Small Scale Military Headquarters

These are out on the West Coast/Arizona today. Picked one up this afternoon.

http://www.fighting118th.com/2012/02/27 ... irst-look/

Very cool! Reason to go back into Target again!

They were not out on the shelves when I went, but asked, and they brought them out of the back for me.

Likely they could be included on a new toy isle reset or something soon. They seem to be the same SKU as the large vehicles (Abrams/Bradley).

It's odd that Unimax didn't show anything about these at Toyfair 2012. The HMMWV has a 2011 date stamp.

New 1:18 at a big box retailer.. I think I'm going to have a bit of a moment here. *sniff*

Very exciting... Looks like up-armored doors, some barricades, a TOW(?) and other goodies.. yay!

Unbox that baby!

First impressions:

The Good:

1. It's tough. Typical Unimax/Bravo Team build quality. They're meant for kids, so they can take some abuse without breaking. Not a lot of small delicate parts/edges to easily lose/break.
2.It has a PUSH BAR! Proper Mirrors! Fording Kit! Front windows!
3. Barricades! Comes with two (RED? Someone give me a paint color for concrete ASAP!), they can connect to each other, and any more you get, so you can make the chain as long as you want.
4. Gear! Two MRE packs, 2 gerry cans, bolt cutters, backpack, rocket launcher, a new M4 w/203 and a helmet for the figure.
5. Proper stand for the TOW launcher. Nothing fancy, but it works. The TOW launcher itself is solid, spring loaded (w/3 rockets) and has a metal hinge so it stays where you aim it.
6. Has the proper Hummer grill (It's licensed!)
7. Joe's fit very well in the front seats and the TOW hatch (which has a joint so it folds, no idea why!)
8. Comes with a Bravo Team figure. Looks like a Marine w/ Woodland gear.
9. It's in stock, and currently being distributed.

The bad:

1. It's VERY toy-like.
2. Rear doors do not open. There is nothing but molded plastic, no hinge, so you could cut them off but it'd likely look weird.
3. The TOW turret does NOT come out (like 21st and BBI!) It's bolted in pretty good, though it does swivel 360°. There are 13 screws on the bottom that likely need to be removed to open it up for surgery (more on this later!)
4. The rear hatch opens, but has no support so it closes immediately.
5. No side windows, not a deal breaker really, guys roll their windows down I suppose.
6. New mold M4 w/203 is an itty bitty thing like all other Bravo Team M4's (shame really, it even has a magpul on the magazine!!)
7. Antenna is too short (but easily removable thankfully!)
8. No suspension (Not a big deal but nice to wish).
9. Overall lack of detail inside cabin and under vehicle. Nothing of note really, functional but not noteworthy.
10. When you open the front doors they press on the mirrors (sloppy design). Initially not a problem, but repeated use could snap off the mirrors (mirrors are made of a softer, bendy plastic though). The hinge on the front doors isn't realistic or smooth.
11. The cost. Likely MSRP of $29.99 most places (more on this later!).

The ???:

1. It's about an inch longer than the 21st HMMWV, 1/3 inch wider, and half inch taller. It looks like it's made for 4" GI JOE's.
2. Seems like it might be a better base for the Reinforced HMMWV, or M1114 custom than the 21st model, since it's already bigger and bulkier.

Note about cost: I paid $31.49 for the set, though the Target I went to has everything priced a $1 or so more than 'normal' Targets. So I am guessing the MSRP should be between $29.99-$34.99 depending on your Target.

Breakdown of value, according to me, assuming $29.99 price.

1. Figure w/ Helmet, Backpack, M4, rocket launcher: $4.99
2. Extra Accessories - x2 MRE case, x2 gerry can, bolt cutters: $1.99
3. Barricades: $2.99
4. Vehicle w/ TOW stand: $14.99
Total: $24.99

So to me it's about $5 over-priced for what you get. I can't remember what the PTE HMMWV's went for this year, but I based the vehicle price on theirs (It may have been $19.99 this year?). Overall not a terrible value, considering the stuff you get, but not a "run out and grab them" type of item either. Ideally if you had a coupon or giftcard that might be the way to go.

I am curious to see how it will work for customizing, especially compared to the MUCH more detailed (and much more out of stock) 21st Century Toys version.

wow i hope theres more new stuff.

I dropped a line to Panache Place and Unimax in HK, no response yet (surprise!). They haven't even updated their website to reflect this.. so there's hope.. maybe that Stryker! Ha!

Thanks for the critique NSA.

One thing that stands out to me are the wheels. They look no were as good as the 21st.

Crazy toyish.

But the scale grill sounds good.

How does the front push bumper look ?

It looks to be rather chunky .

well, it's something new from bravo team. Maybe more to come?

the windows on a humvee are armored glass, are they not. I doubt the can roll down. Easy enough fix using some clear plastic from the packaging.

i hope it sells well.

I wonder if there are any of the textured Krylon paints that would work as concrete on the baricades?

There's a particularly good one that's just a flecked light grey. Pretty slick.

Any pictures on the box of anything else to look forward to?

holensock wrote:Any pictures on the box of anything else to look forward to?

http://www.fighting118th.com/2012/02/27 ... irst-look/

oh my...the back of the box says "when you need to get your BARVO team..."

Barvo,


Barvo.

aferguson wrote:oh my...the back of the box says "when you need to get your BARVO team..."

Barvo,


Barvo.

This one is an easy pass for me.

Thanks for the review NSA. Fun there is something new but agree that it does seem a bit pricey at $30 in a big box store.

Nice find! Will have to keep an eye-out for these as I would like to see one in person before making a decision. Vehicle in the picture looks pretty decent and it seems like they copied the old FOV 1:32 version as that did not have opening passenger doors either. Great it comes with figures and accessories as well. Like a fancier (and more expensive) PTE item. Still, I use Bravo Team figures in all my 21c and BBI Humvees, so this might be a pass as well...

I'd really like those barriers, haha. Sad.

I wonder how easily the barriers could be replicated? They are hollow on the inside, so they don't take much material.

Barvo Team(R)! That's a riot.. good old quality control.

I took her apart last night:



Other than the crappy wheels I think it will be a good, durable base for HMMWV mods. Almost everything comes apart really easily (16 screws?), and does not feel fragile or brittle.

It'd also be a good 'toy' for younger kids who may want to play with Dad's toys all the time, so they can feel like they're playing with the cool stuff without breaking the bank

I'd like to get one when they show up here. Too bad they didn't include a .50 cal in a turret or shield of some sort.

i bet the price is a bit higher than expected because it's licensed.

it's in kind of a big box for what it is. Is this the same size box the bradley comes in?

do the missiles it fires look like TOW's or are they just generic looking missile thingies?

edit: ah ok, they look like generic missile thingies, not TOW's. I saw the close up pics on F118th.

I don't think concrete would be the correct colour for those barriers. They look to me like, in real life, they are molded out of some material, maybe a heavy plastic and then filled with sand or water...there seems to be a cap on the top of them. I don't know what colour they should be....maybe red so they are visible to oncoming traffic?

aferguson wrote:I don't think concrete would be the correct colour for those barriers. They look to me like, in real life, they are molded out of some material, maybe a heavy plastic and then filled with sand or water...there seems to be a cap on the top of them. I don't know what colour they should be....maybe red so they are visible to oncoming traffic?

I'm sure this is right. There's a construction project right in front of my office and yesterday I happened to notice the barriers they're using after seeing these pics. It turns out the barriers in this product are actually a very good copy (including the color) of the ones I saw. I'd bet this kind of light barrier that can be filled with water are used in checkpoints in the Sandbox and the 'Stan.

I'll probably get one of these ... just because.

Went by a local Target & they had 3 of the new Hummers for $35.99. Didn't get one today, but will go back tomorrow with a giftcard.

The vehicle looks pretty decent in person, though the wheels need work & I'm not sure why the passenger doors don't open.TOW launcher looks better than I thought for a spring-loaded feature. The 21c and BBI hummers are better, but I think this looks better than the PTE vehicle. It will make a nice vehicle addition

Wonder if it's more expensive because it's Barvo...

Barvo = special.

Bi-Lingual
Army
Recon
Vehicular
Operations

BARVO.