What was the worst item ever made?

[B17Fortress]

The title really says it all, I have been wondering what 1/18 item was the worst?

Some points for consideration:
-Articulation
-Sculpt
-Paint
-Accessories
-Durability

I can't wait to see what you guys think.

[NightVyper]

Any 21st Century figure:
The molds were horrible they all felt deformed and cartoony, the skin color was something from the jersey shore, the quality was absolute crap and would fall apart. I had one when you bent his leg the calf fell off. the weapons looked like garbage there vehicles were nice models but their figures were garbage. Every time I open a 21st box i throw the figure away because i don't need crap in my collection.
-Articulation: C
-Sculpt : F
-Paint: D
-Accessories: C
-Durability: F

On a positive side i do like the baseball cap and sock hat that came with modern figures.

[SolidSnakeEyes]

I don't feel that 21st figures are THAT bad. Granted, they aren't up to par with modern GI Joe or Star Wars, but they served their purpose well. With a tiny bit of effort and a few skills in modeling/modification, and you can make 21st figures look GREAT in dioramas.

[MCalamari]

Wow, I actually feel that the 21c figures are actually some of the best. The last wave of US figures, awesome. I've had no problems with them, their articulation is great, the paint jobs are good, and they come loaded with plenty of accessories that are easy to move around. The 21c figures are more like small scale 12" Joes than most of the other 3 3/4" figures out there.

I've not bought any of the Chap Mei or Lanard (sp?) figures, because they are way too cartoon-like for my tastes. In the world of action figures, there are pros and cons to most lines, but we are in a great day right now.

If I had to pick on a single line that I collect that could be improved more: Hasbro's Marvel (not Iron Man or Thor, they seem higher quality) Universe. Some of the figures are great (like Captain America), but others have legs or waists that don't have the best range of movement. That said, the figures look great and are stable, so I'm still happy.

I also know that some people did not like the Tron Legacy figures, but I do. Ditto for some of the Fearless Forces Unimax figures as well. They are simple, but still fun.

[tmanthegreat]

To get back on the subject of the worst 1:18 overall, here are my choices and reasoning. I'm also keeping it restricted to 1:18 military proper, and leaving out all the Star Wars, GI Joe, Corps, etc.

Figure:
21c M113 APC crewman (without helmet)
This is quite possibly the worst 1:18 figure 21c ever tooled... Oversized head & hands, cartoonish headsculpt, and just an overall boring figure. I'm not sure what its even supposed to do besides stand there next to the M113 and mine has stayed hidden since I got it. Second worst would be the other 21c M113 figure with the helmet.

Vehicle/Artillery:
21c M-17 Quad .50 Trailer
Some might disagree with me on this, but I always thought it was a rather useless "vehicle/artillery piece" expecially when there were better choices that 21c could have developed, but I understand their reasoning in wanting to adapt their existing M-16 turret to something else... Still, whereas a howizer would have been cool, they instead gave us a trailer. At least it came with a nice figure and accessories.

Armor:
Unimax Bravo Team LAV-25
Unimax has turned out some rather excellent work with their Bravo Team line - their Desert M1 Abrams, the M2 Bradley, the Tiger, are all great tanks that, while cheaper toolings than their fancier BBI and 21c counterparts, nevertheless hold their own. Sadly to say, the Bravo Team LAV, doesn't meet these standards. I don't know whether it was the oversized main gun, lack of a troop compartment, opening hatches, paint scheme, or partially moulded stowage that got me, but I just couldn't stand that vehicle. I'd mull over it in the box back when you could find them at TRU, trying to decide whether I wanted to spend the $25 on it, but never could make myself do it. The BBI LAV (and the Unimax FOV 1:32 scale version for that matter) was just so much better.

Aircraft:
21c P-40
It was hard to choose this one because the 21c Bf-109E and S1 P-51 toolings are comparatively worse. Those twoaircraft , however, are the very first 1:18 aircraft toolings. The P-40 came nearly 4 years later and after the superior Stuka, Corsair, and P-38 had been developed. Further, the P-40 was designed more-or-less contemporary with the AH-1W Supercobra (one of the most detailed 1:18 aircraft ever) the Spitfire (another good one), the P-47, and the FW-190! It has an overall lack of control surfaces, a toyish oversized canopy and cockpit, overall lack of cockpit detail, the inaccurate "pregnant" look, exposed screws, and there's something just not quite right about the prop. So, as good as the P-40 looks in the Flying Tiger, RAF, or Pearl Harbor livery, it really was a digression in terms of tooling, form, and function on a 1:18th scale plane, both when first released and today.

[mountian-man]

I completely agree with T-man. The P-40 was a real dog. All the problems mentioned above,plus an absolutely flat wing, zero dihedral, as if they used a level.

I always dreamed that BBI would make a later model p-40 with their standard of detail. Could you imagine? ( or a later mark Spitfire).

[Jesse James]

Worst item overall is tough... I have to disagree with you though NightVyper. I think 21st's stuff was great, especially for everything you got.

If I had to pick out of figures I'd say Tman's choice was spot-on. I never had it, but it was horrible. It truly was an abomination in action figure form. Some of In-Toyz's stuff was horrible too.

I'd also nominate 21st Century's midget drivers/pilots... They often had bad paintjobs, were prone to breaking... I didn't care for the articulation on Wave 1 figures but they were decent enough. And articulation wound up improving. 21st's figures are still among my favorite figures out of anything I have on display though, including Star Wars which is my passion. I love looking at those 1:18 troops though and 21st did fairly diverse stuff ultimately.

For a vehicle/artillery piece I couldn't really pick other than to say that it's a real bear fitting a figure into the Kubelwagen, Jeep, and some other stuff. I can't list the Quad .50. It was nice, well done... Obscure and unnecessary? Eh, that's debatable I guess.

Armor, I really don't have one I hate totally but I didn't buy all the modern stuff, so Unimax's LAV is probably as good a choice as any.

For planes it's the same. To me they're all pretty great. My P47 is the cheapest feeling plane I have, but to me they're all pretty sharp.

Worst playset is the Fountain. The Fountain was just lame, and overpriced. At half what its original cost was, it's a better item. And I got all mine for less than that even.

[Snake Man]

I completely agree with T-man. The P-40 was a real dog. All the problems mentioned above,plus an absolutely flat wing, zero dihedral, as if they used a level.

I always dreamed that BBI would make a later model p-40 with their standard of detail. Could you imagine? ( or a later mark Spitfire).

Hmmmm....... I wonder if there is more than one tooling of the P-40. I just got an RAF version off ebay, and there is definitely adequate dihedral in the wings. Pretty much the same amount as the FW190 that I have parked next to it. Anybody venture a guess ??

[NightVyper]

@ Jesse

I think consistency is a really big deal, and BBI had that and the FOV troops seem to have that but 21st is just all over the place and again the quality was lacking in my opinion. i mean you are naming a 21st troop as the worst which is my point.

not considered 1/18 on these forums, but in terms of best figure over all is GI joe and they have set the standard for years. the Launch of the POC line is the best i have ever seen with quality, articulation and goodies. my low light came a a single removable 50 cal bullet from a tray of 50 cal rounds, or destro come with a breif case of money with removable scale stack of US and EU currency.

[MCalamari]

Worst playset is the Fountain. The Fountain was just lame, and overpriced. At half what its original cost was, it's a better item. And I got all mine for less than that even.

Considering that the fountain was one of 4 playsets and eventually went on sale, I like it. Its like the old Kenner Death Star ... we will never see anything like it again.

-M

[ram04]

Jesse James, with you on this my P-47 seems to be lacking compared to others, not sure if its just the paint or what

[BLACKSNAKES]

Hope I don't get banned for this, but it is my opinion. Sorry in advance to all of the F-14 guys here.

Military: F-14 Blah (spot) cat! All the hype, the waiting, and the final product. The months of discussion. The landing gear!!! The "sorry you bought a piece of crap" response from retailers.

The complaining about another P-51 re-paint (Algo) when the P-51's impact on history far surpasses that of the F-14 which is being offered in re-paints and no one seems to have a problem with that.

I had an F-14 on pre order and was lucky to see the final product here before mine shipped. Pre order CANCELLED!!! No Thanks JSI!!!

Non-military: Star Wars 1997 figures and the George Lucas X-wing pilot celebration figure. Really George!!!??? Glad I stood in line for hours for that garbage.

B-SNAKES

[pickelhaube]

Hope I don't get banned for this, but it is my opinion. Sorry in advance to all of the F-14 guys here.

Military: F-14 Blah (spot) cat! All the hype, the waiting, and the final product. The months of discussion. The landing gear!!! The "sorry you bought a piece of crap" response from retailers.

The complaining about another P-51 re-paint (Algo) when the P-51's impact on history far surpasses that of the F-14 which is being offered in re-paints and no one seems to have a problem with that.

I had an F-14 on pre order and was lucky to see the final product here before mine shipped. Pre order CANCELLED!!! No Thanks JSI!!!

Non-military: Star Wars 1997 figures and the George Lucas X-wing pilot celebration figure. Really George!!!??? Glad I stood in line for hours for that garbage.

B-SNAKES

Yep the F-14. $200 + for something that I did not even take out of the box.

[Jnewboy]

Of the 1/18 military stuff that has come out I thought it was sad that both FOV & 21st Century could not put out a Tiger I that was correct. FOV's was great with the Zimmermit but why use early road wheels? 21st Had already made one with the right wheels, if nothing else just copy them... 21st Century's was closer to the mark but had late production features but also had early ones like flare discharges and no Zimmermit. It was as if the two companies threw all the features of a Tiger I into a hat and each company picked a few features at random and went with them. You would think that a company that is willing to build an accurate 88mm like 21st did would have done better on their Tiger. Keeps me busy creating customs that fix the problems with both. Though I know 90% of the Wal-mart buyers didn't give a damn about this.

[Jesse James]

I couldn't possibly nominate the Tiger... $40 got you something special there. I'm not a rivet-counter though, so I'm not too particular. It has modern/late parts, but it's the finest piece overall in terms of features and innovations that 1:18 ever saw IMO. To me it's superior to any plane or armor really. I'm biased though, but I really enjoy the Tiger for what it delievered at a low price. And the metal one was even better because, well, it was metal!

Vyper, I'm listing a 21st pilot/driver figure, not a random single figure you could pick up... If you've seen it, you know why it got listed. BBI, FOV, and even 21st never did anything (at any other point in their line) that was that figure. He's dismal. I almost hate to count him. If I were to take him out of the equation I'd probably name a figure from the tiny driver/pilot days when the line started, which their abandonment says something about how bad they were...

I'd list BBI's Paratroopers without removable gear though behind those. They're neat looking, but that's it. They're not great action figures though. Some of their initial modern offerings were not great to me either, as they had neon green helmets and oversized weapons at times.

That driver for either the M113 or whatever though, he sucks. I mean, truly, he's bad.

BTW I'd put 21st's modern figures as something of a step backwards too... Articulation got cut, some of their limbs were odd, to say the least (modern US spec. forces guy, I'm lookin' at you).

GI Joe's POC stuff is cool but I'm not huge on the ball-jointed chests on Joes. I like them as their own line, but I wouldn't mix GIJ with the 1:18 companies... I sorta keep them separate. I display my Joes on their own shelf and appreciate them separately, if that makes sense. Their gear's currently unmatched. I mean truly, no company is making cooler accessories.

[812boys]

If your going to just toss them nightvyper you could always send them to me

[Jesse James]

BTW my comment on the fountain was just on playsets... They're the only ones, so someone had to take a hit. It really only took it because of price. I felt it just wasn't worth the money (what was it, like $30?) at the time. It's not bad, really, just wasn't a good price, which apparantly was the truth since it was available by the stack here. I got like 5 of them for less than $10 each...

All the other sets were pretty great and I bought them full price, though I think I maybe got the brick/government building thing on sale to some degree. I know I bought the farmhouse and barn full price though and they were worth every red cent. I don't think I saw either of those on sale even. The fountain was just the lamest of the group though because it didn't have as much "umph" to it. The government building wasn't incredible but it had a lot of depth to it... the fountain just felt like a glorified figure stand to me, to some degree. I think $20 or less and it would've proved more popular, but then again I did get mine for $10.

Now the bridge, or the 3-story building... THOSE would've been highlights for the playsets. I still weep a little inside when that bridge ever comes up in conversation.

[normandy]

Jesse, not to make you weep but.......... http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/pho ... 6484HXCZId ........they should have made the bridge and most of the other items photographed.


My only complaint on the worst ever made list is the head sculpt on the Pvt. Gerhard Kendzai figure http://www.sshqdb.com/18/displayimage.p ... =202&pos=1 what the hell? I know this same sculpt showed on a few other figures...... one of the US GI's in the Merrill's Marauders set, one of the Market Garden figs also in the SS figure set and maybe more....

[Jesse James]

Ooph, it stings.

The bridge should've been in wave 1... The playsets tanked for sure, and they're something I always like to bring up when guys in Star Wars start complaining that htey want playsets. They never want "playsets". They want glorified stands and diorama bits... That's what 21st's sets were ultimately. Hyper-detailed set pieces.

True playsets tend to have features and not impress adults like they do kids, and even then, kids don't buy them anyway because the big stuff days are gone aside from some vehicles.

The bridge should've been out in wave 1 though, in place of the barn I think. I'd have gladly bought that, full price, at the time. The barn I'd have gladly sacrificed for it... Hell, I'd have sacrificed all but the farmhouse for it really. It was the sweetest set they were going to make. I love the sets I have though, they look fantastic as backdrops.

The Star Wars thing always comes up... And it's always people wanting something that is pretty complex, detailed, and they only want it for "cheap". I dunno. I want that kinda stuff too but like I said, 21st's sets failed pretty badly at a time people were into collecting 21st stuff and it had a very visible presence at retail. I miss that bridge every time I see it.

[Teamski]

I completely concur with T-Man on all points!

Paint scheme wise, the Air America Huey is definately one of 21st's worst decisions.....

-Ski

[Jnewboy]

Jesse, not to make you weep but.......... http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/pho ... 6484HXCZId ........they should have made the bridge and most of the other items photographed.


My only complaint on the worst ever made list is the head sculpt on the Pvt. Gerhard Kendzai figure http://www.sshqdb.com/18/displayimage.p ... =202&pos=1 what the hell? I know this same sculpt showed on a few other figures...... one of the US GI's in the Merrill's Marauders set, one of the Market Garden figs also in the SS figure set and maybe more....

Yes I have renamed the Kendzai head the ambush head because it looks like hes getting shot while attempting to take a dump.

[DocTodd]

To get back on the subject of the worst 1:18 overall, here are my choices and reasoning. I'm also keeping it restricted to 1:18 military proper, and leaving out all the Star Wars, GI Joe, Corps, etc.

Figure:
21c M113 APC crewman (without helmet)
This is quite possibly the worst 1:18 figure 21c ever tooled... Oversized head & hands, cartoonish headsculpt, and just an overall boring figure. I'm not sure what its even supposed to do besides stand there next to the M113 and mine has stayed hidden since I got it. Second worst would be the other 21c M113 figure with the helmet.

I must agree w/ Tman on this one.

[MCalamari]

True playsets tend to have features and not impress adults like they do kids, and even then, kids don't buy them anyway because the big stuff days are gone aside from some vehicles.

The bridge should've been out in wave 1 though, in place of the barn I think. I'd have gladly bought that, full price, at the time. The barn I'd have gladly sacrificed for it... Hell, I'd have sacrificed all but the farmhouse for it really. It was the sweetest set they were going to make. I love the sets I have though, they look fantastic as backdrops.

I agree ... though we know most folks consider playsets to include playsets and diorama sets.

I think the barn was the best of the 21c playsets, as you could cleverly get a few of them to help build your French village. The problem with the fountain (which I felt was worth $20 easily for the first one ... remember figures tended to be around $5 then and it came with one) is you really only needed one. The farmhouse and barn were good for like two or three.

In the playset world, PTE actually rocks. The bridge, bombed building, and HQ are all great. I wish I would have found more of the bridge and HQ. Oh, and the guard tower is one of the best 1:18 items around. Not super detailed, but functional.

Though it wouldn't go over for realism, I'd love to see PTE make a "Trench" set similar to the old Kenner Imperial Base from ESB. Those ice trenches were great. As a kid I knew it was the rebels, not imperials that used them ... 'sides the Imperials always had a new Death Star to fly around in, so I had two (accidentally got a duplicate for a birthday and had to plead with my mom not to return it 'cause I knew I needed two) so I knocked out the base on one side and made it into a double long trench.

Playsets / diorama pieces don't have to be of the highest quality, but do add value. I was hoping Kenner/Hasbro would rerelease the Indy map room, well of souls, and cairo streets, all of which would have some value to our WWII lines now. I'm probably one of the few people that really liked the two playsets (not diorama pieces) that snapped together for the recent Indy line.

All that said, watching my nephews play ... playsets are way less important to them than the figures, even duplicate figures.

-M

[Fritzkrieg]

The Admiral Toys 262 pilot is a real dog, and would give the APC driver a run for his money any day. At least you can change the APC drivers head and have a decent figure in modern fatigues.

As far as vehicles, go the FOV LAV would have to be my choice, snce it is the only 1:18 vehicle I have no desire to own.

[Fritzkrieg]

I forgot the InToyz German figures, these were very clownish.