Can we just get the 3-4 inch line back with some new vehicles?! I mean, that's sorta one major reason why the original arah line was so successful.

I understand your point of view, and how you feel that this is another low blow coming from Hasbro, in a series of bad decisions apparently directed towards collectors. I try to make this commentary with the outmost respect for your opinions, and in the interest of letting everybody know my own, and the fact that we have the liberty to express ourselves in a platform like this. Now that we have an understanding... This year I will turn 47. As you can imagine, 'G.I. Joe A Real American Hero' was one of the definitive figure lines that shaped my childhood, and just like you, I cherish its characters, and the endless hours I spent creating adventures with them. Contrary to your likings, and most of many other collectors, I am not as interested in having the same figure I used to have as a child, in a different scale: To my tastes, what once looked like a modern take on actual uniforms and army gear, now looks outdated, and falls off from my adult tastes in what I seek in a line to collect. I do agree that the new uniforms in this 'Classified' collection are way too festive for actual military gear, and I sit with those who intend to collect the line and customize its appearance, in order to have a product that better aligns to my own idea of what G.I. Joe should be... And here, lies the soul of the matter... "My own idea of what G.I. Joe should be" evidently differs from your own, and it might actually go against the desires of so many other fellow collectors, but what I wanted to attract your attention to, is the fact that there can be as many responses to the relaunch of a beloved collection, as collectors are out there... I do not believe any of us is the owner of the one, only truth. While I have my own grudges against some of the decisions Hasbro pulls on a whim, when they do their job I believe the fair thing to do is recognize it, and praise it if needed. The fact is these guys pull out some very good action figures, from a variety of IPs, many of them either as old or older than we both are, and new like the new day, and the one factor that keeps alive these lines we love, has a lot to do with keeping them current, whether we like or not. Remember when many collectors saw apocalypse coming when Star Wars figures turned to 6 inches? Well, these days it seems like it was the 'right' thing to do at the time. Yes, these, and many other current figures have a price point that aligns better with grown ups... But, outside of U.S. and some other very few countries around the world, toys have always been a pricey commodity. I believe you can talk to Australians, Spaniards, or any of us living south the border of Texas, to confirm... Price will not stop kids from wanting a figure if they catch interest on it. We live in the world of digital dominion. The world of Fortnite. The world of Owerwatch. Would you rather have a product directed solely to adults, just like Masters Of The Universe actually did, for some twenty years, with prices that skyrocketed collectibles like never before? A collection that for no one outside our group of age is now relevant? OR... Would you rather spread the love for the characters we cherish, and teach that love to other generations via a product that is accessible to their aesthetics and current beliefs? Michael, I admire your passion and your integrity. I love your creativity. Whenever you let out that child that propels all of us collectors to have fun doing what we love, this channel has no equal. I understand that you have had it rough, dealing with persons who only want to see the world catch fire... But you are so intelligent... So sensitive... Why not let the new in, let the shape of the old go a little bit, and wonder if anything outside of your pre conceptions might actually surprise you, given the chance... Sorry for the length of this. Thanks for taking the time to read it.

Why can't GI Joe figures look remotely similar with actual soldiers like the original line?

There's a very simple answer to your questions: Its military...its war toys. Hasbro took away the ACTUAL original G.I. Joe for the same reason. Vietnam went south and the public got upset about war toys so Joe lost his M16 and had to settle for a pick axe. He came back as a military force during the Reagan era when we were all proud to be Americans for a while but these days it's not cool to be proud of our military...at least in the media or entertainment industry. Hasbro's toy lines no doubt reflect this. It's one thing to have cartoony outfits and pew pew space guns but if you hint at anything realistic the big toy makers chicken out. I assume that's why you'll only find semi-realistic military toys at Walmart under a generic house label. Until they get the message that most Americans are not extreme leftist anti-gun/anti-military weirdos you will most likely have to continue hunting vintage Joes. Sorry.

So honest it has a warning label.

Subscribed soon as the outro started playing. I admire your truth, passion and dedication. Thanks

4 years later they must've heard everybody complain about but now they are releasing bangers

I understand the dislikes for the new aesthetics, but for me personally, I love the new look. I have my 80s joes in the 3 3/4 line but now I want something fresh. No hate for those who do not like the new look. It is just my opinion.

I have been waiting for your review on this!

I have a feeling that these gijoes versions are tied to a new tv show thats still under wraps. Maybe thats the main reason they haven’t unveiled the villains. I can’t see hasbro using out there designs with no reference material.

This video is a very interesting time capsule looking at it 4 years later. It doesn’t feel like that long ago but within the past 2 years, Hasbro’s really course corrected themselves. There’s classic characters in recognizable designs, colorful variants, high piece count, reasonable prices, and good distribution. This is why criticism works, people! Good vid as always Michael!

Answering a few questions here: The Designs are based on the GI Joe Operation: Blackout game. Updated designs inspired by the original RAH designs. Roadblock V2, Snake Eyes V2, original Duke and Scarlet V1 but "video gamed". This is an attempt to make it relevant to the "Fortnite" generation. Trying to straddle the fence. Designs revealed since this video show they are working towards some more classic inspired designs like Cobra Commander, Cobra Trooper, Beachhead, Baroness, and Destro are all VERY good. As for why they want to wait for a "classic" line is that we are less than a year and a half from the 40th anniversary in 2022. They put out "vintage" stuff tied to events usually and 2022 makes sense. Setting up with the updated versions to get on the shelves in prep for the 40th anniversary, and also to tie in to the Snake Eyes movie was the original idea but the Snake Eyes movie being delayed through a wrench in the roll-out. Also, Target's "street dating" garbage has made it crazy to collect this line, but in hand the figures are really pretty solid and each wave has gotten a lot better.

"I mean, he ain't wrong..."

They should have made it a Black Series/Lighting Collection and give us as close the the original look as possible. If they wanted to experiment they could resurrect the Adventure Team concept. Give the adult collectors what they want and build from kids to teens with the AT.

you said everything there is to say thank you for letting them have it

I don't have a problem with updates. With a 6" you have an opportunity to add details that never would've translated to 3.75" and throw in a dash of modern. I also don't have a problem with the guns not being accurate, because for every totally faithful Snake-Eyes uzi, there's Spirit's arrow rifle. What I do have a problem with is taking a classic design and randomly slapping Fortnite-inspired garbage on them. G.I. Joe is best when you take real military equipment/weapons and tweak it just slightly on the impractical/scifi side. These figures look like they were designed by committee.

I ordered a set. I wish they were more accurate but they looked good to me. I think Hasbro just wants to avoid being connected to war toys. Camouflage fatigues and an M-16 is too controversial. Giving Joe a futuristic video game look makes it safer from controversy.

We can all look forward to a $400 haslab orange HISS tank

Michael you don't have to justify your opinion to the haters! Just keep doing your damn thing!!!

They totally dropped the ball on this one. They should have just gone straight up 1982 re-do. none of this shit they did

I paused just to say the intro is great!

Totally agree man!!

Hasbro think the generic Fortnite-esque designs ARE the mass appeal ones. Guess they are gutted about not picking up that licence?

Michael is on his soapbox, better get the popcorn this is going to be good.

"Can we make GI Joe like Fortnite?" I think you hit the nail right on the head there. That's exactly what these look like- GI Joe themed Fortnite figures. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if we see these same designs show up in the game around the time of their release.

Michael just dropped a Truth 💣

I honestly don't even understand why they chose this scale in the first place? It is too big for reasonably priced vehicles unlike 1/18 scale and too small for life like uniforms like the 1/6th scale. I didn't even want a 6 inch joe in the first place because I always thought 80's joe was a vehicle first line. Now the fact they've further cartoonified these characters with anime style uniforms and space guns I don't have any coherent reason to buy them. But I'm sure some "fan" will buy them up plus a overpriced $400 hiss tank if they release it.

Is that offer of footie pajamas and Lucky Charms valid even if we like your video? Asking for a friend.

they should bring back the 3.75" o-ring figures again.

This just in: Michael doesn't know how to potty train dogs.

I’m not a gi-joe fan but I have to respect Retroblasting. Always a professional video with integrity and a genuine point of view, I appreciate your channel very much and thank you for all your hard work.

I think gi joe fits better at 3.75 inch scale just like star wars.

I’m glad you’re covering this

"Orphaned action figure" lol. Great line.

Hasbro has always tried to give us something we dont want from Eco Warriors to the movies. Like you I wish they'd just listen to the fan base for once.

Hasbro is all over the place. Star Wars has mostly been a 4" line. At Toy Fair, they showed 5" and 2.5" figures. Like what the hell, Hasbro. As for GI Joe, yeah, these upcoming figures really shows what Hasbro thinks people want. They want to reach a new audience while still trying to retain the attention of collectors so in the end they produce figures that don't really interest anyone at a price point that won't bring new fans in. I was talking with a friend about this and a retro o-ring line would be amazing. Hasbro produced a near perfect line for the 30th anniversary. The Pursuit of Cobra figures looked fantastic and it's a shame that Hasbro killed that line.

I agree with literally everything you said. These look like Anime versions. If they were designed after the classic line or the Sunbow cartoon (most could depict both versions with a simple swap out head or another extra piece or two), I'd buy most every character. I was hoping the Joes would get the Marvel Legends treatment.

Good job bro

There's supposed to be a new 3 3/4 inch line of Joes coming out from another company that got sub rights to G.I. Joe. I'm thinking maybe when the S.E. movie comes out. But with China shut down, I wouldn't expect to much product to be available. Somebody check that rumor out for me. Great video. 👍🤠

Right on man. You hit the nail on the head

Mike, you nailed it again!

You know, Michael--- I'm in the same vote and it bothers me that they take The Real Ghostbusters, Transformers and other old line back to it's original format glory but don't do it with G.I. Joe!! it puzzles me why they can't do that, I with you 100% on that.

Be glad there'll be no G.I.Joe Vs. the Justice League...!

Thank you for posting this. It's nice to see that someone has the same opinion.

What I love about Michael is that he is always honest. RetroBasting rules.

It looks like they designed these new figures thinking “Hey people who like Fortnite and 6 inch figures in general! Wanna try some GI Joe for some reason?”. Although I’ve seen some Fortnite figures that look more like classic Joes than these new Classified Joes, for some reason. Nice discussion about these figures. PS: That was one long disclaimer at the beginning!

"Artistic integrity" and "G.I. Joe" are never concepts I put together. There's a line over which G.I. Joes or Transformers don't even look like themselves (which both live-action movies crossed), but these don't even get close to that line. I'm actually surprised at how much they DO look like the originals. They're fine... But then, I AM older than the 3 3/4" line, and nothing about these is crazier than what I bought as a kid.

You may be a grumpy old man yelling at clouds, but you're correct. People often mistake grumpiness for disagreeableness.

It really was an odd thing. Even MOTU is doing the 5” vintage looking. Such a weird choice to do this. I’ll be passing on them all.

It would be a shame if Hasbro tried to get a new generation interested in the BRAND.

What if they were not g.i. joe, just action figures with cool accessories? My wallet is open to figures with awesome accessories, these fit the bill for me.

You know, they tried this 15 years ago and it failed abysmally...it was called sigma 6.

Nice intro. Love it :)

If anyone believe that these toys are for kids......they are delusional.

I think you’re the only toy youtuber I’ve seen that called out the classified line for their terrible designs and stupid sci-fi nerf guns. I was a person who for years wanted a 6” g.i. Joe line, but there’s a reason I’m not collecting this and it’s because these aren’t the Joes I care about. To date I have 3 of them, the first snake eyes (and I’m not happy with the quality on him), the snake eyes with timber because he’s just a cool looking figure with a cool wolf, and the cobra viper because I love that trooper and he was close enough to the original design to make me happy. Anyway, I appreciate your honesty and I’m sorry I didn’t know about your channel until recently because I’m enjoying going through a bunch of your old videos.

I completely agree, it is amazing how Hasbro has not figured this out. I have been onboard with G.I.JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO since 1982. I'm only missing 3 characters from the 1982-1994 era and have all of the comics up to the latest issue #270. The 25th Anniversary G.I.JOE line pulled me and my little brother into it. From SGT. SAVAGE - SIGMA 6 figure incarnations, we totally sat out and only casually checked out related animated shows. The two live-action films were such huge disappointments, and I only bought two versions of SNAKE-EYES from the first film. I am not into any 6" scale figures but some friends and co-workers are. I thought the 6" SNAKE-EYES was good, but upon seeing the rest of the first wave it was any immediate HARD PASS/NO WAY for us. You are so correct by stating: "What a waste of time."😞

So this video popped up in my feed, and i decided to watch it again, and while everyone is entitled to have an opinion, i think he missed the mark on the classified line. If we take in to account this was pre pandemic, and pre knowledge of the video game coming out, we can look at this video with some perspective. But knowing what we know now, it makes this look like it is just a typical cry baby fan boy. We know that is not the case, passion for something tends to be over looked. That being said, the classified figures are some of the most sought after figures around right now. This is all just my opinion on this. Sadly no matter how much good a person does, it will always be looked over by one bad thing.

I agree with you 100%, I was planning on getting these guys, even though they don't meet my expectations. I think I'll keep to my original, 25th and 50th anniversary editions.

100% agree. However I still preordered all the Classified figures. I just don't want them to use the excuse: "No one is interested in GI Joe anymore".

Thanks Michael, insightful and right on the money. I also believe there is such potential, which now remains unused.

Alright, so- I just became a G. I. Joe fan over the last couple months, thanks to Tubi. I decided to give the cartoon a shot, and as an adult in his 30’s, I absolutely loved it. The characters were fun and incredibly three dimensional for the time. Thus, while I am now a fan, I have no real nostalgia for these characters, which makes it easier for me to adapt to these updated designs. I absolutely love the classified line. Maybe you guys are referencing comics or toys I’m ignorant of, but the cartoon I watched featured a host of colorful characters wearing everything from camo to football jerseys, fighting a terrorist organization with a hilarious, over-the-top and goofy leader. The G. I. Joe I have recently fallen in love with is colorful, sci-fi as hell, and most of all fun. The classified series fits right in to me.

Duke, Snake Eyes and Destro are great in hand!

I understand your point of view. Granted, I would love a 6" scale of ARAH era Joes, I'm not opposed to the designs of the Classified series. Maybe it's my love of comics that has me willing to accept costume & equipment changes, but I'm not married to the 80's designs. Is the armor a little much, yes it is. But the toys are still indicative of the characters. That looks like Snake Eyes, that looks like Duke, That look likes Destro. & That's plenty good enough for me. Maybe I'd be more angry I'd the 25th anniversary didn't exist, but that line happened & its still proudly sitting on my shelf. Gi Joe is back on shelves, & like you said, the ARAH designs may come later. I'm picturing Hasbro doing a retro wave every year like what they do with the Marvel & Star Wars lines. Time will tell, but I'm personally excited for this line. & Based on the reactions of the wave 1 reviews & the eBay prices RN. I'm not the only one.

100% agree with you. Hasbro will not get another penny from me till they go back to what GI Joe is/was. We can all vote with our dollars.

Holy shit this aged horribly!!!🤣🤣🤣

These are just AWFUL!!! They hurt my eyes and I hate them!!👎

That part about the Lucky Charms had me cracking up ha ha ha😀

They've got scarlet looking like kristen wiig

Preach it brother!!!!

As someone who was born way after the original show, I grew up with modern joe looks and am stoked for the modern designs, just because you don’t like the look doesn’t make them bad figures, they will absolutely do a vintage line like their marvel legends

From my perspective as a toy collector living outside the US, Hasbro really bungled the distribution process of G.I. Joe Classified since 2020. I had to order my first GIJC figure of Duke online and at a higher price due to the line being so limited in quantity and non-existent in retail toy stores. Major Bludd at one point ended up being priced at $70, it's become that f-king crazy. I only got the retail versions of Cobra Commander and Snake Eyes at SRP online as usual due to some online stores having a Christmas sale. By the time the figures rolled out in retail stores a year later, the figures were still limited in quantity then got discounted heavily after a couple of months with Profit Director Destro collecting dust and now priced at $17.61 plus the Snake Eyes movie figures are barely moving at all. And since local retailers are now hesitating to order new batches of GIJC figures, local online stores are selling these new figures at scalper prices once again. So at this point, it's no surprise anymore why people like me dropped this line for good.

Michael, I 100% felt this video in my bones. Completely agree 🙏🏼

I think I’ll just stick with the 80’s version of the line. Maybe someday Hasbro will produce something that makes me want to go down the rabbit hole of collecting newer versions, but I doubt it. We had it so good as kids back in the 80’s and now we are realizing that.

I just want 3.75”. If I have to choose between $40 for a 6” Snake Eyes or a complete 1986 BAT, I’m going to choose the vintage figure.

I know that Real American Hero was somewhat futuristic in its art style but it was always rooted in real world military. I especially hate the laser gatling gun thing. Anyways, are kids really gonna buy these instead of actual toys from Fortnite?

Would a retro style G.I Joe line in 3.75 inch with the same molds and cardbacks be a better hit with fans? I think so! Great video Retroblasting

Oh come on Michael, they can't screw up a classic 6" scale line of figures this bad, i mean how bad could they screw classic figures... up... oh.. OH NO. NO. NOPE. Nope the heck out of here with this line. LOL, cheers Michael! I couldn't agree with you more on this one after seeing these atrocities.

Allow me to drop some knowledge here. This is the Marvel Legends model. It’s all about establishing the long game with 6 inch collectors like me. I’m a sucker. After waiting so long, I see these and I think, not what I expected...but it’s the characters I love so I better snatch them up while I can. Given my mentality (typical of most Marvel Legends collectors) they’ll keep doing this as long as they can, getting my cash, until sales slow down or they run out of ideas and then they have me double-dip. Yes, that’s when they’ll release retro versions of characters I already bought but now the way I always wanted them to look. Sadly, we only get there if suckers like me support this line, which they know I will. While others like yourself won’t bite, they’re betting that enough folks like me and a new generation of collectors will sustain the early start of this line enough to make it a long and sustainable for years. Trust me, they know what they’re doing. It’s about making the most cash long term with their property. Trust me, you’ll get the classic 80’s designs eventually, but it starts now with these figures. They know you want classic Joe’s but if they gave you those first then you’ll never consider buying these.

Michael is talking like an upset teacher

Hasbro lost the great opportunity and kill Gi Joe!

So much salt at the start of the video....I love it :D Seriously though, dude. Love your content & videos. You're a solid dude

They should have just went all out and given each one a jousting stick with 2 stuffed animal on each end of it lol 🧸

100% agree with you Michael!

Nailed it! Hasbro killed its own product, and its doing it again

Duke's armor isn't asymmetrical.

You are dead on Michael. They don't want to do the military style "war" toys.

Dat duke looks so cool

I completely agree with everything you said in this review! Couldn't have said it any better. Can you please go to the Hasbro panel at Comic Con and voice your opinion there? I will stand up and support you. I'm an 80s GiJoe fan myself and your 100% correct about what you say about Hasbro. Your the man!!!

Well done. I agree 100%

Lol. The dog analogy made me laugh. I'm hoping to get my hands at least on Egon.

Hasbro has adopted Disney's brilliant marketing.

How about the fact that it's a 6 inch line.. Joe's need their vehicles. What would the Skystriker cost at this scale? $300?

Not a toy collector here, but other than snake eyes, if you didnt tell me what they were in advance I would not know that they were GI Joes

I never thought I would say this but the joes from the 90s looked better than these new 6 inch joes.

EXACTLY 100% AGREE. I have bought THOUSANDS of dollars worth of Joe product in my life (mostly 12", but a significant number of RAH). I started with RAH in 83, and LOVED it. I later srtaed collecting all the "legacy" 12 inch Joes and Adventure Team. I think Hasbro is afraid to put out legit MILITARY figures with authentic weapons because GUNS and ORANGE MAN BAD. This risk aversion has resulted in a huge number of "generic" soldier figures and playsets being sold. They lost the market, because they ABANDONED the market. Look at the Transformers line. They are selling new figs that look EXACTLY like the character models from the 82 cartoon (save Megatron, because GUNS BAD). And they continue to make a whole lot of money with TF toys. Sigh. I'm kinda done with "NuJoe" before it even starts. The brand is dead, because of neglect and abuse. Maybe we will see an authentic on-model HasLabs RAH set... Someday... THAT I would buy.

Those new figures look like crap! Hasbro has to be run by people who are incompetent, yet still manage to keep the company alive... Wish it would fail so someone else to swoop in and buy the properties

I love this channel, and I don't disagree often... But here we go. This looks to me like Hasbro is finally putting in the effort to give the fans of the Devil's Due Press G. I. Joe: America's Elite the character designs they've been wanting for years. Scarlet looks exceptional in that regard. Duke and Roadblock are also very close. I can certainly understand the backlash from those not familiar with DDP's continuation of the Marvel/Image series, but I like these!

I don't love or hate these redesigns (I do have some issues with the heads), but I agree it's a nonsensical way to start off the line. Very disappointing they aren't going starting off with the classic designs and I had already decided I wouldn't be buying these as well. Not sure what they are thinking. Hopefully Jazwares can give us something with the classic looks.

There is also a market for young people that haven't gotten to experience GI Joe figures yet and 20 dollar price point Fortnite, Power Rangers, Marvel legends, Black Series all sell well with both collectors and children. I know this because it is my job as an action figure salesperson to know these things. Yes these figures look radically different and I have my gripes with them (Scarlet's hair color should be more red, Sci-Fi weapons are dumb and they should have real weapons, classic designs are better) but there is a lot good going for them. The Snake Eyes and Duke I feel both look really spot on. Duke's attire and look both evoke that classic Duke feel, and he has appeared radically different before. Snake Eyes is also holding actual firearms, not "laser guns" (Which the Joes have used before anyways). Hasbro will see and hear the response to these figures and be able to see which figures in the line sell the best and which ones people respond to the most and do more of that. There are already other figures in the pipeline, and the argument that Hasbro is somehow morally uncomfortable with GI Joe is bogus. This is the same company that puts out Punisher, Deathlok, Deadpool, Cable, Blade, and many other violent characters action figures on a regular basis. Punisher notably always having really violent, real world weapons in his arsenal of toys. I think your initial reaction is understandable but misplaced. I have kids and friends my age even who are very excited for these figures because they will make great companion pieces to many other 6 inch action figure lines. I have been wanting GI Joe characters to fight my Power Rangers, Black Series, and Marvel Legends figures for some time and now that there will also be Ghostbusters to join!?!?!?! I couldn't be happier.

I'll sum up the video: Hasbro, you had ONE job...