Howdy figure fans, this time out we are going to take a look at another ZY Toys sixthscale weapon accessory. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with ZY Toys products for their quality, finish, and value. And it has been refreshing to see a company take on weapons that have either been overlooked, or have been under-produced.

Over the years I have become a bit of sixthscale gun nut. In this time, I have had the chance to play around with various sixthscale weapons from most of the major and minor manufacturers. Part of the appeal for me has been a great love of tinkering with and modifying sixthscale weapons – so I tend to look at them not only as they stand, but also for their custom potential. All of this has lead to a standard by which I judge sixthscale weapons… It is this standard that helps inform me on the quality and value of the weapon sets that I have a chance to review.

When I first saw pics of ZY Toys M200′s, I was eager to lay hands on them to see how they measured up… And after my experience with ZY Toys M82 and RPG-7 sets, my expectations for the M200′s was high. Happily, I received the opportunity when Brian included both the desert camo and black and gunmetal M200 variants with the latest shipment from BOT HQ.

I would also like to take a second to stray slightly off-topic in order to thank Brian for the inclusion of some terrific military related DVD’s in this latest shipment. The list is too long to mention in whole, but needless to say, I now have some great titles to add to my collection. Thank you my friend, your generosity is appreciated.

Long range can opener…

In the 2007 film Shooter, Bob Lee Swagger ( played by actor Mark Wahlberg ) employs a variety of exotic sniper rifles in some very interesting ways… One notable scene depicts Swagger boning up on his shooting skills with a Cheytac M200 Intervention. In this scene, he displays his exceptional sniping chops by using his Cheytac to forcibly open a can of Denty Moore Stew from afar. I love a good hearty stew as it is delicious stuff that sticks to the ribs, and makes your tummy happy on a cold afternoon. I have not sampled the Denty Moore brand of stew, but I have to say that after seeing Swagger punctuate that can, my stomach did rumble a bit. Makes me wonder if sales of Denty Moore went up after the release of the picture. This has to be one of the stranger examples of product placement in a film in recent memory…

In real life the Cheytac M200 Intervention is capable of sending bullets down rage at distances of up to 1.42 miles. In fact, the M200 holds the world record for best group at a distance, with 3 out of 7 hits within a 16.5 inch group at 2,321 yards. And former Navy SEAL Richard Machowicz ( host of Future Weapons ) made 3 out of 6 on a human sized target at a distance of 2,530 yards. So the Cheytac is no slouch in the accuracy and range department.

The Cheytac features a turn-bolt action, and comes with a seven-round magazine. It fires either the .408 Cheytac, or .375 Cheytac round. Before conducting my research for this review, I had assumed that the rifle chambered .50 ammunition – so I was surprised to find that it actually chambers and fires it’s own special home brewed ammo, which is said to be a bridge between the 338 Lapua and .50 BMG. The Cheytac currently comes in six variants:

M200

Those in the know may be able to add to the list – but needless to say, there are enough versions out there to offer some customizing options to the sixthscale gunsmiths out there.

I visited the MOMA ( Museum of Modern Art ) in San Fransisco a few years back, and one of the highlights of the visit was a stroll through an exhibition hall devoted solely to what I will call, for lack of a better description, functional art. This exhibit included such things as furniture, appliances, and even a fantastically imagined road bike. Although the latter was the one thing, that despite it’s flowing lines and trance-atory paint scheme, was so inadequate in it’s mechanical design, that it would most likely cause grievous bodily harm to anyone foolhardy enough to attempt to ride it.

One thing that was reinforced by my visit was the presence of an artist’s eye and hand in almost everything that is produced or manufactured. True, one could argue that the Arts and Crafts movement was done in by the Industrial Revolution – and in many ways I would agree with that assertion – but I would also argue that everything from automobiles to toilet brushes – no matter how common place or banal, is intentionally imbued with at least some measure or attempt at artistic design.

How does this apply to weapons? Well, over the years, in many cases, weapon designers and smiths have imbued their designs with at least a hint of artistic flare. Whether you are talking about the use of exotic materials, or designs emblazoned or engraved onto the weapons themselves. From swords to peacemakers, there have been some really fancy examples of artistry. This has been lost to some degree with more modern weapons, which seem to be built with an eye toward efficiency and effectiveness, and have little in the way of flare – at least by way of scrimshaw or engraved filigree. And how many pearl handled Glocks have you seen?

Yet there is still something alluring and visceral about the look of many a modern firearm. They are almost Giger-esque in their oily, insectile anatomy… And the high tech look and feel of many modern weapon attachments and sighting systems is reminiscent of the imagery of recent science fiction themed films. In short, guns have a certain something that makes people want to look at them. Sounds weird, and maybe it’s something less to with artistic allure, and more to do with a dread fascination with cold, hard, and deadly efficiency.

Lithe, long, lethal…

There is something very interesting about the look of the Cheytac M200 Intervention… In some respects it appears almost denuded or skeletal – but still robust and purposeful. Sort of the weapon world equivalent of a mud dauber wasp… In some ways the design reminds me of an automobile or aircraft prototype that engineers have stripped clean of all the external fru fru in order to expose the internal workings. Yet this stripped down and unembellished design is not without some visceral presence.

The Cheytac has a uniqueness that is all it’s own… It doesn’t seem reminiscent or derivative in the way that the FN SCAR, HK 416 or LWRC M6 are reminiscent or derivative of the M4… True, the hand grip of the Cheytac does remind me of the hand grip of an HK PSG1, but that is where the similarity to other modern era sniping systems ends. The Cheytac really is unique and strangely alluring – in my mind, and in my opinion anyway…

As contrary and weird as it may sound, the Cheytac seems to share this ” unique to itself ” look with another modern era sniping system – and again, one that ZY Toys has chosen to produce in sixthscale… The Barrett M82. Interesting that ZY Toys has announced plans to produce yet another ” unique to itself ” firearm – the Cornershot. It seems that ZY Toys has a thing for exotic and unmatched firearms.

Two versions…

As with Zy Toys recent M82′s and RPG’s, we are offered a little variety with our M200′s… In this case we have the option of either a black and gunmetal variant, or a three tone desert camouflage variant. Both color variants come with more or less the same bits and pieces. And both variants are more or less the same – minus the barrel configurations.

The black and gunmetal variant come with what is meant to represent either the M200 26″ or 29″ inch barrel, while the desert camo variant comes with a silencer equipped barrel. Both come with three magazines, five brass rounds, two bi pod legs ( which seem to extend – but be careful when manipulating the lower limbs of the legs, as they are very fragile ), a separate bolt system, a long range scope, and a telescopically collapsible butt-stock that has a flip-down butt spike. Unfortunately, neither version came with the Newcon Optik day night laser range finder, or the Kestrel 3000 series wind meter that came with the M82 Barrett sets. Of course this lack of extra gear is reflected in an overall lower price point than the M82 sets, so it isn’t a critical omission, or a deal breaker.

Black and gunmetal…

I tend to like it when paint apps on sixthscale weapons are left simple… Many times when a company attempts to apply a factory weathering job to a weapon they end up making a mess of it. Personally, I would rather have the option of adding the weathering myself, or not at all – I mean let’s face it, not all weapons are weathered and worn looking. Another area of paint detailing where companies can drop the ball, is in an attempt to reproduce an accurate representation of gunmetal. It is one of those finishes ( like many metallic finishes ) that can be tricky to achieve with paint. Make me want to lay hands on some Alclad colors…

Often times gunmetal paint finishes end up looking too glittery or too flat – more like something the boss would use as eyeshadow for New York Dolls dress up day at the office. But I am happy to say that ZY Toys seem to have found an effective formula for their gunmetal paint. The finish is dark enough to still allow for some light dry brush weathering with either a silver or steel color, yet not so dark that the metallic effect is diminished or understated. This combine with the satin ( but not quite matte ) black finish give the B&G variant a clean, stealthy look that would fit in well with a SWAT, Night Ops, or near future/sci-fi bash. Well done ZY Toys.

Desert camouflage…

I have mentioned in the past that I am not always a fan of factory applied desert camo paint schemes. The colors may be off – or the design may be sloppy… In some cases the camo paint apps can look downright awful – yellowish tans, and orange browns – as if a cake decorator or the head cheese monger at the Kraft plant were put in charge of the color palette.

In the case of the desert camo variant of the M200, the overall tan color is actually quite decent. It has an almost greenish tint that gives it the FDE ( Flat Dark Earth ) look of the P-mags that came with Soldier Story’s MSOB figure. Over this there are lightly sprayed bands of a slightly darker greenish tan, and a reddish brown color. The effect is subtle, and stands as an above average desert camo factory paint scheme.

One complaint that I have with the desert camo variant is that it is constructed from a white plastic similar in appearance to resin. You can see this white plastic in areas where the paint isn’t as heavy ( look in the mounting holes on the top of the receiver’s RIS rail ). ZY Toys used this same material for their desert camo variant M82, and I imagine that it has something to do with economics. It just may be that it is easier to paint a lighter color on a lighter background – that you can get by using less paint to achieve an even, opaque coverage.

I would rather that ZY Toys had used black plastic for the Desert variant, as that would have allowed for some weathering options by way of sanding or lightly scraping away the overlying tan camo paint to reveal the black underneath… An effect that is highly appealing, and somewhat easy to accomplish. Unfortunately, if you were to try this technique with a weapon cast from white plastic, all you would reveal would be a barely perceivable white area of wear, as opposed to the effect achieved by the contrast between the tan and black. With that said, If I am to do a custom paint job on the M200′s, it will be the black variant that receives a desert camo paint scheme, and the desert camo variant that receives a black paint scheme. Kind of funny eh?

Edit: I ended up leaving the desert camo version a desert camo version… I used a combination of black and steel drybrushing, and a black pencil to make all of my wear away weathering ( chipping ) effects. This proved to be a little more time consuming and difficult than I had hoped, but in the end I was happy with the results. Ironically, it appears that the black and gunmetal version may also be made out of white plastic – this summation due to a spot on the hand grip where the paint had rubbed away… Very interesting that Zy Toys seems to mix up the color of plastic that they use for certain of their products…

Fit, function, value…

I am happy to say that this set is similar to the other ZY Toys sets that I have played with in the past… The detail is crisp and clean – the fit of the pieces is decent and true – and the overall look is sharp and in no way cheap. There were some small issues with various parts not fitting as well as I may have liked:

1. The magazines that come with the black and gunmetal variant not wanting to stay in the magazine well.

2. The mounting pins on the scope that comes with the desert camo variant being just slightly too small for the mounting holes on the receiver’s RIS rail – or maybe the holes were too big…

Bottom line, the scope fell off a few times when I was posing the desert camo variant for the pics, and the magazines didn’t cooperate while I was tinkering around with the black and gunmetal variant. This latter was easy enough to fix by placing a small scrap of paper atop the magazine before sliding it into the magazine well. But other than that, all of the parts fit well and functioned well.

I should mention that the insertion points for the bipod legs ( rounded pegs on bipod legs – receiver holes on bipod flages on fore-end of rifle ) are a little tight the first time you install the legs to the rifle. Again, as with any sixthscale wepaon part, use utmost caution when popping these pieces together. Don’t try to force them – just take your time and go at the insertion point from different angles until the peg is firmly seated into the receiver hole. Once the pieces are joined together, there are two minute detents ( notches ) on the bipod flages on fore-end of rifle that allow the legs to lock into either the fully extended or fully closed postition. These detents are very small, but are defined enough to allow you to ” feel ” when the bipod legs are in a locked postition. When removing the legs, use the same level of patience and caution to ensure that you don’t snap any parts. Since the legs are a longer, thinner piece, I would suggest holding them as close to the point where the insertion peg is loacted so as not to multiply the force on the insertion peg or on the leg itself ( like a fulcrum would multiply force ). Caution and patience are the keys to success. I had considered boring out the receiver holes a bit to make the insertion easier, but I am happy that I did not go this route, as I noticed that after removing the legs, it was easier to reinsert them the on subsequent build ups. With this in mind, I fear that boring the holes would only result in loose fitting or wobbly bipod legs.

Also worthy of mention is the packaging that ZY Toys uses for they weapon sets. I have to give kudos to ZY Toys for their packaging – small consideration by some estimations, but a measure of effort never the less. Zy Toys have packaged their M200′s in boxes constructed from sturdy white cardboard, which is similar to a heavy gauge card stock. The box consists of two main pieces ( top half and bottom half ) the outside of which are decorated with photographs of the M200′s in an outdoor, scale specific, rubble strewn environment. This seems to be the same location that ZY Toys uses to photograph all of their weapon sets, and these are the same images that we see in the pre-release pics on the forum boards. I find myself wondering if this location was somewhere out in the rough, or was literally right outside of ZY Toys HQ – maybe on the fringe of the employee parking area.

Getting back on track, when you open the box, you see an inner clear plastic tray with cells ( openings ) for the M200′s component parts. There is also a clear plastic over tray ( lid ) that securely covers the display tray, and keeps the individual parts from rattling around or coming loose. There is also an inner leaf of white card stock under the plastic display tray, which while unnecessary for the integrity of the packaging, is still a nice addition… You may even be able to come up with some clever 1/1 scale uses for this extra bit of card stock… A grocery list, a love note, an on the go pooper scooper, all three maybe… The possible uses are only limited by one’s imagination…

At around $15.00, these are a definitely a good deal… And the minor issues with fit are not unique to any particular sixthscale weapon product. With almost any example there will be issues. It is up to the individual to decide whether these are deal beakers, or things that can be addressed or overlooked. In this case, I feel that for my own personal use, the issues are small enough that I can overlook them.

I am looking forward to seeing what ZY Toys will come up with next.. I am hoping that we won’t have to wait too much longer to lay hands on the Cornershot that they first announced back in July of 2009. This is another one of those oddball weapons that would be a welcome addition to any sixthscale arsenal.

Now for the score… Being an accessory, and not a boxed figure set, these will receive an “overall” and not individual and cumulative scores. I considered making a minute deduction for the issues of fit with the scope pins and the magazines… Had these issues been unique to these sets, and not prevalent in most all sixthscale weapons, and had I been certain that they were product wide and not exclusive to the in hand sample, this deduction would have been present ( most likely in the form of a half point ) But based on the fact that the magazines fit securely in the case of the desert camo variant, and that the scope fit securely in the case of the black and gunmetal variant, and that the components shared by both variants ( scopes and magazines ) are no doubt cast from the same mold, I feel that these fit issues may have had more to do with paint finishes, and not a lack of quality.

Taking all of the above into consideration, I feel it fair to award these sets a five out of five stars.

If you have read any of my past reviews, you know that I wrap things up with a section devoted to the changes and modification that I have made to the subject of my review. Sometimes this will also include any fixes that I may have had to preform to get the look right or function. This time out I didn’t have any broken parts or direct from the factory glitches that needed to be addressed, so I was free to play around with customizing options.

I chose to make my custom touches in the paint department. Along with the custom paint, I also added custom weathering and wear details. This is something that I always enjoy, as these details add a life and a history to the item in question that can be told through each little ding and dent. Fun stuff to play around with. Pics of both the before and after look of the rifles can be seen below. In the pics marked ” Factory ” you will see the rifles as they appear straight out of the box with no custom touches added… In the pics marked ” Custom ” you will see the results of my custom paint and weathering work.

It is my sincere hope that all of my reviews shed some light on the product in question, and give an unbiased breakdown of the product attributes and drawbacks. Thank you as always for taking time out to read the reviews, and to look at the pics.

Best regards, Michael Skram II

Howdy figure fans, this time out we will be taking a look at ZY Toys RPG-7 sets. The RPG-7 is one of those ” familiar weapons ” with a shape so unique and characteristic that even your grandmother and her bridge club buddies would recognize one. And over the years, many an action figure company have taken a turn at producing the venerable RPG-7 in sixthscale… With offerings from Armoury Toys, Hot Toys, 21st Century Toys, and now ZY Toys. In the next section I will go into a brief history of this workhorse launcher – tracing it’s roots, and distribution. So, without further ado, let’s get down to business…

Background…

In studying the history of the RPG, I found out some interesting bits of information…There have been close to ten different iterations of the RPG, with the basic form first introduced by the Soviet Union shortly after World War II. This basic design incorporated key features from both the U.S. M1 Bazooka, and German Panzerfaust. Not the first time a weapon has borrowed design elements from it’s predecessors, and no doubt not the last. Later, the Soviets came up with what would become the most widely distributed, and most familiar iteration – the RPG 7…

The RPG-7 incorporates a simple and durable design that has no doubt factored into it’s longevity. Yet despite it’s lengthy history and widespread use, it has been somewhat scarce in the world of sixthscale weapons. Therefore, when new version hits the market, it’s worth a look. I have had experience with all of the aforementioned sixthscale versions apart from the Hot Toys version… And in my estimation, the Armoury Toys version is the best out there by way of detail and overall finish. I am quickly becoming a fan of ZY Toys product line, so when Brian sent the RPG sets to Giant Mansion Laboratory ( home of the Hyper Detail Gun Lab ), I was excited.

Despite the fact that ZY Toys does not identify the RPG’s in their sets as RPG-7′s, instead referring to them on their packaging as RPG Anti-Tank Bazookas, I am going on the assumption that they are indeed intended to be RPG-7′s. I know what you may be saying – Demo Dick, the Sharkman of the Delta, has a thing about never making assumptions… But he also bench presses 500 pounds every morning on the outdoor weight pile at Rouge Manor come rain or shine… And he makes protein shakes from crocodile beaks, and bison schwanz ( both of which he harvests himself – with his teeth )… So I am accustomed to breaking a portion os his particular set of rules.

Two versions…

ZY Toys has released two versions of the RPG-7 – one with a wooden heat shield, and one with what is either intended to be a metal or polymer heat shield ( in this case painted a medium matte black ). I am happy that they decided to offer two versions, as I have never quite taken a shine to modern era weapons with wooden furniture. Odd, as I have always loved the look of wood in almost everything else. I even spent a summer working as a finish carpenter, so I love to get my hands on the stuff for creative purposes. Never-the-less, I just tend to go more for the poly and plastic high tech material look with weapons.

Both versions feature a pair of rockets, a main launcher body with attached optics, movable front and rear iron sights, tan grosgrain ribbon carrying straps ( with metal slider buckles ), and a separate lever release widget that attaches to the side of the optic array. I should mention that in one of the box art pics there is an image of the optic sight array in a position other than the configuration as seen when you open the box. I know that sounds garbled, but bottom line is, I got the impression from the box art that the optics were removable. I tried to remove them myself, using utmost care, but after a few tries I gave up for fear that I might cause damage to either the sight or the launcher. This does not mean that the sight isn’t removable, just that I didn’t push the point to find out. I was happy to discover that the tiny switch at the upper rear of the firing handle does move. Be careful though – it is a very delicate piece, and might be susceptible to damage were the launcher forcibly placed into a figure’s hands.

Also worthy of mension is the packaging ZY Toys uses for they weapon sets. I have to give kudos to ZY Toys for their packaging – a small consideration in some respects, but a measure of effort never the less. Zy Toys have packaged their RPG-7′s in boxes constructed from sturdy white cardboard, which is similar to heavy gauge card stock. The box consists of two main pieces ( top half and bottom half ) – the outside of which are decorated with photographs of the RPG-7′s in an outdoor, scale specific, rubble strewn environment. This seems to be the same location that ZY Toys uses to photograph all of their weapon sets, and these are the same images that we see in the pre-release pics on the forum boards. I find myself wondering if this location was somewhere out in the rough, or was literally right outside of ZY Toys HQ – maybe on the fringe of the employee parking area.

Getting back on track, when you open the box, you see an inner clear plastic tray with cells ( openings ) for the RPG’s component parts. There is also a clear plastic over tray ( lid ) that securely covers the display tray, and keeps the individual parts from rattling around or coming loose. There is also an inner leaf of white card stock under the plastic display tray, which while unnecessary for the integrity of the packaging, is still a nice addition… You may even be able to come up with some clever 1/1 scale uses for this extra bit of card stock… A grocery list, a love note, an on the go pooper scooper, all three perhaps… The possible uses are only limited by one’s imagination. On packaging alone I would award a perfect five out of five starts for the sets.

I got wood…

As I mentioned earlier, I tend to go for the more high tech, less folksy look with modern weapons. And after thinking about it, I have decided that I may need to expand my ideas in this regard. But despite my rigid criteria, I still have to acknowledge that ZY Toys did a very nice job with the wooden paint apps on the folksy version RPG-7. It’s no secret that wood finishes can be very difficult to recreate with paint… Whether with respect to sixthscale weapons, or low budget house flip flare, it’s tough to paint something in order to make it look like it’s made out of wood.

Some sixthscale companies have tried to create the subtle color variations in grain by embossing a wood grain relief into the plastic… They then go back and and paint embossed area in one uniform color – most likely hoping that the texture of the embossing will add the just so wood grain magic to the paint. Others have tried to capture the wood look with paint effects that are nothing short of a mess times ten. Happily, ZY Toys managed to pull off the effect without overdoing it. There is room for improvement, but then again, this is one of the first examples of a ZY Toys weapon with a moderate amount of wood, so hopefully they will only get better with future releases ( maybe some AK’s… ).

Sidenote: After conferring with Brian about a possible repaint of the wooden version, it was decided that leaving the wooden furniture as a feature, and not painting over it with a camouflage paint scheme, was the best option.

One word Benjamin… plastics…

I may have been better off quoting from Benjamin’s “wood or wire” conversation with Mrs. Robinson, but hey, there is a great future in plastics… nuff said. Sorry for that tangential departure, but it does lead me to the one key difference between the two sets… The color scheme of the heat guards. In the case of the black heat guard, I am assuming that the material in question is meant to represent either a lightweight metal – or more likely a polymer plastic of some sort. I am voting or polymers as metal would add weight to the launcher, and would potentially be more costly and time consuming to produce… I also wonder about the heat distribution properties of polymers versus metals. I would tend to think that the former would prove more effective after multiple launches… Maybe it’s actually wood in both cases, with one version being unpainted and the other painted. Who knows… After much reading, I was unable to come up with a definitive answer.

Rocket science…

Of course no launcher, RPG or other wise, would be complete without a rocket… And in the case of the ZY Toys RPG-7 sets we receive two rockets per launcher. This is well in keeping with the real world capabilities of the RPG, as it is a multiple launch platform. I cannot give a positive I.D. on the type of rocket featured in both of the sets, but from my research I would offer that the rocket in question is meant to represent either a general purpose HE ( High Explosive ), or shaped charge HEAT ( High Explosive Anti Tank ) warhead. I guess you can make that call for your self depending on how you intend to outfit the figure that would be using the launcher.

One thing I would have liked to have seen would have been multiple rocket types ala Armoury Toys RPG sets. With the Armoury Toys RPG rockets, differences in warhead type was represented by variations guide rod length, warhead shape, flight fin shape, and overall color. In the real world, there are multiple types of RPG rocket warheads, including: illumination, tear gas, white phosphorus, smoke, and even a thermobaric variant. So it would nice to see a little variety in this area in possible future sixthscale RPG sets.

Final impression…

I have to say that I am as pleased with these sets as I have been with previous ZY Toys sets… They are a welcome addition to any sixthscale arsenal – and a must have for folks who like to customize Soviet figures. The detailing and finishing is competitive with Armoury Toy’s sets, and a step up from the 21st Century Toys sets from a few years back. The cost is reasonable at under $20.00, and both versions ( wood and plastic ) are worthy of consideration. The only gripe I have is the missed opportunity to include alternate warheads. I hope that ZY Toys will continue to offer up exotic weapon sets – and that they are still small enough to be open to suggestions and feedback from their consumers – and enterprising enough to cull the resources and initiative to implement changes and make improvements in their products.

Special note: When adding the release lever widget to the area where the RPG optic array is attached to the RPG launcher body, use utmost caution so as not to over stress the connection. The lever mounts via two small raised bumps that fit into equally small receiver holes. I found it easiest to pop the lever onto the laucher with the lever in a sidelong position ( how it would look when locked into the closed position – and how it is shown in my pics ). I would also advise not moving the lever once it has been popped in place, as it is quite fragile, and if broken would be a bear to fix.

My personal touches…

By now regular readers know that after I have unpackaged and photographed the subjects of my reviews, I go back and add my own personal touches. In this case, I decided to give each version a thorough weathering treatment – which is always fun for me, as I view weathering as a means by which to tell a story… It is the story of the action and engagements that weapon has seen, and a great way to add realism to the piece.

Over the years almost every major sixthscale company has taken a shot at making a base figure. Whether as a stand alone accessory release, or as a base on which to build their boxed figure sets. There have been some good ones, there have been some not so good ones. There have been problems with almost every major joint, and issues with almost every aspect of the anatomy… Too stiff, or too loose, too tall, or too short… No matter the case, almost every figure to date has had some sort of issue.

Then there are the materials that base bodies are made from… Barring the skeletal structure, the human form ( anatomy ) is comprised of pliable structures that can compress, expand, and stretch allowing for a dynamic range of motion. So when you have an analog made of rigid materials there are sacrifices in articulation… Bottom line, it’s almost impossible to construct a realistic human analog from a rigid material like the plastics that we see used in sixthscale products. By contrast, if you were to use a pliable material such as foam rubber, you would run into issues with durability. And there is the rub… How do you combine form and function in a realistic human analog, while still having it be durable enough to stand up to normal use? That has proven to be one of the bigger challenges for sixthscale figure companies, and has been one of the areas where we have seen some of the more ingenious and clever engineering solutions.

In my opininon, customizers have been at the forefront of many of these solutions. Some have modified their figures to improve articulation. Some have modified their figures to imbue them with more realistic surface features or hidden joints. Some have done a little of both. All of this modification and tinkering has been in an attempt to achieve the most realistic and functional analog possible. It reminds me of the insatiable drive to refit and redifine materials that has been at the heart of many creative endevors. You see it with folks who chop cars and motorcycles, you see it with hobbyists and craftsmen… It is the fuel that drives innovation, and both customizers and manufacturers seem to be in an ever evolving race to see who can create the most realistic and most functional figure. And I personally feel that all of this tinkering and modification has ushered in some stunning innovations. Necessity is the mother of invention they say, and we have certainly seen many instances of this aphorism at work in our hobby.

So how do what I have dubbed the Third Quarter True Types stack up to past True Types? Very well. In fact, there are some new features that bear mentioning… First off, there is the finish of the plastic used to construct the body. They have a matte finish which is a vast improvement over earlier iterations that had a high gloss finish. I have not handled other packaged True Type figures such as the Slim, and the first Narrow Shoulder for example, so I may be incorrect in describing the matte finish as “new”, but relying on what I have seen from pics on the boards I would say that hese may the first True Types to feature this finish. We also have the double jointed neck with the all three True Type versions, which has not always been the case with past True Types. I was pleased with this inclusion as I feel the two points of articulation provide a significant posing advantage over stiff-neck sculpts.

I should take a second to mention that each figure comes with 38 points of articulation as denoted on the packaging. And while on the subject of packaging, I want to add that I really like the way in which Hot Toys chose to package these. It is easy to open, and easy to close should you choose to remove the figure to inspect it and then replace it for storage. Great feature that. Graphically, the layout seems in keeping with previous releases… Featuring an almost “pop art” look with geometric accents, and either primary or tertiary color patterns to differentiate between the various iterations. I also liked that you could stand the packages on end in order to display the contents.

And of course one must take note that the figures are displayed in what I imagine is an itentional nod to Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man.

Another new spin is the True Type Advanced… This version has a more muscular build than previous True Types, and even has detachable quadriceps muscle sleeves. Although not entirely new, the Advanced is at least new in this form. There was the 2009 promo figure which featured the Advanced anatomy with a Wentworth Miller head-sculpt… But that one had a very limited and exclusive release, and later sold for a premium on ebay ( think upwards of $100.00 ). So it was about as easy to lay hands on as a buttered razorback hog at a Bobby Flay’s BBQ. I had seriously considered shelling out the hundred for the figure, and had to talk my self out of it on numerous occasions, so when I saw the announcement for the release of the packaged True Type Advanced figures I was very pleased.

Before I forget, I have to mention a little something that I found after handling the Advanced True Types for the photo-shoot portion of this review. Both the African American and Caucasian versions have rubber buttocks. You didn’t read that wrong – they have butts made of rubber… I liken this to the rubber buttock/pelvic structure of Soldier Story’s S2′s – only in the case of the Advanced True Types the rubber is slightly harder. This is no doubt a component to improve articulation in the figure’s legs and hips. A nice addition to Hot Toys latest True Types. And no, the Narrow Shoulder True Type does not have rubber buttocks.

Relaxed right hand x 1

Relaxed left hand x 1

Pistol grip ( shooter’s ) right hand x 1

Rifle grip ( shooter’s ) left hand x 1

Wrist pegs x 4

Neck adapter ( DML/DiD – HT type ) x 1

Neck adapter ( BBI/HT type ) x 1

Figure stand ( crotch cradle type ) x 1

Muscle leg cover right thigh x 1

Muscle leg cover left thigh x 1

Relaxed right hand x 1

Relaxed left hand x 1

Pistol grip ( shooter’s ) right hand x 1

Rifle grip ( shooter’s ) left hand x 1

Wrist pegs x 4

Neck adapter ( DML/DiD – HT type ) x 1

Neck adapter ( BBI/HT type ) x 1

Figure stand ( crotch cradle type ) x 1

Muscle leg cover right thigh x 1

Muscle leg cover left thigh x 1

Relaxed right hand x 1

Relaxed left hand x 1

Pistol grip ( shooter’s ) right hand x 1

Rifle grip ( shooter’s ) left hand x 1

Wrist pegs x 4

Neck adapter ( DML/DiD – HT type ) x 1

Neck adapter ( BBI/HT type ) x 1

Figure stand ( crotch cradle type ) x 1

Muscle leg cover right thigh x 1

Muscle leg cover left thigh x 1

-Mike

M82A3 ( Desert paint scheme )

M82A1 ( CQ )

M82A1M ( Special Edition – Suppressor version )

M82A1 ( Black paint scheme )

When I first saw the pre-release pics over at OSW, I didn’t know exactly what to expect. I had never handled any ZY Toys products, so I wasn’t sure how well they would rate on my own personal sixthscale weapons scale. Happily, my first experience has, for the most part, proven to be a good one, which bodes well for future ZY Toys purchases.

For the purpose of being thorough and concise, I feel it is best to discuss each of the above iterations as an individual release – which they are despite the fact that I received all four simultaneously of this review.

Some may argue that ZY Toys has incorrectly identified the M82′s herein, which may or may not be the case. In my own research I found that I very nearly drown in a sea of M82 information, so there are no doubt many points on which one could easily make a mis-identification. Thorough discussions on the sixthscale boards can acutely dissect and differentiate between the myriad M82 variations, and most likely shine some light on the true designation of this or that M82. But I, as a lay person, am going to refer to the the individual M82′s by the designations ZY Toys has stamped on their boxes.

Let’s start with the M82A3 ( Desert ). I am always a little leery of desert paint schemes on sixthscale weapons. There are literally no two alike, which may be accurate to what one would encounter in the real world. However, I like to have the option of adding my own desert paint if I so choose, and in most cases will paint over the existing ( or stock ) desert paint schemes with my own home brewed version.

In the case of the Desert version, I actually ended up doing a black and gray “Urban” paint scheme, as Brian from BOT’s had requested that the CQ version be given a desert paint overhaul ( to be discussed later in this review ). Therefore, having two out of four M82′s in desert camo paint schemes seemed redundant.

I have to give kudos to ZY Toys for their packaging – small consideration in some folks’ minds, but a measure of effort never the less. Zy Toys have packaged their M82′s in boxes made with sturdy, well finished white cardboard ( or heavy card stock ). Open the box, and you see an inner clear plastic tray with cells for each of the M82′s component parts. There is also a clear plastic over tray ( or lid ), that securely covers the display tray, and keeps the individual parts from rattling around or coming loose. There is also an inner leaf of white card stock under the plastic display tray, which while unnecessary for the integrity of the packaging, is still a nice tidy little bit. On packaging alone I would award a perfect five out of five starts for the sets.

Detail wise, the ZY Toys M82′s are on a par with DML. I didn’t do a side by side, but the construction and mold are nearly identical. The M82A3 Desert comes with two pistol grips – one similar to an M4 pistol grip, the other similar to an HK416/417 pistol grip. Bot are easy to swap out, and have clean detailing and a secure fit. We also receive a pair of bipod legs, two 10-round box magazines, what appears to be a 10x power scope, a removable carrying handle, an arrow head stlye flash hider, a butt spike, what appears to be a Newcon Optik day night laser range finder, what appears to be a Kestrel 3000 series wind meter, and five brass .50 caliber rounds. The component pieces all fit together with little or no hassle aside from the scope and buttspike, both of with feature mounting pins that are slightly big for their assigned mounting holes.

The issue with the buttspike peg can be solved by either sanding the peg’s profile to thin it down, or by reaming out the buttspike mounting hole with an appropriately sized drill bit or the tip of an xacto knife. I recommend the drill bit or xacto method, as making the mounting peg thinner will result in making it easier to break when inserting and removing the spike. Just make sure to be careful, and to check your work along the way so as not to over ream the hole.

The issue with the pegs on the scope is not as critical, so a very light reaming of one or two of the RIS mounting holes where you want to mount the scope should do the trick. Or leave it be, and use utmost care when removing the scope from the RIS rail so as not to remove the rail as well. I encountered this problem when removing the scope first time out, and ended up having to glue the RIS rail back atop the M82′s receiver. Not a biggie, but worthy of mention.

Also worthy of mention by way of features, is the fact that you can “load” one of the brass rounds into the top of the box magazine. The round will not fit snugly into the magazine, but you can balance the magazine so as not to tip the round out while you load it into the M82′s magazine well. This way when you pull back the functional spring loaded bolt, you can see the little brass round nestled in the mouth of the magazine. Cool detailing that.

The bipod legs can be locked in either an open or folded position by way of keyhole mounts. Just slot the bipod leg onto the mount through the bipod leg’s circular opening, and then very gently pull down to friction lock it in place by way of the bipod leg’s slotted opening. Sounds confusing and complicated, but it is actually quite easy. To unlock the bipod leg just reverse the process, again being very careful not to overstress the joint.

The front and rear iron sights are also movable by way of small hinge mounts. They do not lock into place, but there is enough friction between the moving parts to hold them in place when posed in the “sights up” open position. All of these little moving parts and details are fragile, but then again, aren’t all highly detailed sixthscale parts?

Next we have the M82A1 ( CQ ). I liked the look of this one straight out of the box, but Brian had requested that it be repainted in a desert paint scheme, so I made the necessary paint changes to accommodate his request. And I have to give Brian credit for having a good plan, as I feel that the desert camo paint scheme is particularly becoming on the CQ.

As an aside, I like to use Krylon’s camo color paints when doing camo repaints on sixthscale weapons. They are easy to use, have a consistent flat or “matte” finish, have fast drying times, and are durable when fully cured. I used the tan color Krylon camo for the repaint on the CQ, and I am happy with the results.

Feature wise, the CQ comes with most of the same extras and accessories as the M82A3 Desert. In fact, all four of ZY Toys M82′s have these same shared extras and features, aside from variations in the scopes, bipod legs, and flash hiders – or suppressor in the case of the M82A1M ( Special Edition ), and the omission of a butt spike in the case of the M82A1 ( Black ).

I was happy that ZY Toys was generous with the extras in all four cases, and I am wondering how soon we will see these sets broken down for loose parts. In that case I will try to pick up an extra range finder and wind meter or two.

The only thing I managed to break on the CQ, was the sling mount. It is a very small part and when it breaks off it is very hard to find. I was outside when it happened, so I spent what seemed like an eternity on my hands and knees sifting through all manner of outdoor detritus trying to find the thing. It happened right near a swarm of piss ants as well, so I was not happy to be schlepping around in the rough with the smell of formic acid in my nostrils. I came up empty, so I broke off the other sling mount as well, and replaced both of the missing mounts with small brass sear pins. A small issue, and not resultant of bad design or faulty construction, – just a case of a minute sixthscale details meeting with fullscale fumbling fingers.

The third version I worked with is the aforementioned M82A1M ( Special Edition ). I also liked this one straight out of the box. The unique scope and meaty suppressor lend a stealthy night ops look to the Special Edition version. This one would look great with an urban camo scheme, so when I pick up a set or two for myself I will try to score an extra to paint up… Maybe even do an HDGL overhaul on one.

The Special Edition version was also the most difficult to photograph as it so long when outfitted with the suppressor. Happily, I didn’t break a single thing on this one. I guess I knew what to watch out for from my prior experiences.

The final version is the M82A1 ( Black ). Again, this guy was trim and fit for duty straight out of the box. I found that this version most closely resembled the M82 that came with both the Scud Hunter Greg and Skull guard figures. Most of this resemblance is due to the configuration of the upper receiver’s raised RIS rail scope mount, as well as the flute shaped flash hider.

This version also features slightly less beefy looking bipod legs, which are again, similar to what we received with DML’s M82′s. And before I forget, this is the only version of the four that doesn’t come with a butt spike. You could add one if you like, but you would need to drill out the appropriate sized receiver hole for the butt spike’s mounting peg.

One thing that I have not mentioned up to this point is the weathering, and overall paint apps on the M82′s… Weathering wise, sixthscale companies seem to have toned down the effect on their weapons. Perhaps they learned that to look good weathering details have to applied in subtle tones, and with an eye for quality above quantity. That may be part of the reason why we seem to have seen less and less weathering on sixthscale weapons over the last two years or so. Time was weapons were practically slathered with silver paint to simulate “wear and tear”. Unfortunately, this effect was sometimes so overdone that the look of the weapon suffered. Early BBI, and later TUS weapons seem to have suffered the worse cases of this over weathered condition.

Zy Toys did what I consider to be a smart thing by going light on the weathering with their M82′s. They used a silver drybrush method to “pop” some of the relief features on the M82′s, and the effect was subtle enough to not detract from the finish. I should also take a second to comment on the overall paint apps on the CQ, SE, and Black versions. In each case, aside from the M82A3 Desert, the overall paint scheme is a medium gunmetal tone. This particular gunmetal is clean and consistent, and looks close to the real deal. Although, the many pics and footage I have viewed of actual full scale M82′s make them look more matte black than gunmetal… But the finish may be too subtle to be discerned in pics and on video.

Never the less, the paint ZY toys used on their M82′s does the trick, and this is important because gunmetal paint can be a pain in the butt to get right. In most cases the stuff you get at the hobby shop never quite looks right – I have had mixed results with Tamyia’s dark gunmetal, but even it has a glittery look that makes it look more like metallic Halloween make up than metallic paint. Save the silver eye shadow and metallic blush for David Bowie Ziggy Stardust dress up day at your office, or racquteball club, and not for your sixthscale weapons.

Alclad is rumored to have the best metallic hobby paints on the market, and from what I have seen in pics, it can produce some uncannily realistic results. But that means using an airbrush to do your repaints, and that can be a major undertaking. So I was happy beyond measure when I saw the finish on ZY Toy’s M82′s… No need to fix the weathering and overall paint unless I want to do a camo paint up? Good and good!

In conclusion, I have to say that ZY Toys M82′s are toots sweet, and are a welcome addition to the sixthscale weapon market. The fit, the finish, the detailing, the functionality, are all on a par with my own personal benchmark – The DML Standard… I have always wished that I had been able to stock up on the DML M82′s, so I look at the release of ZY Toys M82′s as an opportunity to add some backups to my sixthscale arsenal.

The only issues that I can think of are the typical issues of fragility of parts that seem to be an unavoidable result of the minute detail therein. These issues are in no way unique to ZY Toys, or any other sixthscale manufacturer for that matter… And seem instead, to be evenly distributed throughout the product lines of all sixthscale manufacturers.

Look at it this way, when the detailing of a sixthscale weapon includes such things as removable bullets and functional iron sights, you have to have some very small moving parts. And when these parts are fashioned out of light weight plastic, it is almost a foregone conclusion that they will be uber fragile. On the upside, the detailing does not go unnoticed or unappreciated by us ( or we ) the sixthscale fans and consumers.

The cost of these sets is also very reasonable at $17.00 – $20.00 a piece. Not too shabby by today’s standards, especially considering the extras like the range finder, wind meter, and brass rounds. I look forward to seeing what ZY Toys will do next – maybe that Conershot eh? I also look forward to laying hands on ZY Toys M200′s… I therefore tip my hat to ZY Toys for their efforts, and feel it fitting to award an overall score of five out five stars across the board.

What I changed or added is a category in most all of my reviews, and in this case it is also applicable… I did an overall repaint to both the M82A3 ( Desert ), and M82A1 ( CQ ). Both repaints were discussed earlier in this review, so I will not go back over the details, but will instead let the pictures do the talking. I also added weathering details and some small repaints to various parts in each set. Basically, every thing but the brass rounds got hit with the paint brush. Not that the pieces needed any paint fixes, I just tend to like to mess with sixthscale weapons to personalize and hyper detail them. And I hope that all of these efforts can be seen in the following pics.

In the pics marked ” Out of the box” you get a look at the individual weapons as they appear after being built up with no customization whatsoever… In the case of the pics marked “Custom” you can see where I added my own personal touches.

Howdy figure fans, today we will look at Toys City SBS ( Royal Navy Special Boat Service ) figure. The SBS was formed around 1941, so the WWII era plane and beach assault pics on the box aren’t necessarily a misstep by Toys City. Although they seem somewhat in congruent with the modern era figure they share the box art with.

And if I am not mistaken, the soldiers in beach landing pic look like they might be Americans. Not entirely certain of that though.

Head-sculpt/base body…

Let’s talk about the base body first… It is the Toys City T1.0 body. It looks quite similar in many respects to the base body that TTL uses. It is a decent base for the most part, although the sample I worked with was a little weak in the knees. I looked at the knee joints and found that the seams at the back were separating a bit. It occurred to me that a little Krazy glue fix might help matters, but I didn’t want to risk the glue bleeding into the rotational portion of the joint, therefore causing a permanent case of lock-knee-itous. Luckily, the joints were strong enough to allow me to do my photoshoot without the figure pitching over mid shot. Were I to add this figure to my personal collection, I would either swap out to a different base, or see to the glue job on the knees.

Next, let’s look at the hands that come with the set… I know, you want to hear about the head, and I want to talk about it, I just want to save the best for least… Okay, hand wise, we receive a total of four hands, and four wrist pegs:

Bare flesh right hand in trigger grip pose x 1

Bare flesh left hand in rifle grip pose x 1

Gloved right hand in trigger grip pose x 1

Gloved left hand in rifle grip pose x 1

The sculpting on the bare flesh hands is decent, but there was some molding spillover that would need to be trimmed away. I am not certain if this is a product wide issue, or whether it was isolated to my sample alone. It is simple enough fix if you are handy with an Xacto knife, but I would like to see TC address issues like this so that I don’t inherit them when I buy their figures.

The gloved hands are nifty looking, and are what I suppose is a HiTac style of glove. They are well detailed, but watch out for the paint. In the case of the sample that I worked with the paint began to erode off of the palm on the left rifle grip glove. This was after only one session of posing the glove onto the fore-grip of the HK417, so I was a little surprised. Interestingly enough, the material under the black paint is a medium brown color, which is very similar to the brown color that is featured on the palmer surface of the gloves that come with the upcoming TC MK14 SEAL.

Okay, let us look at the head… I am happy to say that TC has surpassed the issues with their base body and hands, by providing us with a very keen Sean Connery likeness. Sean Connery… a consummate man’s man, a rakish and charming gent, and a distinguished actor. Luckily for us kit bashers and customizers who might want to use this head for a Sean Connery inspired character, the likeness has enough potential to span a two and a half decade career in which Mr. Connery has deviated very little from his short hair and beard look. Here is a small sampling of roles that you could feasibly adapt this sculpt to:

O’ Niel – Outland ( 1981 ) Haven’t seen it? Do yourself a favor and rent it.

William of Baskerville – The Name of the Rose ( 1986 ) Might need to get out your Dremel to make that Monky bald spot.

Ramirez – Highlander and Highlander II ( 1986 – 1991 ) There can be only one – or two or three sequels…

Professor Henry Jones – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ( 1989 ) Great role.

Marko Ramius – The Hunt for Red October ( 1990 ) Another great role – Russian sub captain with a Scottish accent – it’s called “Suspension of Disbelief”.

John Patrick Mason – The Rock ( 1996 ) Yet another classic Connory role.

Jack Horner – Boogie Nights ( 1997 ) Wait… that was Burt Reynolds. Close enough to work though…

William Forrester – Finding Forrester ( 2000 ) ” You’re the man now dwag! ”

Allan Quatermain – The league of Extrodinary Gentlemen ( 2003 ) I liked it.

One aspect of the sculpt that I really liked was the subtle smirk/sly grin. I feel that it adds some Connery charm to the sculpt, and will further enhance the sculpt’s versatility. Paint wise, the sculpt is decent, but has some very slight room for improvement. The eyes are crisp with distinct coloration and naturally occurring catch lights. The hairline is clean, but could use a little touching up around the beard to make it shine. The skin tone is realistic, and there is a slight translucence that adds to the realism. The only really major issue that I had with the sculpt, is the same issue that I have with some Hot Toys sculpts – the pesky seam line that runs up the side of the neck and over the crown of the skull. It is no doubt an artifact of the molding process, but I have wondered if there is a solution for it. I suppose it’s a Q.C. issue that all sixthscale companies who use that molding process have to address. Nonetheless, the sculpt is a great likeness of Connery, and is worthy of a loose parts multiple purchase ( wish I had done that with DML’s Sgt. Jones sculpt ).

Alright, let’s get to our score… Taking everything into consideration, I feel that a score of three and a half out of five stars in order.

Uniform…

The first uniform element that stood out to me from this set is the black jacket. It is reminiscent of an M65 field jacket, and is similar to the jackets that came with both the Hot Toys NSW MK43 mod1 Gunner, and the RECON Stash Graffiti figure. I have not handled the Hot Toys version, but from what I have read on the boards, it is a highly sought after bit of sixthscale schwag. I have handled the RECON Stash version, and I can tell you from experience that it is not at the same level as the TC SBS version.

The parka – or smock – that comes in the TC SBS set is a thing of beauty… It features clean stitching, a tailored fit, functional detailing, and a satin lining that is well finished. This lining extends throughout the jacket interior, and about halfway down the jacket sleeves. Very nice… Like the head-sculpt, this is what I consider to be one of those must have loose parts stock up purchases. There is a small Union Jack flag patch, that while well crafted and detailed, has no adhesive of velcro on the back with which to attach it to the velcro receiver on the jacket shoulder. I had to add my own small scale velcro to the back of the patch to make it removable.

The pants that come with the set are a desert MARPAT or AOR pattern – I am voting for AOR. They are cut in what, to me at least, looks like a cross between a pair of 5.11 Tactical pants, and a pair of Crye Precision AC pants. No doubt someone out there can make a positive I.D. on these pants, but for now I have to stick with my 5.11/Crye hybrid I.D. They are well appointed, and have a plethora of pockets. The stitching and fit are good, and the digital pattern is crisply rendered. I still think it looks more like AOR than MARPAT, but I am not an expert on such things.

The rest of the uniform consists of a tee shirt, rigger belt, black watch cap, tan Arcteryx style Knee Cap pads, hiking boots – or beets, and a pair of gaiters. The boots are an unfamiliar, yet tactical design, with padded uppers and detailed lug soles. The black gaiters – or ‘spats’, are obviously meant to be representative of a pair of Black Diamond GTX front line type gaiters. No surprise there, as these seem to be the de rigueur in sixthscale SpecOps gaiters. In this case, TC has done a decent job on the both the stitching and detailing, and has used low profile velcro for a scale appropriate and secure closure. I am always amused at how sixthscale figure companies skate the thin line of liable by creatively bastardizing the logo of a given product to avoid paying a royalty… For example:

Blach Diamonl

Pelzet

Camerback

Oaklet

Surfeire

I guess everyone learned a liability lesson from DML’s Motorola fiasco.

Okay, let’s get to the score… Considering the quality of construction and detailing, as well as the fit of the separates, I am awarding a score of five of five stars in this category.

Gear ( soft lines – or web and cloth gear )…

The major component in this category is the LBT 1961A chest rig. London Bridge Trading Company ( LBT ) makes some really nifty vests, chest rigs, and load bearing harnesses, and I have always liked the sixthscale versions that I have seen from various manufacturers. In this case, the rig looks to be a close match to the Hot Toys version that came with their Balckwater PMC figure. Nice choice in my opinion. The scale of the side pouches differs a bit between the Hot Toys and the TC version, with the TC version being on the smaller side, but the quality and functionality are close. I like the fact that the HK417 mags fit into the main magazine cells – or pouches. I also like that TC used low profile velcro and crisply molded Fastex buckles throughout the rig. I decided to glue down some of the flaps on my “CUSTOM” version of this figure, but it isn’t a necessity… I just like my flaps to be extremely secure.

I addition to the LBT rig, we get a 3 liter hydration pack. I cannot make a positive I.D. on the make or model of this pack, and who knows, it may be one of those instances where a sixthscale company actually wings it and comes up with an original design all their own. Whatever the case may be, the detailing and fit of the pack are decent. There are some issues with the reservoir flap having a puckered appearance, but I suspect this can be remedied with the addition of some sort of cotton or poly batting ( stuffing ). Also, you might want to pull off the little detail piece at the non-drinking end of the hose to more easily allow the hose to be fed through the opening at the top of the pack. In my case this piece came off on it’s own, but I was able to glue it back on after I fed the hose through the opening on the pack. We also get a black SAS style drop-down holster – or thigh rig, a black two cell sub-load, and a black rescue – or rappelling harness. Each is well appointed and finished, and add to the black and tan appeal of the figure.

Score time… I have to go high here as well – although I would have gone higher had TC included some additonal pouches and a balistic vest. But then again, not all operators would have the same packed to gills pouch layout or kit. So, I am going to award a four and a half out of five stars in this category.

Gear ( hard lines – or sundry parts gear )…

Not much to add here… We get a Petzel style headlamp, a Garmin 101 style GPS unit, a radio with push to talk and earpiece, and a black carabiner. Each of these items are part of what seem to be the modern soldier’s essentials, and each has it’s appeal. Each also has it’s issues – except for the carabiner.

The headlamp is crisply detailed, and the head strap benefits from some more creative logo-ing, but the slider buckle is about twice the width that it should be to accommodate the straps. You will therefore need to work the straps around a bit to get them to sit in the middle of the buckle, and to get the buckle to sit upright. The GPS is sweet – but you will need to glue it to the little black elastic strap that comes with the set if you want to attach it to the HK’s butt-stock, or display it on the figure’s wrist. A clip would have been nice. The radio is decent except for the funky earpiece, and the fact that the cable that runs from the earpiece to the push to talk is woefully short – just like the the radio up that TTL CIA QRF figure.

Okay, let’s talk score… I wish that TC had added a little more sundry gear to this figure. Maybe the overall look of the figure doesn’t necessarily call for it, but it would be nice to have some options, as well as some things to fill pouch pockets with. Therefore, I feel that a score of three out of five stars is in order in this category.

Weapons…

The main weapon in the set is the venerable HK417. In this case, we get what appears to be a knockoff of a knockoff… In my opinion, TTL remolded the Hot Toys HK417 for their CIA QRF figure, and TC remolded the TTL version for their SBS figure. Or maybe TTL and TC both remolded the Hot Toys HK417, or maybe TTL and TC are the same company… Who knows. Bottom line, the TC version may not be the best of the best, but it is pretty snappy. However, the butt-stock doesn’t seem to extend and retract on the HK’s buffer tube. I am not sure if this is one of those product wide issues or an isolated incident, but I gave up after a few minutes of trying to coax it into action. After a chat with Brian, I checked to see if there was a release ala Soldier Story’s HK416′s slider stocks… But alas, that area of the stack appeared to be a solid molding with no moving parts. Paint wise, we receive a desert theme by way of a yellowish tan paint scheme. I will have to refer to the artsy fartsy color wheel for a positive I.D. on this particular flavor of tan… Maybe call it a close match to Pantone Color E5BD5F – or OCHRE. Despite this dubious sounding color, the paint isn’t actually that bad. And the fact that TC didn’t render the scope and suppressor in the same color definitely helps matters.

Let’s talk about that scope and suppressor… Both are well cast and crisply detailed – maybe not up to DML, Hot Toys, or Soldier Story standards, but not a messy diaper either. I like the subtle fluting detail on the barrel of the suppressor, and the fit of the scope onto the receiver’s upper RIS rail is decent – nice that you can actually take the scope off right? I should also take a second to mention the HK417 magazines… You receive five magazines in all – one to place in the HK417, and four additional magazines for the pouches on the chest rig. And yes, they can be placed into the LBT’s mag pockets with a little finessing. Just remember that you can only squeeze one mag per mag pocket – but that works out as there are four mags and four mag pockets.

In addition to the HK417, we receive a Colt 1911 with tac light. This one looks suspiciously similar to the TTL version, so I am wondering if I must be the only guy in the sixthscale universe that doesn’t know whether or not TTL and TC are the same company. No doubt someone will offer an answer at some point in the future. Magazine wise, we receive four mags total – one to place in the 1911, and three additional magazines for the pouches on the LBT chest rig, and the SAS holster. We also have a push dagger with a Kydex sheath. Again, this one looks an awful lot like the TTL version – which looks an awful lot like the BBI version. Do the design folk at sixthscale companies borrow from one another like neighbors borrow sticks of butter and cups of sugar?

Oddly enough, we don’t recieve any grenades in the set – fragmentaion, smoke, or otherwise. I was a little surprised at this, as pair of MK18′s and M65′s seem to come in most modern era sets these days… Whether they have a place to be stowed or not. In this case it would have been nice to have at least a pair of smokies to plonk into the subload’s pockets.

And that leads me to the score… I can’t go too high here, as the sixthscale weapon bar has been set so high by the likes of DML, Hot Toys and Soldier Story. If the weapons are of a lower quality, that should be reflected in the overall price of the figure being lower as well. But what company isn’t going to say that their stuff is the best? I think it fair to award a three and a half out of five stars in this category.

Value…

Boy oh boy, this is always a tough one for me. I have a really difficult time saying that any action figure over $25.00 is a good value. True, I have almost never paid under $35.00 for a figure, but I can be an idiot about such things – case in point the $200 plus I paid for a pre-owned Takara Luna. I guess it’s like any other collectible based hobby in that sense. With all of the pluses being weighed against the misses, I have to say that this one scores a 3 out of 5 stars on my own personal value scale. Some folks may feel that the score should be a little higher or lower as measured on their own personal scale. This is such subjective category, so please take that into consideration.

Things to consider…

In the spirit of fair and responsible reporting, I have to mention that there were a couple of issues with this figure – most have been addressed in their respective categories, but one that has gone unmentioned until now is the packaging. Mentioning issues with packaging may sound like an awful lot like a case of splitting hairs, but bear in mind that we are paying $100.00 for an action figure here, and that even with the $40.00 action figures we usually get decent packaging if nothing else. With the sample that I received for review the packaging has it’s pluses… I like that you can easily remove and replace the accessory tray… I also like that the box has a protective outer sleeve… I did not like that the velcro closures were nothing less than a hot mess, and I did not like that the main figure tray was placed upside down in box. Sounds like weenie talk, I know, but this is not a dime store figure – it is a high end collectible figure. So Instead of velcro closure pieces that look like the manufacturer took a roll of velcro and fed it through a wood chipper, and then pasted the scraps on the box, how about the norm of die cut dots? And when packaging a figure how hard is it to put the figure in the box right side up?

These issues are not deal breakers, but I feel that we consumers have a reasonable expectation of some measure of quality control. True, the velcro and tray configuration is not a part of the figure, or ding in quality per se… but when such flubs are not addressed it doesn’t exactly boost consumer confidence.

Okay, issues aside, this is one heck of nice looking figure… I really like the sculpt – which goes a long way in my book. I also really like the layout and color pattern on the figure – that black and tan scheme is well balanced throught the uniform and gear. The kitbashing potential is high, and there are more than a few choice parts to be sought out as loose parts purchases. I really enjoyed kitting the figure up, and had a terrific time weathering him – weathering the black parts of the uni and kit were a blast. I also like the fact that this is British figure, and I really wish that we had more modern era International Forces in the sixthscale world – so origins wise, this guy has appeal as well.

Score recap…

Head-sculpt/base body: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Uniform: 5 out of 5 stars

Gear ( soft lines – or web and cloth gear ): 4.5 out of 5 stars

Gear ( hard lines – or sundry parts gear ): 3 out of 5 stars

Weapons: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Value: 3 out of 5 stars ( on the Mike scale – your scaling may vary )

Grand total: 3.75 out of 5 stars

Things I changed and added…

As I mentioned earlier, this one was a blast to set up and weather. I used pastels on the uni ang gear, as well as the head-sculpt to warm it up a bit. I also added pieces of black foam to fill out the pockes on the chest rig and sublaod. I like to use a stiffer, more compact foam similar to what you see in Soldier Story helmet liner stick on’s. I was able to track down a thicker version of this foam that is used for pet placemats – you know – for Fido’s food bowl…

On the HK417, I went hog wild – chopping the fore-grip, and adapting the barrel to be extendable. That way you can go CQB, or light sniper with a simple adustment of the barrel. I also did an extensive repaint and weathering job, and decided to add a brass catch loop on the left side of the receiver, on which to attach the bungee sling. I am really happy with the new look of the weapon, and feel that the repaint and weathering add a character and history to the weapon that goes well with the Connery identity of the figure.

The changes and additions can be seen in the pics marked: ‘CUSTOM’. The out of the box pics are marked: ‘STOCK’.