I ordered this figure from ws_toys on ebay. I have been very excited waiting for it and it arrived just 9 days after I ordered it. I plan on using the figure as the base for a self custom on me in uniform, but first, I figured I'd do a detailed review from a Soldier's perspective.
The Package.
I got the figure last night and decided I could not wait to open it before I started taking pictures. We've seen pictures the front of the package a lot, but the back is pretty cool. It's in English. It has eight different Soldiers pictured. A brief description of the Soldier and a quote about the 101st Airborne from WWII. The cardboard is as heavy as BBi figures. A good solid package. The reason I say this is because often a crappy package means a crappy product. So my first feelings were that this was a quality toy.
Here's a shot of the write up and some Chinese-English. A few mistakes, but overall got the point across. This might keep bigger outlets like Wal-Mart and Target from buying them though.
A shot of all eight of the figures..
The chase figure up close in silhouette. Looks like an EOD guy or a generic Al-Qaeda terrorist to me.
You more piece of the package then on to the figure. The front of the package has a small cut out on the inside of the plastic bubble, much like other figures. But, this one is not glued in or anything so it makes a cool little label for the figure. I don't know if this was intentional, but I think it's cool.
The Base
The base is pretty wide and tall, which supports the figure very well, especially since it is kind of top heavy, like a real Soldier. The foot peg is about RAH size. I can't get my pictures to post for some reason.
Figure
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is figure, I played with him for about 30 minutes. Just posing him, looking at his uniform. Comparing it to my uniform (I still has my pants and boots of my uniform on at the time.)
I like the overall look. It looks remarkably like a Soldier. The head is not that great (but more on that later.) Overall right into my hand with his rifle added. Pretty cool. The pictures below shows the figure with his rifle in hand and the alternate (more correct) knee pads.
I took the helmet off next. Which brings us to the biggest problem with this figure. The head. My first thought was that it is awful. Very plain, the sculpting is very flat and bland. It's like they rushed it or something. After really looking at it, it's not that bad. The paint is good. The movement on the neck is good. But compared to the rest of the figure, it sucks wholesale.
The Uniform
This is my favorite part. The uniform is great. The below picture is for reference.
It has a perfect ACU digital pattern. The Unit patch is correct and in the right spot.
The flag is the Infrared combat flag and is in the right spot.
The sleeve pockets are canted about 10 degrees too much, but that's not killer.
Once you take the gear off, you have an almost exact replica of the ACU as worn without gear. The chest has the only problems really. There are no names tapes and no rank. The middle of the ACU blouse is a little scrunched. The pockets are almost touching. This means there is little to no room for rank on the uniform. The pockets are a little low as well. But overall,the uniform is great. The best representation of the ACU I've ever seen at 1/18th scale by far.
The left leg has a small inconsistency. The squad leader figure comes with a drop holster on his right leg. This figure uses the same upper right leg and still has the straps for the holster around the thigh. Not too big a deal but kind of lame. The rest of the pants and boots are great though. The pockets are in the right spot and accurate size. The boots are the right color and type. They are the winter version if anyone is interested.
The Gear
The gear is a very accurate. It has Interceptor Body Armor (IBA), knee pads, Army Combat Helmet (ACH), a Camelback and M203. It's a pretty standard kit and very realistic. The IBA has pouches attached as the real IBA often do. It has a D-Ring for whatever. Soldiers attach those all the time because they are useful. He also has a Motorolla brick radio, which is pretty cool. The ACH has the hook up Night Vision Goggles (NVGs.) The figure doesn't come with NVGs but the average Soldiers doesn't carry that around anyway. They just leave the hook up on there because it's a pain to take off and put back on.
The Camleback is just okay, The straps fit well over the vest but are loose on the figure without the vest. It also hinders the arm movement just a little bit.
There are two sets of knee pads, standard and some other kind. I've never seen them before, but they look like a pretty regular civilian type. The kneed pads fit very well on the legs.
Military
Civilian
The M203 is the big winner. It is really detailed, the right size and has a little dry brush. It fits in the hand very well. It is made ss a really plastic and not bendy at all.
I was playing with the rifle and though I had accidentally broke the scope off. But no, it is removable as is the plate on top of the barrel. This leaves the rifle looking a little leaner and meaner, which I like. The pieces are very easy to put back on and fit perfectly.This could just be with my figure but the pieces are really good.
The articulation
This seems like it would be a big win and it almost is. It has the new standard articulation plus the Clone Trooper-type wrist, which rotates and goes up and down. So why is the articulation and not perfect, because of the shoulders and elbows. You will notice that I have exactly zero pictures with two hands on the rifle. That because I can't get him to pose that way. The problem is the elbow is 25th Anniversary Duke style. It'd too thick. The shoulder has a similar problem in that the ball goes too far into the torso and the chest limits the movement. These problems can easily be fixed though with an Exacto knife. The rest of the articulation is great. The joints are tight. I had a little stick at first but then the joints (all of them) moved with ease but also stayed right where I want. This is important for
ACTION POSES!
The other leg could do the same thing. The base is big enough to support this and the figure holds these poses with ease.
The wrist articulation is something some GI Joe fans aren't too familiar with. Let me tell fill you in, it is awesome. It lets you have a full range of motion at the wrist which is super important for weapons. Below are three pictures of the rifle in three dramatically different poses where the figure was only moved at the wrist. Pretty impressive. The joint doesn't feel lose or cheap and holds the poses easily.
In summary, this figure is great. I'm really pleased with it. I plan on using it for a self custom so the $12 price wasn't bad. I imagine they could sell for around $5 retail, I'd pay that much. The biggest plus for me was the ACU underneath. The biggest minus was the craptastic head. Over all I give it a four out of five.
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