PLAYHOUSE 5th Anniversary Edition - U.S. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES (CJSOTF-A)

First off, to all those who are or have served in our Armed Forces, THANK YOU for your sacrifice.

Today I'd like to go over the recent Special Forces CJSOTF-A figure from Playhouse.  It's been five years since Playhouse came into the 1/6 action figure scene, and they are commemorating this milestone with another well-made military set highlighting an operator from the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan.

This guy features a plethora of parts, including a relatively uncommon 1/6 scale Glock gen 3 pistol, MK18 Mod 1 rifle with Spectre DR Combat sight, Tru-Type combat shirt and BDUs, MICH-2000 (mesh camo) with a really sweet AN/PVS-15 night vision google attachment complete with covers and working slide mechanism, plus a whole lot more.  The helmet set is one of the better ones I've seen and even has velcro stickers so you can secure the light and Ess Land operation goggles if you want.

The CJSOTF-A figure uses the newly improved S1 body and I think it is a bit better than the overly stiff one used for their last Navy Seal Team 10 guy.

I'm still putting this one together, but so far, I'm very impressed.  Here's the photos I took so far:

Nice graphics

Like most boxed 1/6 military figures, there's no instructions so you have to rely on the box or the Internet for reference.

The box features a nice slip cover with raised gold lettering and artwork.

Lots of interesting accessories you can gear up with.

The helmet is awesome.  I also like how Playhouse reinforces their straps to make it easier to loop in the molle.

Dude isn't the handsomest-looking chap, but he has the beard to cover that up.

Joe Cool--a work in progress.

Stay tuned for a future post when I finish putting all the junk on him!

Hot Toys Marine FAST and Playhouse Navy Seal

Before Hot Toys became the leader in 1:6 scale movie action figures, they were a leader in 1:6 scale military action figures.

While most of these Hot Toys Military now go for well over what my budget allows, I have found a few choice deals on eBay.  One that I decided to open recently is the US Marine 2nd Fleet Anti-Terrorist Support Team (FAST) figure.  This version sports woodland camo and was an exclusive edition for a Candian toy store called Toys2.

Although not quite the level of quality that they are associated with now, Hot Toys' attention to detail is quite evident, even in their early releases.  Here's a comparion with the late 2010 Playhouse Navy Seal Team Ten figure:

While the rest of the figure is Playhouse, the head is Hot Toys--their paint apps now are the industry standard for realism.

G.I. Joe Beachhead Bash

In 2009, Sideshow Collectibles began producing 12" action figures based on the '80s 3 and 3/4" GI Joe Real American Hero toy line and cartoon series. While definitely a step up from the original 12" GI Joe action figures of old, in my opinion, the toys do not quite match the quality of current 12" military action figures from companies like Soldier Story, Dragon in Dreams, and Hot Toys.

Due to the timing of available parts, I decided to try making my own version of the character, Beachhead.

Using Sideshow's uniform, vest, gloves, and tags, I added in a Crazy Dummy head sculpt, ACI body, ACI balaclava, knee pads from Playhouse's Navy Seal Team 10 set, and DID shoes and backpack.

The result is a bit more realistic take, IMO, while still retaining some flavor of the RAH Beachhead.