which Vietnam figures are better?

[aferguson]

which Vietnam figures are better the Platoon figures or the regular vietnam figures that were released later?

[B17Fortress]

The articulation, gear, and bodies are exactly the same between the two lines. The only difference that I can find is the Platoon figures paint chips of more readily, but other than that they are pretty much the same.

[tmanthegreat]

B-17Fortress pretty much nailed it... but there are some differences.

With the Platoon figures, you get the movie star headsculpts. Those are accurate and neat, but not great for army building. Its hard to have an army of Charlie Sheen clones The regular line has more figure variety and is better for army building. The regular figures are at once unique, but also generic. Personally, I like the Zach Sharples (aka TKO211) figure the best, for obvious reasons

The Platoon figures have a slightly different shade of green on the uniforms. The green is lighter whereas the green on the regular figures is darker and flatter. Not sure which is more accurate... The Platoon figures have the Air Cavalry patch printed on the moulded arm piece - a nice touch.

Most of the weapons & accessories are the same between the figure lines. They all come with the same canteens, ammo pouches, grenades, knives, flashlights, M-16s, M-79s, and M-14s. The Johnny Depp figure in the Platoon line comes with a shotgun thats not in the regular line and the regular line has the figure with the M-60 machine gun that are not in the Platoon line.

Overall, both lines are great, but I would say the regular line is best for army building and weapons variety - plus you get a TKO211 action figure to work voodoo magic on to convince AllGo to make more 1:18 stuff .

[aferguson]

ok, thanks for the good info

[B17Fortress]

Pleased to be of service to a fellow Canadian

Thanks Tman, you are right about the colour difference, however if the arms from the AB series is mixed with a platoon figure, the colour balance isn't too far off.

Also, it is the Tom Berenger figure, not Depp, that comes with the shotgun (a remington I presume?)

The M60 appeared as an oddball to me, with the small pistol grip and boxy reciever. That's why I built my own, as seen on my repainted Mutt in the Custom forum.

It's a shame that the Vietnam line was not expanded on. I would have loved to be able to purchase NVA or South Vietnamese Freedom Fighters (Viet Cong) besides the two S1 figures. Somehow some executive at 21st decided to instead make the M41, which was not frequently used by the US Army in Vietnam; the small interior was too cramped for American crews, so instead the tanks were given to the South Vietnamese Army.

Aferguson, may I ask why the sudden interest in Vietnam figures? Upcoming custom? Or better yet diorama
?

[aferguson]

i've got a Patton that i want to do something interesting with. So i'm just curious about the figures as i may get a couple to pose with the tank. I've used up all my S1 figures.

[granch]

I have both, and don't agree with tmanthegreat: my Platoon figs. are more dark green, and my first released 21st are more olive green, and both are really different compared to the 21st tank drivers, that seems to be more gray. I painted them to a colour between Platoon and 1st release, a cheap method to get 2 huey pilots (with the paint, just added a black eyeshade). I've also noticed that there are small colour differences between the bottom and the legs, the vest and the torso on my 1st released figures. Not boring, but it can be visible on black and white or colour photos under the sun or picks made with the flash. I had only the time and energy and patience to paint 2 figures instead of 10. Why do have most of 1/18 helicopters only 1 pilot and the 2nd one such crazy prices on eBay????

[aferguson]

Tman was referring to the Platoon figures and the regular (ie non movie) vietnam figures that came out AFTER the Platoon figures, not the first release vietnam figures that came out 9 years ago.

[granch]

Aferg, ok, thank you for the info. It seems that my collection becomes old...