The Game Update (Post Slayer Con)

Hello faithful readers,

While I've had to inform myself from secondary sources about the great success of the game at Slayercon2. I have to say that it looks like we are closer to the advanced version of the game. From the reviews I have read about the game at the con, it is clear that the people at Slayer have made use of the advanced rules I provided them with.

What does all this really mean? well hopefully it means that soon there will be a full version of the game with a name and advanced rules which will include:

-Many more missions that players can play! With additional scenario specific rules!
-Many different upgrades for figures and squads
-The ability for figures to gain experience and cash and then use both for upgrades and skills
-Improved weapon rules
-Leaders will have special abilities and be able to issue orders
-The ability to have multilayer games much like those seen at Slayer-con
-Future add ons to the game will allow for the use of vehicles as well as animals.

Hopefully the game can only grow from here, my only wish is that Slayer Dave can get back to me soon so we can make this happen.

Eventually I will run a game based competition stay tuned!

You can download the basic free version here
If you are interested please let me know through the following mediums:
e-mail: g.i.jac0001@gmail.com
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Send me pictures and battle reports so I can put them up here at my blog!

Voltron Lance and Red Lion Review

Hello all,

Key Stand

Despite my complaining about Mattel 3 ¾” figures and their lack of articulation I couldn’t help but purchase the right hand of Voltron! I didn’t sign up to the subscription service. Actually I only found out about these lions through the Toy Fair coverage at cool toy review.

As soon as I saw them I decided I had to have them! I mean can you imagine having that giant fully formed Voltron! It looks amazing and it’s massive! The thing that really got me excited though was the fact you could fit the pilot inside the Lion. Now From the pictures I saw the figures looked really good but the articulation was poor at best, the second thing that worried me was the ‘spring loaded’ limbs gimmick. These are meant to be exclusive collectables, yet the gimmick and articulation reek of ‘movie’ toys.

I’m not one of those people that’ll freak out the white spots on the shoulders or about the fact that the legs are white instead of metallic or even that there are no die cast pieces. I don’t even care about the packaging (please don’t ever expect to see photos of packaging here). All I want are high levels of articulation and figures with removable helmets, hats and weapons with holsters.

The Ladies Man

Now I may appear a little negative here but keep in mind that I paid a lot for this figure, so unlike some ‘movie’ version figure that’ll set me back $15AU this figure set me back, well I’d rather not say... I think I’ve covered most of the things that I dislike about the figure, except for one thing , the spring on the right leg of my lion is busted, I noticed this the first time that I transformed the Lion into its ‘arm mode’ when I pushed the button one leg came down while the other stayed in its place. It hasn’t affected it except for the fact that it won’t ‘spring out’ when the button is pressed, I have to use my hand which when I think about is what I wanted in the first place, but then again, I paid so much for it!

Anyways, this isn’t really a behind the times, except for the fact that this figure has been reviewed to death so I’ll spare you  the details you may already know so without further ado, here are the likes and dislikes:

Likes:

WTF?

- The size of the lion it is awesome! The arm is the size of some of my superion! It Dwarfs all of my Joe vehicles

-The figure design is very cartoon like

-The figure is made of plastic, it’s heavy if it had been made of metal I’m sure it’d kill a small animal if it landed on it!

-I’ve already mentioned the size, but I love the scale 3 ¾” is awesome, wish they made transformers compatible with the G.I.Joe figures I guess this is as good as we’ll get and believe me it’s not bad!

-The key that doubles as a stand is really cool and you can use it to open up the cockpit and to press the buttons for the action feature

-Speaking of the cockpit t is really cool! I just wish that they had included some form of steering wheel or controls that Lance could hold.

-The sculpt on Lance’s face is awesome just like in the cartoon

-Really like the fact that the figure has interchangeable heads one with the helmet on and one without-The Voltron force insignia on the figure is really cool too

-I absolutely love the idea of a completed Voltron, I don’t even know where I’ll put him! I’m also looking forward to having the whole set as I never had a complete Voltron set when I was a kid.

Dislikes:

-The spring loaded gimmick, it reduces articulation on the Lion and it’s completely useless and as I mentioned  before fragile, I wonder how many people this has happened to?

-Even though it is a very ‘Blocky’ robot, I really think they could have added a lot more articulation so as to have the lion do some really cool poses as it is the Lion is very limited and the gimmick means the legs won’t stay where you want them.

-The fact that the spring broke. Now this may be a blessing in disguise as it looks like the leg now has more poseability!

- The lack of articulation on Lance, it really is bad, DC universe infinite heroes bad! For a figure that’s so expensive don’t get any wrist articulation, ankle articulation. Just the addition of these two would have made the figures awesome, but no, that’s too much to ask.

-Sculpted on pistol, useless!

The broken spring

Now don’t get me wrong, I’ll get ‘em all! But the shortcomings aren’t as minor as others would make you think. This is my first real ‘collector’s item’ and it’s a bit disappointing to pay so much (what’s this the tenth time I’ve written this?’  for something that could have been perfect! I wish I could say that the Hasbro Collector’s club was doing better but who knows when that will become available, I ended up taking all the money I’d set aside for that and now I’m spending it on these guys. At least these guys are available!

 The verdict:

3/5 ‘behind the times ‘

and yes, I’ve yet to come up with something better!

SLAYER CON

Hello all,

As you may or may not be aware, I have been sharing ideas from my game with the good people at Slayer Design studios. Because I live in Australia I will not be able to attend but I encourage you all to attend it is happening this weekend and I have been informed that copies of my game will be available and that you may get the chance to play! I am very, very excited! I would love to hear from anyone who attends and I will be more than happy to answer any questions or post your comments here on my blog! I have also been told that there will be a few surprised in store.

I wish I could be there with you all!

Behind the times: G.I.JOE Extreme, Extreeeeme!

Hello all,

Recently watched season 1 and 2 of G.I.Joe Extreme. I figured I'd post my thoughts on that series here. I have to admit that for years I've avoided this TV show. I'm not entirely sure why, but at long last it was the G.I.Joe Collectors' club FSS Iron Klaw that finally motivated me to watch it.

First off I want to say that I thought the T.V. Series was a good 90's children's TV show and unlike many other cartoons I've watched from the 80's or 90's recently it didn't make me cringe the way Skeletor makes me when I hear him speak or hear him explain his ludicrous plots! Either way, I am not too much of a fan of the Rob Liefield inspired design of the characters or the extreme shadows on all the characters. I have decided that I am a fan of S.K.A.R despite their silly Acronym.Another thing I enjoyed was hearing Optimus Primal leading the Joes!

Season 1

Optimus Primal

Not really any remarkable episodes in this series except for the season finale in which S.K.A.R takes over the U.S.A the episodes are titled (it's a two parter) "Coup of the Klaw" and "Rebellion". Through a convoluted plot Klaw takes over the U.S. Capital and takes control of the army destroying 'Joe Island' the Extreme Joe base. The best part however, is the way that  Lt Stone kicks Iron Klaw's butt and then sets him on fire! When I watched this episode I had to replay the final battle at least three times, I was so impressed. I highly recommend these episode just for that scene!

Likes
-The Relationship Between LT. Stone and SGT. Savage
-The season finale specially the final battle between Iron Klaw and Lt. Stone
-S.K.A.R (despite the silly Acronym) including their original Skull helmets, berets and brown uniforms
-S.K.A.R having it's own country Kalistan (Under the guise of Count Von Rani)
-The concept of the far future and the inter-alliance. I guess it's a bit of a alternative post  cold war setting
-Like the design of the character Inferno, he was the only figure that I owned as a kid
-The Public service announcements

Dislikes
-The theme song, show introduction. it's too Extreeeeme!
-The characterization of Inferno

-Why does Rampage turn into a 'rage creature'? He's like the Hulk except that he turns into a monstrous, green, crybaby. He's also a Blanka lookalike.
-The fact that Metal-head wears a peace sign and that his name is Metal Head
-The way that the inter-alliance concept isn't properly developed. By the end of the season Iron Klaw only wants to take over the U.S.A
-All characters are pretty much interchangeable no real character development, but then again, it is a cartoon.
-Wreckage is essentially Frankenstein and it's so odd that for a state of the art 'super soldier' he still wears an eye patch.




Season 2

I'll put you in a coma!

This Season ushers in a lot of changes, most which seem unnecessary. S.K.A.R is revealed to be a worldwide terrorist organization (like Cobra). In this organization Iron Klaw is essentially reduced to a General in charge of military operations. Which seems odd given that in the first few episodes of the season the organization almost falls apart without him and Rampage attempts to fill the supposed power vacuum. Major changes include the use of S.K.A.R troops more frequently while in the first season the main assault force was made up of Skyrenes or airborne robots. Inferno is conspicuously absent this season except for a cameo in Red McKnox's firing range. The Joes spend most of the season trying to root out a traitor which creates genuine tension between Metal-Head and SGT Savage. Iron Klaw gets his revenge over LT. Stone essentially leaving him in a coma and Rampage gets to pretend he's Starscream.

Like the first season, the best episodes are the final two ("Metal-Head goes AWOL" and "Betrayal") where Metal-Head defects to S.K.A.R and essentially brings down the entire organization. Overall I enjoyed season two more than season one. However, my favorite episode remains "Rebellion" from season one. I think it should have been the show finale!

Likes
-S.K.A.R infantry forces look a lot like cobra troopers except with with berets

-The introduction of story arcs especially the rivalry between SGT. Savage and Metal-Head
-Iron Klaw putting LT. Stone in a coma!
-Steel Raven
-The introduction of other evil mercenaries such as the Silencer and Bandido!
-The fact that the series got a final episode. However, it doesn't even compare to the first season finale

Dislikes
-The finale seems rushed and I'm not so sure that Iron Klaw would have trusted Metal-Head so absolutely
-Black Dragon does not live up to his potential in either series
-No explanation for the disappearance of Inferno, Ballistic's name change to Bull's eye and the conspicuous absence of Steel Raven in the final episode
-Episodes with Wreckage in them

Overall I give this series 3/5 behind the times (Still haven't come up with a better system)

Thinking back on it the reason I didn't want to watch the cartoon was cause then I'd have to buy or make figures! I guess now I have to get the Club's FSS! and I am  looking forward to creating some customs based on the series specially some S.K.A.R forces!

C.C.S Sea-Snake

Hello all,

This is the custom I've alluded to in past posts. It is a Cobra sea vessel. I've decided to call it the Cobra Command Sea-Snake as Sea-Serpent seemed better suited for a larger vessel. And sea-snakes are pretty deadly creatures anyway. I used a cheap aircraft carrier I got at K-mart and used it as a base. I went looking for a base as my attempts at using foam-core failed miserably! I cut out a hole for the gun and painted over all the yellow and red on the deck. You'll see a WIP pic here somewhere.

The whole reason I built this ship was that I came up with a new custom figure: Captain Ironside (named after the U.S. Civil war battleships) I made him using the head of Colonel Vogel and the body of Bail Organa. I don't know if the pictures show it but I added a cobra sigil to his peaked cap. I added the left hand of a Cobra B.A.T for good measure. He doesn't look like an infantry officer so I made him a sea captain. I couldn't find a suitable ship for him to command so I decided to make my own!

I used plasti-card to build up the cabin as well as assorted consoles I'd been hording. I also created an LBC crew they are all made up of the 25th Cobra Bazooka trooper and the heads of the German Soldiers from the Indiana Jones line.

For those that like a back story:

Ironside was an officer in the British Navy. He lost his arm while on duty and he felt unappreciated when they asked him to retire. Cobra soon approached him and offered him the recognition and respect he felt that was owed to him. They also gave him a brand new arm!

I'm actually really happy with the way these came out and I am hoping you like them too. Feel free to comment at the usual sources and thanks for looking!

g.i.jac0001@gmail.com
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JAC's Lament Update

Articulation Blues

Happy belated New Year! I figured I should post at least once before the end of the month. I'm just a little concerned about the poseability of the new Avengers figures. The images so far indicate that the figures are missing torso, ankle and wrist articulation. Similar to the deluxe Thor and Captain America figures. Now I am hoping that they are just prototype pictures. Really, really hoping that they are still prototype images!

My real concern is that instead of Mattel following Hasbro's example it's Vice Versa. The whole reason I refused to buy the Green Lantern figures was because of the pathetic amount of articulation. The new Hasbro figures aren't anywhere near that bad. But I have to admit one of my least favorite figures from the Thor line and one I was really looking forward to was Heimdall and he could hardly hold his two handed sword. I can tolerate vehicle drivers having poor articulation and the spring loaded missile launchers and crappy accessories but please do not deny me the articulation we've all come to expect.

And another thing: I'm really loving the Kreo battleship figures but I was really hoping that Hasbro would make some 4" scale figures and Ships maybe release the new U.S.S Flagg?

I remain a fan of Hasbro and have faith that they'll do what's best for both Kids and Collectors.

IS G.I.Joes' Golden age over?

Just saw some images of the upcoming Retaliation movie line figures. I was very excited, at first, then I began to notice the articulation. Or lack thereof, single jointed knees, no wrist or ankle articulation on some of the figures and finally 5 point articulation on the vehicle drivers!! (Why include a driver at all?) I am outraged! These figures look infinitely better than the ROC figures yet possess less articulation. How can older figures be better than the new ones? It;s been a very disappointing new year so far at least in the toy real.

I mean, I can deal with crappy Avengers figures with little articulation and, ugh, action features. But now Hasbro is messing with their best product. I mean I don't like G.I.Joe for any other reason than it's militarily themed and because of the articulation. I mean what else is there, oh yeah, the intriguing story lines!

Now that my rant is over just a few updates:

1. I will be running a competition some time this year, I have contacted the people at Slayer to see if we can arrange prizes but I've not heard from them. Just want to let you know that I have read your e-mails and that the competition will happen sometime this year and I will figure out the prizes. So keep sending in ideas and I'll let you know when It's all figured out

2. The Advanced version of the game is done, at least the first draft. It's in the play-testing stage and it will become available in some form.... some day.

3. Finished my Cobra NAVY themed figures. Just need to photograph them and post them on here.

Anyways,

Please continue to contact me on the following:

g.i.jac0001@gmail.com
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The Game: CONTESTS! PRIZES!

Hello all,

As you know the main purpose of this blog was to discuss the game I have been developing for a while now. I am happy to say that the response on. the survey I ran for a month as it was very positive only one person thought it wasn't any good. However, I've not had too many responses to my requests for your own squads and battle reports.

Now since the response has been so positive I now realize that perhaps the need for incentives is in order! It's just a brainstorm for now but I am thinking I'll be running a contest of some kind. I can't quite decide what type of contest. I mean it could be one of the following:

-Best custom squad
-Best Battle report
-Best Battlefield (terrain)

It will have to be game related though and the truth is it wouldn't have many other limitations. Now I don't know whether to run it through this blog, Joecustoms or in conjunction with Slayer Design Studios. As for Prizes I am thinking of some sort of voucher from an online store. Maybe Marauder gun runners, SDS, Big bad toy store or some place like that.

Now I haven't contacted any of these sites and nothing's official yet, but I really want to promote the game further as interest will lead me to put extra effort into developing (more like refining) and publishing the finished advanced rules. Look out for the contest some time next year. Feel free to contact me with any ideas for the contest.


In other news....

1. I have spoken to Slayer Dave from slayer design studios and he has demonstrated great interest in the game and we are currently discussing what we can do with it.I haven't heard from him for a while but he is a very, very, busy man! I have provided him with some ultra secret documents and I'm sure I'll hear back from him soon....

2. I have been thinking a lot about the current G.I.JOE wave with the Zombie Vipers and while I am not a big zombie fan, I have some great ideas on how to integrate zombies or other similar creatures into the game, even if it's just for a single mission (I'm sure people want more than the stand alone mission that's currently included in the basic version of the game). Imagine wielding a chainsaw or a shotgun while trying to resist wave after wave of zombies...

3. On the customs front, I am currently working on a nautical themed Cobra unit, I've been watching too many WWII U-Boat documentaries!

4. On the toy-buying front, I am currently only waiting for the Dreadnok and Marauders pack to become available so I can click 'ship my loot now' for my massive order over at BBTS. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Anyways,
Thanks for reading and like I wrote earlier feel free to contact me here at the blog or the following:

g.i.jac0001@gmail.com
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I need to add people to my circles! So very lonely...

One last thing: I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! God Bless!