Croc Master, Retro Skystriker HasLab, and Pulse Con 2021 G.I. Joe

Some fans like a more realistic military take on G.I. Joe. Others are in it for the ninjas. But for a lot of ’80s fans, the sweet spot came right around the animated movie era, when Cobra the Enemy started adding characters who looked like supervillains or pro wrestling heels to its roster. Croc Master — a guy whose entire military specialty is wrangling attack reptiles — is a quintessential character from that era. Think the newspaper headlines’ stereotypical “Florida Man” on steroids. And now he leads the new six-inch figure reveals. Mainly, probably because Hasbro’s team jumped at the chance to make a fully articulated, 12-inch long crocodile to go with him. And named her Fiona. They even gave her babies named Georgie and Diablo.

Perhaps the biggest news from Hasbro‘s Pulse Con 2021 G.I. Joe panel, however, was the return of ’80s-style O-ring figures. While Hasbro recently released vintage vehicles at Walmart with highly detailed 3.75-inch figures, these figures instead imitate the ’80s style more exactly. With the success of Kenner-style Star Wars retro figures and Masters of the Universe Origins, this was inevitable. They won’t be exact copies, though — Hasbro will strengthen the O-ring and make the figure hands a bit more flexible to avoid thumb breakage. Up first: Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes, of course.

And to go with the O-ring figures, HasLab will crowdfund a Skystriker jet, which, unlike the figures, will upgrade the sculpt and design significantly. (For $229.99, it had better!) Packed with two figures, display stand, maintenance vehicles, jet trails for the jet and its missiles, soft parachutes, and extra sticker sheets for customizing, it’s been amped up all the way. Unlike other HasLabs, they’ve veen revealed the stretch goals early — bonus O-ring figures of Nightforce Ripcord, and the never-before made Flight Suit Scarlett and pit crew team. As of this writing it has almost 1,000 backers, and needs 10,000.

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In news that sounds hopeful, Target will apparently do better with their 6-inch exclusives in terms of quantity and preorder. Forgive fans for being skeptical there, but at least they know about the problem. The chain’s exclusives will continue as Tiger Force Vs. Python Patrol, with Outback kicking off the line against Python versions of the Viper and Battle Android Trooper (BAT).

The classic colors BAT joins the regular line later on. Coming sooner will be Spirit Iron-Knife and Classic Storm Shadow. Along with a Pulse Con exclusive Zartan, featuring extra masks, new weapons, and skin that turns blue in the freezer.

Expect small quantities of the Target exclusives to go live for preorder at 5pm eastern. The O-ring Snake Eyes vs. Storm Shadow, and 6-inch Spirit, Croc Master, Storm Shadow, and exclusive Zartan should hit Pulse at 4pm for members; 5pm for all. The BAT comes later.

Check out the gallery below for more. Then tell us your favorites in comments.

Recommended Reading: G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow