G.I. Joe is an iconic toy brand that originated in 1964 but what made them more relevant was back in 1982 when they re-branded the toyline into 3.75 inches tall or 1/18 scale that expands to feature vehicles and playsets that to this day has become so iconic the vintage toys released in that era carry more childhood stories than its current high priced secondary market value.
With the release of the six inch figures at the recent New York Toy Fair it’s safe to say the long-time fans that grew up watching the cartoons and had read the original Marvel-published comicbooks that was written by Larry Hama the fans are still holding their breath that the 1/18 scale range would still return.
Despite the latest release of the 6 inch range had a minor fizzle it still sparked more interest, which means the Joes are back stronger than ever to fight freedom whenever is trouble and they are certainly almost here.
The toy brand was the cornerstone for Hasbro’s success that would take down Kenner’s Star Wars and gobbled them up due to its enormous success. The toyline would continue without the support of an animated series until in the early 2000s when it slowly revived and event celebrated its 25th anniversary with the revival of the vintage characters represented with a new action figure engineering ditching the old school o-ring technology that has been part of the brand.
Its last retail release was a tie-up for the G.I. Joe: Retaliation in 2013 that was a sequel to the first live action film Rise of Cobra. Though the films received generally mixed response the toys still manage to capture interest for those who grew up with the brand and caught up collecting the range of figures, vehicles, and rarely reissued playsets for the modern reinterpretation of the iconic characters,
G.I. Joe is a military inspire toyline that featured science fiction and action grounded to realism and for the reason they are perfect subjects for Toy Photography. Prior to the New York Toy Fair there was rumours about Hasbro farming the intellectual property to another toy manufacturer in Jazwares that made the 4-inch range of Fortnight action figures, but that news was dashed immediately as Hasbro kept the rumours to the chest with the reveal of the six inch figures. There was no news if there ever will be a line for the 4-inch scale, while the Snake-Eyes live-action film is currently filming somewhere in Japan.
But fans are still hoping and long-time collectors still crossing their fingers that the toyline would be revived again for 1/18 scale despite four characters from the six inch figure range has been revealed even before New York Toy Fair. To celebrate the brand’s return toy photos where shot over the past few days featuring the 25th anniversary edition of Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow from the Cobra five-pack box set. Some images also feature vintage editions of Low-Light, Televipers, and Zandar accompanied by two Vipers (Gold plated faceplate version) from the 2002’s G.I. Joe VS Cobra toyline.
If you’re a long-time fan or just recently started interest on the Joes they are certainly some of the best toy subjects to get your hands on. Surely, you might have some in your storage as a kid or have forgotten having some as an adult. It’s time to celebrate their return any scale because knowing is half the battle! Yo Joe!
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