Small Scale Military Headquarters

This October will mark the 10th anniversary of the creation of 1:18 military products as 21c debuted their Xtreme Detail XD line in February of 2000 and the first releases hit the shelves at TRU in October of that same year. Since the beginning, action figures have been a crucial part of the 1:18 military lineup, no matter the era depicted. 21c had droves of them, supported by all the great offerings over the years from BBI, Unimax, and others.

So, my question is this:

What is the best 1:18 scale military action figure or figure series?

Now there's obviously a lot of leeway with this query. It could be the most accurate figure, the best articulated, the best looking, the most controversial subject, the most random figure, or whatever. Never mind that we've got dozens to choose from.

Have fun

I LOVE DRAGON FIGS!!!! FTW!!!

lol

Just got the set of 4 US dragon soldiers at Monkey depot for $11! MUST BUY THEM!!!

They are for my operation cobra dio!

Best all-around figures are probably Bbi, their failing was the depressingly one-sidedness of their figure output.

Dragon probably had the best detailed accessories.

I can't say 21st was the best at anything outside of variety. Their BoB stahlhelms were great, the best German helmets produced, unfortunately those helmets and decals didn't survive that wave, i don't think. What's with those terrible 1:6 scale decals towards the end?

I am not a figure fan.

Of the xd I have taken out of their boxes . I have left the figures in.

It would not upset me If any of them came without figures.

They should be sold seperately in order to keep the price down.

I guess I am the minority here.

Yeah, I think the bbi paratroopers are the best, IMHO.

-Ski

Dragons look the best and have the best detail though if I were ALLGO I would model mine after Hasbros GiJoe line. They have the best articulation of any 1/18 action figure line ..... just a hint ALLGO ... drop the crappy articulation and shoddy detail of the old 21C figures and start freash.

pickelhaube wrote:I am not a figure fan.

Of the xd I have taken out of their boxes . I have left the figures in.

It would not upset me If any of them came without figures.

They should be sold seperately in order to keep the price down.

I guess I am the minority here.

I agree with you.

I have to go with.

Dragon German & American Figures


21st Japanese Figures

The Schutzstaffel Set

21st Fallschirmjagers

BBI Figures

FOV German & American Figures

FOV modern figures and BBI paras

Hmm,

This is a tough question, since you have to take a little from each line to truly make an Ultimate action figure.

I'd have to say for a stand alone figure. BBIs last series of Paras was the best in terms of versatility and detail. Although the undersized helmets and heads were a little disapointing.

Stug45 wrote:I have to go with.

Dragon German & American Figures


21st Japanese Figures

The Schutzstaffel Set

21st Fallschirmjagers

BBI Figures

FOV German & American Figures

I agree! But I'd also have to add in the 21st US Marines for some of the best 'battle worn' faces.

Here is an old comparison photo I have of three 101st from each company. The heads and helmets are all bbi (great heads and usually a very easy swap). Btw, Dragon had the best guns but some awful helmets and big heads.

In my opinion, BBI had the best figures all around, with their WWII D-Day troops and paratroopers being my favorites.

For the best figure line, I really enjoyed the 21c Marines. The articulation was not the best, but they were sculpted well and the faces had character without being too cartoonish. Following this theme, my favorite 1:18 action figure is probably the 21c USMC Series 1 Sgt. Digger McHugh figure. Holding that Japanese flag, the rifle, and with that scowl, he looks like he just took out an entire Japanese platoon on his own, actually earning the "Ultimate Soldier" title on his cardback

As for sheer randomness, I think the Flight 19 aliens fit the bill

I lean to the 21st D-Day figs and the FJ's.

i'll go with FOV 1:18 germans

The 21st century S1 US Marines are my favorite. Really like the sculpts. I like the Bravo Team Germans also.

Dragon figs are my favorites. Some of the German heads are a bit silly looking though.

21C Marines have the best head sculpts IMO.

21C FJ's rank near the top since no other company ever attempted German paras. We have 6 in 1:18...end of story.

BBI paras are amazing, but they are a bit fragile. I have broken more than one of these guys just trying to remove some equipment or twist a wrist.

Every series has its flaws...

-BBI... Their hands weren't always great for posing with the weaponry, their helmets I find a tad small, and most of their gear wasn't removable or it left phantom straps and gaping holes in the backs.

-FOV... All the gear comes off nice, and I think their Germans are among the best figures out there, but their US uniforms weren't accurate. Different color on those coats and lose the big pockets on the pants, and their US figures would be better.

-Dragon... Awesome sculpting detail, awesome weapons, but zero articulation. Fun to pose around artillery or something, but that's about it to me. They're mostly good for filler and extra gear.

-21st... They made the most, their gear was the least offensive when it was removed, but their paintjobs were iffy, sculpts varied with each wave from great to pure crap, and so on.

So...

For pure sculpt, my vote goes to BBI.

For articulation I would say my vote is tied between FOV, 21st, and BBI. I think all 3 are great and fun.

For deco, my vote goes to FOV and BBI as 21st was too spotty with theirs... Some waves were good, others not so good.

For accessories, my vote goes to FOV (all the gear BBI figures had + usually better looking IMO, + it didn't leave gaping holes or phantom straps and things). Dragon's a close second but they were pricey figures at the onset too, so I prefer the FOV figures there.

Overall I really can't say I have a favorite... I love BBI, 21st, and FOV for a variety of different reasons and would love to buy more figures from each company. I'd buy from Dragon too, but they really needed to try harder to make an action figure and less to make a model. Difficult for a model company to do though of course.

For great figures though, some of my favorite series have been:

-21st's BotB series
-21st's Fal's
-21st's D-Day series (the last waves of figures)
-BBI's full removable gear paratroopers
-BBI's D-Day guys
-FOV's WW2 figures