As soon as convention season grows near, it seems like the questions continue to pop up year after year about this year’s convention.  What does “golden ticket” mean, what do I get with my registration… how can I get a set if I’m not travelling to New Orleans?

Well, What’s on Joe Mind is all over it!  We are your “one stop shop” for any Convention information you might need, and we got started bright and early with Special Edition #12.  Gary and Justin break down the entire convention brochure and provide some insight as to what you can expect on every page and just how much of your hard-earned money you should be grasping onto prior to the end of June.

So check it out at our Podbean Site or via the embedded player(s) below.

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SHOW NOTES

“The JoeCon Brochures are out!”  Those 5 words are just as potent to a Joe fan as “Gentlemen, start your engines!” is to a race car driver, because to us it means JoeCon is drawing closer and registration time is near.  Print off your forms and follow along with Gary and Justin, who between them share their nearly 20 years of JoeCon experience.  Our dynamic duo will attempt to help you understand the brochure and read between the lines on this annually anticipated document.  From the con sets, to the package choices, to the guests, to the pre-con tours, they’ll break it down for you in tinier, much easier to swallow morsels.  Now all you need to do is print out the brochure and follow along!  We’ve been on the road to New Orleans for a couple of weeks now, but the city lights are now visible in the distance.  We’re your Golden Ticket to a successful JoeCon.  It all starts here…!

G.I. Joe Convention 2012

• GIJoeCon.com Website
• The GIJoeCon Brochure
• GIJoeCon 2012 Convention Exclusives
• The G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club GIJoeCon FAQ

Shame on me for not mentioning this sooner… I know there are a lot of devoted 12″ fans out there, and this year’s 12″ Convention Set looks like a potential winner!  Marketed as a “Last Man Standing” set, it apparently comes with two figures and an “Adventure Team heavy weapons” theme.  Loving the box art.

Keep checking GIJoeCon.com for the latest details, and I’ve also mirrored an image of the box art below.

It’s been a busy week for Gyre-Viper, and he’s not letting up, even on a Friday!

Over on JoeDeclassified.com he has posted images of the upcoming San Diego ComicCon exclusive Constructicon B.A.T. and Destro, the driver of the upcoming Shockwave HISS tank!  The HISS itself (initially revealed at Toy Fair, but not shown in the images below) looks like a very cool and fun variation of the regular Retaliation HISS Tank, and the two figures slated to come with it look like a lot of fun.

The B.A.T. has the color scheme from the Constructicons, which is an awesome touch.  Destro himself is a repaint of the City Strike Destro tweaked looking City Strike Destro using PoC Dusty and Techno-Viper parts, and just looks like an awesome figure.  Check out the mirrored images below and a huge thanks to Gyre-Viper for the heads up!

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I mean, look at that.  IT’S SO GREEN.  And SO PURPLE.  GREEN AND PURPLE.

Well lookee here!

The G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club has ended a relative silence over the past month or two with a whopper of an update!  The 2012 G.I. Joe Convention website has officially launched, and they’ve posted a teaser image.  That teaser image is HUGE.

It looks like none other than Daina from the Oktober Guard.  Wow.  A modern era style Oktober Guard is something fans have been clamoring for over the past few years, and by the looks of things, we’ll be getting our wish.  I wonder who they might be battling against?

We know that o-ring tooling is more or less gone, so it stands to reason that we’ll be getting a modern era update for these classic characters.  The interesting thing to me will be how the Club writes these characters into the modern mythology.  If they do end up doing updates for the classic characters like Horror Show or Brekhov or Stormavik, will they try and write them into their modern universe considering they died back in the Special Missions comic?  Or are we only going to get Oktober Guard members who are still alive like Daina, Gorky, Misha, and Dragonsky.

I really hope the Club does ignore some of the deaths and gives us modern updates of those classic Oktober Guard characters, but I guess time will tell how they handle it.  I’m just excited that there is some Convention news to discuss!

Check it all out right here, and make sure you keep looking there, as more teasers are bound to be posted, not to mention the full blown convention brochure coming up soon.  JoeCon reveals!  One of my most favorite times of the year!

It’s the “All Kevin All the Time” episode!

Featuring Kevin Watts who comes on the show to talk about the HAZARD HISS Tank and the New Jersey Collector Con, and of course also featuring the immortal Kevin Michael Richardson (Roadblock from G.I. Joe: Renegades) interview which fills up the back half of the episode.    This is the “family friendly” version of the Kevin Michael Richardson interview, if you want to hear the uncensored version, don’t forget to hit up our Facebook Page.

For the full version of Episode 48, check out our Podbean Page or just listen to the embedded player below.  As always, the show notes can be found after the jump.

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The New Jersey Collectors Convention hit the scene fairly recently, but made a big splash last year with the awesome exclusive Jungle BAT themed HISS Tanks created by good friend of GeneralsJoes Kevin Watts.

The 2012 edition of the NJCC is coming in May, and we now have our first look at the 2012 NJCC Exclusive, the HAZARD HISS Tank!

This is an early sample and will likely be getting tweaked along the way, with some additional details and an exclusive sticker sheet from Cobra Stickers.  Kevin Watts once again is the brainchild behind this one, and it shows.  A great looking piece that will supplement your Hazard-Vipers well.  Heck, it even comes with a great armored canopy by GeneralsJoes sponsor Yetibrew Design!

I’ve mirrored one image below, but be sure to hit up HissTank for the full details.

This past weekend over the pond in Southampton, UK, Gary from What’s on Joe Mind and James “KuuKuuSon” Kavanaugh, Jr.  are attending the UK G.I. Joe/Transformers convention Roll Out Roll Call 3!

And if you think they’re flying all the way over there without posting a couple special editions, you don’t know them very well.  Fresh from the floor of Roll Out Roll Call, you can listen to these special editions below:

I haven’t tossed a metric ton of Toy Fair images up yet, but I filled out the action figure waves with correct information and new photos based on what I got during Toy Fair.  I hope to supplement the vehicle and 3 Pack sections at some point, too, but that’s for a later time.

Check out the G.I. Joe: Retaliation Toy SuperPage for the new info!

With the whirlwind day that yesterday was, I didn’t have time to properly process all of the things that were shown during the presentation or down in the show room.  But I woke up very early this morning to dive back into the images from last night and try to wade through and choose my favorite pieces of this initial burst of G.I. Joe: Retaliation toys.  I’m going to include stuff we’ve already seen, just based on some new information or new details that were revealed through pictures I’ve taken over the past 18 hours or so.

This will be a basic Top Ten list, and I’ll try to write some snippets from each figure, some of which might be stuff you guys haven’t heard yet that was revealed during Toy Fair.  No promises, this is by the seat of my pants!

Click the Read the Rest of the Story link below for the details.

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Okay, all of my stuff has been tossed up there.  Now it’s time for the professionals.

G.I. JOE SNAKE EYES NINJA GEAR

(Approximate retail price: $24.99; Ages: 5 & up; Available: Summer 2012)

Gear up and get ready to take on the role of iconic Ninja-Commando SNAKE EYES from the G.I. JOE team. With the G.I. JOE SNAKE EYES NINJA GEAR set, kids can wield an electronic sword with authentic ARASKIGAE design, which features special lights and ninja battle sounds, a SNAKE EYES role-play mask, and two NINJA THROWING STARS allowing them to play the part of their favorite Ninja hero.

G.I. JOE BATTLE-KATA BLASTER

(Approximate retail price: $14.99; Ages: 6 & up; Available: Summer 2012)

Kids will love to role-play the ROADBLOCK character’s unique fighting style with the G.I. JOE BATTLE-KATA BLASTER toy. Featuring a 2-in-1 battle combo with interchangeable BATTLE-KATA blaster and ‘blade’ modes—kids can defend their heroic team against the vile enemy insurgents of COBRA. Includes three dart projectiles.

G.I. JOE NINJA COMMANDO BLASTER

(Approximate retail price: $24.99; Ages: 6 & up; Available: Summer 2012)

Enjoy the latest in G.I. JOE role-play technology with the G.I. JOE NINJA COMMANDO blaster! Defeat the COBRA enemies with this multi-dart, pump-action blaster which features a targeting lens to spy the enemy and helps you aim the projectiles like the very best snipers the G.I. JOE team has ever seen! Includes ten dart projectiles and targeting screen.

G.I. JOE BLADE OF JUSTICE

(Approximate retail price: $14.99; Ages: 5 & up; Available: Summer 2012)

Replicate your favorite Ninja moves with the highly detailed, ARASHIKAGE-authentic G.I. JOE MOVIE BLADE OF JUSTICE sword used by two of the most iconic ninjas ever, SNAKE EYES and STORM SHADOW, in G.I. JOE RETALIATION.

G.I. JOE MOVIE NINJA COMMANDOS

(Approximate retail price: $19.99; Ages: 5 & up; Available: Summer 2012)

Get ready for the next phase in G.I. JOE action figure evolution with the G.I. JOE NINJA COMMANDO figures! The NINJA COMMANDO figures are 10-inch large-scale figures that feature quick-draw BATTLE-KATA and Ninja action.  With the press of a button, figures magically “grab” weapons to arm themselves for battle. Figures also feature electronic sound effects and phrases available for in pack “Try Me.” Choose from the iconic Ninja SNAKE EYES and BATTLE-KATA skilled ROADBLOCK. (Figures sold separately.)

G.I. JOE MOVIE 3.75-INCH ACTION FIGURES Assortment

(Approximate retail price: $7.99; Ages: 4 & up; Available: Summer 2012)

The live-action G.I. JOE movie, G.I. JOE: Retaliation, won’t hit theaters until June 2012, but you don’t need to wait to see the stars from the movie cast as G.I. JOE characters.  The G.I. JOE brand invented the action figure category more than 45 years ago, and the G.I. JOE MOVIE 3.75-INCH action figures continue this great legacy.  Figures are sculpted to match their on-screen counterparts, including Dwayne Johnson as ROADBLOCK, Channing Tatum as DUKE, and Bruce Willis as Joe Colton.  Each figure comes with  off-the-floor play such as  ninja zip lines and projectile launchers. Multiple waves are set to be released throughout the summer and fall 2012. (Figures each sold separately.)

G.I. JOE ALPHA VEHICLES Assortment

(Approximate retail price: $12.99; Ages: 4 & up; Available: Summer 2012)

The G.I. JOE ALPHA VEHICLES assortment are the smallest and most covert of the G.I. JOE vehicles made for the 3.75-inch movie figures. These stealth vehicles are outfitted with universal projectiles, launchers, a surprise attack feature, and also come with a realistic articulated ride-on action figure that will help guide you through your action-packed adventures. (Vehicles each sold separately.)

G.I. JOE BRAVO VEHICLES Assortment

(Approximate retail price: $14.99; Ages: 4 & up; Available: Summer 2012)

The G.I. JOE MOVIE BRAVO VEHICLES collection are mid-size vehicles inspired by the upcoming live-action G.I. JOE movie, G.I. JOE: Retaliation. Each represents the most technologically advanced vehicles in the G.I. JOE vs. COBRA arsenal, including the NINJA COMMANDO 4X4 WITH SNAKE EYES and COBRA FANG BOAT WITH SWAMP VIPER. Each vehicle comes with an action figure to help steer your squadron to victory. (Vehicles each sold separately.)

G.I. JOE MOVIE DELTA VEHICLES Assortment

(Approximate retail price: $19.99; Ages: 4 & up; Available: Summer 2012)

The G.I. JOE MOVIE DELTA VEHICLES collection includes the largest hero and villain vehicles inspired by the live-action G.I. JOE movie, G. I. JOE: Retaliation. Each represents the most technologically advanced vehicles in the G.I. JOE vs. COBRA arsenal, including the G.I. JOE GHOST HAWK II and the COBRA H.I.S.S. TANK. Each vehicle comes with an action figure to help steer your squadron to victory. (Vehicles each sold separately.)

G.I. JOE NINJA SHOWDOWN SET Assortment

(Approximate retail price: $19.99; Ages: 4 & up; Available: Summer 2012)

Kids can recreate the action-packed Ninja sequences of the upcoming live-action G.I. JOE movie, G.I. JOE: Retaliation or create their own adventures with these G.I. JOE sets. Each three-pack includes a three 3.75-inch action figures with off-the-floor action features. (each sold separately)

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