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The year 2008 (MMVIII) was the twenty-seventh year of the A Real American Hero brand.
Overview[]
The year 2008 saw the continuation of the 25th Anniversary line - what was originally meant to be a limited one-year series was now a verified success. But since the actual anniversary year was over, fans were left to come up with new terminology. As the now-retired Sigma 6 toys disappeared from the shelves, stores made various decisions about the new 4" line. Some locations devoted decent portions of aisles to the Joes, on a par with the now-struggling Transformers and always-popular Star Wars sections, while others did not stock the toys at all. Many retailers gave the figures a column next to cheaper The Corps! figures. Despite the inconsistency, finding figures was easier than during the 2007 Christmas season as the rate of new releases slowed to a manageable pace.
Fans mostly raved about the new designs for characters getting their first shot at a Generation 3 mold. Complaints primarily had to do with the sheer number of figures (hard on the pocketbook, but no worse than 2002-2005) and with the frequent reissues of Duke, Snake-Eyes, Cobra Commander, and Storm Shadow, already the most common figures (again, not a new problem). In any case, the G3 figures had come to dominate Joe discussion, and both old- and new-school collectors gravitated toward this line. Generation 3 saw its first vehicles released, first as the Target-exclusive "Attack on Cobra Island" series, followed by wide releases. The Comic Packs returned and received attention for their Doc mail-away promotion, which would begin shipping in May. Meanwhile, the summer convention, scheduled this year for June 27-29, would continue to feature old-sculpt repaints.
Devil's Due Publishing's license to produce G.I. Joe comics expired this year, and they brought a spectacular end to the A Real American Hero comics continuity begun in 1982 with the well-received "World War III" storyline.
Toys[]
Carded Figures[]
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Generation 3 - Series 5 Generation 3 - Series 6 Generation 3 - Series 7 Generation 3 - Series 8
Generation 3 - Series 9 |
Generation 3 - Series 10
Generation 3 - Series 11 Generation 3 - Series 12 |
Toys "Я" Us exclusives[]
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Cobra Night Watch
Crimson Guard
Firefly vs. G.I. Joe Troopers
Snake-Eyes vs. Red Ninja Troopers
Senior Ranking Officers
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G.I. Joe Air Command G.I. Joe Sea Command Iron Grenadier Command
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DVD Battles[]
The DVD Battles sets included figures based on the Sunbow series, a five-episode DVD and a piece to build the M.A.S.S. device.
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Set 1: The M.A.S.S. Device Set 2: The Revenge of Cobra Set 3: Arise, Serpentor, Arise! |
Set 4: The Pyramid of Darkness Set 5: Best of '80s Episodes
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Extreme Conditions[]
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Set 1: Desert Assault Squad |
Set 2: Arctic Assault Squad
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Comic Packs[]
Equipment[]
- Air Chariot w/ Serpentor
- C.L.A.W. w/ Viper
- F.A.N.G. w/ Cobra Pilot
- Firebat w/ A.V.A.C.
- H.I.S.S. w/ H.I.S.S. Driver Commander
- Trubble Bubble w/ Tele-Viper
Target exclusives[]
Attack on Cobra Island: The first G3 vehicles were exclusive to Target stores, and all shared the "Attack on Cobra Island" branding.
- H.I.S.S. w/ Cobra Driver
- Rattler w/ Wild Weasel
Ultimate Battle Pack: The most expensive set of the year, this set included quite a few Joes and Cobras, plus vehicles for both sides.
- Cobra Commander
- Cobra Vehicle Gunner
- Destro
- H.I.S.S. Driver
- H.I.S.S. (red)
- Trubble Bubble (blue)
Collector's Club Exclusives[]
Direct-to-Consumer - Series 4
Convention Exclusives
- Civilian Cobra Commander
- Sky B.A.T.
- S.W.A.T. three-pack
- Cobra Headhunters
- Gristle
- Headhunter B.A.T.s (x6)
- Headhunter Guards (x2)
- Headhunter Stormtroopers (x6)
- Headhunter Driver
- S.W.A.T. R.T.V. w/ Bullhorn
- Hotwire's Mech w/ Hotwire
Mailaway offers[]
- Operation: Rescue Doc
- Included with G3 Comic Packs. Cobra Commander sent a note boasting that he'd brainwashed Doc, the key to success of his newest evil plan.
- Figures Available: Doc.
Comicbooks[]
Write up.
Animation[]
No animation was produced this year.