The Cancellation Of The 12 inch G.I.Joe Valor Vs. Venom Line

Thoughts on the Cancelation of the 12 inch Valor Vs. Venom Line

An editorial by Arashikage Storm


In the latest issue of the GI JOE COLLECTORS CLUB newsletter A HUGE bombshell was dropped, as it was announced that the 12 inch line of Valor Vs Venom figures had been canceled. Now I know that some of you couldn't care less about the 1/8th scale versions of our favorite heroes and villains of GI JOE, but even the most dedicated 3 3/4 inch collector has to admit that Hasbro has been doing a FANTASTIC job with the 12 inch line. If you look at the Joe vs. Cobra 12 inch figures, yes, I admit that the first wave of those were a little silly. The Duke with the rocket launcher in his arm looked absolutely ridiculous. The Cobra Commander looked a little like he should have been on "Batman-The animated series." But with each new wave, they got progressively better.

The Tunnel Rat figure was, and still is, one of the best translations of 3 3/4 inch to 12 inch figures I have seen. Then if you flash forward to the KB exclusive Airborne (which I got an advanced one at the G.I.Joe Convention last year that was a given away as a door prize). It shows me that they really were doing another great representation of a classic design brought to life in 1/8th scale. At the Con last year, we were given sneak peaks at the next 2 KB Toys exclusives: Bazooka, and Dr. Mindbender. They look DEAD ON as representations of their 3 3/4 inch selves. I have heard that they are all ready to be sold, sitting in a warehouse waiting for KB to pay Hasbro for them. I TRULY hope these will see the light of day, as they are wonderful.

I had also heard that before the end of the VVV line, we would see such characters as Razor Claw (not crazy about him) Alpine (in a more traditional uniform) and the VVV Storm Shadow in the 12 inch form. I was looking forword to the GIJoe convention in Florida this year, in the hopes of seeing the finished products of them in the preview cases. Then the news hits about the cancellation of the 12 inch line, and a few other Joe products. We were told that the 12 inch Spirit Iron knife, Coil Crusher, Destro, and Gung Ho were to be the last of the 12 inch line for the duration of VvV. I truly hope that Hasbro reconsiders this, or maybe a retailer will pick them up as exclusives, because with the inclusion of the last few waves of 12 inch figures, Hasbro was doing a fantastic job with them. I think that if more people gave them a chance, we might be able to get more. I am up to 10 twelve inch Bats, and I have to say, while it gets rather expensive, Army building those Bats is sweet. I can only imagine what other RAH era characters would have been given the 1/8 scale treatment, but now I wonder if we will see any more of them ever? I have heard that there could be some exclusives, i.e. the 12 inch Snake Eyes w/ Ninja Lightning bike, but now that I am completely hooked on these great figures, it seems like we will not see any.

I have heard rumors that the reason the line has been canceled is NOT poor sales, but the War in Iraq. Apparently, the retailers are afraid to carry these "War" toys, along with a few other brands, because of the problems going on in the world today. So in closing, I would just like to ask everyone who reads this to think about this next time you are walking up and down the aisles in you local TRU or Walmart. Stop and look at the 12 inch VvV stuff that is still left on the shelves, and if you are lucky enough to find that 12 inch Cobra Commander or Spirit Iron Knife, pick one up. You will not be sorry.