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Interview with Habro Rep Andrew Frankel and Designer Michelino Paolino @ Wizard World Chicago 2003


GIJoePrices - Kamakura was a nice nod to the Devils Due crew, are we going to see any more of their characters immortalized in plastic?



Paolino – We’re looking at everything that Devils Due does and if we feel that if it’s something that we want to do in the line and it matches with whatever theme we have then yeah then we’ll definitely look at you know using some other characters. They’ve done a great job with Kamakura is awesome and hit fit nicely with our line.




GIJoePrices – What is Hasbro’s stance on Devils Due including some of the new characters like Burnout, Blackout and Sgt. Hacker?



Frankel – It’s quite possible because with GIJoe it’s all one story, one big epic where ever we can cross pollinate with the characters or the different continuities it’s definitely what we want to do. We want to make sure that we acknowledge the old but also make the new cool.




I fell! Somebody help me! Oh this is so embarrassing!

GIJoePrices – We were all wowed by the new Trooper six pack revealed at this years conventions, but many want to know if the heads on the figures were going to be the final product.









Frankel – No, the ones that we are showing here are proto-types. But we will have different ethnicities in the mix.




Those helmets look really nice...

GIJoePrices – Did anyone in the design team have the Fred series of Crimson Guardsmen in mind when creating the new Crimson Guard 3-pack with removable helmets?



Frankel – Yeah we always want to nod back to the comics and the old cartoon and this was definitely for the old school comics.

Snake Eyes! Quit taking off your helmet!


GIJoePrices – The Recondo figure, that was not meant to be Recondo was it? He in no way resembles the original Recondo but in addition he does in fact resemble the Cobra mechanics that appeared in the movie working on a firebat. Can you confirm or deny this?



We can fix it yes we can!

Paolino – Yeah we wanted to give Recondo a new look.



Frankel – We shaved his moushtache.



Paolino – And the hat was a little different which is something that a lot of collectors have told us that they want to see Recondo back with the old boonie hat. So we’re looking at new drawings of what a Recondo would look like with a new boonie hat.






GIJoePrices – Wave seven is actually being turned down at retail by fans because of the painted flesh on the figures. Is this going to change to molded flesh as the production rolls along?



Paolino – I think that all depends on the character and how many paint aps we have. Sometimes the molded flesh color comes out and looks a little washed out as opposed to the painted flesh color. So it’s all going to be on a case by case figure.



GIJoePrices – So as of right now there is no plan to change wave seven’s painted flesh color?



Frankel – Are you talking about like Wide Scope? I think it’s going to stay as is. I mean it’s something we know people may not, they may have other opinions on what they like, either mold color or painted and we’ll try to cater to what they’re looking for.




GIJoePrices – Can you shed some light on the whole Televiper – Airborne – Ripcord mess? As in why it was pulled from wave 8 and the switch of the names Airborne and Ripcord.



!-P-L-E-H

Frankel – Yeah it’s still coming out, what we just had was I think a, I can say it, it was a production problem on the parachute. There was a flamability test that it wasn’t passing. And so what we had to do was take the parachute out and that just delayed that one 2-pack for a two weeks but as soon as it’s ready to go it’s going to go back into the mix.



GIJoePrices – And with the name pull and switch, is the Joe figure going to be Airborne or Ripcord?



Frankel – It is Airborne. What we’re saying is that the suit that looks like the Ripcord uniform from the Devils Due comic, that’s kind of like a new standard issue Joe paratrooper suit. It’s a costume that multiple Joes have. So while we will eventually get to Ripcord this figure is going to be Airborne. And we have a 12” version for people who like the more classic look.




GIJoePrices – There have been quite a bit of Pimp Daddy Destro’s popping up on ebay in recent months. Is there any official word from Hasbro on how many actually saw production?



Frankel – We really don’t know production numbers and I would be weary of, it might even be knock off things that people are just making. That was a while back, years ago. But I do know that we have no plans on doing that figure.




GIJoePrices – We are getting a ton of great weapons with the new figures, but are we ever going to get figure stands with our figures again?



Paolino – We’ve kicked around the idea, again the drawing’s on the drawing table what individual bases would look like and what a Joe base would look like and what a Cobra base would look like.



Frankel – And even clear or black stands for the figures, you may see them in the six packs or the two packs. Costing permitting we’ll try to get stuff like that in there.




GIJoePrices – Has anyone thought of a “Better of Dead” set featuring figures that are now dead in either story line?



Paolino – I think the rule behind that is that any Joe that has past away in the comics, you’ll never see them again.



Frankel – Well in…there maybe like, in the future, if we we’re to do an alternate universe line, hypothetical, you might see Crankcase or Doc or someone come back. Or a classic line or something like that.




GIJoePrices – The recent poll on GIJoe.com had a bunch of two packs and sets listed. Are we looking at possibly wave 9 or 10? Are the ones that won the poll the only ones we’re going to see from the list?



Frankel – Well the ones that won on the two pack was Bazooka, Agent Bazooka and Torch, the Dreadnok, they’ll be coming up.



GIJoePrices – And the ones that didn’t win in the poll? Were they just scrapped or are they still possible?



Frankel – Always possible.




GIJoePrices – A video game has been rumored, is there any news we can share?



Frankel – There’s really nothing to say, it would be cool.




GIJoePrices – The new 12” Crimson Guard figures…are we going to see that sculpt in the 3” line or will we get different sculpts?



Frankel – Possibly, we have very different variations on the Crimson Guard already, like in that three pack those are more classic looking. This is just kind of a new version of the Crimson Guard for a different lo-cal, Cobra’s all over the world so this is like one dedicated version of them.




GIJoePrices – Great! Thanks for your time and on behalf of fans everywhere thank you for your dedication to such a great toy line!