MATILDA - THE ULTIMATE VILLAINESS
Hey all! I just picked up Matilda the Villianess from TRU at North Point mall in Alpharetta
GA. She's a pretty good figure. Her articulation is different from other super soldier bodies
but just as flexible and posable, maybe even a bit more so.
She comes with an awesome assortment of equipment as well, which I have to admit is the main reason I bought her. She comes with a hard backpack which is for storing her AR-7 .22 rifle which breaks down into its component parts: Main gun, silencer, T-stock, scope and magazine. She also comes with a scorpion machine pistol with silencer and a carrying pouch for the silencer. A Fairburne & Sykes (SP?) combat knife, 2 silver grenades that are both marked "Black Gas" with a skull separating the words. Two pouches for the grenades AND one awsome dual shoulder holster rig & pistols which I have not yet identified but they look like they might be some sort of Ruger.
Of course she comes dressed in a black felt-like material body-suit, a black
web belt, the black trench coat (fairly cool) and a way cool pair of high-heel, knee-length
zippered boots. Over-all I would say this is a decent figure to own. My only real
disappointments with the figure are:
- Her head/neck sculpt reminds me of a woman with a fairly serious case of Osteoperosis
as it has her head thrust way forward giving her the appearance of having a hunch back.
- Her left hand mold, while interesting is fairly useless except for making a "Talk to the
hand" gesture.
- Her knees are incredibly loose, making posing her a fair chore (Though this is a risk with
any figure).
- One of the grenades looks "squinched" for lack of a better word, though this may be just a
slight defect in my particular boxed figure.
Over-all, I would say the figure is a good buy, worth the price alone for the equipment and
coat in my opinion. -- Echo5Hotel Out
*Note that all underlined words are links to photos that open in a new window.
Special thanks to Echo5Hotel for the fine review and photos! -- GL
M5 LIGHT TANK:
Well troops, GreenLeader finally got the new 21st Century M5 Light Tank. And boy is this thing cool! At a mammoth 28 inches long it's by far the most impressive mass produced vehicle I've ever seen. Your figures look awesome standing beside it. And as an added bonus, 21st gives this thing some cool paint weathering as they did with their previous vehicle offering, the German Kublewagen. The tank tracks and all the sprocket wheels have a dry brush of silver paint on them. As an additional weathering paint effect, 21st adds a brown wash or spray to mostly all of the plate joints including weld lines. I suppose this is to simulate rust. Whatever it's for though, it looks great!
Unfortunately, I'm not too much of a tank expert so in this review I can't give you guys details on how it matches up to the real thing. I tried to take a few good photos for you though from all angles, so you guys will have a chance to decide that stuff for yourself. But purely from a toy perspective, it's over the top! I've seen kid's riding toys that aren't this big. (I wouldn't suggest riding on it though.)
Anyway, all those tools you saw from other pictures that are on the back of the tank ARE removable. And all are weathered with silver paint. I think this is a very sharp feature. There's really not much more work you can do to these tools to make them look more realistic. 21st has already done all that for you here. Also, there's a real cool 10 inch long, 2.5 inch deep storage compartment on the top of the tank toward the rear. Since I'm not really up on tanks, I have no idea what this is. It seems like it would be a compartment to get to the engine, but of course it's just a compartment, there's no engine in there. It's pretty roomy in there anyway and will definitely store some gear.
Unfortunately, the only drawback to the Stuart tank is the main cannon barrel and front .30 cal machine gun don't have a lot of movement. That doesn't make a whole lot of difference though when it comes down to how cool it is. Be careful with that .30 cal on the front though. It looks like it might snap right off if you accidently bump into it.
4 figures will fit into this tank. There's space for 2 figures in the turret (standing) and room for 2 drivers up front. It's a tight squeeze to get the drivers through their hatches in the front of the tank. It pretty much has the same dimensions as your Sam from shoulder to shoulder. But this guy will fit down in there without having to force him too much. If you put him in with his knees slightly bent, so once you get him in you can push, you can probably get him completely down and close the hatch. Although I like the look of the driver peeking out of the hatch. I'm not sure of my WWII armor division markings either, but I'm pretty sure this is set up for 3rd armored.
That hedgeclipper thing on the front of the tank is easily removable in case you were wondering. It just sort of slips in and hooks on. Then you sort of lift and pull, and it slides right out. So for all you guys who don't want this piece on the front in certain shots, it's easy to get off.
Probably the worst part is the .30 cal mounted on the turret. Now mind you, it's not that bad. It just seems to be set awkwardly on the tank. I'm don't know if this is the correct position or how accurate this is compared to the real world one though. It looks like it would be kind of hard to shoot if you were the turret commander. But for me, what makes this vehicle the awesome toy it is, is the fact that this thing actually clanks and squeaks as you roll it along. If it had some engine noise, it'd be perfect. This little addition I felt was completely ingenious.
So to cut this short, I have to say again this is the best 1/6th scale mass produced vehicle I've ever seen. And definitely the highlight of 21st's vehicle line to this point. So if you've got a spare $200 to slap down for your hobby, this is definitely a must have in my opinion. I wish I had the money for two myself. Of course, with that Bradley coming... But that's another story for another day.
*Note that all underlined words are links to photos.
SUPER SOLDIER BODY:
Ok troops, it's a little late, but better late than never I say, so here's my little review of the new Ultimate Soldier 'Super Soldier' body.
First off, I'd like to say that this is without a doubt the best articulated action figure on the market at this time. There are lots of features that really shine, but of course everything can use some improvement, and that goes for this figure as well. When you compare him to the old Ultimate Soldier body, this guy is quite a bit taller. Now I know a lot of you guys out there are saying that this makes for more realism because all people are different sizes, but it kind of screws up the fit of the uniforms, which unfortunately do not come in different sizes. So when you put, for example, the modern woodland BDU pants on the Super Soldier they are a good quarter of an inch shorter than on a regular Sam figure. This goes for the arms as well. This guy is about the same size as the Dragon figures so all of the Dragon uniforms fit these guys very well. If you'll notice from the photo the Super Soldier's joints aren't quite as nice and refined as the Dragon joints, but of course Dragon's figures aren't quite as 'pumped up' as the Super Soldier.
One of my favorite parts of this new Super Soldier is that he has a ball joint on the upper part of his chest, like the Dragon figures do, but he also has a ball swivel at the waist. This allows him to bend over further than the Dragon figure. (And no snide remarks about the photo please heh heh!) Another great aspect of these two joints, is that it allows the figure's back to arch further when in a prone position. No other figure to date has been able to get this position as well as the new Super Soldier. If only his neck would have been a little longer so it could tilt back further, it would have been perfect.
Another exciting aspect of this figure is the shoulder joints. Due to the fact that the chest has cut outs on the sides, it allows the hands not only to come together, but actually overlap each other in the front. Another position that no other figure to date can do. This definitely gives him the widest range of motion of any action figure on the market.
The only drawbacks I really see are the fact that his neck is not long enough, the joints are a little big and clunky, and for some reason the legs don't straighten out completely straight. They are always slightly bent. Other than that, he's a killer figure. I highly recommend him!
*Note that all underlined words are links to photos.
THE MISFITS (Revisited):
Well troops, the other day GreenLeader managed to find the Misfits' Jerry Only & Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein at my local mall. And since I promised in the last Misfit's review to give you my own opinions when I finally got them, well here it is.
Wonderfully horrific! I just love both of these figures. 21st did an outstanding job on them. I can see why they were voted best figures of the year. Everything correct right down to the last detail. The guitars even have strings on them! One of my favorite parts of these figures that you probably would miss if you weren't a guitarist, is that both Jerry and Doyle's fretting and strumming hands have been sculpted in the correct positions for the bassist and guitarist. Awesome!
The only two drawbacks I saw were the massively sculpted neck muscles and the fact that Doyle doesn't have a belt to cover up his waist joint. Now, I don't believe Doyle wears a belt, but since he's wearing spandex pants and 21st used elastic around the waistline, it sort of falls down into the joint. Other than that though, I am not disappointed.
The sculpting on every piece and the clothing craftmanship is top notch. After getting these guys though, if we don't see Michale Graves and Dr. Chud released soon, I'm going to be one very disappointed soldier. 3 thumbs up for the Misfits!
I was so impressed with the Misfits that I decided I'd go down to the local record shop and pick up their latest two albums, American Psycho and Famous Monsters. I haven't listened to the Misfits for about 10 years but they didn't disappoint me with these latest two releases. The Misfits are still the kings of campy horror/sci-fi rock & roll. So I would suggest any of guys out there that take a shine to heavy metal, alternative, punk, or are just a plain old B-movie horror fan, then you should definitely pick these up. You never know, you might be a newly reconverted fiend as I am.
If you want to learn more about the Misfits, I would suggest you check out the "Only" site on the internet for the Misfits, Misfits.com. You might also want to download a copy of Real Player so you can download some of the songs off of Famous Monsters from the site. For all you non heavy metal fans, I would suggest trying out the song "Saturday Night". It's a scream! LONG LIVE THE FITS!
Click Here for my photos of the Misfits in concert...in 1/6th scale of course! (Hit the "Next" at the bottom of each photo to toggle to the next photo, and when you see "The End", you're done.)
KUBELWAGEN:
Ok troops, thanks to our old friend, Ultimate Soldier, ol' GreenLeader got a chance to get a sneak peek at the upcoming WWII German Kubelwagen. First off, I'd like to say this is one very cool looking vehicle. I was really impressed with the Schwimmwagen, but I think the Kubelwagen has it beat.
The one thing that you'll notice right off the bat is that there's lots of moving parts here. The side doors open, the wheel hubcaps are removable, and it's got an opening rear engine cover so you can see the detailed engine inside. 21st also did a very nice job of detailing the dashboard and interior of this great vehicle. The seats have been painted a light khaki color to resemble seat cover material.
Another thing that I'm sure all of you guys will be happy with is the new and improved MG-34 and the hinged ammo. carrier. Since I didn't get a chance to put my hands on it, I'm not sure what kind of plastic it's made out of, but as you can see from the photo, it's much nicer looking for sure. It even has a folding bipod.
The version of the Kublewagen I saw was German Gray in color, but I'm sure we'll see several versions of this before too long. You don't have a lot more room inside of this vehicle then you did in the Schwimmwagen. Your boys are going to be still riding around shoulder to shoulder. But besides that little downside, without a doubt, your troops are going to look great riding around in this thing. I'm already having visions of several of these Kubelwagens in my own personal German Army. I love all the decals that have been added to this vehicle as well. It just gives it that much more realism. So in my humble opinion, the Kubelwagen gets two thumbs up.
Special thanks to Ultimate Soldier for the great photos.
*Note that all underlined words are links to photos.
M151A2 MUTT:
OK troops here it is. My review of the new Camo MUTT from 21st Century
Toys. It won't be long because most of you troops already know what the
first MUTT looks like. I'll just go over the highlights. Let's get to
it then.
Well the camo paint job is awesome in my opinion. Not as good as Captain
Fisher's custom one (as seen on the photos page of this site), but it will
do. The camo paint is on the inside as well
as the outside. Terrific! No
paint on the wheel hubs though,
like the camo Schwimmer had. All in all
it's one cool looking vehicle. Your troops are sure to look awesome riding
around in this thing.
Of course it could always use some modifications to
make it better. No need to give up the customizing part of your hobby all
together yet. It comes with all the standard Mutt gear. M60 w/ 2
ammo belts, green gas can, green 3 piece radio and tow hook. No trailer
included in this set though. Instead you get a carded SAM with tiger stripe
Vietnam BDU, and a whole "plastic bagged" cache of Vietnam gear. A ton
of stuff too. If you still need some 'Nam gear, then this will be perfect
for you. You can click here to see the list of gear.
Well troops, that's about it. Great vehicle in my opinion. I wish this version
had been released first. Now don't get me wrong, I like the first MUTT
just fine, but in all honesty I would rather have 2 of these instead of 1
of each. It's awesome. Definately a must have for all you soldiers that
do not have the time to customize your own.
*Note that all underlined words are links to photos.
AH-6 LITTLE BIRD HELICOPTER:
The Specialist here troops. I recently found the AH-6 LittleBird Helicopter.
So I Figured I would give you men the lowdown on it. Lets get to it.
First off, let me start by describing this vehicle in a word...BIG!
Don't let the size of the box fool you, everything's in there, and
is packaged with great care- the main fuselage is wrapped in plastic, the rotor
blades, antennas, miniguns, missile pods and tailboom components are all
individually wrapped in tissue paper and bagged to prevent dings, scratches and
guard against breakage. Kudos to their packaging specialists- this is the type
of quality control one likes to see in a product.
The instruction sheet is needed when putting this helo together-
the numerous antennas and the weapons platform can be confusing to locate
without it. No tools are needed- everything snaps or slides into place for the
assembly, which takes about twenty minutes. When finished, it's a big, fairly
faithful replica of the AH-6, and looks good and sturdy. Detailing looks good
with silver paint drybrushed on the cockpit and cabin
bulkheads,
as well as the miniguns, for a used, worn look. Also the seat covers are painted
green. Very nice overall.
The flexible ammo feed belts are great, and fit nicely into the feed slots on
the miniguns, even though the illustration in the instructions doesn't show this
very well.
The downsides:
The aircraft as a whole is slightly SMALL for
scale (Some of you are saying,
"SMALL? You gotta be joking!") I say this because the cockpit's a little
cramped for your figures- When dressed in their helo pilot helmets, they can't
turn their heads very well with the goggles in the "Up" position.(Go ahead, you
doubters try it, I'll wait..(pause)...See? Told ya!)
Also, the cockpit's missing a collective stick on the pilot's seat, and there's
no anti-torque pedals for either pilot (there's no room for them- the pilot's
feet rest on the lower bubble windows).
Next, the aircraft lacks position lights- the only one represented is
the dorsal light atop the fuselage. For accuracy, the AH-6 should have a
position light at the forward tip of each landing skid. (Imagine yourself IN THE
COCKPIT, looking forward while I say this.) On the left hand skid should be a
red position light, and on the right skid, a blue light. Also, just aft of each
rear cabin door, there's a stubby, wing-shaped fin sticking out- a position light
belongs at the
end of these, too, corresponding with the color of the lights on the skids. A
white light belongs at the tip of the tail boom, and a red light atop the
horizontal stabilizer on the tail fin.
Also, (and this is just me, really) as big as the miniguns are, you'd think that
a way to make the barrels spin could be found.
Still, this is ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, WITHOUT A SHADOW
OF A DOUBT, THE BEST AIRCRAFT EVER MADE for 1/6 scale figures, bar none. GET
ONE WHILE YOU CAN! At $54.99 plus some pocket change, it's cheap air support.
Special thanks to Spc. Riker for the great review (photos by me)-GL
*Note that all underlined words are links to photos.
THE MISFITS:
Ok troops, here they are, the Misfits! We get our first look at them
thanks to the Ultimate Soldier. I don't actually have these figures
myself, so I'm just going from what you see here and what intel I've been
given by The Ultimate Soldier.
First thing you will notice is the new articulation (well, probably the
muscle body, but we'll just start with the articulation.) These new 21st
Misfit's bodies will kneel exactly like Dragon's figures. The knee
joint is designed very similar. Also, the arm articulation has been
upgraded as well. The Misfits' arms can hold a pair of binoculars or
a radio to his ear just like Dragon's figures too. It's not
the same type of joint though, we also get a bicep swivel, which is actually the
joint that allows the hands to move closer to the face. All in all,
a great pair of articulation upgrades. Hooah! Hopefully
soon we'll get to see these pieces added onto our soldier Sams and
then there will be no doubt that Ultimate Soldier leads the way.
Well, now my thoughts on the muscle body. I have to say I'm seeing a head
swap project coming on. These bodies will make a great
60 Gunner. Of course you will either have to paint the heads or do a
head swap like I just mentioned to get this idea to work out right. But
the body seems perfectly suited to it, in my opinion.
I was also thinking of using my Misfits as villians. Put them on a couple of motorycycles, and...
Look out Joker! No modifications for this idea either. Definately the Misfits
are quite menacing looking "as is". Myself, I'm definately planning on getting
two Misfits and keeping them as is, and getting a couple more for those
60 Gunners I was talking about. Just imagine how cool Sgt. Savage's head would
look swapped on one of these new bodies. Awesome!
Well, that's about it men. I give the Misfits an A+. They're awesome right
out of the box, and they're even worth the price for the bodies to make some great
customized soldiers. When I get these guys for myself though, I'll try to give
you guys a little more detailed description. But you can make out most of it from
these photos I think. Great job 21st!
Special thanks to the Ultimate Soldier for the photos and the intel.
*Note that all underlined words are links to photos.
CAMO SCHWIMMWAGEN:
Well troops, here's that review I promised you. I bet you are already
excited about this one, from the header alone huh? I wouldn't blame you
one bit. I was dancing in the aisles of my local toy store when I came across
this one. I had heard rumors of this new camo Schwimmwagen, but didn't
have any real confirmation of its existance. Well no doubt now.
It's awesome, so let's get to it!
From the "head on" photo, you can see this baby has a real cool camo
paint job. Perfect for all you troops that did not want to, or did not
have the skills to paint one of the gray Schwimmers. 21st sure saved us
the effort with this cool piece. Even the wheel hubs are cammied. Swing
on around to the drivers side and it only gets better. On this side you
will find 4 decals. First one is what appears to me to be a "vehicle spec's"
decal. It's a yellow color with black out line and writing. Located right
below the window is a white german helmet decal. The other two are small
decals located over each wheel. I have to admit I've never seen the
white helmet decal before, so you guys "in the know" will have to clue
the rest of us in on the accuracy of it. It looks awesome though.
OK, now let's move inside the vehicle for a moment. The first thing you
will notice that is different from the gray Schwimmwagen, is that the
seat covers have been painted dark gray. In my opinion, this just gives
the whole interior a much cooler look. Another little interior bonus is
that now we have instrument panel decals. WooHoo! They just give the
interior that extra something special. I wish these would have been on
the gray Schwimmwagen. Really cool looking. That's it for the interior
details troops, but these were enough for me.
Now back outside again. Like before the MG34 is included. Down side is
that its the same old soft plastic one. I had hoped to see an improved
MG34, you know, harder plastic and painted details, but I can see why
21st went with the softer one again. It would probably be very breakable
in a "play" environment. No matter though, we can just replace it later
with the better looking MG34 from the upcoming 21st WW2 German machine
gun set. The Schwimmwagen also comes with standard shovel and Oar that
attaches to the outside of the vehicle. Again I had to switch the shovel
to the drivers side so the Oar didn't cover up the "vehicle specs" decal.
Oh before I forget to mention it, The white helmet decal shows up on
the passenger side as well, but not the "specs" decal. The white helmet
decal also shows up on the back of the vehicle, right behind the rear
passenger seats. Cool!
Well troops, thats about it for this review of the new Camo Schwimmwagen.
One terrific vehicle in my opinion. Put your Panzer grenadiers or your
new german infantry in this baby and your troops are sure to look way
cool. I'm going to use a combo of the these two troopers to make a cool
German Engineer Team. Then all I will need is those german landmines
that 21st should be releasing soon, and I'll be set. The WW2 stuff is
starting to look pretty cool now. I don't know if it's the "newness"
thing or not, but I have to say it's my favorite 21st vehicle to date.
One more reason to get you 'Nam and Modern fans to start "your" WW2
collection. I wish I had enough room in my humble abode to fit another
one of these cool new Schwimmwagens. Two would be awesome for my Engineers.
I absolutely love this thing. So keep your eyes open for this baby in
your areas of operation. You won't want to miss it. I wouldn't if I
were you. Awesome!
*Note that all underlined words are links to photos.
INTERACTIVE SOLDIER:
OK troops, Ol' GreenLeader got his Interactive SAM today. First off let
me start off the review by saying, if you're a SAM Fan you definately
have to have one of these soldiers. Really Neat!
Now lets get to it. I'll start with the gear included in the set. He
comes with Wooland camo BDU's. These aren't made of the same material as
your standard Modern BDU though. It looks to me like sort of the same
material as the SWAT Commanders black uniform. Also included is a
Woodland camo Kevlar helmet. This does have the standard thick material
cover on it like we're used to. Also he has a webbelt(no harness),
Danner boots, SOCOM pistol(without silencer or lasersite), M16A2 rifle,
SAW gun with clip, and AT4 launcher. That's it.
OK now on to the figure itself. First off lets cover the articulation.
No twisting waist joint(no joint at all), and no up and down neck motion
in the neck joint. His head does twist though. He has a very similar headsculpt
to the new carded Caucasian figure. I don't believe it's exactly the same though.
Heavy "deadhead" paint too. Mine has
dark brown hair. The eyes are not as bad as I feared though. You can
hardly notice in lowlight such as a lamp lit bedroom. In direct light
though he looks a bit spooky. 21st did it as well as could be expected
in my opinion. I really like him.
Now lets get to what he does. First off he has a button located right
below the neck between the shoulder blades. When you push this button
quickly, he will shout out 4 commands. They are: "SEMI","AUTO",
"LAUNCHER" and "OFF". These 4 commands represent the "modes" he operates
in. If you push the button slowly you will hear one of 3 firing sounds.
A single shot followed by a bullet ricochet, a rapid fire followed by a
ricochet, and a launcher sound followed by an explosion. The gun sounds
are done pretty well, but the command voice sounds a little like he's
part of the Lollipop Guild from the Wizard of OZ (munchkin). I have to
admit though, I get a big kick out of his voice everytime I hear it.
Now the eyes sensors. Well since its a light sensor, you need a bit of
light to get this guy to work. When a shadow is detected by his eyes
one of the 3 firing sounds goes off (weapon sound depends on which "mode"
your soldier is set to). If he is left on for a while he will say "off",
and shut himself down. So no long guard duties for this soldier.
Well that's about it. I really liked this Interactive SSAM. The one
thing is though, that it looks like 21st, using this technology could
easily come up with a more articulated TALKING SAM with more commands.
This guy is really neat, but I have to admit it left me wanting more.
This piece though, in my opinion, is a "must have". I just wish he did
more. In closing I will definately say, I can't wait to get another one
very soon. Cool Toy!
Click here to
check out the archived photo.
SWAT COMMANDER:
First off his skin tone is close to that of the new SAMs although not quite as pale. It may just be a result of the
production run. The as is looks a little too monotone and could use some painted highlights or a darker wash. As stated
before they use a rubber band to keep the helmet on which not only caused the helmet to be crushed but also the head.
I mug of hot water and some tiem will fix the head and helmet.
The right hand has the first of the new hands, a cut away trigger finger, similar in style to those on SOTW figs. The
Villian has a left handed trigger finger. Rex is not too sure when the rest of the new hand will be available.
The black BDUs are a totally new cut. I had thought they would just be the same as the MAC-V set. Two pocket shirt
with epilets and reinforced elbows. Snap cuffs similar to those on the Nam Tiger Uni. Pants are six pocket with
reinforced knees and elastic bottoms. Also included is a black modern style belt and fingerless gloves. The boots are
also new.
The body armor is made of nylon and covered with the loop part of velcro so the pouches can be positioned as
desired. The epilets are also velco so that you can slip the radio hand set under them. Not only does the vest open on
the front but also from the sides. I waws playing around and if you want you can turn the vest inside out and it still looks
just as cool.
There are eight velco pouches one of which holds the removable radio.
The knee and elbow pads look pretty cool but I didn't put them on. They will require some TLC and time when putting
them on.
The goggles are new and fit much closer than the ones form the pathfinder set. There is also a drop down holster for the
right thigh and a ammo pouch for the left. The ammo pouch is pretty neat b/c there are three compartments mounted on
a piece of rubber which allows it to curve natually around the leg. Finally a riot shield is included that will look much
better after I add "SWAT" with white dry transfer letters.
Well there you have it, the SWAT commander.
Thanks for the review, LT -- GL
CALVARY SCOUT & MOTORCYCLE:
Well troops, this thing kicks @$$. Rear working suspension, break
wires, engine line tubing, realistic speedometer, and much more. You are going to love this thing. The Scout
figure is a "new" caucasian SAM. This is the only drawback of the whole set, since the new SAM doesn't wear the
kevlar helmets very well. His head is a little small. Heres what he comes with: Woodland BDU's, Woodland Kevlar
helmet, woodland flak vest, Danner boots, Black gloves, goggles, Y-harness and belt, 2 m16 pouches, 2 canteens,
shovel carrier, M4 rifle, blinker pouch, first aid pouch, 2 frag grenades, Bayonet and sheath. All this for a price tag of
$49.99. Actually I was thinking it was going to be a little cheaper in price, but this is one cool bike, so I think I can get
over that. The Bike seems a little flimsy in places, but if you're fairly careful with it you shouldn't have any problems.
Schwimmwagen:
I called Toys
To Go on Friday to get an ETA on my Ford Mutt and was told that they were arriving
Tuesday of next week and would be shipped out on Tuesday. I was pretty happy to get
that news. But the day got even better when I got home. There was a package waiting for
me from Toys To Go, and it was my Schwimmwagen. Now as I am sitting here writing,
Hans #1 and Hans #2 and a Joe dressed as a German officer are sitting in the
Schwimmwagen on the desk next to me. They look great in it. I am really pleased with the
vehicle. I had thought that I would be painting it after looking at the pictures on several
sites. In most of those pictures it came off looking like a shiny blue. That is not the case at
all. It is a dark blue grey color, but the finish is matt. The size surprised me more than
anything. It isn't any bigger than a Jeep, but because of the vehicle's bathtub shape it
appears to be much bulkier. There isn't a tremendous amount of detail to the vehicle, but
then, after looking at some pictures of the real thing, there really wasn't a lot of detail to it,
and 21st Century has captured it pretty well. Some assembly is required, but the box
pictures helped with that. I found that it is a little difficult to get the driver behind the wheel.
And you will find that the feet of the figure must sit flat on the floor to sit in the seats. They
will not fit any other way. But then that is typically how most of us sit in a car, so I guess that
is a good thing. It took me a couple of minutes to figure out though. I am used to the legs
going into that bottomless void under the dash. The vehicle came with the paddle on the
drivers side and the shovel on the passenger side. It actually looks better the opposite way
because once the 'taillight' piece is added, the paddle will cover up the cross on the side of
the vehicle. The only thing that could have used a little more work was the MG34 machine
gun. It is not up to the level of detail that we are used to; but other than that I am extremely
pleased with it. Thanks Rex for a great looking German vehicle. Hans looks great in it. I
can't wait to add some 21st Century Troops as well. -- Point Man
Thanks Point Man for the review --GL
Night Ops SEAL:
Greetings Troops,
I made my way down to KB this morning to see if the new SEAL exclusive was in and there
next to the cash register was a pile of them stacked up on the floor.. just out of the case !!! I
quickly snatched up two and sped home to checkout my new troops.. this is one cool set
guys.. the new head sculpt is really nice.. the only draw back is that the black wet suit hood
(that is actually part of the head sculpt )only goes down to the joint where the head meets the
neck.. so there is a large area of skin tone showing between the wet suit hood and uniform
(nothing I cannot fix with some paint, or you can simply just use the spandex hood that is also included.) The black BDUs are super and when he's fully
decked out with his gear he's the toughest looking trooper I've yet to see.. (although that may
change when we see the SF HALO fig this summer!)
unfortunately one of mine was missing a part to the M60A3..doh!! so my ammo box will not
stay attached to the weapon.. there is a plate that comes out and down from where the
ammo feeds into that is not there on one of the ones I bought..anyway, aside from that one
quality control problem with mine..you are all going to be very pleased with this new addition
to the coolest action figure line in history.. and as a final note.. the package design definitely
gets an A+++++ from me.. great job at the graphic design house at 21st..
happy hunting ! -- Capt. Fisher
Thanks, Captain Fisher, for the review -- GL
82nd Airborne (Modern) Set:
Even in the package, the detail of the accessories is incredible, particularly the
MC-1 main and T-10 reserve chute packs. Nice engraving of the pack stitching, and
a thin black paint wash make the packs really stand out. The new beret is better as
well, and fits Sam's head pretty good, but may be a problem on some Joe figures,
most notably the WWII head sculpts and the infamous "peanut-head" carded Joes.
Out of the pack, the harness is a little confusing, especially for folks who've never
seen the real thing up close. But once it's all put together, it looks pretty stunning!
Two deficiencies noted in my set were a detached riser buckle on the main chute
harness and no brass rings on the sling of the M-4 carbine, the sling ends are
looped around the weapon stock and barrel, and are sewn closed. I was able to fix
the buckle with some heavy-duty fabric glue, and the sling is easily corrected with
some jump rings and a little stitching. Also, the set really does need a HELMET for
the jumper, 'cuz even Sam's smart enough not to go out the door wearing only a
beret. A good basic set overall, especially since the airborne Army really hasn't
been given its due in the 1/6 scale world. IMHO, worth the money you pay for it,
and your figure looks rock-hard and tough when he's suited up.
Enjoy it, and get one while you can! -- Spc. Riker
Thanks, Spc. Riker, for the review -- GL
MAC-V SPEC OPS GRP:
Hello troops, just thought that I would give my review and opinion of the MAC-V
SPEC OPS GRP TRU exclusive that I acquired last week I know some of you
haven't seen this yet so I will tease you a little. This set includes: The Ultimate
Soldier full action soldier, Black S.O.G Fatigues, Jungle boots, O.D. Boonie hat,
M1956LBE, scarf, Arvin Rucksack, S.O.G knife & sheath, M1911A1 pistol &
holster, binoculars, MX-99/U Flashlight, M60A1 Machine gun & bipod, 7.62mm
Ammo Belt, ammo can, AK-47 rifle, UZI, jungle shotgun, MAC-10 SMG & silencer,
Belgium FN LAR paratrooper rifle, claymore mines & bag, machete & sheath,
rope, 00 buck shells, fragmentation & smoke grenades. As you can see this set is
loaded w equip. for any and every kind of S.O.G mission you send Sam on. This is
the second TRU exclusive set released. This set comes in both white and AA
figures it is my understanding that the AA figure comes one per case, so if you can
find one you are lucky like I was I got one of each. well you should be drooling
about now huh ? Any way this is great being able to get 21st stuff until the Axis and
Allies stuff comes out. There should be a few more sets to get ie: Kaybee
Exclusive Night Ops, and the Modern series II w/the SAS Uniforms. That should
just about do it for me I'm out. Later troops.
Thanks, Tailgunners son (gunnie)
Thanks, Gunnie, for the review -- GL
M151A2 (MUTT & TRAILER)
Greeting fellow troopers. I received my Mutt from Good Stuff to go yesterday.
Thought I give you a little review. When I first opened the box, my first question
was "where's the trailer?". Trust me, it's there, it's all there. First, this is no
HUMMER! The MUTT scales very well. Nice and low, nice and wide. This piece
will be a customizers dream come true. Don't get me wrong, it stands alone nicely.
Let's start from the bottom up. The real rubber tires and detailed hubs jump out at
you. It has some suspension, just springs but they are nicely done. The front
bumper in molded in a softer plastic than the rest of the MUTT. All forward lights
are present and crisply molded. The hood does not open (bummer) and is missing
the latches. The windshield is nicely molded and folds down, the only thing it's
missing is the wiper motor. The dash board seems to be complete but it comes
with no decals. The seats are well done and will detail out nicely with a little fabric.
The M60 mount comes in one piece and snaps into place between the seats. The
gun mount swivels and the M60 that comes with it has tabs molded on it which
attaches the gun to the mount. It also comes it 2 gun belts (I wish it had come with
an ammo can holder attached to the gun instead). The radio snaps onto the rear
deck and could use a few connecting wires and a set of decals. It also comes with
the hand set from the RTO set. The antenna mount snaps onto the opposite deck
and is very nicely done just needing a connecting wire to the radio. The only thing I
am disappointed in is the jerry can on the rear of the MUTT. It lacks detail
compared with the rest of the vehicle and only mounts to the vehicle by resting on
one of the back bumpers. The spare is as nice as the rest of the wheels and the tail
lights and rear marker lights are as nice as the ones on the front of the vehicle. The
trailer is really well done. The hitch assembly snaps onto the bottom of it. It has
individual tie downs if you wanted to add a canvas. Again the suspension, tires and
marker lights are very well done.
The markings are OK. The star on the hood of mine is a little off center and
crooked. By far, the best vehicle 21st century has put out. I personally would have
rather have had them release the MUTT without the trailer at a lower price but the
trailer does not take anything away from the piece. Overall, only trivial things I
didn't like about it, things that can easily be fixed. In my opinion, well worth the
$53.00. Officially given the Treadhead seal of goodness!!!
Thanks for the review, Treadhead -- GL
U.S. MODERN SPECIAL FORCES C.Q.B.:
Here finally is that review I
promised you. Let's take a closer look at Ultimate Soldier's new Special Forces
C.Q.B. The first thing I'd like to say is this is one COOL uniform! It comes with
modern woodland fatigue 4-pocket jacket, and the cool thing here is that it has small
straps sewn to the sleeves with a snap that allows you to gather the sleeves tight up
around his wrists. It's a better design that how they did it with the Vietnam
L.R.R.P. The Modern one has a fully sewn sleeve with no slit. The strap is sewn
directly onto the sleeve, so it crumples and gathers before it snaps. Really great.
Also comes with modern woodland fatigue pants and both pieces are made of a
heavy material like the L.R.R.P. uniform, not the more flimsy material as used for
the Green Beret. The coolest thing by far is the load bearing vest, not to be
confused with a flak vest. It's made of a thick meshy material with seven
permanently attached pouches and a velcro closure up the front. Also includes a
really cool black drop down holster that attaches to the belt and straps around the
thigh and a pistol with removable silencer. There's also a really cool knife in a tan
rubber sheath. Another unique thing is the OD Green Beret It's a different sculpt
than they used in the Vietnam Series. It's slightly smaller and fits tighter on the
head. The Special Forces flash appears to be a plastic sticker, superior to the
paper sticker of the Vietnam Green Beret. Also included is a black ski mask and
green fingerless gloves, both made of spandex, a pair of new sculpted shorter style
modern black boots, a really cool pair of night vision goggles, machine gun with
adjustable rear stock, and a really cool commando style gun strap, so even if the
commando had to use both hands, his gun would still be tight up against his chest. If
this is the level we have to look forward to for future products from 21st Century,
I'd say we're in for some really great stuff!
U.S. MODERN WEAPON SET:
The best U.S. modern weapons
reproduction I've ever seen. In this set you receive the new rubber pistol holster
which is really cool looking, but I've been having a problem keeping the holster flap
closed. It just has a rubber flap in the back that slips over the belt, which isn't an
ideal way to do it. You also get a black berreta pistol, a bayonet (which does hook
onto the M-16), a new rubber scabbard, a pistol-clip pouch, a web belt with the cool
new modern plastic buckle, a double canister M-16 clip, and a rubber double
canister magazine clip pouch (non-functional) with the new cool redesigned clips that
hold the pouches onto the belt, far superior to the Vietnam wire clips. Plus M-16
and three versions of the commando style M-16, one with grenade launcher with
opening grenade launcher piece, one with silencer, and one regular. All four rifles
have removable clips. A truly wonderful set, even though it's the worst of the 4 new
modern weapons sets. It even gets more spectacular.
U.S. MODERN MACHINE GUN SET:
This is one of those first time ever
sets, as far as I know. In this set you receive a U.S. Modern sawgun with two
removable magazine, and a modern M-60 machine gun with forward stock grip and
two attachable ammo boxes, both beauties to behold. That's not all. You also
receive two M-60 ammo boxes and two sawgun magazine pouches that have those
new nifty clips that attach to the web belts. Just to top it all off, two sandbags for
some cover. Wow!
MODERN SPECIAL OPS WEAPONS SET:
In this set you receive, in my
opinion, the best of the modern forces weapons. Here you get one commando
M-16A2 9 mm. with a converted MP5 magazine clip, which fires a smaller bullet,
and a suppression type barrel, an Ingram MAC-11 with long silencer, and an
Ingram MAC-10 with short silencer, a M1911A1 .45 pistol with TAC light, a
Heckler and Koch MK-23 SOCOM pistol with lasesr aiming module and removable
silencer, and three versions of the MP5, one with fixed stock and TAC light, one
with forward stock and pull out rear stock and TAC light, and one extremely
chopped down, no forward or rear stock, commando style. You even get a bonus
double MP5 clip. By the way, all clips are removable from all guns, except for the
.45 and the SOCOM pistol. I simply love these guns.
*Special thanks to Sgt. Rock for the weapons tech. support*
MODERN FOREIGN WEAPONS SET:
In this set you receive the Russian AK47 and Israeli Uzi with fold out stock (both of which came in the Vietnam special operations weapons set.) You get three versions of the German H&K MP5. The MP5SD (suppressed) with fixed stock, the MP5N (Navy) with fixed stock, and the MP5PDW (personal defense weapon). Also included is the Belgium FN-FAL rifle with folding stock, and the Austrian Steyr AUG rifle with flip down foregrip.
*Special thanks to Sgt. Rock for the weapons tech support*
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