Hasbro’s Unproduced New USS Flagg Prototype Makes Your Inner Six Year-Old Weep

In 1986, there was no better way to gain false friendship and genuine jealousy than being the one kid in class whose parents loved him enough could afford to buy The G.I. Joe USS Flagg. The massive 7 foot-long aircraft carrier was the ultimate playset, and with the release of the the "25th Anniversary" line of figures starting in 2007, plenty of Joe fans and collectors hoped that there would be a new version released so that they could finally feel the joy that they never had as children.

Sadly, even though the line was extensive enough to include "Rowdy" Roddy Piper teaming up with Destro, a new Flagg was never released. This weekend at the 2011 G.I. Joe convention, however, Hasbro revealed an prototype design for a new USS Flagg that for some reason never made it to the public.

As reported by Toy News International, The prototype Flagg was revealed along with unreleased concepts for a Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover line at the Hasbro Archives roundtable on Sunday. If it had been made, it would've been as a part of the G.I. Joe: Resolute line, tying into the animated feature of the same name that was written by Warren Ellis.

Considering that an unboxed and incomplete original Flagg recently sold for $900 at my local comic shop, I can't imagine that a new and improved version wouldn't have flown -- or at least sailed -- off the shelves. So while the attendees at Joe Con may have gotten the official reason, I have to assume that the actual reason a new Flagg was never made was solely because Hasbro does not want me to be happy.

Seriously, look how ecstatic these kids are:

I don't think that I've ever felt that much joy in my entire life. Then again, having a plastic battleship the size of a coffee table sitting in my house might have had an impact on my life that would be somewhat less positive than I assume. Good lookin' out, Hasbro.

Besides, it's not like there's no possibility for a new one. If nothing else, this proves that Hasbro has a prototype of the Flagg ready to go into production at any time. All they need it to drop it into an episode of the actually-really-good current G.I. Joe: Renegades cartoon to get a whole new generation of kids wanting it, and we're good to go.