The Power of Packaging: Construction Commandos (2015)
Now this is what the Power of Packaging feature is all about. The San Diego Comic Con exclusive GI Joe Kre-O set came as a surprise this year, considering that the Hasbro building block system seems to be on hiatus, at least in the US. The subject matter (Sgt. Slaughter) was also unexpected, considering what you often hear about the hoops of licensing his likeness since he has an affiliation with a wrestling promotion. Finally, the packaging itself was refreshingly different from anything we’ve seen in the Kre-O line. It is however, tinged with more than a little bit of the whimsical, much like the Kre-O series itself. This is one exclusive that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
The packaging is done in the style of old VHS slipcase sets. I never would have expected a GI Joe or Kre-O set to use this format, but it works wonderfully for something like this. The characters are rendered in an animated style on the cover of the two smaller interior boxes, with the Kreon sets inside on individual blister cards. The larger middle piece houses the tank build, and features homages to 80s packaging. The back has a blueprint, and the short sides are done up in the style of the old box flaps. There’s also an 80s era Hasbro logo. From start to finish, opening up this set put a smile on my face. Even the building instruction manual has some nice touches that weren’t included in the regular release Kre-O line. Overall, a lot of attention was paid to presenting a fun and nostalgic product. Very very cool, and there’s a lot of bang for your buck if you’re a classic GI Joe packaging fan.
We’ll be covering the figures and tank over the next few days, so come back for a little more new Joe product coverage. It’s a celebration of GI Joe being back in stores! We’ll see how long I can keep this going…
I just finished snagging pictures of the packaging before I opened it. My brother found one for me for my birthday but it’s been in my possession since the end of July. I’ve been waiting until my birthday to open it, but since that’s tomorrow, I figured I should make sure and get some photos of the awesome packaging so I can talk about it in my Field Reports as well. I agree, Rob, this is just some fun packaging. I always like when SDCC exclusives do something a little out of the ordinary. I loved the Clan McCullen history book the Rise of Cobra Destro set came in and this VHS box set for Kre-Os is just a stroke of genius.
Happy birthday!
Using old VHS packaging as a theme is both unexected and brilliant
I have all the other kre-o stuff and was truly a bit worried I wouldn’t have an opportunity to get this set, a big thanks to HTS for making them available. This set is so amazing on so many levels, I had a chance to show this off in person and in pics to some people over the past few days and the biggest appeal was the packaging, the mix of retro design with the mini-fig aesthetic is just so cool.
When you talk about an “exclusive”, packaging like this absolutely makes it. With Kreo’s absence from retail marketing, it’s awesome to see the love and creativity that went into this set. And if GIJoe Kreo ends, it’ll be on a very high note.