Sunday, November 27, 2011

Bravestarr .30/.30 Thirty/Thirty

Packed with "Sarah Jane", his giant rifle, the last of the Equestroids is Bravestarr´s loyal talking horse.


 Box is beaten-up, but contents are flawless!


 The agressive and combat-ready equine is one of the coolest toys of this line.


Included accessories: Mint and sealed. And of course, comes with instructions/blueprints.


Status: Available

Saturday, November 26, 2011

SOS COMMANDOS - Terror Cópter

 Another wonderful item from this (not so) obscure line, SOS COMMANDOS from Gulliver.


For more on this line, history and background, check out the previous SOS COMMANDOS posts.


Packed with the infamous Gladios, this terrorcopter... make that TERROR CÓPTER (portuguese for terror helo... or copter if you will).


MOC, 198? no date stamp but if not around the late 80s, surely the early 90s.


The "Cópter" backpack is one of my favourite small vehicles/accessories ever. There were two, one for each faction. Wonderful set of pieces of plastic!


The mechanism was a little fragile and at times, very complex for its purpose. And then again, it was the height of Hasbro´s G.I.Joe power. Things had to be quality-driven.


The colors, the detail, the design, all very 80s... and I´m loving every single inch!


Included accessories for the figure. And as always, a 4-sticker sheet.


Included (random) figure: Gladios. As seen in SOS COMMANDOS - Bad Fire.


Way before Destro´s Annihilators and around the motorized action packs time, this great piece of machinery flies the skies!

Status: Ask for available SOS COMMANDOS figures and vehicles.

 

Thursday, November 24, 2011

The Corps! Commando Force elite edition

With a ghille suit to blend into their surroundings, The Corps! elite sniper scouts are one of Lanard´s best ever creations!


With snap on camo, these highly detailed collector figures surely deserve the name "Elite Edition".


MOC, 2003.


Fully poseable 3 3/4" action figure.


Included accessories. M16 with scope and complete ghille suit.


One of the first figures with a "trigger finger".


A great way to sabotage the enemy´s positions and vehicles.

Status: Unavailable

  

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

The Corps! Special Forces Bucks operative

Another fine example of Lanard´s 2005 Special Forces Teams.

 
Taller than most 1:18 counterparts, this Bucks figure came with a cool sculpting and another great weapon!


MOC, 2005.


Sharing the same body construction of another Bucks specialist, this figure was presented with a hood over its head.


Included accessory: Z-M LR300


One of the finest THE CORPS! heads ever created!


Inside a CM SFVII Pirana. A great vehicle to deal with hot zones!


As years go by, some of these companies seem to develop their own style and keep on rockin´. Side by side, Lanard´s Special Forces figure and Chap Mei´s finest so far.

Status: Unavailable

  

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

The Corps! Special Forces WASPS pilot

 A return to Lanard´s The Corps! brilliant 2005 toy line, with the closed helmet variant of Special Forces WASPS pilot!


With a cool weapon and very nice color scheme, this pilot will fly solo or with any WASPS partner.


MOC, 2005.


Unfortunately not removable, this pilot´s helmet not only looks good but realistic (for an action figure). The whole color scheme is indeed appropriate, especially if you think modern fighters.


Included accessory: SOPMOD M4


Since their creation, Lanard´s 1:18 action figures were the low-cost best match for Hasbro´s G.I.Joe. Back in 2005 things were no different when the new Joes were redone in 2002. 

Hasbro´s G.I.Joe Duke 2002/2003

Lanard´s weapons evolved a great deal since the 80s and 90s. These are fantastic!


A great companion for Chap Mei´s Soldier Force Devil Hunter.

 Status: Unavailable

  

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Assault Motorcycle

Yet another curious contraption for custom purposes... or diorama scenes from Chinese toy brand(?) Assault.


Too small for the modern (more realistic) 1:18 figures, fits the old gen of hasbro´s ARAH gijoe-like figures. A different kind of entry when compared to the last post, but its simplicity goes hand-in-hand with all the feel of the 80´s and early 90´s lines. Also, the fact it costs under US$2 also helps.


MIB, 2011. Box reads: "Handsome appearance. Various styles. To have both the quality of tenacity. To be highly praised and appreciated by the consuming public". I guess we´re about to see that...


A friction toy, the problems start with the thin tires. If the front wheel could pass, the rear wheel of a chopper is known to be car-like. Well, then you have those 2 wheels from the friction motor.


On a high note, the tank and handlebar set are very good. A bit fragile, but for what I have in mind, personally, seems fitting.


The seats look good, and as one could see, easily fits 2 vintage joes. So that makes up for a lot of eventual flaws.


Looking for a foot rest? So was I. No such luck. However, it has sculpted rear brake and shift pedals.


It can be unsassembled quite nicely, so I thought this would look great inside a Dreadnok´s shop. A stripped chopper is always a ´Noks compound common sight!

Status: Available for trade

  

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Mighty Engine Badboyz Chooper Bikes

A product by Great Faith Ind.Ltd., a member of Uni-Fortune Toys Group, who already brought us the X Stuntz line, this "Chopper" is yet another great asset for 1:18 collectors and scene/diorama builders.


With a low price for its look and mechanics, this bike is one serious piece of coolness of a four bike "collection".


MOC, 2003.


Blister includes another set of orange(?) wheels, another set of handles and the quick change tool.

Duke figure from Hasbro´s G.I.JOE

Looking cool with pretty much any 1:18 figure.


Working front suspension, awesome paint job and all about ridin´ and rockin´. Die Cast metal and plastic.


Kickstand, chromes and sparkling paint job.


All a Dreadnok needs... even if Destro doesn´t.

Status: Available for trade

 

Thursday, November 17, 2011

EasyFix: G.I.Joe Cobra Stun 1986

For all us collectors and Joe nation enthusiasts, there are a few vehicles with common problems. When the MISB, MIB or mint loose/complete option is way too expensive, a considerably lower priced item is in order. And those usually come with known issues. There are many examples, and some will be covered here, like the 1985 Hydrofoil has. Today´s vehicle is the Cobra Stun from 1986 and its common issue, the flags.


Although completionists may prefer looking for brand new flags or looking for a decent trade with friends, the good thing about this procedure is that the parts in question are already "trash" and probably inside the "custom" bucket for a later use. Also, a good chance to practice the techinique or in the process, find another way (which I´d love to hear about).


We´ll then start by looking at the original mint flag/antenna and the broken one. It is good to take a few minutes to find the proper direction and mold lines to follow. These parts, like so many others have visible lines where the plastic was taken out of the mold or halves connected. It is unwise to simply cut and glue in any direction when you can save its look by spending a few minutes observing...

 
You´ll need to drill a 1/2 inch tunnel inside the antenna on both ends. The base and the flag. You´ll need steady hands, patience and a proper drill. This is will be a close call, since the hole´s diameter will be almost the size of the flag´s pole.  Before drilling, pick a proper pointy tip from your modelist cutters case and carefully punch a hole which will serve as a drill guide. That way you won´t be off when starting the most delicate parte of the whole deal.


Don´t try to drill the whole section at once. The metal drill will heat the plastic, causing it to expand around the drill and ruin your work. Instead, do it in steps, like 1-2 seconds perforations. When you´re done, you should have something like seen above (top right image). Then, you must remember this small tunnel is so close to the plastic, any dark-looking material you decide to put in will be seen from the outside. There are a couple of solutions. Either find a very thin (and not rigid) plastic cable from a parts plastic tree, or find an old copper cable and strip it, cut a small piece and slightly bend it (remember the flag is not straight).

 
Try it for size (on bot ends) and find the best position (as close as the original was so both parts become one) before applying glue.


Let it rest for a day or two (although most glue - good ones -will only take 12hrs). 3 days is ideal.


And there you have it. While waiting for a brand new one, your Stun will look almost as new.  This is a good thing when you have more than one Stun and don´t have the time or money to invest in all of them. Hope it helps, YO JOE!... or in this case: COBRAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!