Yesterday, Hasbro Pulse began the month-long celebratory salute to G.I. Joe entitled Yo Joe June! The overall exciting news was, for the entire month of June, all new Classified series and Cobra Island Joe’s will be dropping for pre-order and purchase on the Hasbro Pulse website. If you missed the first week of upcoming releases, The Retro Network has you covered!
New Classified Series Roadblock
The first announcement was the updating and release of the great Marvin Hinton, aka Roadblock in the Classified Series! This figure features an all-new head and chest sculpt, as well as great detailed upgrades to his gear including a new helmet, web gear, and a pretty diesel upgrade to the Vulcan Gatling Gun with removable ammo drum. All in all a nice upgrade that throws back to the original version 1 release.
Snake Eyes & Timber Alpha Commandos
The next announcement was the release of a new Snake Eyes with his wolf Timber Alpha Commandos set. This set features a new take on the 1985 Version 2 release of the classic Commando along with his trusty wolf Timber. Snake comes with his standard compliment of commando arms including knive, signature Uzi, as well as a variety of other guns.
Timber gets his first-ever major upgrade with full leg articulation, as well as interchangeable head sculpts in both an “attack” and “rest” face.
Cobra Island Major Bludd US Target Exclusive
Next up was the announcement of the mass market release of the Cobra Island series Major Bludd. Originally available as a Target Canada exclusive, this figure began to make waves online earlier in May when boxed versions began showing up online confirming his suspected release. Soon to be available in the US markets, this upgrade of the classic 1983 figure features some upgraded weaponry, redesign of his robotic armature and eye patch, as well as a now removable iconic helmet and dog tags, as well as an upgraded backpack for all of his tools of destruction.
Cobra Island Barbecue
Next up was the announcement of the Cobra Island series figure Barbecue! This is a retro-inspired version of the original 1985 original release with some killer new upgrades and suit redesigns to bring old BBQ up to the modern era! Some classic elements include his original firefighting backpack with hose and nozzle with some fantastic realistic detailed upgrades. Barbecue also comes with not 1, but 2 axes, one in the classic version 1 design with the knuckle-style edging and curved handle, as well as a more modern “high impact” axe for making those quick entrances when a swift rescue situation is needed. Figure suit upgrades include a leg holster for the nozzle, opposite-leg axe mount slot, as well as some design upgrades to his breaking apparatus and head sculpt. Personally, this was my favorite of all of the release news!
Cobra Island R.A.M. Motorcycle with Breaker
The final major new release announcement was the upcoming addition of the re-released 1982 R.A.M. cycle also featuring a new and improved 1982-style version of Breaker, the Joe’s original bubble-gum blowing communications expert! The RAM itself keeps it’s iconic look and feel with a more modern hybrid styling, described as a cross between speeder bike and dirt bike. It features the classic side-mounted Gatling Gun now with rotating fire action, twin-turbo engine, and retro-inspired decals and tags. Breaker also got a new old-school look with streamlined uniform features, a new face sculpt and beard, as well as some more modern and realistic detailing. The 21st century saw the obsolesce of his old, bulky communications backpack and upgraded into an all-inclusive communications helmet with attached headset to make him more mobile than ever in this new technological world.
Miscellaneous Announcements and Updates
Closing out the Yo Joe June broadcast was some general announcements and updates on some of the existing Joe product line items. The Walmart-exclusive Retro Collection released in 2020 is getting some additional quantities of inventory released on Hasbro Pulse for order including Lady Jaye, Duke, Cobra Commander, A.W.E. Striker vehicle with Crankcase, and F.A.N.G. Copter with Air Trooper. As well as an upcoming partnership with World of Tanks – Modern Armor is bringing G.I. Joe into the mix with some exclusive in-game content being released later this month. Finally a new trailer for the Snake Eyes Origins movie, and a behind the scenes talk with Larry Hama!
In case you missed it, you can watch the entire replay of Yo Joe June on the official Hasbro Pulse YouTube page, and stay tuned to The Retro Network for more G.I. Joe news and releases!
All images courtesy Hasbro pulse
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