Hasbro's G.I. Joe Q&A 2011 Round 3: The Answers

The Hasbro team's G.I. Joe Q&A replies for round 1 of 2011 are starting to trickle in. Although we didn't submit questions for this round of Q&A, we look forward to participating in upcoming rounds. If you have a question you'd like us to ask the G.I. Joe team at Hasbro, be sure to leave it as a comment to this story. To see a complied list of Hasbro's answers for this Q&A round, check out Generals Joe's Q&A Archive.

Sideshow Collectibles Announces G.I. Joe Arashikage Temple Environment

Hot on the heels of their recently revealed Pit Command Center environment, Sideshow Collectibles gives us a sneak peek of the next environment, in their 12-inch G.I. Joe line, the Arashikage Temple. The full product reveal for the Arashikage Temple is May 3, with pre-orders starting on May 5. Mark your calendars! In the meantime, be sure to check out the rest of Sideshow's G.I. Joe environments.

Hasbro to Expand Rhode Island Offices

Hasbro, Inc announced plans to develop a $24 million expansion of its Rhode Island operations. The expansion would create 284 new jobs over the next three years and save the toymaker $1.6 million in tax breaks, as part of a state economic development program. Hasbro, which employees 1,400 people at its Rhode Island headquarters, has outgrown its Pawtucket and East Providence offices and is considering a downtown Providence location, for the new facility.

SOURCE: ABC News

Archive: Beachhead - Urban Combat Specialist (City Strike)

Beachhead was released in the summer of 2010 as part of the first wave of figures in the Pursuit of Cobra line. The Pursuit of Cobra line features environment-themed missions in which the G.I. Joe team pursues Cobra operatives to the ends of the earth. As part of the City Strike mission theme, the G.I. Joe team stealthily infiltrates a Cobra warehouse, in an urban center, housing some of Destro's newest weaponry.

Beachhead comes armed with an arsenal of weapons, but it's the highly-detailed features--such as the binoculars, gas grenades and front and rear knife sheaths on Beachhead's flak vest, as well as the GPS device on Beachhead's left leg--that stand out. Although these items aren't removable, they possess an incredible level of depth and realism.

Does Made In China Mean Imminent Price Hikes?

A three-consecutive day protest among truckers in Shanghai disrupted operations at its seaport, a major distribution hub. With inflationary pressures outpacing wages, unrest among Chinese workers grows and the toy industry is paying attention. Strikes such as the one in Shanghai can disrupt logistics for companies like Hasbro, maker of G.I. Joe, which manufacturers and ships from China. Consequently, if the Chinese government offset wages for inflation, toy companies would see an increase in labor costs, cutting into their bottom lines and almost certainly resulting in price increases in the toy aisle for U.S. consumers. As the Chinese economy continues its exponential growth, is it time for toy companies to start weaning off Chinese manufacturing?

SOURCE: GlobalToyNews.com via Raving Toy Maniac

Archive: Snake Eyes - Ninja Commando (Desert Battle)

Snake Eyes was released in the summer of 2010 as part of the first wave of figures in the Pursuit of Cobra line. The Pursuit of Cobra line features environment-themed missions in which the G.I. Joe team pursues Cobra operatives to the ends of the earth. As part of the Desert Battle mission theme, the G.I. Joe team battles Cobra's newest weapon, the H.I.S.S. Tank, through the heavy sandstorms and arid wastelands of the desert.

If you thought Snake Eyes is dressed a bit warm for a desert battle, it's with good reason. Snake Eyes was originally slated to be part of the Arctic Threat mission theme, but poor moviegoer reviews of The Rise of Cobra and its toy line's sluggish performance at retail forced Hasbro to re-shuffle the Pursuit of Cobra lineup. The effort to differentiate the Pursuit of Cobra from the Rise of Cobra resulted in Snake Eyes'  deployment to the desert.

Archive: Duke - Team Commander (Jungle Assault)

Duke was released in the summer of 2010 as part of the first wave of figures in the Pursuit of Cobra line. The Pursuit of Cobra line features environment-themed missions in which the G.I. Joe team pursues Cobra operatives to the ends of the earth. As part of the Jungle Assault mission theme, a team led by Duke discovers a heavily fortified Cobra fortress, the Terror Drome, in a remote jungle.

Although originally designed and revealed with Channing Tatum's likeness, Duke was produced with a newly sculpted head. The change is widely regarded as Hasbro’s means of differentiating the Pursuit of Cobra line from the Rise of Cobra, which received generally negative reviews from film critics and was performing sluggishly among kids and collectors in the toy isles.