JoeDeclassified.com

So I have been cleaning out a lot of old bins and I came apon a box of the few sig6 I bought before it became clear the line was going to die. This was an awesome toy. I think I’m going to start hunting it down and filling in the collection.

I know I've said it before but I just got to reiterate that this was a very excellent line of toys! It sorta bridged the gap between the older 12" figs and the ARAH line while giving something new and modern at the same time. Whenever you got a figure in the 8" line or a vehicle in the 2" line you really got your moneys worth; tons of accessories (the footlocker idea was so very clever) vehicles that had massive forethought in their design with their ability to interact with each other, a tough and rugged joint system and these toys were made to be played with.
So why did it not go over so well? My guess is on a couple of things;
one: the scale, it was cool we had 2 options but if just one of them was in the classic 3 3/4th scale it might have had a little more staying power. We probably wouldn't have gotten the neat vehicles like we did but the figures were too static for my tastes and that was a drawback for me, when getting the 2" line I felt more like I was vehicle collecting rather then vehicle AND figure collecting like with the ARAH line. I think that without a familiar scale for some of the collectors alienated the line even further.
Two: The reuse of the same characters too often. I had a real problem with the ninjas in samurai armor... That boggled my brains when I saw those guys. The Joeverse has got soooooo many characters that would have been a great addition to the Sigma line but we got a LOT of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow variants and that really is kinda boring no matter how many different accessories you include in the package. At least I think so.
Three: The cartoon, while having a slick and tight anime look to it, had some of the worst writing for a cartoon. I'm not talking about bad ideas but just bad execution. I felt stupid watching it and I like to think that kids are a little smarter then that level of storytelling. When you look at cartoon series like Avatar and even the new Thundercats (which I think shows some very great storytelling) you can see that it is possible to capture both kids and adults attention without insulting peoples intelligence.
I bet the more cartoonish look may have turned some people off from the line but I thought it was a fresh look at GI Joe. I really was disappointing when this line was canceled as it seemed that a lot of planning had gone into it and to have it received so poorly must have been a blow to the creators. I still try to track down a figure now and then but it is getting tougher to find the figures at reasonable prices, so if you have the urge to keep collecting the line now is the time. They are probably only going to get more expensive as time goes by.

Now that my son is getting older (almost 2), my love for S6 has been rekindled. The size and durability of the figures is perfect for a toddler, and a great gateway into the greatness that is Joe, without the camp of the designated "kiddie" toys (a la Rapid Rollers). I gave him an Arctic Snake-Eyes a few weeks ago, and he took it to bed with him the first night - since then, SE and Tunnel-Rat (his only other fig) are now regular bath-time buddies.

That's awesome Sam.

Roger