Hasbro Addresses The G.I. Joe Classified B.A.T. And Cobra Alley Viper (Kinda) - Lets Break It Down

Hasbro

by Jay Cochran
November 2, 2021

Last Friday Walmart in what has become pretty apparent started selling the new G.I. Joe Classified Cobra Alley Viper and B.A.T. figures before they were supposed to. They listed the Alley Viper and B.A.T. on their website still using the code names Satellite (Alley Viper) and Apollo B.A.T. while having no images for either figure available. The figures were only available for a very limited time and people started getting their orders on Sunday.

Up until that point Hasbro had only shown the B.A.T. during Pulse-Con and then the Alley Viper the following Wednesday in a private "Premium Only Members" event they called 1027. No other details were given for either figure by Hasbro. They didn't even tell us if they would be a general release or store exclusives, nor did they provide any info on when the figures would see release or go up for pre-order.

Now thanks to my own investigation on these figures, I had been able to discover (even before Hasbro officially showed the Alley Viper off during their 1027 event) that they would be offered as general releases, not store exclusives. In fact I started bringing that little nugget of info to folks attention back on 10/24 during one of my YouTube live streams.

Still, I don't think any one was expecting Walmart to already have inventory for these (even if limited) on hand, and when they started showing up on people's doorsteps (even most the people who blindly ordered the figures) where quit surprised.

So yesterday (Monday 11/1) Hasbro quietly issued a statement about these. I say quietly because they didn't actually put the statement up on their own official social media channels or website, they went over to a message board (HISStank I believe) and posted the following message:

Hi All,

So glad everyone is excited about the B.A.T. and Alley Viper figures. Just wanted to add an extra note here - both of these figures (along with the Spirit, Storm Shadow, Cobra Officer, and Croc Master & Fiona figures that were revealed at PulseCon & 1027) are going to be mainline releases available at all your favorite G.I. Joe retailers.

For the B.A.T. and Alley Viper, It's up to each retailer how they want to release the figures (Pre-order, SNBN, brick and mortar, ect). We are expecting that small quantities will roll out later this year with (lots!) more to be seen in 2022.

Given the challenges of the current global supply chain, we want to make sure we're getting figures into your hand as soon as possible, which means that inventory is going to be more of a slow trickle over a longer period of time instead of a huge drop all at once.

Rest assured, we know that there is a huge demand for Classified figures and we are manufacturing large quantities for each figure.

Thank you for your patience with this wild world we're living in!

This message was put out by G.I. Joe brand team member Emily.

So the biggest thing here to note is that Hasbro has finally officially confirmed what I had been telling you all for a while, that the Cobra Alley Viper and B.A.T. ARE NOT STORE EXCLUSIVES. It would have been nice if Hasbro had provided that info on day 1, but better late than never I guess.

The next part of Emily's statement which states that it's up to each retailer to decide how they will sell the Alley Viper and B.A.T. is a bit misleading in my opinion. I say this because the way I understand it, Hasbro very much dictates when retailers are allowed to list these figures for sale or pre-order. From the retailers I've talked to, if they had the OK from Hasbro, they would have listed both the B.A.T. and Alley Viper for pre-order the moment they were announced. The fact is, they were not allowed to do so and still can't as I write this. Everyone I've talked to is quit confused on how Walmart already had inventory in hand for these two figures while no one else has even been able to list them for pre-order. In fact my guess the only reason we are getting any kind of statement at all from Hasbro on this, is because they probably woke up yesterday with their inboxes flooded from upset etailers and distributors wanting to know why Walmart was selling these figures now.

I'm glad Hasbro is telling us they are expecting low quantities to roll out by end of year, you know being they already have at Walmart. It's worth noting that Walmart is never once mentioned by name in Emily's statement. You see while I don't think Walmart was really supposed to start selling these figures already, I would never expect Hasbro to publicly admit that, or that they did anything wrong. Honestly I guess we can't blame Hasbro for this since Walmart is likely Hasbro's biggest customer.

Finally, Emily assures us that we will eventually see these figures widely available and indicates that it might take a while due to the shipping problems going on in the world. This part of her statement I think is 100% accurate.

It's important to note this so NOBODY buys the figures that are out there now for ridiculous amounts of money, like from this guy trying to sell a $20 Alley Viper for $500 on eBay. Seriously if you pay $500 or anything close to that for these figures now, you are an IDIOT!. There is just no way to candy coat that.

For now all we can really do is enjoy the detailed looks at the figures from the lucky few who got them while knowing that we will eventually be able to add them to our own collections at a reasonable price. For instance you can check out these images below for both figures thanks to daVid.

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Comments...

Last 10 comments - ( Read All Posts )

Canes05 - 2022-01-04 @ 7:50 pm

Alley vipers and Cobra bats up for order at hasbro pulse

JayC - 2021-12-21 @ 4:05 pm

25 minutes ago, Admiral_Brockbar said:
I preordered from Dorkside and I kinda hope they stick to the June Schedule. While I would love to have them early, the sheer amount of toys I have preordered combined with all the "Release Date April 2022 or Next week, who knows" crap is playing havoc with my credit cards and budget.

Places seem to be getting partial shipments here and there so they are getting released sporadically. Gamestop shipped some out to folks last week, but not everyone. BBTS may be the same. Dorkside and or EE may get some in soon as well. My guess most people who pre-ordered now will get them before June, but its likely going to be staggered over a couple of months.

Admiral_Brockbar - 2021-12-21 @ 3:39 pm

I preordered from Dorkside and I kinda hope they stick to the June Schedule. While I would love to have them early, the sheer amount of toys I have preordered combined with all the "Release Date April 2022 or Next week, who knows" crap is playing havoc with my credit cards and budget.

JayC - 2021-12-21 @ 2:39 pm

The BATS I pre-ordered from BBTS have shipped and should be here before Christmas.

JayC - 2021-12-01 @ 5:28 pm

Last night we told you how sponsor EntertainmentEarth had opened up pre-orders for the new G.I. Joe Classified Alley Viper And B.A.T. figures from Hasbro. They currently have these listed with a July 2022 release date.Our other sponsor BigBadToyStore has now also opened pre-orders for the these two figures and they list them with a June 2022 release date.

Target.com has also listed the B.A.T. and Alley Viper figures on their website but don't yet have them available for pre-order or purchase.You may recall early last month Walmart listed both the Alley Viper and B.A.T. figures on their website under codenames, and actually shipped a limited number of them out to folks who were lucky enough to order them blind. The listings are still there and are still using the codenames. They are not available for any kind of purchase or pre-order.On top of Walmart releasing a small number of them last month, both these figures have already started to see release overseas which is why you see more and more people have them in-hand on social media.While places like BBTS and EntertainmentEarth are listing the figures with Summer 2022 release dates, I wouldn't be surprised if they started to get limited supply in before that. Same with places like Walmart and Target.From what I understand the problem is only some of the figures have or will be arriving here soon in the US while many of them remain stuck out at sea someplace. So this likely means for the immediate future we will only see these figures trickle out on to shelves here and there in limited numbers. Eventually though they should be pretty widely available once the main shipments arrive in the US.So the moral of the story here is, if you are patient, you will eventually be able to get as many of these figures as you want easily without having to pay high secondary market prices. The bad news is you will likely have to wait a little longer, which means you will have to watch those who get lucky or were willing to pay more to get them in hand now post pictures of them on social media without having them yourself.

DarkTiga - 2021-12-01 @ 4:22 pm

I'm glad that Hasbro is allowing other online pre-orders for the G.I. Joe Classified series. This really helps out G.I. Joe fans, who don't want to deal with retail toy hunting. And avoids frustration with Target workers and store managers.

Roadpigmaster - 2021-12-01 @ 11:37 am

3 hours ago, JayC said:
You can pre-order them now. Keep in mind they will likely start showing up places sporadically, well any day now, and while EE has them with a July release my guess is they will at least get some in sooner. As I understand it those who ordered mix cases will start getting them in sooner than those who just ordered solid cases. Eventually these will be very easy to get in as many numbers as you want, so anyone paying more than regular retail either has money to burn or not to bright.

I was wondering on how you order a solid case JayC... I was adding to my cart 2 of each but not sure how I add the solid case that you mentioned a long time ago... If you please be so kind to explain!?

JayC - 2021-12-01 @ 7:37 am

You can pre-order them now. Keep in mind they will likely start showing up places sporadically, well any day now, and while EE has them with a July release my guess is they will at least get some in sooner. As I understand it those who ordered mix cases will start getting them in sooner than those who just ordered solid cases. Eventually these will be very easy to get in as many numbers as you want, so anyone paying more than regular retail either has money to burn or not to bright.

Satam - 2021-12-01 @ 5:56 am

The new G.I. Joe Classified 6" Alley Viper And B.A.T figures along with the Gung-Ho with alternate paint deco are available for pre-order at our sponsor EntertertainmentEarth with a July 2022 release. See links below:G.I. Joe Classified Series 6-Inch Action Figures Wave 7

G.I. Joe Classified Series 6-Inch Cobra B.A.T. Action FigureG.I. Joe Classified Series 6-Inch Cobra Alley Viper Action Figure

Canes05 - 2021-11-18 @ 12:16 pm

Target exclusive up for pre order python patrol viper and bat

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