Official 1:18 Military Toys Thread (21st, BBI, FOV, etc)

[efranks]

Spotted that new burned out building you tweeted about yesterday, Jesse.  I didn't spend a lot of time at Big Lots but did see that and maybe a vehicle or two that I don't recall from last year.  But no large building or the command post, nothing new on the helicopter or jet front either.  They did have a new 12" figure on motorcycle, though.

I may stop back again in a month or so to see if they add any more as we get closer to the Christmas shopoing season.  Would still snag one of those command post buildings if I could find one.

   E...

[Jesse James]

Guys are saying, along with the two $13 playsets, that they're seeing the Littlebird chopper now, and a rocket helicopter I'm not totally familiar with but recall something about it.

E, get that Bunker man!  It's great.   Avoid teh sandbag wall thing...  It's meh.

[efranks]

Now that you mention it, I think I saw the Littlebird but I don't recall any other rocket helicoptor.  I think they had a sandrail type vehicle that's a little different than the one they've had previous years.

I'll take another look at the bunker when I stop back.  I don't think they had the sandbag set, though.  I think I know what set you're talking about, though, because it was on the back of one of the boxes.

   E...

[Jesse James]

Forces of Valor putting out some repainted/repackaged modern guys at Target, and one new headscuplt (scarf/sunglasses).

It's sorta something new...  I guess.

[efranks]

Hey Jesse,
  Did you see that BBTS is taking pre-orders on a bunch of Power Team Elite items?

They have the three helicoptors (Little Bird, BH and rocket ship) plus some other smaller sets.  No command outpost or shelled building but they do have the guard tower.

This was posted over on Hiss Tank and I was so hoping for the command outpost but no dice.  Still, BBTS is saying that if they do well on this they may import more stuff.

   E...

[Jesse James]

That's great, but also bad...

It's great because PTE stuff is A) Underrated in terms of quality.  Seriously, it's maybe a knock-off toy, but the quality is superior to a lot of half-assed knock-off toys out there.

It's great because PTE stuff B) Flies under people's radars a lot of the time.  It's just not got a lot of exposure unless you're poor like me and frequent Big Lots.

But it's bad because (and I say this without trying to disparage a sponsor), their prices are kind of goofy on some of their stuff they're pre-ordering.  The tanks, choppers...  Not good prices on some of that.

Big Lots orders PTE every year, so does J.C. Penney (check their catalog online, they have TONS of good stuff and often run sales making it great prices usually for what all you get in these big sets they sell), and BBTS will have a rough time competing price-wise with these outlets for PTE goodness.

Likewise, if you want just some random bits from a set, you can buy from Maraunder Inc., which sells individual bits and pieces for fair prices...  Not sure how/where they get their supply, but I believe it's from manufacturers and not a middle-man type deal.  I could be wrong, but don't believe I am.

Some of those are great pieces though on BBTS and if you're having trouble tracking down the Chinese tank, or the Chinese IFV (Seriously, they're Chinese...  that's awesome in and of itself, and both are fairly well scaled 1:18 items!  The Abrams is a bit undersized for the scale), then they're good sources...  But Like I said, I have a Big Lots every couple feet and they're all pretty solidly stocked this year...

What's great about PTE also is they shock you with new ****.  The Chinese stuff came out of left field...  this year's mini-bunker and wall sets in the "mid-size playset" series were out of left field too.  They've done tan towers now as well, unexpectedly, and I believe one has a peaked roof to it in the one JC Penney set which is odd.

There was a company called "Eversparkle" that did a set, sort of like PTE but cooler.  I need to snap pictures of this thing.  People will collectively poop themselves and wish they'd had somethign similar with a sci-fi theme (leaving "Star Wars" off it, but clearly as its intent).  It's awesomeness and inexpensive all rolled into one.  I only wish I had more of this playset.  It was my initial inspiration for some custom ideas i've had for Star Wars stuff, many years ago.

[Jesse James]

Eric,

I realized after I talked with you, and was looking up what's on JCP, that you meant the Pizza Hut looking command center right?  Not the 3-story bombed out mid-east looking building?  I haven't seen Pizza Hut in a while at any outlet.  Odd to say the least since it sold really well, but certain items have come and gone with them.

I keep hoping to see the bunks make a comeback...  It's a set of bunkbeds and an opening stand-up locker.  It's insanely cool, simple, and would work in Star Wars, GI Joe, or many other settings.  I have a nice group of them but never saw them after the one or two years they shipped.

Also they make a full tent (and a lean-to), which has never shown up again.  I never did get the tent. 

JCP's sets are great, for great prices though, and a good example why BBTS's pre-orders may not do well.  $19.99 for the Blackhawk at JCP with free shipping to a store.     That's a deal.

Oh and if you want a Humvee army for your Joe Greenshirts to get their asses handed to them and have Clutch come in and a VAMP and save them?  Go PTE with those!  They make like 3 or 4 variations of the military Humvee including an open-bed and soft top one.  It's scaled right, detailed, opens up nicely, and is just all around bad-ass, and at a fraction of the price of a BBI or 21st Century one.  21st's is easily the most hyper detailed, but BBI's is nice too (and their SPec Ops one is grand and nobody else did one of it).  PTE's are cheap though, and very nice for what they are, and are just missing small details like lift supports on the back and stuff, and a less crisp deco.

Their Littlebird chopper is on par with BBI's as well.

Their Blackhawk is underscaled but nice IMO.

The Chinese chopper is very underscaled.

They make a great Warthog too which is difficult to get.  Very Wild Weasel-ish.

[efranks]

I remember Eversparkle for their 12" items.  I think they did a tank back in the day that a lot of the 12" Joe collectors were going nuts over.  I remember it being somewhat hard to find in the US and then they were gone.  I'm not sure if Eversparkle exists as a company any more but they definitely did some nice work.

A couple years ago Big Lots had an entire 12' aisle of PTE stuff.  All the 3.75" and 12" sets.  I don't remember all the 3.75" stuff but know they had the horse and camel type sets and the tower along with some vehicles but I don't know about the buildings or other larger stuff.  I was mostly interested in the 12" items and this is back when they had the pack mule and the bunk set and a bunch of other stuff that I was wowed over.  But I didn't have the cash and ended up not buying anything at the time and my BL store hasn't had that amount of stock again since then.  I think JCP still has a couple of those sets now.

You're right on the building, I'm interested in the Pizza Hut style building.  Last year my store had the 3 story bombed out set but I passed on it, it wasn't what I was interested in.  The command outpost would be excellent for my 3.75" Adventure Team guys I'm putting together.  Although it's a lot more expensive, Schleich has some nice sets also, including an Animal Nursery set that makes for a good outback type farmhouse and they used to do a castle set.  But those are all over $100 easy.

I've seen the PTE Blackhawk and Warthog along with the F18 at various TRU stores and they're nice, but I don't have the room.  I picked up a camel and horse set last year at BL but that's it.  If I had unlimited room I'd be all over the guard towers and probably a Little Bird at least.

   E...

[Scockery]

Their Littlebird chopper is on par with BBI's as well.

They made police and fire versions that IIRC, were never available at U.S. retail, just online. One had doors!

They made a SWAT humvee, which I'd hoped they would reissue...seems like Big Lots had a picture planogram posted with it on it, but the store got just military ones.

Their Blackhawk is underscaled but nice IMO.

There was a olive green version once. I like the copter but hate that the two middle seats aren't accessible (they seem to be in the knock-off that TRU carried a year or two ago).

They make a great Warthog too which is difficult to get.  Very Wild Weasel-ish.

That set or one of the jets include a flight ground crewman figure not available elsewhere. There were also some civilian figures at some point and some "mountain" camo versions of the delta force guys. Though the figures are so-so, great articulation but sometimes they break right out of the box. It would be nice if the Chinese army guys were issued over here, even as "enemies". LOL.

The jeep with trailer is out here. If it were a desert version, I'd talk myself into it (since I have the normal one already, no trailer).

[Jesse James]

I thought the red and blue Humvees/LB's were made specifically for online retailers like Smalljoes to sell to Joe folks for "Cobra" stuff?  I could be wrong on that...  For some reason I was thinking that SJ had something up about them getting those specifically from the manufacturer that way.

There was a different colored Warthog too I thought, or maybe that was rumored and didn't happen?  It'd look sweet in all black as like Wild Weasel's squad or something, haha.

E, the Eversparkle set was really rare/limited it seemed, and was sold online only IIRC.  I'll try getting pics together and post if/when I can.  It inspired me to do modular style playsets for other lines/toys.  It's a cool display system if nothing else.  If someone did something like it, but generically sci-fi, they'd sell a buttload.

[efranks]

BBTS added more stuff to their PTE pre-order list and the Command Post is now listed!!!

Pre-order placed.  $59.99 for it but it comes with some extra stuff and that's cheaper than I've seen them on eBay.

They also have the J-10 and SU-27 jet fighters listed now but I don't think they were there the other day.  I'd love to get the SU-27 and order up some October Guard stickers from Cobra Stickers but I think I'll have to wait on that.  The SU-27 is $50 but the J-10 is only $40 so if anyone was looking to do a Chinese plane that's not a bad deal if you compare it to the Sky Striker.

The A-10 and FA-18 are both up now also.  $50 on the A-10 and $45 on the FA-18.

I'm really hoping now that they are able to get this stock in because I want that Command Post.

   E...

[Jesse James]

Congrats man, glad it showed up somewhere.

I was at BL tonight, and wow has their stock been nailed.  Almost all the Humvee's are gone, same with littlebirds/boats/jets.  No figure packs remain, at all.  The Mutt/Trailer and towers are the only things of quantity really....  Oh and dune buggies.  The Chinese and US. ones both are there in good supply.  They have 4 3-story buildings, and had probably 20 or more at one point up on the top of the aisle?

There's one jet left...  Only 6 towers so it's not there in good quantity either really.

I may nab a couple more tan ones, and a couple Chinese buggies.

Paint those up black or blue, and you've got a bitchin' Cobra dune buggy for AWE Strikers to destroy.

[efranks]

What jet did your store have, Jesse?  The A-10 or one of the others?  I think my BL may have had the A-10 one year but I think the only place I've seen it on any regular basis is TRU. 

   E...

[Jesse James]

The F-17...  I've not seen Warthogs for a while.

They're all underscaled, by a good bit raelly, and some lack some details on the other side of the wings (basically they're one-sided molds IIRC), but they're good for "Joe scale" I think.

Scale jets are not cheap, haha.

[Scockery]

I thought the red and blue Humvees/LB's were made specifically for online retailers like Smalljoes to sell to Joe folks for "Cobra" stuff?  I could be wrong on that...  For some reason I was thinking that SJ had something up about them getting those specifically from the manufacturer that way.

There was a different colored Warthog too I thought, or maybe that was rumored and didn't happen?  It'd look sweet in all black as like Wild Weasel's squad or something, haha.

Maybe about the little birds (at least as far as US distribution went), but I do remember seeing the SWAT Humvee on the planogram picture.

Yeah, that black or blue warthog was for Marauder Gun Runners store and never happened, IIRC.