Do we really want new WWII figures?

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Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by digger » Thu May 14, 2020 12:18 pm

That is what JoyToy is asking. For those who don’t know, they make impressive 1:18 scale modern figures. I think it would be fantastic if they made WWII figures. Their WWII teaser is on FB here:
https://www.facebook.com/joytoyfigure/p ... =3&theater

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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by tmanthegreat » Thu May 14, 2020 1:39 pm

Good to hear from you, Digger! Marauder, Inc. won’t like this news, given they recently released their WWII figure line... I’ve got a number of the 1/18 Joy Toy figures and agree they are excellent! They would make some amazing WWII figures for sure.
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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by Razor17019 » Thu May 14, 2020 5:44 pm

Digger!
How's it going?
Do people have the modern figures by Joy Toy?
How do they compare with 21st C or BBI?
Are their equipment attached already or do you have to attach it?


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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by digger » Fri May 15, 2020 5:07 am

TMan, Razor - good to see you guys.

Razor, the JoyToy modern guys look great in BBI vehicles, have interchangeable gear and weapons, and are basically modular among themselves (easy head swaps, arms swaps, etc...). The articulation is probably the best we've ever gotten in 1:18.

This past year alone JoyToy has released around 10 different 1:18 modern sets, and generally they keep improving. Early figures were too fragile but more recent offerings have great playability. After we lost BBI/Merit/21C/FOV, I was turned off by most small 1:18 brands for a number of reasons including cost and lack of paint apps, but the JoyToy figures have basically given me the bug again.

One problem is you can't use JoyToy next to BBI or 21C figures because our older soldiers look silly next to these guys. The JoyToy weapons and head sculpts could improve some however. I think BBI was doing better weapons and heads 15 years ago.

Related, what website will let me imbed pics right into the thread here? I would love to showcase these guys and share some comparison shots.

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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by Axis Nightmare » Fri May 15, 2020 6:07 am

digger wrote:
Fri May 15, 2020 5:07 am
TMan, Razor - good to see you guys.


Related, what website will let me imbed pics right into the thread here? I would love to showcase these guys and share some comparison shots.
Imgur.com is free, works great and I've posted over 100 pictures with it on here.

What 1/18 really needs is figures that don't have goofy looking robot arms and legs. Perhaps more optional arms and legs molded in various positions like a few offerings did.
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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by grunt1 » Fri May 15, 2020 7:33 am

"Perhaps more optional arms and legs molded in various positions like a few offerings did." <- this! I didn't realize how spoiled I was by 21st Century and Dragon fixed arms and legs. Even with Hasbro class articulation from Marauder some poses like aiming down sights on a rifle are near impossible.

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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by tmanthegreat » Fri May 15, 2020 8:41 am

Just for reference for those that may not have seen them, here are pics of some of the Joy Toy figures in my collection, including their modern USMC figures and US Army Special Forces. I’ve also got one of their Mechs and some modern Russian troops, but don’t have any pictures readily available. I tend to use these figures with my Hiya Aliens APC, but they’ll go with any modern vehicle.

Joy Toy Special Forces Figures:
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Joy Toy USMC Figures:
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The Joy Toy figures are very well articulated, more so than anything we ever got from 21st, BBI, even Hasbro. They can be a tad brittle, but a figure set typically comes with spare joint pieces. All the gear, save the hats and helmets, is removable. The figures stand about 4” tall and are noticeably taller than the 21st and BBI figures.
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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by digger » Fri May 15, 2020 8:57 am

I agree that the ability to hold weapons has generally been a shortcoming in 1:18 articulation. JoyToy has advanced the ball by including two key joints: On the right wrist, a "karate chop" hinge, and on the left wrist, a "curl" hinge. While not all the way there, these additions help. Some pics of various JoyToy figures below. I will try to get some comparison shots with other lines. I have most of the sets so if there guys you want to see just let me know. And thanks to Axis for the Imgur tip.

All the vests and belts are easily interchangeable but at $15-$30 a figure, they are not cheap to kit bash.

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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by Axis Nightmare » Fri May 15, 2020 10:50 am

Those modern military figures have an advantage of the body armor, knee pads and all the gear distracting from the articulation. WWII figures don't have all that. It's one of the nice things about winter figures that wear heavy jackets and long coats to cover shoulders, elbows and waist articulation. Even 1/6 figures with great articulation can be a booger trying to get them to hold a weapon in the pose you want. Some are so over articulated they have no rigidity to them at all and can't hold a pose without something sagging or collapsing like working with a skeleton.
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What makes the P-51 Mustang so special?

"It would do for 8 hours what a Spitfire would do for 45 minutes."

Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager

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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by grunt1 » Sat May 16, 2020 7:36 am

It's amazing what those two wrist styles do to improve articulation...
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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by Axis Nightmare » Sat May 16, 2020 9:45 am

Will there ever be 1/18 figures that can get close to poses like these without showing all the hinge joints?



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What makes the P-51 Mustang so special?

"It would do for 8 hours what a Spitfire would do for 45 minutes."

Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager

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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by normandy » Sun May 17, 2020 7:23 am

I don't think 1:18 will ever come close to the 1:6 articulation unless they have soft clothing
like the big guys.

I'm in for more 1:18 WWII figures just not at $20.00 a piece.
I'd like to see some Tankers, both sides. But I have more Panzers
than Shermans so I'd opt for more Germans.

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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by tmanthegreat » Sun May 17, 2020 3:11 pm

I’d love to see more German tanker figures! I got a bunch of the 21st “Battle of the Bulge” style tanker figures in the white or camouflage coveralls years ago at Walmart and have scrounged up a few of the figures in the black panzerwrap uniforms over the years, but more would definitely be welcome. I’ve always wondered why 21st never offered a carded version of the standard tanker figure.
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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by digger » Mon May 18, 2020 5:54 am

The soft goods help hide the joints on the 1/6 guys but usually look lame on 1:18 figures so I don't think 1/18 will get to where 1/6 is on articulation. Other key points of articulation on some 1:18 JoyToy guys: 1) a hinge at the toes, which is an amazing addition, and 2) a joint where the neck meets the torso allowing better head positioning when ADS.

As for price, I think we need to accept ~$15 per figure as the new normal. Especially since we are asking for niche figures from small manufacturers. Heck, Hasbro gets $14 for some pretty lame SW figures in 1:18. If Hasbro and Jazwares are getting $14 a figure, I think we need to come to terms with $15-$20 per figure for what we want. Obviously not good news for Army building.

Related, I hope the detail and articulation of the JoyToy and Acid Rain World figures serve as a shot across the bow to larger manufacturers.

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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by digger » Tue May 26, 2020 6:47 am

JoyToy has new photos of the painted WWII German prototypes on their social media and they look pretty nice.

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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by normandy » Sun May 31, 2020 6:32 am


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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by Axis Nightmare » Sun May 31, 2020 7:34 am

That does look good. Especially with the three foot rule. I agree on the hands. :idea: I'd paint the hands to look like gloves since they're so over sized. The K98 looks a bit bulky too as well as the chinstrap. I know, nitpicking but based on the price, expectations should be high though you're not going to find poor quality older offerings cheap. I'm also terribly jaded and spoiled by high end 1/6 scale figures. 8)
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What makes the P-51 Mustang so special?

"It would do for 8 hours what a Spitfire would do for 45 minutes."

Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager

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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by digger » Tue Jun 02, 2020 3:22 am

I agree on the chin strap. That is the problem with removable headgear on 1:18 - it is usually too big or bulky. For a while JoyToy was just doing multiple heads in each set, some with and some without headgear. The appearance was great but I know people want the option of using the headgear on other figures so I think they are moving in that direction. I would rather they just did fixed headgear, especially headsets and caps, which often look goofy when removable. Great examples of fixed headgear are those XD German tankers above.

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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by normandy » Wed Jun 03, 2020 5:22 pm

I guess we should also remember these are prototypes. I do like the uniform and head sculpt, the
helmet while large does look good...may be its an M35 ET 68 :P (model maker size). :wink:

Digger any idea if the heads are pop into the shoulders like 21st or head on a post like
the Hasbro Indy figures?

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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by digger » Thu Jun 04, 2020 6:03 am

The heads pop onto a neck (post), which itself pops onto the torso. I haven't done any head-swaps outside of other JoyToy guys but I can see what works. Unfortunately I am currently separated from a lot of my collection.

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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by Axis Nightmare » Thu Jun 04, 2020 6:31 am

TRIVIA:

Other than the subject line, at this point, what does every post in this thread have in common?
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What makes the P-51 Mustang so special?

"It would do for 8 hours what a Spitfire would do for 45 minutes."

Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager

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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by Axis Nightmare » Fri Jun 05, 2020 5:23 pm

Hmmm... no one got my riddle?

Anyway, I always liked these figures probably only because of the lack of ugly joints. They always had helmets either too small or fit funny.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/MEN-OF-CHARLIE ... %7Ciid%3A1
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What makes the P-51 Mustang so special?

"It would do for 8 hours what a Spitfire would do for 45 minutes."

Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager

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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by digger » Sat Jun 06, 2020 4:19 am

Riddle wooshed over my head.
I like those Dragon guys too - hands and heads were too big but the static poses were great. Dragon weapons were great too.

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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by Axis Nightmare » Sat Jun 06, 2020 4:32 pm

Trivia/Riddle answer:

Everyone posting here is a brigadier general! The thread is a little top heavy in brass. I'm by far the rookie of the group (though I may be the oldest) with 6 years less forum time and 1/4 the posts of tman!
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What makes the P-51 Mustang so special?

"It would do for 8 hours what a Spitfire would do for 45 minutes."

Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager

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Re: Do we really want new WWII figures?

Post by tmanthegreat » Sat Jun 06, 2020 8:20 pm

Axis Nightmare wrote:
Sat Jun 06, 2020 4:32 pm
Trivia/Riddle answer:

Everyone posting here is a brigadier general! The thread is a little top heavy in brass. I'm by far the rookie of the group (though I may be the oldest) with 6 years less forum time and 1/4 the posts of tman!
Too funny, Axis :lol:
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