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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[]

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[]

Cobra Night Watch

  • Night Watch Officer
  • Night Watch Trooper (x4)

Crimson Guard

Firefly vs. G.I. Joe Troopers

Snake-Eyes vs. Red Ninja Troopers

Senior Ranking Officers

G.I. Joe Air Command

G.I. Joe Sea Command

Iron Grenadier Command

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.

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

Extreme Conditions[]

Set 1: Desert Assault Squad

Set 2: Arctic Assault Squad

Comic Packs[]

Comic Pack #1

Comic Pack #14

Comic Pack #21

Comic Pack #21B

Comic Pack #24

Comic Pack #25

Comic Pack #30

Comic Pack #32½

Comic Pack #36½

Comic Pack #86

Comic Pack #115

Comic Pack #4

Comic Pack #5

Comic Pack #6

Comic Pack #7

Comic Pack #8

Comic Pack #9

Comic Pack #10

Comic Pack #11

Comic Pack #12

Equipment[]

Target exclusives[]

Attack on Cobra Island: The first G3 vehicles were exclusive to Target stores, and all shared the "Attack on Cobra Island" branding.

Ultimate Battle Pack: The most expensive set of the year, this set included quite a few Joes and Cobras, plus vehicles for both sides.

Collector's Club Exclusives[]

Direct-to-Consumer - Series 4

Convention Exclusives

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.
See detailed information here.

Animation[]

No animation was produced this year.

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