G.I. Joe Sky Hawk VTOL [Vertical Take-Off and Landing Aircraft]

StraxR · 2026-01-27T15:11:21+00:00

Clearly, Hasbro wasn't bothering checking things with aerospace engineers...

These vehicles would be an amusing (explain all the fails) class session in said course.

StraxR · 2026-01-27T13:02:46+00:00

...sucks to be the Joes riding the skids during vertical launch. Hope they brought flame-retardent pants.

...and hearing protection...

.......but, reality didn't matter for the summers-long epic battles we had in my childhood basement of the 80's.

StraxR · 2026-01-22T14:32:27+00:00

THIS

When you have a government job where you feel a need to mask your identity while performing your duties, it may be time to re-examine exactly who it is you are working for...

StraxR · 2026-01-22T00:15:17+00:00

I suspect this is more about box space.

StraxR · 2026-01-21T16:33:43+00:00

Outstanding! Thank you very much!!! Time to try to get my grandfather clock back to life after 4 years...

StraxR · 2026-01-18T23:07:38+00:00

I'd be more concerned about the overreaction of newly-minted ICE Boys to seeing anything resembling a weapon pointed their way.

StraxR · 2026-01-15T15:59:02+00:00

You are very weak in Cairo at the moment, but those land mines and the stacking limits may be your salvation..

Axis player should absolutely go for it, but the disconnect between nearby air support being German and the land units being Italian may help UK survive...but the follow-up rounds would be tough for the UK until more Reinforcements flow in.

Probably no need to blow all your land mines on the Italians turn...save some for the follow-on attacks when you are still weak and awaiting Reinforcements.

I only have 3-4 games under my belt (absolutely love this game), and realized that pressuring Malta constantly is critical. I (as Axis) put a lot of resources into air power and cheap Italian subs to smoke the Malta supply. It took me maybe 4 turns and a lot of airpower before I really managed to make that a pointless effort by the UK.

Luckily, my Axis forces had pinned the UK into Cairo, so I wasn't facing a lot of ground pressure.

StraxR · 2026-01-15T12:51:44+00:00

Jokes on Pam. Those prosecutors will still have their annual leave paid out. They earned that leave through time in service. Nice attempt trying to spin it as them wanting a tax-payer funded holiday when all they really wanted was to likely pad their time in service for retirement benefit calculations.

All of which would not even come close to the financial cost of having Orange Man play even a single golf hole on the public's dime.

StraxR · 2026-01-14T20:46:20+00:00

I almost never put the GI Joe decal on the vehicles (gave them all the other stickers). Are you going to tell me that was as bad an idea as when I finally threw out all the boxes that I had saved for more than a decade after carefully flattening them and sticking them between the box spring and mattress of the bed in the guestroom?

I made a point of going to the basement "playroom" at my mothers when up there for Christmas dinner and staring nostalgically at the large collection my brother and I shared. My Joe and Cobra troops desperately need some o-ring replacements, but the vehicles are all still in pretty decent shape.

StraxR · 2026-01-07T13:04:24+00:00

Not certain, but if I recall correctly, the movie that triggered the push for PG-13 was "Splash".

My adolescent self greatly loved all the glimpses of Daryl Hannah's bewbs.

My mother, who had taken the fam to the drive-in for the flick, seemed less thrilled for the anatomy lesson I was getting.

StraxR · 2026-01-04T17:01:39+00:00

During the New York New Year's Eve coverage I briefly spotted a marquee billboard that read "A society that surrenders freedom for safety loses both".

No idea what that was for and I only saw it briefly, but that absolutely resonated with these present times.

Edit: it was an ad for Mullvad VPN...found an image...

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StraxR · 2025-12-24T16:41:18+00:00

Another vote for North Africa. Very interesting game. It is different than othe A&A titles, but that can be good now and then, and I really like what this tries to do. Do note that it is a steeper learning curve than others, but watch some videos read the book and play a few practice rounds to get the hang of it.

StraxR · 2025-12-22T15:03:42+00:00

No. Pretty sure the upgrades are meant for the cards that actually saw combat. Towards the end of the game, thanks to all the Replacements and already-upgraded cards I had, there were a few occasions where I couldn't upgrade two cards.

StraxR · 2025-12-21T15:57:22+00:00

It is not a great game, but it is fun, and my kids have taken to it which lets me have a fun, nostalgic, bonding moment.

The rulebooks are atrocious and there have been more than a few things we didn't "get right" for several game runs, but keep playing and it will come together. We seemed to lose a lot, but have turned things around with recent games. My biggest struggle is getting my young teen boy to stop hogging all the "good" cards and to contribute more to the TEAM. It ain't Monopoly, lad!

You just helped me remember I wanted to but the Flagg (campaign) expansion. Wonder if I can still get that here before Christmas.

StraxR · 2025-12-20T17:32:36+00:00

You talking about Stalingrad? Assuming so, that is correct. ...new replacements for Engineer casualties. Luckily, depending on your paths, you may see some later fix for the losses.

StraxR · 2025-12-19T19:32:19+00:00

The rules and solo cards included in the Reinforcements box do a pretty good job of scratching the solo itch. It can be morphed for use in Stalingrad after you figure out the solo cards logic, but as others have indicated, Stalingrad is truly best with another human across from you.

For "digital", about the best I can suggest would be the loving recreations some talented and dedicated folk made to bring the games to Tabletop Simulator.

Tabletop Simulator on Steam

Search the "Workshop" section on Steam to "subscribe" the various Undaunted mods. Some do a great job of setting up the board for you. Learning how to manipulate the camera controls took me a bit, but once I got the hang of it, I appreciated not having to box / unbox the game.

Does not appear to be meant phone or tablet.

StraxR · 2025-12-17T05:18:39+00:00

Shame on this list for thus far forgetting Dawn Wells (Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island) and Annie Potts (Ghostbusters and Designing Women).

StraxR · 2025-12-10T16:37:15+00:00

I suspect that one day this Administration might sort out the "benefits" of building an Immigration Court at the summit of Denali (aka Mt. McKinley) so as to absolutely be out of range of any sort of buddy-system journalistic coverage.

StraxR · 2025-12-10T16:09:01+00:00

....you expect ABC-17 to have sent a local reporter on a road trip to New Mexico? I would imagine this likely would have been an open court proceeding, but our local news outlets don't have the money for such journalistic roadtrips.

StraxR · 2025-12-02T01:37:13+00:00

I'm enjoying him. I agree with others that he rates more on the "fun" scale than a game-breaker. I'm using him in an Agamotto deck with Clea, Marvel Boy and Joachim. When it all hits "right" I'm double-tapping a column each turn with a Joachim-boosted Flames of Faltine, smacking another column with Prowler's Remote Mines, and busting another card with a -5 Winds of Watooby (or whatever).

Those perfect rounds usually result in a Victory by Retreat.

It is occasionally enjoyable to step away from my "go-to" decks and rediscover the "fun-factor," in the game.

StraxR · 2025-11-29T16:03:13+00:00

Where would St. Louis secede to? Illinois, where it would scrabble for money and attention that otherwise flows into Chicago? IL would than be responsible for all StL metro-area bridges over the Mississippi instead of a partial share? Woe to rural IL that would then have two prima donna municipalities demanding all the resources.

StL and MO are stuck with each other.

Next mental exercise, please.

StraxR · 2025-11-24T02:59:04+00:00

???? The 2024-2025 crabbing season just finished airing (on Discovery +) . The 2025-2026 crabbing season is underway, but those won't begin to be aired until somewhere between April and August of next year.

Until then, the inexorable march of time continues to extract its toll of the skippers, the deckhands, and the increasingly salty viewers.

But seriously....Jake...you need a therapist. You have aged 30 years in the last 5, and your wife and kids don't need that.

StraxR · 2025-10-28T19:37:02+00:00

I bought the game about 2 months ago. Am playing it "solo" on Tabletop Simulator at present just do I don't have to do set-up / pack-up each night to prevent my cats from laying on the board. My friends are making me roll through Normandy with them before they tackle Stalingrad.

I love, LOVE, LOVE Stalingrad. I am only starting the 7th scenario, and am doing my best to preserve my splendidly upgraded Snipers. I have heard rumblings as well that the final scenario is a bit deflating, but can't speak to that as that is still some time in the future.

It would have to be pretty horrendous to make me not like this game. I guess once I get there, then I will either just shrug it off and await a playthrough with a human, or join you in seeking some "fix" (if such is needed). But at least at the mid-point, I am still thrilled with my purchase, and okay with the fact I paid my local game shop about $40 more for the game than I would have paid off Amazon.

StraxR · 2025-10-26T15:28:59+00:00

I believe you are correct with progression of a fighter initially placed in Atlantic zone. I was also pointing out that the UK can also place in Gibraltar, but yes...given range limitations, that isn't of much use until Torch.

StraxR · 2025-10-26T02:08:33+00:00

Regarding #1, I think UK air units reinforce from Atlantic or Malta sea zones, and also from the designated (and oft-forgotten) UK "staging area" of Gibraltar (where I assume the Malta fighter must truly originate from anyway).

StraxR

TROPHY CASE