Zarana and Zartan Carded Digital Renders Dreadnok Soundwave GI Joe Transformers Crossover
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Hasbro has released Zarana and Zartan carded digital renders in our first look at the packaging for these iconic figures.
Hasbro has released the digital render images for the card backs for Zarana and Zartan, the next figures to grace the fledgling GI Joe O-Ring line. as part of the Transformers GI Joe crossover collaboration, this will be the first time we are seeing a vintage O-Ring style Zartan on card as the version from the 80’s came boxed with the Swamp Skier! The card illustrations pay an homage to the original Zartan cardback art from 1984 as it was supposed to look on if he had single carded release in 1984. Zarana’s illustration pays homage to her prototype as this is how she was originally supposed to be designed with no sleeves and a tattoo. So that card art predates the one we got in 1985. The original illustrations were drawn by the artist Hector Garrido.
Origins of Zartan’s Illustration
Acording to 3DJoes, “In 1984 Hasbro unveiled artwork of Zartan running alongside his floating mask. This art was shown on the cover of the U.S. catalog and on the back of every carded figure in the cross-sell section. This cross-sell space was reserved for single carded figures, and did not traditionally promote vehicle drivers or pilots. Zartan is the only exception to this rule in the 1980s. Zartan was not released as a single carded figure, and instead was released with his Chameleon. In 1986, Hasbro again released this artwork as part of the 1986 “Action Cards” Trading Cards (by Milton Bradley), and Takara (a Japanese licensee) released Zartan on a blister card and used the U.S. artwork, making this a highly desirable figure. Zartan photo courtesy of Phillip Donnelly.”
Below is Zartan’s Japanese release which features the artwork for the single carded Zartan, which features the illustration that is being used Soundwave Dreadnok Thunder Machine crossover.
Where to Buy
You can purchase this amazing crossover at the following retailers:
Rumor Confirmed
Back in December last year, we reported a Soundwave Dreadnok Thunder Machine GI Joe Transformers Crossover Rumor, and today we got confirmation from TFW2005, that the Transformers X GI Joe Collaborative Thunder Machine Soundwave has been confirmed and is said to be going up for preorder tomorrow as part of the last day of reveals of We want to give our friend Dan Diego for giving us a heads up on this leaked reveal! One of the most exciting parts of this reveal is that this Transformers X GI Joe Collaborative set comes with none other than the Dreadnock brother and sister duo of Zarana and Zartan!
Keeping in the same tradition of the previous GI Joe Transformer Crossovers; HISS Tank and Awe Striker, the new Transformers X GI Joe Collaborative Thunder Machine Soundwave comes in the same type of packaging. With incredible artwork of Soundwave on one side, and the Thundermachine with Zarana and Zartan on the over side, this new collaborative set is incredible! The fact that this set comes with a vintage inspired O-Ring Zarana and Zartan is so freakin amazing! Finding a complete and intact vintage O-ring Zaratan alone is very hard to do, so getting a fresh brand new one is fantastic news for ARAH collectors! And this fresh on the heals of rumors that the O-Ring line is on hold, it’s great to see that at least this way we can get a vintage style vehicle and 2 O-Ring figures!
Here we can see Soundwave in his robot form! He looks so classic, I just love his blue color with red and yellow accents. You can see that Zartan is holding a transformed pet dog, so perhaps this is the cassette for Soundwave?
Similar to how the Baroness rode on the back of Megatron, here we see that both Zarana and Zartan can ride on the back of Soundwave!
The transformed Thundermachine looks just like it’s vintage counterpart and it’s so cool that this rumor actually came true!
Where to Buy
Last year, in a report covered by TNI, we could see the third GI Joe Transformers crossover mashup come in the form of a Soundwave Thunder Machine that would come with O-Ring versions of Zartan and Zarana along with Ravage! Let’s take a look at the vintage versions of these classic figures to get a sense of what this pack could look like! Like Bumblebee, who Transformed into the AWE Striker and Megatron, who Transformed into the HISS Tank, A Soundwave Thunder Machine is freakin amazing and we are thrilled that this rumor has come true!
Soundwave and Ravage
Soundwave is one of Megatron’s most reliable troops, and he has positioned himself comfortably and irreplaceably in the Decepticon upper command structure. Though “only” Communications Officer, Soundwave stands at Megatron’s side as a confidant, comparable in rank to Starscream and Shockwave, but unlike them, entirely loyal to his leader.
Ravage is one of Soundwave’s most reliable spies, Ravage believes unwaveringly in the Decepticon cause, and Megatron embodies that cause. To better serve Megatron and the Decepticons, Ravage has become the most efficient and deadly war machine under his command. He hides himself in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike with grim accuracy. His name is synonymous with stealth. His survivors are few.
Zarana
Zarana is a master of disguise just as much as her elder brother Zartan is. Whereas her brother uses holographics and depends on physical aspects of the art of disguise, she prefers to use makeup and method acting to deceive her targets. As a method actor, she deliberately assumes herself in the role of her disguise. She goes to the length of thinking, feeling and reacting as the object of her disguise does. In fact, she was so good at it that she could have been a successful stage actress. Her weaknesses, though, far outweigh her skills. As good as she can act, it doesn’t take long before her natural tendencies start to rise out. She is smart and ambitious but short-tempered, cruel and greedy. Zarana’s head had earrings (Right). Early in her release, the head sculpt was changed and the earrings were removed (Left). The earlier version with the earrings is much harder to find.”
Zartan
Released with his swamp skier in 1984, The Chameleon, Zartan was a cool figure for the time and came with a color changing skin! According to Joepedia, “One of the more eerie operatives in the employ of Cobra, Zartan unnerves both colleagues and opponents alike with his ability to alter his appearance and blend in with the environment. As a master of disguise, he has employed both practical and technological means of deceit, utilizing makeup and holographics. In addition to disguise, he is an expert in ventriloquism, a versatile linguist and escape artist. Zartan is a difficult man to capture and hold as he has shown to be proficient in several martial arts, some of which are believed to be derived from ninja. Cunning and intelligent, Zartan is the complete opposite of the band of biker miscreants he leads, the Dreadnoks who tend to rely on brute force.”
GI Joe Classified Series Retro Card Back
This is the third version of Zartan in the GI Joe Classified Series and they wanted to go with the 80’s Sunbow vibe with the blues, the blacks, and the “weird gray shoes.” The fits and finishes are fantastic, including the silver Dreadnok belt buckle and the armor clips. The face deco is amazing with the beady green eyes and they subtly redefined the face paint to differentiate it from other releases. What is cool about this version of Zartan is that he will be a single carded figure, which we have not seen since the 25th Anniversary 3 3/4″ line so it will be cool to see what the card looks like for this figure.
Zartan O-Ring Cardback Potential Illustrations
As we’ve seen with previous single carded illustrations for the 25th Anniversary and Hall of Heroes versions of Zartan, we could see any one of these two images for the O-Ring version. Personally, we think the 25th Anniversary illustration is the one to go with for an O-Ring version as he looks more like the digital render with the ram’s skull and belts design but who knows…they might make a brand new sketch like they did for the GI Joe Classified Series Retro Cardback version.
Dreadnok Thunder Machine
The Thunder Machine was the Dreadnoks heavy forward strike vehicle. It weighed 4.2 tons and had a maximum range of 750 miles. The vehicle’s maximum road speed was 115 mph and it’s maximum cross-country speed was 53 mph. While most of the Dreadnoks prefer to ride on their motorcycles, Thrasher favors his patchwork monstrosity, the Thunder Machine. Assembled from spare parts found in automobile junkyards and airplane graveyards, the Thunder Machine is a hulking mess of armor and weaponry.
The Thunder Machine was released in 1986 and included the Thrasher action figure.
Back in June 2022, for Yo Joe June, Emily and Lenny did a live unboxing of the Dreadnok Thunder Machine. It was a fun way to kick off the event although we think fans were expecting more just judging from the comments. Was this a teaser as to what was to come? Only time will tell!
