Last, but definitely not least in my coverage of JoeFest 2023 comes the Operation: Recall panel!

Hosting were Mark Gerwig, Mark Penning and of course, R. Carson Mataxis! Check it out –

The attention to detail in this line makes me more excited by the minute to finally have it in hand.

For those that need a refresher, below are the full details from the fully funded (and then some!) campaign –

I dreamed of creating my own action figure back in 1989. 33 years later, toy industry legends Ron Rudat, Kirk Bozigian, Doug Hart, Bill Merklein, Larry Hama, and Ed Morrill helped me bring this figure to life.  

They had such a good time working on this figure that we decided to join forces under the Operation: Recall banner. Together we will create as many ALL-NEW figures as the community will support! Let’s hear from the creative team. 

In an effort to make other collectors’ dreams come true, we put out a call for submissions and selected 16 more concepts to flesh out. Here’s a sneak peek at the first wave of four figures slated for further development by this legendary team.

Here’s a sneak peek at the second wave of four figures slated for further development by this legendary team.

With your help, we will create up to 18 ALL-NEW modern o-ring action figures. Please, back this Kickstarter today and help these legendary creators do what they do best, create timeless action figures!

THE BACKSTORY: 

Yo Joe fans! This is Carson from 3DJoes.com.

Over the last eight years we’ve been on a mission to document the stories of the folks that created G.I.Joe: A Real American Hero.

Folks like Kirk Bozigian (former G.I.Joe Brand Manager and Vice President of Boys Toys), Ron Rudat (former Hasbro designer and creator of the first six years of G.I.Joe figures), Mark Pennington (former Hasbro designer and creator of the next three years of G.I.Joe figures) and creator of  Larry Hama (comic author and the man that breathed life into plastic), Ed Morrill (former Partner of CLS&M, the packaging firm that created the packaging for G.I.Joe from 1969-1989), Doug Hart (former Hasbro artist responsible for the lions share of late 80s and early 90s G.I.Joe paintings!), and Bill Merklein (contract sculptor that crafted over 70 G.I.Joe figures from 1983-1989).

We didn’t just call and record interviews over the phone, or record Zoom chats… we packed up the video gear and traveled to Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Queens, Manhattan, Connecticut, and more!

During these visits, we conducted comprehensive interviews for documentation on 3DJoes, and throughout the Collecting the Art of G.I.Joe: A Real American Hero Omnibus Hardcover. But we didn’t just sit down to talk. We got to work!

We got the old band back together to create one all new action figure: from ideation sketches, to polished line art, to engineering turnarounds and accessory drawings, to presentation art, to package art, to 3D modeling and printing, to figure sculpting! 

The best part? This figure had been a dream of mine since I was 10 years old, when I originally submitted him to Hasbro in the hopes they would allow him to join the Joes! 

Ladies and gentlemen, I present Retelo, and his carrier pigeon Homer – the first 3.75” o-ring action figure by the original G.I.Joe: A Real American Hero creative team in over 30 years!

Everyone had such a good time with this project, that we were sad to see it come to an end. Retelo was a smash hit single but the band, well they wanted to create a whole new album! It was at this moment that Operation: Recall was born.

Operation Recall is an all-new line of action figures by industry legends! Every dime raised by the Operation: Recall kickstarter will fund the creative development and manufacturing of all-new modern o-ring action figures from this legendary creative team!

KICKSTARTER REWARDS INCLUDE:

• Operation: Recall action figures! We have partnered with Grindstone Toys, the creative team behind the upcoming Callsign: Longbow lineup of retro o-ring figures, and we ARE going to bring these figures to life! They will be beautifully carded on 6” x 9” cardbacks, and every figure will feature a unique Doug Hart painting. Your $30 action figure pledge will earn you one of these mint-on-card, all-new modern o-ring action figures, slated to be delivered beginning winter 2023. Figures will be delivered in waves of four. Your $110 pledge will secure one full wave of four figures. Your $415 ALL-IN figure pledge will secure all four waves (totaling sixteen figures), plus two bonus figures! Retelo is our first bonus figure. He has already been developed and can be added to any figure pledge as a $30 add-on. Our second bonus figure will be our last unlock. Trust me, you’ll want him in your o-ring collection!  

• We filmed for over 40 hours with these creators during the production of Retelo and Homer! Your $30 Operation: Recall Blu-ray pledge will earn you a ticket to the show: You’ll sit with Ron Rudat as he creates all new character ideas. You’ll peek in on Kirk Bozigian’s review process, and you’ll see how he brought more and more ideas to the table. You’ll see Ron finalize his all new character design, draft figure and accessory sculpt sheets, and create polished presentation art. You’ll visit with Ed Morrill and review new packaging sketches as he talks us through his thought process for presenting these toys. You’ll visit Doug Hart’s studio as he unveils his all new package painting, and you’ll get a masterclass in action figure sculpting from Bill Merklein as he brings his newest figure to life. This one of a kind documentary look into their creative process is yours with a $30 Operation: Recall Blu-ray pledge. I’m personally funding the production of this blu-ray, so your $30 add-on pledge will go straight to the creative team, to fund their continued development of additional figures!

• The Operation: Recall 78 page accufoil softcover will illustrate and document the process of creating action figures: from ideation sketches, to polished line art, to engineering turnarounds and accessory drawings, to presentation art, to package art, to 3D modeling and printing, to figure sculpting! I’m personally funding the production of this volume, so your $35 add-on pledge will go straight to the creative team, to fund their continued development of additional figures!

• Do you collect one of a kind preproduction artifacts?! You’re in luck. The entire creative process will be available as pledge rewards!* From Ron and Mark’s initial ideation sketches, to Kirk’s markups, to Ron and Mark’s final line art, color studies, engineering drawings and presentation art, to Doug Hart’s package painting! All proceeds go straight to the creative team, to fund their continued development of additional figures. All preproduction purchases includes one ALL-IN figure pledge (18 figures) worth $415.  

 *Retelo preproduction items are not available, those will be buried with me.

RECRUITING THE COMMUNITY:

Watching Retelo and Homer come to life over 30 years after I dreamed them up was a once in a lifetime experience. I wanted others to know that joy! The team loved the idea, so we put out a call for submissions via OperationRecall.com. 

The submissions rolled in! We gathered 177 concepts from well over 100 community members over six weeks. Next, the team gathered in Massachusets to review these concepts. Over the course of three days we narrowed these concepts down to the top 16 concepts we’d like to develop as part of Operation: Recall Year One.  

 SO, WHO MADE THE CUT? 

KICKOFF BONUS FIGURE (FREE UNLOCK!):

Retelo is a Communications Specialist, complete with his carrier pigeon Homer. Ron Rudat completed design for this figure, with Kirk Bozigian reviewing. This concept is courtesy of R. Carson Mataxis.

WAVE 1, FIGURE 1 (UNLOCKED!): 

Breacher is an Urban Intervention Specialist, complete with his K9 Falcon. Mark Pennington will be leading design for this figure, with Kirk Bozigian reviewing. This concept is courtesy of Gabriel Mangum.

WAVE 1, FIGURE 2 (UNLOCKED!): 

Cadavers are Silent Infiltrators. Mark Pennington will be leading design for this figure, with Kirk Bozigian reviewing. This concept is courtesy of Chad “Malcham” LaForce.

WAVE 1, FIGURE 3 (UNLOCKED!):

Damselfly is an Enemy Aerial Assault Trooper. Ron Rudat will be leading design for this figure, with Kirk Bozigian reviewing. This concept is courtesy of Ted Terranova.

WAVE 1, FIGURE 4 (UNLOCKED!):

Sol Eagle Guerrero is a Luchador Soldier. Ron Rudat will be leading design for this figure, with Kirk Bozigian reviewing. This concept is courtesy of David Emmanuelli Martinez.

WAVE 2, FIGURE 1 (UNLOCKED!): 

Los Castigadores are Enemy Executioners. Ron Rudat will be leading design for this figure, with Kirk Bozigian reviewing. This concept is courtesy of Chris Scott. 

WAVE 2, FIGURE 2 (UNLOCKED!): 

SHHHH is a Ninja with a prosthetic leg. Mark Pennington will be leading design for this figure, with Kirk Bozigian reviewing. This concept is courtesy of Alexander Murrell.

WAVE 2, FIGURE 3 (UNLOCKED!): 

Bear Claw is a Survivalist. Ron Rudat will be leading design for this figure, with Kirk Bozigian reviewing. This concept is courtesy of Gabriel Wilkinson.

WAVE 2, FIGURE 4 (UNLOCKED!):

Clanker is a Wilderness Survival Specialist and his companion Tank is a genetically modified Galapagos Tortoise. Mark Pennington will be leading design for this figure, with Kirk Bozigian reviewing. This concept is courtesy of Robert “Bobby” Earl.

YEAR ONE MIDWAY BONUS FIGURE (UNLOCKED!):

Midnight Ops Retelo is a Communications Specialist, complete with his carrier pigeon Homer. Ron Rudat completed design for this figure, with Kirk Bozigian reviewing. This concept is courtesy of R. Carson Mataxis. 

WAVE 3, FIGURE 1 (UNLOCKED!): 

Great Whites are Enemy Underwater Troopers. Mark Pennington will be leading design for this figure, with Kirk Bozigian reviewing. This concept is courtesy of Raymond Theiss. We anticipate sculpting several heads for Great White, to create variety in this Enemy Combatant. 

WAVE 3, FIGURE 2 (UNLOCKED!):

Runback is a Supply Specialist and PAC-DOG is her Robodog sidekick. Mark Pennington will be leading design for this figure, with Kirk Bozigian reviewing. This concept is courtesy of Scott Brown.

WAVE 3, FIGURE 3 (UNLOCKED!): 

Bengal is an Indian Sniper and Counterintelligence Specialist. Ron Rudat will be leading design for this figure, with Kirk Bozigian reviewing. This concept is courtesy of Terrence Mollendor.

WAVE 3, FIGURE 4 (unlocks at $360,000):

The Unknown are Enemy Jungle Troopers. Mark Pennington will be leading design for this figure, with Kirk Bozigian reviewing. This concept is courtesy of Aaron Jenkins. We anticipate sculpting several arms for The Unknown (showing varied scarification), to create variety in this Enemy Combatant. 

WAVE 4, FIGURE 1 (unlocks at $390,000):

Night Raid is an Ex-Russian Special Forces Heavy Weapons and Explosives Specialist. He comes with his K9 companion, Ozzie. Ron Rudat will be leading design for this figure, with Kirk Bozigian reviewing. This concept is courtesy of JE Russell. 

WAVE 4, FIGURE 2 (unlocks at $420,000):

Supply Chain is a Quartermaster, and a mentor to Runback. He is joined by his trusty sidekick Luna, a cheetah that he rescued as a kitten from smugglers while on mission in southern Ethiopia. Ron Rudat will be leading design for this figure, with Kirk Bozigian reviewing. This concept is courtesy of Joe Goldston.

WAVE 4, FIGURE 3 (unlocks at $450,000):

Lilith is a U.S. Army Paratrooper. Ron Rudat will be leading design for this figure, with Kirk Bozigian reviewing. This concept is courtesy of Ian Stoops. 

WAVE 4, FIGURE 4 (unlocks at $480,000):

Alfa Dog is a U.S. Navy Construction Mechanic (Seabee). Ron Rudat will be leading design for this figure, with Kirk Bozigian reviewing. This concept is courtesy of John Cody Ivie. 

YEAR ONE FINAL BONUS FIGURE (FREE UNLOCK at $480,000!):

General Mortífero is the mysterious enemy commander. Mark Pennington will be leading design for this figure, with Kirk Bozigian reviewing. This concept is courtesy of David Emmanuelli Martinez.

OUR PROGRESS TO DATE:

Retelo was our campaign kickoff figure. He was unlocked for free right out of the gate. We unlocked all four Wave 1 figures by hitting our initial funding goal of $120,000. We unlocked Los Castigadores by hitting $150,000 and SHHHH by hitting $180,000. We unlocked Clanker + Tank and Midnight Ops Retelo at $240,000. MO Retelo will be included for FREE with all-in (18 figures) and double all-in (36 figures) pledges. He will be available as an add-on for other pledge tiers. We unlocked Great Whites at $270,000. With your help, we will plow through Waves 3–4 and unlock General Mortífero FOR FREE when we reach $480,000. 

So, to recap: Retelo unlocked for free out of the gate. The Kickstarter Exclusive Midnight Ops Retelo unlocked at $240k, and we’ll unlock General Mortífero at $480k. PLEASE share this campaign with your friends, and together we will make Operation: Recall Year One an unparalleled success story! 

SOME LEGALESE: 

Shipping: We have done our best to estimate costs on future shipping rates. Your shipping rate will vary based on location and product quantity. We are willing to eat small shipping overages if shipping costs more than we are predicting, but if shipping is prohibitively more than we’ve estimated, then we will reach out to backers to help make up the difference.

International Shipping: Operation: Recall will ship worldwide! International backers will be responsible for ANY and ALL customs, VAT Taxes, etc. These costs are NOT included in the listed prices.  VAT Tax/UK NOTE:  If the project funds, the required VAT Tax will be collected during the BackerKit, AFTER the Kickstarter ends. VAT Tax is NOT included in the listed prices.

Product Safety: Operation: Recall figures are intended for Adult Collectors Ages 14+. 

Product Appearance: All product colors and design elements are subject to change as we move into production. The Wave 1-4 figure concepts will evolve significantly as they are developed by the creative team. 

Partnerships: Operation: Recall is not affiliated with, associated with, authorized by, or endorsed by Hasbro. Operation: Recall is not in any way officially connected to G.I. Joe, The Corps! or any other compatible o-ring figure brands. 

All content is ©2022 Locomotion Media Group, LLC.  All rights reserved.

THE BUDGET:

Estimated costs:
 Creative Development for one figure: $8,500

Tooling for one figure: $6,000 – $12,000

Manufacturing for one figure: $30,000

TOTAL COST PER FIGURE:  $44,500 – $50,500

TOTAL COST FOR WAVE 1 (4 figures): $178,000 – $202,000
Our initial funding goal for four figures is only $120,000 as we are investing our own capital (and labor) into making this project a reality!

Every $30,000 raised over our initial goal will unlock another figure. The creative team has committed to create up to 18 new figures for year one, rolled out quarterly in waves of four, with two special mailers.

Please, back this Kickstarter today and help these legendary creators do what they do best – create timeless action figures!

Risks and challenges

Manufacturing has inherent risks and new projects have their own unique challenges. Supply chain interruptions, shipping delays, and unforeseen delays due to the pandemic have become typical around the globe. We understand these risks and have mitigated them to ensure this campaign is successful. We are partnered with an experienced factory and factory representative with years’ of experience with limited run, collector-focused action figure lines (supplier to Marauder, Boss Fight Studio, Valaverse, and more.) This partner team has a proven track record for delivering high quality products with the capability to make adjustments as needed during the production process. Though timing delays are always possible, we have full confidence that our team will bring our products to market, just as they have done consistently for others for many years.

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What an awesome panel, eh? What an awesome JoeFest! I hope you all enjoyed the coverage as I much as I did bringing it to you!