[Kirathis]

If you have the option, my suggestion would be to look into renting a small box at a UPS Store or similar entity if you receive a lot of packages. I started doing so nearly a decade ago after someone swiped a package and have never regretted it.

Yes, the small boxes cost over $100/year (at least here in KC) but the UPS Store accepts packages from all carriers for anyone renting a box and the package does not have to fit the box size. They simply set the package in a storage area and place a note in your box. Mine also emails me for any non-USPS deliveries.

[Dr Kain]

I ended up having to cancel my preorders on Pulse for Zaranna and Dusty because Pulse was about to charge me for them. It's just too damn soon from when the other millions of things shipped early. I'll just hope that my preorders at Amazon go through, but not for a couple of weeks.

[JCarterVA]

[QUOTE=Trivial Psychic;911402]TI or MTI (Military Training Instructor) also known as a DI depending on the branch of service. (I served in the Air Force...where we called them TIs, so if another member here who's served could give me the correct term for other branches so as I dont incorrectly title Instructors in the other branches...it's appreciated.)

BMT (Basic Military Training) as it's referred to officially by the US Armed Forces.


At USMC RD - that United States Marine Corps Recruit Depots, they are DI Drill Instructors. I did not serve but work with them every day.

[Trivial Psychic]

Mindbender arrived today...and I'm really not happy. When they announced him as having cloth goods, I KNEW he was gonna be packaged wearing them and therefore, he was gonna be covered in black stains all over the flesh colored parts of his body. Sure enough...I now have a "premium" figure with black marks and stains all over it's shoulders and back before I've ever had a chance to handle it.

It's not Hasbro thing...it's a toy thing in general. If you've ever bought a wrestling figure with cloth goods, you know how bad it can be. They really need to either launder and process these cloth goods in a manner so that extra dye doesn't run off onto the figure...or even easier...just package those cloth goods seperate from the figure and let us wash them ourselves. That way we're not paying for figures with ugly bruises all over them before we've even had a chance to remove them from the box.

In addition...Hasbro...can we get rid of the drop down legs and properly size them when you put em together? The legs on Mindbender already have stress marks on the barbell where they connect to the hips from the very first time I tried to move them, and this is not the first time it's happened with a brand new figure from the Joe line. I'm tired of having to slather my figures in shock oil just to get them to move properly.

[Dr Kain]

OMG, you think he sucks too?

I don't get why they made his cape soft goods to begin with, but couldn't they have at least made it look like they actually cared about the final product when they put it together? The cape around his shoulders is sewn in such a haphazard manner that I thought the thing was on backwards.

Next up, his upper arms are all gray for some reason. I have no idea why they look like that, but it looks really bad.

Lastly, and this really is my own fault, but I thought the package was going to turn into some sort of lap set up for his accessories.

[Trivial Psychic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Kain

OMG, you think he sucks too?

If the figure executed as it should without the QC issues...he'd be awesome and one of the best in the line. But the QC issues really drag him down. Hasbro really needs to step up here...especially since this guy after taxes and shipping was pushing 50 bucks. The leg issue is especially worrisome, as this is not the first time I've experienced it with the Joe line, and many YouTubers are expressing the same issue with stress marks to the joints upon barely handling them. This indicates it's a bigger issue overall...and Hasbro needs to address it.

Thankfully...it is possible to replace the hips on a Classified easily if it were to break...but you'll need to sacrifice another Joe figure for it and to be honest, we shouldn't have to. Slathering all of our figures in silicone just to get them to work as they should isn't the solution either.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Kain

Next up, his upper arms are all gray for some reason. I have no idea why they look like that, but it looks really bad.

His upper arms are gray because of the soft goods. Excess dyes in the fabric have transfered onto the plastic it was covering. If you collect wrestling figures or fashion dolls such as Barbie or Monster High...this is a very common issue that little can be done to rectify outside of bleaching the figure with peroxide and hoping they come out.

When you get a chance...take off the Mindbender cape, dab a tiny bit of laundry detergent onto it and scrub it gently by hand under cold water. Then give it a squeeze. You'll be surprised by how much black dye will run out between your fingers.

[Kirathis]

I have yet to open mine but this does not instill confidence in what I will find. I have already been considering dropping the line and QC issues on a "premium" figure may be the proverbial straw.

[Cyclopswc]

Local Target

[MeLikeJinx]

^ Whoa.

And I'm glad I don't consider any of the non-military / non-tactical looking Cobra figures as essential... guys like Minderbender, Croc-Master, BATs, any Ninjas (not named Storm Shadow), etc... I can pass on them all. I would pass on the twins too, but they command the Crimson Guard, so kind of need them. Will pick up every Joe fig though that was in the ARAH cartoon.

[Dr Kain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trivial Psychic

If you collect wrestling figures or fashion dolls such as Barbie or Monster High...this is a very common issue that little can be done to rectify outside of bleaching the figure with peroxide and hoping they come out.

First, I've never seen that occur on any of my wife's Monster High dolls, so that's interesting. Secondly, that is complete incompetence on Hasbro's part. For $50 it should NOT be happening like that.

Quote:

When you get a chance...take off the Mindbender cape, dab a tiny bit of laundry detergent onto it and scrub it gently by hand under cold water. Then give it a squeeze. You'll be surprised by how much black dye will run out between your fingers.

And that will clean the dye off his arms?

[Trivial Psychic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirathis

I have yet to open mine but this does not instill confidence in what I will find. I have already been considering dropping the line and QC issues on a "premium" figure may be the proverbial straw.

Just remember...the longer you keep him packaged with the cloak on...the greater a chance he will be stained worse.

This might not have been an issue for some people if Hasbro had just stuck to their release schedule and just got Mindbender out there as he was all ready to go. Remember, in hand images of him leaked as many as 6 months ago...so him sitting in package for that length of time so Hasbro could release him 3 weeks before Christmas (a move that was completely calculated for sure to help boost 4Q profits on their spread sheets) helped contribute to this QC issue.

Of course...they could have done their research and learned from everyone from Mattel to Mezco to Hot Toys that packaging a figure while wearing cloth goods is a recipe for QC disaster, and have just packaged them seperate. Those little needles Mindbender came with got their own slots, why didn't the cape? It's a necessary evil for some of the higher end stuff, as those items are not meant to be removed (Hot Toys/Mezco) but for what is essentially a 20 dollar figure with a cheaply made cape, it could have been avoided altogether.

Thankfully since Serpentor uses plastic in something other than flesh tone...this is less of an issue...but one that can still show up in time. Serpentor is terrific...and despite a couple of scary hiccups (mine had joints that were super tight and people been reporting breaks...THE JOYS OF PINLESS!!!) and a scale issue (I feel he's TOO big. He looks like a Neca figure next to the Joes and feels a little out of place size wise) Serpentor is hands down as my favorite figure in the line. When you add in the beauty of the Air Chariot to the complete package, it's easily a top ten figure of the year.

[Sataninjaku]

Yeah, pretty damned disappointed in how Mindbender came out as well. I'm generally not one to gripe much about QC issues, or even anything about the line at all, for that matter, but for what this cost, the dye bleed is pretty much bullshit.

^I agree about Serpentor. He was never a character I cared all that much about, but he is definitely one of the best of the line so far.

[MeLikeJinx]

Ooo I was watching this vid on youtube...

I understand what you guys are talking about now... but man his Mindbender's right leg is pretty much on the verge of breaking I think... that would drive me crazy if I had one like that.

[Trivial Psychic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeLikeJinx

Ooo I was watching this vid on youtube...

I understand what you guys are talking about now... but man his Mindbender's right leg is pretty much on the verge of breaking I think... that would drive me crazy if I had one like that.

Both legs on mine were exactly the same way from just prying the figure out of the plastic tray. For whatever reason, the socket on the legs has been made too small to accommodate the ball joint, so when you move the legs, it really puts a strain on the joint stem as you are essentially twisting it while the ball is gripped motionless by the leg socket.

This has become a constant QC issue with Classified that's making think twice about continuing going forward. I have had this same leg issue with a few of my Alley Vipers, Breaker, Lady Jaye, one of my PP Vipers, Firefly, and my Pimp Daddy Destro...so this is not a just a recent occurance. The dye staining is an easy oversight that can be missed, but this leg issue has been going on for nearly 3 years and simply needs to be addressed.

People used to bitch about Mafex and their QC issues...and you know what...they've gotten leaps and bounds better. Same with Neca. Pick up one of their products now as compared to a few years ago. You can see the effort and feel the difference. I'm just simply not seeing it with Hasbro right now...especially now with the prices getting up there. For a nearly 50 dollar "premium" figure...Mindbender should not have had this many things wrong with it.

Serpentor wasn't free of issues as well...a quick glance over social media will show you that the plastic used for his elbows is somewhat brittle and will snap...so be sure to give him a hot water bath. The joys of pinless. The right arm on mine comes off at the bicep swivel on mine rather easily as well...but thankfully, hasn't been too serious of an issue.

[MeLikeJinx]

^ Damn, that sux. I haven't opened any of my Classified Joes yet... I don't really plan on doing so either... but I guess I will have to start when they begin coming in windowless packages. Guess I will just have to be extra careful and not mess with the legs too much.

[SpasticPlastic]

You can shock oil the hip joints and that helps, but it sucks to have to do that. Plus, if you hit it with even just a little too much oil, it becomes a messy situation fast. Luckily, I don't move the legs around on mine much at all, so the issue has been a minimal annoyance for me.

[Dr Kain]

I found the best way to move the hips if you don't want to use shock oil (or if you're like me, can't find the shock oil since moving because you don't remember what box you put it in) is to spread the legs fully open so the figure looks like an upside down T and then you gently rotate the legs at the top. After you rotate them, lower the legs back down.

EDIT:

I love how people are posting pictures of their Targets having the new Tiger Force and Python Patrol stuff. Here is the shelf at one of mine:

[GizmoTron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Kain

I found the best way to move the hips if you don't want to use shock oil (or if you're like me, can't find the shock oil since moving because you don't remember what box you put it in) is to spread the legs fully open so the figure looks like an upside down T and then you gently rotate the legs at the top. After you rotate them, lower the legs back down.

EDIT:

I love how people are posting pictures of their Targets having the new Tiger Force and Python Patrol stuff. Here is the shelf at one of mine:

It appears that they're going to be set on a new endcap not in aisle. My Target is loaded with movie figures and Gung Ho, too, but they still got the Python Patrol.

[Atomsmasher]

Got my crimson guards they are lovely

[Dr Kain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GizmoTron

It appears that they're going to be set on a new endcap not in aisle. My Target is loaded with movie figures and Gung Ho, too, but they still got the Python Patrol.

Unless they're going to move the Black Panther endcap and actually make a Marvel section in the regular toy isle, I don't see there being any endcap my store could use for GI Joe.

[GizmoTron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Kain

Unless they're going to move the Black Panther endcap and actually make a Marvel section in the regular toy isle, I don't see there being any endcap my store could use for GI Joe.

It's a regular endcap, something will come down and a new "collectible" toy endcap will pop up. I don't know which one your store is going to use, could be anywhere in toys. Just saying that's where the figures are supposed to go.

[Harbinger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GizmoTron

It's a regular endcap, something will come down and a new "collectible" toy endcap will pop up. I don't know which one your store is going to use, could be anywhere in toys. Just saying that's where the figures are supposed to go.

They outta move that black panther stuff to endcap to collect dust and make room for shit thats actually selling. Every store i go to that garbage is collecting dust.

[Dr Kain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harbinger

They outta move that black panther stuff to endcap to collect dust and make room for shit thats actually selling. Every store i go to that garbage is collecting dust.

lol

My Target doesn't have a regular Marvel section. It's only on an endcap and the new BP movie stuff hasn't show up yet. The endcap is pretty much all of the kid toys with whatever Marvel Legends Target is carrying at that time (right now its Iron Heart, the Peter/Ned pack, Quake, Thor, the old Umbaku figure, and the RYV pack).

[ScottyHawkeye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GizmoTron

It appears that they're going to be set on a new endcap not in aisle. My Target is loaded with movie figures and Gung Ho, too, but they still got the Python Patrol.

I haven't seen the Tiger Force & Python Patrol figures at Target, but I have seen Spirit, Storm Shadow, and Cobra Officers with the Snake Eyes movie figures on shelf.

[Cyclopswc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyclopswc

Local Target

After snapping that picture at one local Target last Friday, I hit 2 other local Targets over the weekend, they have NO PP/TF figures. Target's distribution sucks!