G.I. JoeCon 2011 - Day One Recap

Day one of G.I. JoeCon is over and here's a quick recap of the days events. We've posted all of our day one photos to Flickr, so be sure to check them out. We've also archived our live video feeds from throughout the day on YouTube. We'll be broadcasting live again tomorrow, so be sure to check back in the morning.

Parachute Drop - 10:30 a.m.

• The parachute drop took place from the roof above the 10th floor of the Dolphin Hotel
• The wind was blowing in the direction of the lake, so everyone thought the figures would end up in the water
• When they were released, the wind actually blew the figures toward the building and 2-3 dozen got stuck on the façade
• The kids got first dibs at the figures when they hit the ground & the adults followed
• The chaos after the figure drop was very orderly, despite the mass of people trying to get a figure
• Free Para-Tele-Vipers!

Hasbro Booth - 11:30 a.m.

• The Hasbro design team said the popularity of the Pursuit of Cobra line is allowing them to do some new sculpts and really cool stuff, which they’ll reveal in their panel tomorrow
• There were a number of dioramas on display around the booth that were very realistic looking and are indicative of the tone the design team said the line will follow
• The figures announced at Toy Fair were shown both loose and on card.
• New packaging for the line, which varies by Joe and Cobra, as well as animated styles was on display
• On the subject of packaging, the team was giving away proof cards of their San Diego ComiCon exclusive Zarana (both animated and Cold Slither versions)
• Some new vehicles that were shown include some of those announced at Toy Fair including a Crimson H.I.S.S. Tank, H.I.S.S. Attack Scout, Black Dragon VOTL and an armored motorcycle.

G.I. Joe Renegades Panel - 12:30 p.m.

• The panel did not allow photography or filming because we were treated to a special, never-before-seen episode the Renegades in which several new characters are revealed. The title; “Castle Destro.”
• There was a tribute to Clemente Suave the artist many credit as the inspiration for Renegades. Suave died this year of health complications.
• Hasbro stated the hiatus of Renegades is in an effort to re-evaluate the G.I. Joe brand and to make it consistent throughout all the cannon, especially with a movie slated for 2012
• There is a strong possibility Renegades won’t return in its current form, but Hasbro owns the HUB network so there will be some form of animated G.I. Joe and they hope to continue the character origins type of storyline.

Exhibitor Showroom - 2 p.m.

• A lot of dealers and a lot of toys!
• The Fan Club store sold out of Dial Tone very quickly and every other exclusive item followed
• The Mickey Mouse logoed Cobra Commander got a lot of laughs, especially since in a way it paid homage to the 1982 variant with the commonly referred to Mickey Mouse Cobra logo
• There were some fans who were upset and voicing their concerns to Hasbro that the Dial Tone (which was limit 1 per person, per day) had sold out so quickly, yet there were dealers putting up multiples for sale (saw one dealer selling 5 for $125 each)
• There are some great deals. One dealer spread has just about everything mint and complete from the A Real American Hero line (1982-1994) and the buzz from shoppers was that the prices were more than reasonable.