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CALLSIGN: LONGBOW Update - June 2026 - PAINT!
21 days ago – Wed, Jul 01, 2026 at 02:01:54 PM

Hello CALLSIGN: LONGBOW® Backers!

We would like to wish everyone here in the States an early Happy 4th of July, as we celebrate 250 years of American Independence. Have a happy and safe semiquincentennial, everyone! 

We'd also like to thank everyone who came out to Joefest 2026 in Augusta. It was great to get to chat and hang out with many of you this past weekend. It was EPIC!

A special thanks to Doug Hart for joining us again this year! 

Production Update

Lancer & Krasny-Ninja

As we mentioned in last month's update, these figures are currently with the pain department. Mid-month, our project manager (Dave Proctor) at the factory shared these images with us of the figures making their way through the paint process. 

Please note that these parts have some paint applications, but not all of their paint, and will have additional detail upon completion. These are in-progress shots. 

Paint work continues on Krasny-Ninja as well.

Dave also sent us this video to share of the paint process. Much of this work is still done by hand at the factory. You can see that parts are placed into the mask, and then the spray application is applied. 

ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

We have a little bit of a fall break here before our last planned show of the year. 

Join us as we round out the year at our home show, Assembly Required presented by CODENAME: IOWA, November 13-14, at the EMC Expo Center at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, IA.

We hope to see as many of you as possible at these conventions around the country!

Thank you again for making this project a reality!

-GRINDSTONE TOYS

CALLSIGN: LONGBOW Update - May 2026 - PARTS!
about 2 months ago – Sun, May 31, 2026 at 08:00:14 AM

Hello CALLSIGN: LONGBOW® Backers!

We're posting this from the DFW G.I. Joe and Action Figures Show. Thank you to everyone who came out to the show. It was great to meet everyone in person. 

Unfortunately, Bill Young was unable to attend as the show approached. We hope he can make it out next year! 

This month, we have a lot of visible progress to share from the factory team.

Lancer & Krasny-Ninja

• The factory has started molding parts on the Lancer & Krasny-Ninja!
• They shared images of all the ABS parts for Krasny-Ninja.

• We also got to see some of the upper body ABS parts for Lancer. 

• We were also informed that the factory is staffing up the paint department, which hopefully will help keep these figures moving forward without delay. 
• And on that note, they've started painting Krasny-Ninja! Check out all these left hands with painted gauntlets.

Volk, Uptown, Spetsnaz, & Outlaw

The same corrections that they've been working on for better waist and leg movement function have been updated on these figures as well. 

Steel Web Shock-Trooper, MTF: Retro-Ops, ADAPT Trooper, & Henchmen

• The model shop has completed the modifications on the 3D files for these three figures.
• At this stage, these are still 3D prints. The files used to create these prints will be used to cut the new tooling.
• These new versions have corrections to prevent the issues we saw with the waist/leg movement on the other figures. Creating these models is intended to head off those issues before the tooling stage.

JOEFEST

Come see us at JoeFest Toy and Comic Convention, June 26-28, at the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center in Augusta, GA.

ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

And we'll round out the year at our home show, Assembly Required presented by CODENAME: IOWA, November 13-14, at the EMC Expo Center at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, IA.

We hope to see as many of you as possible at these conventions around the country!

Thank you again for making this project a reality!

-GRINDSTONE TOYS

CALLSIGN: LONGBOW Update - April 2026
3 months ago – Thu, Apr 30, 2026 at 07:58:25 AM

Hello CALLSIGN: LONGBOW® Backers!

Here is the progress we've seen in the last month: 

Lancer & Krasny-Ninja

• In last month's update, we noted that the factory was going to do some additional polishing on some rough spots on these tools; this work has now been completed.  
• The factory team also identified an issue with the fit of the upper arms on Lancer and Krasny-Ninja, where the parts are sonic-welded. This issue has now been fixed and functions properly.
• The following video, provided by Dave Proctor, shows updates to the Lancer tooling and some of the corrections that have been made to the figure, along with a comparison to our earlier test shots.

Uptown, Volk, Outlaw, & GRU Spetsnaz

• Outlaw's Gasmask has been slightly resized for a better fit, and the tooling has been revised accordingly. (image below) 

• We are awaiting the new waist and thighs for this group to be tooled.
• We are seeing progress from the factory on these figures.  However, the progress is not keeping pace with the factory's most recent timeline.

This is the extent of the updates we've received in the last month, and we are continuing to push our factory on the finalization of tooling.

Upcoming Shows

DFW G.I. JOE AND ACTION FIGURE SHOW

We will be in attendance at the DFW G.I. Joe and Action Figures Show, May 29th - 31st at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Marriott in Irving, TX.

We are also announcing that we will be sponsoring Bill Young at the show.  Bill was a senior product designer at Hasbro from 1984 to 1997. He designed some great vehicles on the G.I. Joe brand, including the Cobra WOLF, Buzz Boar, Phantom X-19, Cobra Rage, and Hurricane VTOL. 

If you are going to the show, please stop by and meet Bill! 

JOEFEST

Come see us at JoeFest Toy and Comic Convention, June 26-28, at the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center in Augusta, GA.

ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

And we'll round out the year at our home show, Assembly Required presented by CODENAME: IOWA, November 13-14, at the EMC Expo Center at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, IA.

We hope to see as many of you as possible at these conventions around the country!

Thank you again for making this project a reality!

-GRINDSTONE TOYS

CALLSIGN: LONGBOW Update - March 2026
4 months ago – Tue, Mar 31, 2026 at 07:58:13 AM

Hello CALLSIGN: LONGBOW® Backers!

Thanks to everyone who came to see us at Zolocon and our last-minute, unannounced appearance at Toylanta. It's great to get to meet as many of you as we can in person!

Production Update

In our January update, we shared the new timeline provided by the factory for production. Below, we'll hit on the individual items from that timeline and any new items that have come up.

Lancer & Krasny-Ninja

• Final samples were expected by the end of March for these two figures. We've been told that the tooling revisions for the waist parts are complete. Our factory representative advised that the new parts had some areas that needed additional polishing (rough spots). Because of that, we have not seen the final samples yet (but expect them shortly).
• Early in the month, we were given the opportunity to approve some mold colors even before the samples were completed. The colors were chosen to match vintage figures and have been approved for production.
• The factory is advising that we are still on track for production in their estimated timeframe. 
• Even though we do not have final samples yet, we feel like we're in a good place and do not expect them to have any major issues. We just need to see the whole package together before we give them the "green light" to commence production. 

Uptown, Volk, Outlaw, & GRU Spetsnaz

• Additional modifications mentioned in January have been completed, and the corrected waist and upper leg parts have been sent to the factory for retooling.
• Things are still progressing on the factory's estimates. Production is still expected sometime in June-July for these four. 

Remaining Items: Henchmen, ADAPT Trooper, Steel Web Shock-Trooper, MTF: Retro-Ops, and Resupply Pack.

• Some of the new parts for these figures are ready to move to tooling (Heads, Hands, & Accessories). 
• Still looking like we're on track for full tooling on these figures to begin in late summer/early fall.
• We got a sample of the color match for the Henchmen's body (approved) and updated images of the Henchmen's rifle with its new etched wood grain texture (approved). 

New SKELETRON Figures

While not a LONGBOW® release, Grindstone Toys is excited to share that the new Red Shadows® Retro YETI and Retro ZARGONAUT are available for purchase online from our friends at SKELETRON. 

Retro O-Ring 3.75” ZARGONAUT  is a 2-in-1 figure that also transforms into Commander ZARLORD!

These figures are in stock and available now at the SKELETRON online store.

Upcoming Shows

DFW G.I. JOE AND ACTION FIGURE SHOW

We will be in attendance at the DFW G.I. Joe and Action Figures Show, May 29th - 31st at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Marriott in Irving, TX.

We are also announcing that we will be sponsoring Bill Young at the show.  Bill was a senior product designer at Hasbro from 1984 to 1997. He designed some great vehicles on the G.I. Joe brand, including the Cobra WOLF, Buzz Boar, Phantom X-19, Cobra Rage, and Hurricane VTOL. 

If you are going to the show, please stop by and meet Bill! 

JOEFEST

Come see us at JoeFest Toy and Comic Convention, June 26-28, at the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center in Augusta, GA.

ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

And we'll round out the year at our home show, Assembly Required presented by CODENAME: IOWA, November 13-14, at the EMC Expo Center at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, IA.

We hope to see as many of you as possible at these conventions around the country!

Thank you again for making this project a reality!

-GRINDSTONE TOYS

CALLSIGN: LONGBOW Update - February 2026
5 months ago – Sun, Mar 01, 2026 at 06:25:51 AM

Hello CALLSIGN: LONGBOW® Backers!

This weekend we are at  ZOLOCON at the Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia, PA., with our friends from SKELETRON and MARAUDER.

If you are at the show, don't forget to keep your eyes out for LONGBOW® Reinforcement Coins on the show floor and around the convention! Find them and bring them to the booth to exchange for a free figure!

Production Update

With the factory being shut down for most of the month of February, this month's update will be a little light. We expect the team to start back today (March 1st, 2026). 

Adding Tiny Details

Something we have not shown before is how extra-small texture details can be added to tools. In this case, the woodgrain on the rifle for Henchmen (Tracksuit). These details are too small to be 3D printed as part of the master for tooling, so they need to be added to the tool directly. The factory uses these pattern plates, in this case with a 0.080 mm depth.

Note: These patterns are the inverse of the final detail (all low parts are high and high parts low). So the final product will actually be the opposite texture of these mock-ups.

Proof Card

This month in our ongoing series of cardbacks, we have the proof card for LANCER to share. As we covered in previous months, these proof cards are used to make sure the cards are the correct size, colors, and layouts. 

Upcoming Shows

DFW G.I. JOE AND ACTION FIGURE SHOW

We'll also be in attendance at the DFW G.I. Joe and Action Figures Show, May 29th - 31st at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Marriott in Irving, TX.

JOEFEST

Come see us at JoeFest Toy and Comic Convention, June 26-28, at the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center in Augusta, GA.

ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

And we'll round out the year at our home show, Assembly Required presented by CODENAME: IOWA, November 13-14, at the EMC Expo Center at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, IA.

We hope to see as many of you as possible at these conventions around the country!

Thank you again for making this project a reality!

-GRINDSTONE TOYS