Hasbro’s G.I. Joe Fans: Are You Interested in Acid Rain and Marauder?
As the G.I. Joe series moves into a bit of a break I see two action figure lines as possibly capturing a healthy percentage of the more dedicated G.I. Joe fans. You know, the ones (like us) who read forums, reviews, and follow along a lot more closely than the average consumer ever will. Those hardcore action figure fans who are willing to take a chance on something new. Or two somethings new like:
- Acid Rain – The weathered designs, transforming vehicles, and fantastic artwork of this series stands a good chance to attract not only G.I. Joe fans but also collectors of Ashley Wood’s World War Robot series.
- Marauder Gun Runners – This series (currently funding on Kickstarter) looks to me to be a bit more of a traditional approach to military 3.75-inch scale action figures. I’m thinking it should appeal to G.I. Joe fans, if only because these will make such great army builder figures.
I know I’m interested in both of the lines and want to actually hold the figures and see how they are, but is anyone else out there watching these two new lines? I see a hisstank.com forum post by user rageseven that really has me wondering just how many G.I. Joe fans are watching these new lines. rageseven posts:
“I got a winged victory and two Agurts. Two of each of these figures is plenty for me. I never would’ve touched other lines when Hasbro was rolling out product regularly, but with so little on the horizon I decided to jump in on the Acid Rain figures and the Commodore level Marauder set.”
But is rageseven alone? I don’t think so, but I’d love to hear from you guys. Please drop a comment here and let us all know: Are You Interested in Acid Rain and Marauder?
Related articles
- Hasbro Celebrates 50 Years of G.I. Joe . . . by killing the line? (battlegrip.com)
- Kickstarter – Marauder Action Figure Project Shows Modular Accessories and Waist Articulation (battlegrip.com)
- NYCC 2012: Hasbro Early Look – G.I. JOE Instapics (actionfigurepics.com)
I’m interested in those lines, but I can’t see myself ever buying more than one or two figures. The cost is just way too high.
@Chris – The individual figures are comparable/cheaper than G.I. Joe club action figures, but it’s really the Acid Rain vehicles that are kinda scary pricey. I understand why they’re expensive, but I also can see where many people will just skip the line due to costs.
I’m not a hardcore GI Joe fan by any means (I pick up a few figures every now and then), but I did sign up for the $195 Kickstarter option for the Marauder Gun Runners.
Acid Rain looks nice, but ultimately too pricey for my blood. The Marauder Kickstarter lured me in with the neat Pursuit of Cobra-esque designs and all of the neat stretch goals.
@Yakkotank – At $195 you’re gonna have a lot of those Marauder action figures. And yeah, I can see the “Pursuit of Cobra/City Strike” feel in the toys.
Makes me wish for a crazy Alley Viper-style color scheme.
As for the Gun Runners figures, they look pretty cool but I’m really nostalgia based. I haven’t seen much that would compel me to buy in. Maybe if they had a bit more wild designs or something. I’m not really interested in a regular army guy with a gas mask or helmet.
Acid Rain is amazing, but are VERY expensive. The Gun Runners figures are also amazing and the price is right BUT these are just generic soldiers….I think they are missing an opportunity to do characters that get us excited. That’s what I love about Joe, the characters and the mythology.
The Marauder GR figures are as close to GI Joe as we’re going to get now. The same sculptors, similar articulation, cool designs and tons of add-on gear. There’s no reason that these need to be seen as nameless army builders. The desert ops figure could easily be a POC style Duke or Dusty, the urban ops a new Firefly or trooper, the black figure a new Snake Eyes, or even better, when enhanced with the right gear, a great new Cobra Trooper. And the green spec ops figure is just a great new army builder. So in my mind, these are very much GI Joe ‘replacements’ that will fit on the shelf right next to the official Hasbro figures.