Valor vs. Venom
While there was much in the way of product involving G.I. Joe and Cobra, very little was previously unseen. The two new items were a talking Duke with a "skin" head that had a moving mouth when he talked and a 12" new character called Vemomous Maximus, who looked like some sort of armored green vampire guy. Apparently he's the head of the whole "Venom" aspect of the line, which involves the enemy being genetically spliced with venom that gives them powers of certain creatures of nature, and we should note a 4" version of the figure was not shown. The Joes are basically equipped with their sense of do-goodery, and how this is supposed to save them from an evil tribe of genetically modified terrorists is beyond my comprehension.
A new 12" Duke is on tap as well, with a moving mouth that lets him say all sorts of things.
If you haven't seen the new 4" figures on eBay lately, then their showroom has some new stuff. New items include another new Snake-Eyes, a new Kamakura, and most exciting of all, a new Jinx. Well, maybe she isn't the most exciting, because there's a new Baroness looking to steal the spotlight with her brand new blue uniform. It's very unlikely that this is the entire 2004 lineup, though, so stay tuned for new store exclusives and other surprises that are bound to happen before 2005.
A small quantity of new vehicles were shown as well, without nametags, release dates, or the other identification one usually sees at a Toy Fair booth. As such, enjoy the images.
12" Military
As far as 12" product goes, none of the recently leaked images of characters from Joe and Cobra were shown, but they did show their adult collector items. There will be additional 40th Anniversary product in a variety of branches and races, which should appeal to those who like it old school. The figures and outfits are said to have been made using the same methods used 40 years ago, and Hasbro was sure to point out that they even employed old methods of stitching the uniforms.
For those who want more realism in their toys, there's two more Medal of Honor figures. Francis J. Pierce and Douglas MacArthur bring real faces to the Joe toy line, and they've got some nifty accessories to boot.
Other
Numerous other licensed items were on display as well, such as a trading card game and some books. There were no Adventure Team products on display, nor were there the other 12" Valor vs. Venom figures which are due any day now.
Pages last updated February 26 2004. Text and Images by Adam Pawlus.
