Wednesday, March 31, 2010

The Corps! Assault Vehicle - Tank

Part of a very big "Deluxe Action Set" found in Badajoz, Spain, in a (presently extinct) retailer called "Pryca". A Spanish anagram for "Price and Quality". Indeed it was. And Spanish visitors probably miss it as well as we do. Since Pryca was fused with Carrefour/ Continente back in 2000, things were never the same again. We are still compiling this big set we found in the late 90s, comprising this tank, a command jeep and more than a dozen troopers. And since the box was, unfortunately lost, it is taking some unexpected time. This is a The Corps! fans favorite. Therefore, it deserves a post of its own.

Lanard has made some great vehicles and especially, suitable and perfect for G.I.Joe 3 3/4" figures. All things considered, this has to be my very favorite.

Included accessories. A SAM and 4 rockets.

Another example of fine tune between simplicity and great design. This piece of armor stands tall between the likes of "M.B.T. Mauler" and "M.O.B.A.T.".

Open/ closed hatches views. The tank holds 6 figures. 4 crew members and 2 standing on the outside.

Barricades/ barbed wire thrasher, SAM positioning and the way Lanard found to keep the cannon straight. Well, it sort of works... most of the times. Specially when you just want it standing on the upper 50% of its course.

Scale shots with a RAH G.I.Joe figure. When we have the whole "Deluxe Action Set" complete, you´ll see the original troops on it and some of the box cuts. There are some minor parts missing among the tons of loose action sets we have around here.

Status: Unavailable

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

S.T.A.R. Force 1998 Lazer Force Units

Another fine example of Lanard´s impressive simplistic capabilities to improve.

Although these astronauts are for reference purposes only, they were in fact the included ones with these Lazer Force equipments. I say reference, because apparently, they were packed randomly.

This set had this radar dish-looking accessory which wasn´t exactly the "endless application" sort of thing. However, good looking.

The shield set. Now this was cool. Observe the battery, cell compartment and Light-activating button. This did NOT include any sound feature.

Last but certainly not least, my very favorite, the "Stand" set. Observe the open battery compartment. Fits two 1.5V cells. The stand lights up making a cool image of the figure standing there.

Status: Unavailable

Monday, March 29, 2010

Soldier Force Series I Deluxe Action Figure Play Set

As with most of the Soldier Force I play sets, there was a Police Force counterpart. And vice-versa, of course. We already reviewed the Police Force "false twin" of this military pack, focusing on the first Chap Mei jeep. This time, we´ll have a look at the helicopter.

Contents view.

Included accessories.

Jeep. For more details on this mold, refer to "Police Force Series I Deluxe Action Figure Play Set".

Helicopter trailer with stand.

A very useful trailer to take your one-man chopper to the woods. The 3 holes in there may fit some cages (Dino/ Wild Quest lines).

Helicopter. A Chap Mei version of the G.I.Joe Cobra F.A.N.G.

Engine and rotors detail shots. The missiles are removable, but they usually came glued.

Cannon rotates freely thanks to a "swivel-ball" joint. The helicopter also packs a underbelly handle for either figures or mechanical applications.

Figures. For more details on these, refer to "Soldier Force Deluxe Tower Play Set" and "Soldier Force Deluxe Combat Vehicle - Tank".

Scale and comparison shots with G.I.Joe RAH figure.

Status: Unavailable

Bimbo Stickers 1999 collection

Present, 23 of 30 plus 7 doubles.

Status: Available for trade

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Dino Quest Action Figure Playset - Wildboar Max with Styracosaurus

Another example of Chap Mei´s strength, the Styracosaurus included in the small set with action figure.

The included accessories although very detailed are high over the proper scale, which leaves us "Wildboar Max" and the included "Dino".

Included accessories.

Figure: "Wildboar Max". For more details, refer to "Dino Quest Action Figure Playset - T-Rex Capture".

Dinosaur:"Styracosaurus".

One of the coolest dinosaurs of this line. The sculpting and paint job are absolutely great. Sure it´s not the most scaled example, but there is no doubt that this Styracosaurus has to be a part of any serious 1:18 scale "Jurassic Park" collector.

Status: Unavailable.

Candy Box Heads 1997 Trilogy Celebration

Status: Available for trade

Saturday, March 27, 2010

G.I.Joe View-Master 3-D set

Being an avid GIJoe collector back in the day, this item was an absolute must. View-Master 3-D was the coolest thing!

Reel markings, 1987. Box date, 1986. Tag reads Belgium, 1989...

Includes G.I. Joe ViewMaster 3 Reel Set - "Dangerous Mission in Middle East".

This is one of the many reasons I feel G.I.Joe, A Real American Hero was , is and will always be something truly different.

Status: Unavailable

1997 Chupa Chups Lollipop sticker collection + boxes


One of the most brilliantly developed stickers during 1997 celebrations, absolutely beautiful metalized stickers. Complete collection shown above. Plus, you get a 2nd set only missing 3 stickers (8;11;20) plus over 40 doubles. A real bargain.

Status: Available for trade

Friday, March 26, 2010

True Heroes Rocket Hauler 2nd release

Different color scheme and a lot less equipment and accessories than its predecessors, this Rocket Hauler still rocks!

A Toys R Us item. European price in dollars: US$67.

As you can see, the helicopter is different from previous Rocket Hauler sets. No winch and also, there is no armored vehicle like the one present with the Soldier Force V" set. However, this vehicle was already dismissed when Toys R Us first start selling their first True Heroes version.

Contents view.

Included accessories. Very poor for such a set. And such a price.

The included figures are also a main difference between the 1st and this 2nd release :"Colonel Stewart(Zone Commander)". For more details on this one, refer to "Soldier Force Deluxe Combat Vehicle Playset - Truck". "Captain Red A-6". For more details on this one, refer to "Soldier Force IV P-40 Combat Fighter Playset".

One of the new Chap Mei soldiers. See all the articulation? Well I don´t. Not a single point. Nice sculpting, for a PVC figure...

The other Chap Mei new recruit, and the comment above serves this one as well...

Helicopter. For more details on this one, refer to "SF VI Peace Force Storm Vehicle Playset - Helicopter".

Rocket Hauler. A must for any G.I.Joe fan.

Launch bay shots. Unfortunately, TRU decided to cut on a lot of accessories and the winch is actually being missed here. Also, the firing cannon comes with no missiles to fire. Very strange indeed. For more details on the trailer, refer to "Dino Valley 2 Mega-Hauler Playset".

Truck. Instead of the "tiger camo" present in previous models, this one shows a plain painting scheme. Considering we already reviewed this one in "Dino" colors, this new camouflage is actually refreshing. For more details on the trailer, refer to "Dino Valley 2 Mega-Hauler Playset".

The hypersonic-type Cruise Missile. When pressing the button, lights flash and you hear the phrase "3, 2, 1... Fire!".

Status: Unavailable

1999 Chupa Chups Lollipop sticker collection + box

Incomplete collection. Over 40 stickers.

Status: Available for trade

Thursday, March 25, 2010

G.I.Joe The Rise Of Cobra Dragonhawk XH1 and Crimson Hydra

For something a bit different, some considerations about some new generation G.I.Joe weapons.

I was thinking about a conversation I had with a visitor/ contributor/ friend yesterday about the new "Joes", and how I was missing the good old days of plain superiority of G.I.Joe over almost everything else. However, some items are in fact good. These two are some of them.

There is no reason to go and review extensively these vehicles. The web is filled with good reviews on either static or motion supports. This Crimson Hydra, besides the cool bloody painting comes with a great Cobra golden age Ace, the "Aero-Viper".

... And talking about aces, on the other side of the barricade, we have a great "Wild Bill" piloting the G.I.Joe Dragonhawk XH1. A nice looking vehicle. Major flaws, as pointed out by the majority of fans... the size. Too small to make it a "Hall of Famer".

However, these are two examples of good vehicles from "25th Anniversary and beyond collection". And if on one hand is somehow a good thing, on the other hand, if we think about the "good vehicles" from the 80s... they would always be some notches higher than these. About the figures, besides the simple fact they are not fully compatible with the "vintage" ones, these are obviously richer when it comes to detail, but lose a lot when comparing playability. The ideal situation? Owning every single thing. Feel free to drop a line and let us know where you stand on this matter...

Status: Unavailable

Episode I Jelly molds


Status: Available for trade