GI Joe Classified Wishlist & Breakdown
With the first assortment of GI Joe Classified hitting retail, many rumors have swirled around the net of the next wave and beyond. The second assortment has yet to be revealed but the info is out there. Plus all you really have to do is look at the box art on the back for some answers. We are not going to dive into the what nots of the second series, but shift focus to the 3rd and more.
Hasbro has a good opportunity to solidify this line but they must tread carefully. Departing too much from the source material will spell doom for Classified. If they can take the same approach with future releases as they did with the first, we should be good. Now let’s take a look at what could be done for the line.
Troop builders
The box art reveals a fan favorite Alley Viper. If Hasbro could pull this off it would be amazing. It would be strange to see an Alley Viper hit retail before a regular Viper but I am okay with that. Just make him look like the art and fans would scream for joy. In fact, Classified was made for troop builder. Each wave should have at least one. Offer solid case packs and watch the money pour in. Personally I would love to see an Eel, Snow Serpent, BAT, Crimson Guard and more in future waves. If a classic style BAT hit, holy crap, it would be a madhouse at retail. Hasbro if you are reading this make it happen!
Unlike Star Wars Black, GI Joe has more potential for sales when you look at the troops. Fans love to army build and if done right, sales could overpower Star Wars. I know it makes sense and sometimes we get head scratchers but im giving Hasbro a chance to prove us all wrong. Just don’t screw it up. Even GI Joe could have some troop builders. Green shirts and Steel Brigades would be brilliant and if you mix different accessories with them, they would sell. Also wave 2 will have an army builder….
Cobra Main Characters
It’s safe to say that Cobra Commander is on tap along with the Baroness. What fans really want to see is Zartan, Firefly, the Crimson Twins, Serpentor and many more. Each wave should offer at least 1 main character for Cobra. If anything move from troop builder to main character from wave to wave. Remember, bad guys sell more figures! We might see something like this is wave 2.
GI Joe Team Members
With so many choices to make, everyone has their most wanted in mind. Gung Ho will be on tap (back to box art folks) and from the art, he could be Resolute style. I’m thinking the second wave will be light on Joe’s due to wave one being mostly Joes. Once we hit wave 3, the game will be on. 83-85 characters could take center stage. Shipwreck, Tripwire, Doc, SnowJob, Alpine, Dusty and more could easily fill some roster spots. I have a firm suspicion that Shipwreck could show up in wave 3 or 4. Could you imagine getting a six inch Ripcord or Hawk (yes I know he was 86 but still)? That would be killer to say the least.
Vehicles
Do not expect much on the vehicle front. If anything we might see a few. For example the Skyhawk could be possible or a RAM. Maybe a Trouble Bubble and Claw but that would be about it. If the Star Wars Black Snowspeeder sells well then we have a chance. I know some have asked for a VAMP and or HISS but I feel those are just too big. Vehicles will be a wait and see.
Wave Predictions
Now lets have some fun. Here are my predictions for the next 3 waves!
Wave 2– Cobra Commander, Gung Ho, Red Ninja and Baroness. Red Ninja could be 2 per case along with the Baroness. It’s possible Hasbro could have a repack and if so, that would be damn right silly, bit more on that in a bit.
Wave 3– Alley Viper, Storm Shadow, and Flint. I think we will see all of these at some point and we will see a 3 figure wave. Star Wars had that so it would be no surprise. It would come down to the case pack. So for a six figure case we could see 3 alley Vipers, 2 Storm Shadows and 1 Flint. I swear it could work.
Wave 4– Zartan, Lady Jaye, Hawk, Ripcord and Bazooka. Zartan could be the two per case while the others could be singles. For wave four, it would not surprise me if this was a movie wave so, in reality expect another Snake Eyes. If Hasbro can trickle ARAH style figures in the movie waves it could satisfy fans.
Repacks
This could hurt the line if executed poorly. I do get that characters like Snake Eyes will be a must but remember who is buying the line; it’s not kids. If Hasbro could make smart repack decisions, shelf clogging could be eliminated. Just look at Star Wars Black for example. Some case assortments would have 2 new figures and the rest repack. No one needs a Rey in every single case assortment. The same could be said for GI Joe. Hopefully we do not see anyone from wave 1 outside of an Archive wave. Play it smart Hasbro, learn from the mistakes made in the Star Wars line. I know that the brand team will have x amount of money per year, which will be broken down per wave. Just make smart decisions on the repacks. Adding some paint decos could work well for the line. For example, fans were taken back a bit with Duke. A simple repaint could make him more vintage style and he would sell.
In conclusion, GI Joe is back baby and we have so much to look forward too. Right decisions, right repacks and solid character choices will enable the line to grow and that’s all we really want. If the effort is put into the line like Star Wars then we will all be happy. Look for wave 1 of Classified in retail soon and all the online shops are shipping now.
P.S Hasbro, stop screwing around with the weapons and give the characters proper weapons, signed EVERYONE.