be made, in comparison. That doesn't benefit ME much.
You're only saying that because you're an OLD man being replaced by NEW collectors. @smilepunch@
I got to agree with you on all accounts however.
I agree that they should still work to make the figures better, if that means tweaking the 25th design a little, then that's fine with me, they're close to perfect, but they're not perfect...
Seeing how almost every figure has a hole in his back now, I don't see why they can't redo them with the screw hole instead of the whole sonic welding thing... here's hoping the 25th styled movie figures and the figures after the movie figures will get this treatment, but I think the fans have to really be vocal about it at the conventions so Hasbro knows...
The O-ring isn't needed, but I think the Screw is from a customizers point of view.
I voted "no", but I have some qualifiers.
The current articulation is fine for what it is.......if they tweak the elbows it'll be darn near perfect in my eyes.
What the O-ring gave us was not so much the articulation, as the ability to customize. The screw hole and ability to take the figure apart at a whim was a huge advantage to easily repairing figures, and customizing them in ways the current figures cannot match.
If the current design was altered to accommodate a screw hole ( assembled torso)--to fit the backpacks and allow of the figures to be taken apart, then it would be the best of both worlds for us. An O-ring does NOT need to be incorporate in the change though, but having easy access to the internals of the figure would be a boost to the hobby again.
ok...so the issue isn't so much about whether or not to bring BACK the O-ring, as it is to come up with something BETTER?
The new articulation (focusing on the waist here) is certainly not "better" than what the O-ring allowed as far as movement and posing of the figures. I can't believe that there would be any debate on THAT, but I sure somebody will disagree. I think the O-ring allowed for a much GREATER poseability (word?) than any alternative they've attempted since (in the 3 3/4" scale) and that's my stance anyway, so rather than cry for a return of the O-ring SPECIFICALLY, how about just a cry to keep working on it, because the 25th style really does pale in comparison on this issue of articulation. While it has OTHER pluses...this is a minus (IMO) and I'd like to see an improvement here, and if NOT the O-ring's return...then whatever form, style, work of genius, contrapulation ( @hmmm@ ) they might come up with in it's place?
How's that?
