Big thanks go out to Marauderjohn for hooking me up with a set of Series 2 weapons early to review!
The first thing that you will notice about Marauder, Inc. Series 2 is that there are twice as many weapons as there were in Series 1! The weapons range from 9mm handguns to an RPG with lots of different caliber weapons in between, There's even a non-gun weapon (a first for Marauder, Inc.) in the form of an expertly sculpted katana. The selection of weapons covers a broad range of U.S., European, Soviet, and even otherworldly designs, giving customers a wide choice of accessories to choose from depending on their field of interest (although I'm sure that most customers will want all of them in multiples
). An added selling point for this series is the addition of removable ammo magazines on the heavy machine guns and Thompson submachine gun (the heavy machine guns also come with spare ammo boxes as another added bonus!).
The sculpts are all dead-on to their real world counterparts (with the exception of the "Sci-Fi Blaster" as it hails from Marauderjohn's imagination
) and there are details aplenty. Everything from cocking bolts to fire selector switches are present and all very well deliniated, a bold indication of the skill Marauder, Inc.'s sculptors posess. One thing to keep in mind though about some of the new weapons'handles, they are too thick/wide for original ARAH hands due to the risk of thumb breakage (most notably on the pistols and submachine guns).
The weapons' scale, like their sculpts, is accurate to the real world weapons they represent. This is especially impressive when it comes to the handguns, which many manufacturers tend to make way to big to prevent easy loss or swallowing. Marauder, Inc.'s handguns are not oversized cannons masquerading as pistols
As always, the plastic is of a very high quality, far better than what Hasbro utilizes in the modern line. I doubt that there will be much in the way of bending or breakage (with the possible exception of the extremely thin katana) from even rough play
And now for what you have all been waiting for, the pictures!
Don't laugh at my choice of models, the only other Joes I currently have in my posession are the Ninja Battles figures and they all have oddly posed hands that did not allow the weapons to sit properly in their arms and most of my Star Wars figures are still packed up until next weekend.
Sci-Fi Blaster:
Comparison between prototype (top) and production (bottom)
NCM Rifle:
P-90 PDW (Personal Defense Weapon):
Modified P38 Walther Automatic Pistol:
M60-E3 Heavy Machine Gun:
HK-G36c Assault Rifle:
Thompson "Tommygun" Submachine Gun:
M-4 Carbine Assault Rifle W/"Under" Shotgun:
M-16 Assault Rifle W/Grenade Launcher:
L85 (SA80) Assault Rifle:
AK-74 Assault Rifle W/Grenade Launcher:
SIG550 Assault Rifle W/Double Ammo Clip And Scope:
NVR Rifle:
AUG77 Assault Rifle:
M249 SAW W/ Bipod:
RPG Launcher:
KH-MP5 Submachine Gun:
HK-MP5K "Mini" Submachine Gun:
Firefly/Serenity fans take note: this is the same weapon that Jayne Cobb carries throughout the series and the film!
MAC-10 Submachine Gun W/Silencer:
HK SOCOM "Mark23" Automatic Pistol W/Silencer:
9mm Automatic Pistol:
Samurai Katana Sword:
Marauder, Inc. Class Of 2006 group photo:
Final Impression:
I'm really very happy with the selection, sculpt, and scale of Series 2. I knew it would be hard to beat the quality of Series 1, but Marauder, Inc. has done just that in spades! My personal faves are the Sci-Fi Blaster, NCM Rifle, P-90, and the HK-G36C, but I'm impressed with the entire assortment.
I give Marauder, Inc. Series 2 the "Spectre Seal Of Approval"!
Now go to
Marauder, Inc.'s Website and order lots of stuff so Marauderjohn can start planning Series 3!
