And the flood begins!  My comments, emails and text messages have been flying this evening as more folks are reporting sightings of the new discount G.I. Joe figures at Dollar Generals across the country.

UPDATE – Some questions about price… reports are retail of $6.00 per figure.

Everywhere from Tennessee to Oklahoma and St. Louis, but the one common denominator is they’re being found in Dollar General stores specifically.  Big thanks to both Mike from Whats on Joe Mind and GeneralsJoes visitor Dustin for forwarding some images along as proof.  Mike even included his trademark bananas.  Check out the images below, and just as a reminder of what you can expect, make sure you read up on the Dollar Store figures with my exclusive reveal right here.

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Sticking with the theme over the past week, the G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club has revealed another member of the 2012 Convention Exclusive boxed set.  This time around, we get a look at the awesome Iron Grenadier Elite Trooper!

And wow, this is a good one!  Slated as a troop builder with two figures in the boxed set, I see a lot of great Crimson Guard elements in this figure, and he’s using the unreleased Arctic Cobra Commander tooling, which rocks!  First time many fans will be getting their hands on these parts.

I’m not wild about that large rifle, but this figure actually looks really, really nice.  I can’t help but notice a lack of consistency with the troopers, but I think this red and silver looks great.  And this would seem to be the last of the troopers.  Hopefully tomorrow we’ll see a new Iron Grenadier named character, or the last two members of the Oktober Guard.

Check out the mirrored image below, and keep your eye on GIJoeCon.com for the latest details!

Granted, no images have surfaced yet, but over on JoeCustoms.com, Stormtrooper53 is reporting that he has found Snake Eyes and Cobra Trooper at his local Dollar General store today!  I am inclined to believe him, even without the images.

You can see the report in this thread, I suspect it’s just a matter of time before more sightings start emerging.

Gentlemen (and ladies) start your engines!

Thanks to Billah Killcarr for the information.

I know it took me some time to get them rolling, but we’re going now!  I have uploaded the first batch of G.I. Joe: Retaliation reviews.  Three reviews have been posted so far, but I’m hoping to get them all up by Monday at the latest.

Check them all out on my G.I. Joe: Retaliation review page, or click the links below.

• Duke
• Roadblock
• Red Ninja

Also, remember Big Bad Toy Store is offering all G.I. Joe: Retaliation items for Pre-Order, including Wave 2!  Check out the links below to get the early jump:

• G.I. Joe: Retaliation Pre-Orders
• G.I. Joe: Retaliation Wave 2 Battle Kata Roadblock
• G.I. Joe: Retaliation Wave 2 Ninja Duel Snake Eyes
• G.I. Joe: Retaliation Wave 2 Sneak Attack Storm Shadow
• G.I. Joe: Retaliation FULL SET of 5 figures

Enjoy!

Another installment in the G.I. Joe Convention exclusive roster has been revealed!  Yesterday we got some insight into the story of the Oktober Guard vs. the Iron Grenadiers, and today we are getting a look at another figure from the set.

Today we are treated to Iron Grenadier Weapons Specialist!  Based off of the Resolute Destro tooling, and once again a figure from the canceled Iron Grenadier 5-Pack, I think this figure looks a lot cooler and more “Iron Grenadier” than the one yesterday.  I actually like the looks of this one a lot and think he’ll compliment Resolute Destro pretty damn nicely.  He’s a lot darker and more nasty looking than the one we got yesterday.  Digging it.  I’m still keeping fingers firmly crossed that we see some more named characters, especially with the revelation that Destro won’t be a part of the set.  It’s looking like we might get figure reveals all throughout the rest of this week.  Sign me up!

Check out the mirrored image below, and keep watching GIJoeCon.com for the latest info and the brochure.

With the revelation yesterday that the G.I. Joe Collectors Club is using the canceled Iron Grenadier 5-Pack as an apparent source of inspiration for the 2012 Convention set, many Joe fans were a bit concerned that this meant Destro would be making another appearance in a Convention set, perhaps pushing aside another character that was more desired.

Well, on their Facebook page today, the G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club put those fears to rest:

Doug Monroe : Dave- By this late date it is unlikely we could influence any change of the selection of figures for the box set but, even though I am completely excited to see IG Vs. OG I agree we do not need another Destro if it means giving up an unmade character- especially if the Destro is the one from the cancelled set- the head on that figure is awful. If the cancelled Destro’s head was replaced on the same body it would be a neat figure.

GIJoeCon (Official) : Doug is correct. The set has been SET long before now. No Destro.

So, there you have it.  No Destro in this year’s Convention set!  I love hearing that, as it means another slot for a potentially different character… very cool, can’t wait to see more.  Be sure to keep checking GIJoeCon.com for the latest revelations.  Thanks to Caped Crusader on Twitter for the info!

Well, put this firmly in the “what the what–?” column.  Apparently that formerly mysterious black Cobra Commander variant that was most recently seen as an Amazon.com exclusive has now started shipping in single pack form from ToysrUs.com.

Toys R Us had opened some G.I. Joe: Retaliation pre-orders a little while ago, and over on HissTank.com solid.wii reports that he received a black single pack Cobra Commander, and another member Rodimus88 confirms the fact.  There are also images of the packaged figure and the receipt, which I’ve mirrored below.

Does this mean this Cobra Commander will be found at brick & mortar?  It seems quite possible, but I guess time will tell.  Thanks to noted author James Kavanaugh from the RAHC Guide for linking this info.

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Yes, the G.I. Joe: Renegades Amazon 4-Pack had sold through yet again, but as of right now, both sets are back in stock!

• G.I. Joe Sneak Peek 3.75 inch Figure 4 pack
• G.I. Joe Renegades 3.75 inch Figure 4 pack

If you want to see my thoughts on the Renegades set, check out the reviews below.

• Amazon Exclusive G.I. Joe: Renegades Storm Shadow
• Amazon Exclusive G.I. Joe: Renegades Ninja Viper
• Amazon Exclusive G.I. Joe: Renegades Snake Eyes
• Amazon Exclusive G.I. Joe: Renegades Duke

And the crowd goes wild!

We’ve been getting flooded with some very cool Oktober Guard themed reveals over the past week or two, but many folks have been clamoring for more information about who the Oktober Guard will be facing off against.

Well, the G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club revealed that today with the Iron Grenadiers!  We get a great revelation of the Iron Grenadier trooper himself and also some details about the story line itself.  For folks who don’t recognize the figure itself, it was originally planned as part of 5 Pack of Iron Grenadier figures from the Rise of Cobra/Pursuit of Cobra line, but never got released.  The image for that original 5-Pack can be seen at this post on GeneralsJoes.  I’ve also mirrored that image below:

As for the story itself…  check out those details below:

“By popular demand, the 2012 convention set stories and enemy factions are revealed…

OKTOBER GUARD Box Set: The 1990s brought us many captivating Cold War stories but this one was kept Top Secret for over two decades! Recently declassified documents revealed the original Oktober Guard (G.I. Joe’s Russian and Warsaw Pact equivalent) team’s “Special Mission” in Siberia to rescue their captured General from the ruthless Iron Grenadiers in OPERATION: BEAR TRAP!”

Okay…now THAT is bad ass.  They give themselves an “out” for the dead Oktober Guard members by talking about declassified documents.  And they’re also talking about their “captured General”… hmmm…  could we see a modern version of General Mayhem from the 2005 set?  Or maybe…dare I hope…  Voltar?!  Of course I misread this, and it’s the Oktober Guard general who is being rescued.  Not sure what the angle is there…

Wow.  The possibilities are endless!  I cannot wait to hear and see more!  Check out the Iron Grenadier figure below, and keep your eyes on GIJoeCon.com for the latest intel!

The past few episodes of What’s on Joe Mind have been somewhat of a whirlwind…between the big 50th Episode, the special edition focusing on G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and our one year anniversary we’ve been trying to do a lot of special things.  Well, episode 53 the guys get back to basics a little bit, bringing 12″ aficionado Ace Allgood back to the show and beginning the push towards JoeCon 2012!

I unfortunately had to sit this one out as my hectic business trip to Kansas City left me with strep throat, but I’m looking forward to listening to it with the rest of you guys!  Check out the newest episode on our Podbean page, or listen via the embedded player below.  As always, show notes are after the jump.

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