G.I. Joe Q&A #3 (2010)

The Hasbro G.I. Joe team has returned some fantastic answers to our third round of questions for 2010 - we were even fortunate enough to have all three questions answered! Check them out below:

Preserve: What was the design process that went into the upcoming Pursuit of Cobra Spirt figure? Might that same process give us a new Heavy Duty with a XM214 Minigun and disposable razor?
Hasbro: The designer who worked on Spirit was excited about an opportunity to re-envision this character in a way which would place him in a context which fans and kids of today would identify with. As for the Miniguns and the Razors - we're sorry but we're not catching your meaning.

Preserve: The 1980s are wonderful for a number of reasons, but one of the most compelling was the sheer scale of playsets like the USS Flagg and the Defiant. What sort of different design considerations went into making a toy on that scale at that time that might be different from making a Hiss Tank or Crimson Hydra today? Even differences between deisgning the new Pit playset vs. a Bravo class vehicle would be interesting, but the multi-decade difference would add extra insight to the question.
Hasbro: The designers of today were children in the 1980's - so we don't have first hand experience or knowledge of exactly what went on in that "golden" era. Having spoken with some designers from the mid-80's - we've heard some stories about the creation of the large-scale vehicles. Legend has it that many of the big playsets and vehicles (like the Killer Whale) were actually scratch built scale models made over long periods of time. Those models were then finessed in the model-shop and made into patterns which were used to cast the legendary toys we all know and love. Regarding the gigantic "USS FLAGG" playset, bear in mind that this epic vessel was launched at the very peak of the G.I. Joe phenom in the mid-80's. The 80's was a "big time" - and the kids that loved G.I. Joe loved it enough to buy a gigantic aircraft carrier. Today, the design ethos are still very much the same, but the detail and enthusiasm has to happen at a smaller scale (with the exception of the PIT, which was launched to support the G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra movie line). G.I. Joe lives in a different world today, and affordability is often a driving force for a toy - thus bringing the scale of the vehicle down to that of the H.I.S.S. v5 or Crimson Hydra. Wherever possible though - the designers try to infuse as much detail and play value into the toy as possible. It's what we love.

Preserve: Now that Larry Hama is neck deep in G.I. Joe again with a monthly book at IDW, do you expect to work together with him like the good old days? Especially if he starts adding some new characters to his ongoing 155+ storyline.
Hasbro: Of course, we'd love to create a dynamic relationship with Larry. However, right now he's been concentrating on the stories that he's doing for IDW and we've been concentrating on the new figures!



Thanks to the team at Hasbro for their heroic answers!


Posted by charlie on July 20th 2010, 10:42 AM
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