Maybe one stretch goal will be a stinker, but most will probably be very cool, and add value to the toy. Especially when we think about the time and thought the GI Joe group has put into this. When looked at that way, it is well worth it. So, the tank will cost $150, and each figure/accessory will cost $25. If each stretch goal is worth about $25 (the price of a Classified figure now), and we get them all, plus the bonus figure and driver, we will get six items worth $25 (6×25=150). I forget how much Unicron was, but it was a lot. But compared to other HasLab Projects, it is moderate. The driver looks very nice and has well thought out accessories. It is fully detailed, with working lights, treads and a troop compartment. It is not just a scaled-up version of the 80s toy. Of course, a big part of the project’s success is due to how great the HISS Tank turned out. This was a bonus, if the project funded in the first week. It will have a previously unused design by Ron Rudat, to be voted on by backers. This especially came through when they offered a surprise with the project: the HISS Tactician. The design group are fans who take the history of the toys and the story into account. They have been taking fan feedback into account in their figure design from right after the first wave. I think another reason it took so long to get the project going, was that the GI Joe group wanted to get it right, so they made sure the Classified Series was right first. The GI Joe group at Hasbro seems to listen to feedback from fans. For all the reasons I mentioned above and more, the HISS Tank was the right choice for the first Classified HasLab. Cool as it was, it was not what we actually wanted. Everyone was disappointed when last year’s project was an o-ring Sky-Stryker. Collectors of GI Joe Classified have been waiting for a vehicle (other than a motorcycle) for years now. The instant success of the HISS Tank was partly due to its long time coming. I will also speculate on the stretch goals and the future of GI Joe Classified vehicles. For the rest of this post, I am going to discuss why the HISS Tank succeeded so well (fully funded in the first half day), compared to other projects that did not do so well. See the Reva Lightsaber HasLab project for that. No one wants to waste a HasLab project on something that we should be able to get off the shelf at Walmart. Smaller vehicles, like the VAMP, Water Moccasin or Trouble Bubble could be sold at retail. Theoretically, GI Joe fans would love to have a six-inch scale Sky-Stryker or Night Raven, but where would that go? I don’t think the average collector has a display space big enough for that (not to mention how much it would cost). There are collectors who see a new HISS Tank and have to have it, so Hasbro responds by recoloring the thing so we can buy the same toy over and over again. It is also a lot like the Transformers Seekers. It is an early and iconic vehicle, even more so than the MOBAT, the Joe’s tank. The HISS definitely is a troop builder and will be great for posing troops as well as main characters. Smart money was always on Cobra’s HISS Tank. HasLab HISS Tank digital render from Hasbro PulseĮver since before last summer, when the GI Joe HasLab project was not a Classified vehicle, there has been speculation as to what the Classified HasLab vehicle would be.
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