Dusty Trails articulated 1/18 figs

Big_Iron · Post by **Big_Iron** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 7:14 am

I don't exactly see Dusty Trail Toys going for something they would have to pay a License fee for like that. The advantage (and appeal) of the Old West and Historical Military figures is that even most of the Real Characters are so old it is public domain, or they can get close enough and just call them "Marshall" "Gambler" and "Gunslinger" etc.

I am sure the Soldier of Fortune exclusive they are doing was not the most expensive license that is on the market either.

MandaloreSC · Post by **MandaloreSC** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 11:40 am

momaw nadon wrote:Now you are talking. The Colonial Marines from Aliens would rock, but there would have to be a UD-4L Cheyenne dropship and M577 APC. I would even go for the mercenaries from Alien: Resurrection, but I would go for anything from the Alien(s) or Predator series in 21st C 1/18 scale style.
momaw nadon

The APC would rock! But I think the dropship would be much to big in 1:18. A few years ago I wanted to build an APC in 1:18 and wanted to customize some XD figures to USCM. But the best figures for USCM would be the vietnam era figures. When they wasn't available nowhere I've dropped the projekt. Now I'm waiting for a cool line of USMC in i:18...and waiting....and waiting....and waiting....

momaw nadon · Post by **momaw nadon** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:01 pm

I don't exactly see Dusty Trail Toys going for something they would have to pay a License fee for like that.

I wasn't just refering to Dusty Trail Toys for the Alien line, but any toy company that would do a great job on them. Hasbro with the way they have done some of the newer Star Wars figures (VOTC) would be perfect for the base of the USCM. 21st C would be a good choice if they model them the way of the para and bob line without QC that has been going on. So I say any company that can do the job and do it well would have my dollar.

But I think the dropship would be much to big in 1:18.

I don't think it would be as big as the P-38. If you think about it the APC would be about the size of the Tiger or Patton, so you would have to add about two inches to the sides and about three to the front and back. With that it would have smaller wing span than any of planes and would be about as long with tail boom the stuka.

momaw nadon

Big_Iron · Post by **Big_Iron** » Sun Jan 02, 2005 7:46 am

At the risk of trying to guess/determine what Dusty Trails might do with the Lines they have actually announced: (since speculation is as much a part of this hobby as the HUNT, the war against Scalpers, and Critiques/Complaints once we finally get the product)

I'll start with the one I have MILD interest in:

In the Soldier of Fortune line, it lists:

MAC V SOG
101st Airborne
OIF and
Robert K Brown (publisher of SOF)

I assume the MAC V SOG is going to be a Nam era
101st Airborne, WWII? Nam? Modern Desert?

here are the two question Marks for me...
OIF (Is this Operation Iraqi Freedom? or some European group who uses Initials for designation)

Robert K. Brown, I guess they could make him in any uniform from Nam to Afghanistan.

With that line up, who is Left as the SOF line? Is Soldier of Fortune now more of a term for Professional Soldier, in that case Fortune is a relative term. I always thought SOF was all about Mercenaries and Hired guns, but looking at the line announced it seems more like, the Extreme Units, the ones who know they are going to be in Harms way first and the last ones to get relieved.(But at least they get the best weapons and a Beret to prove they are elite..oh wait everybody gets a beret now, so they get the best weaps) What do you guys think Dusty Trail will do with this line? If you don't have a guess how bout a wishlist....Since the SOF Magazine was founded by a Nam vet FOR Nam vets, I'd like to see more Nam guys, but I think there is already a thread on this board for that. But since they are giving the Cowboys a Stagecoach, does this mean the SOF'ers will get a Hummvee/Mutt/Helo extraction?

Now to my main focus from now until I get dissappointed by the actual product (wow Hasbro and 21st C have made me cynical)

WILD WEST!!!!

In the WILD WEST Line they list/picture:

US MARSHALL
Doc Holliday/Gambler
Cowboy
Man in Sobrero
Stage Driver
Shotgun Rider

Stagecoach
Gatling
Cannon

Now its time for the speculation:

In the last 20 years only a handful of companies have made figures in this genre and NONE have been in the awesome 1:18 scale. We have to go back to 1980 to find the last figures in 1:18 scale (Legend of the Lone Ranger before that it was Butch and Sundance and the first "Action Features" I remember hating those even back then)

In the past 5 years company's have made the following Personalities/Generic Likenesses: General Custer, Crazy Horse, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Billy the Kid, a Buffalo Soldier, Pawnee, Apache, Cheyenne. Dusty Trail Toys themselves have made in their 6inch-7inch Statue/Figure line: a Gambler (Johnny Ringo looking) and US Marshall (Earp) and planning to release a Crow Warrior, and "The Doc" US Marshall Deputy.
A company also sells "Bend Ums" type figures of Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill, Wyatt Earp, Custer and a couple others. I've seen them in the the Tourist Trap shops here in Fort Worth, so I'd assume they are cheap and foreign. But that didn't stop me from getting my 3 yr old daughter an Annie Oakley.

IF the line takes off (and how can it not, with me and Jesse and at least a half dozen others buying the figures) I would assume we'll see the above characters. I'm not saying the guys at Dusty Trail lack imagination, just that with Historical Figures, you really don't have much room to improvise and still be historically accurate.

But like Jesse, I hope that the Gatling and Cannon are signs of Soldiers to come. I'd be happy with a couple of guys in dirty Shirt blue with campaign hats and mounts. I prefer the 1868-1884 era for them, but I could make due with some from the 1861-1865 era.

Can anybody ID that cannon? Is it a War Era Cannon or Post War or is there even a difference?

What about the Gatling Gun?(when did it first show up in the US Arsenal)

Since DT is going to the trouble of making horses and a rig for the Stagecoach, I wonder if they will provide the carriage and team for the guns too.

Alright that's all I've got for now...I'm going to research and post some pics of the various personalities and Tribes we've posted here and on other sites so we can all have a visual reference.

as an aside, the Kevin Costner version of Wyatt Earp was on last night and not even that could drain my desire for Wild West Figures.

Post by **aferguson** » Sun Jan 02, 2005 8:34 am

The cannon comes with a Mexican Bandelero, as i recall from the pictures. The stage coach comes with two figures, i believe and looks very nice.

I'm far from an expert on this era but i think the cannon is a Napoleon 12 pounder. It was a very commonly used cannon throughout the 1800's both in Europe and in the US (used alot during the civil war). The gatling gun per se first appeared around the mid 1800's i think and made its combat debut during the civil war in a very limited way. There were several different versions. The one coming with the Dusty Trail line is probably an 1870's version.

I am hoping this line gets into the Mexican-American war and also the Indian Wars. Lots of interesting subject matter there.

I suspect if it does well it will eventually lead to an American Civil War line too.....here's hoping anyway. That was a very interesting war from an historical point of view and is considered to be the first 'modern' war.

Big_Iron · Post by **Big_Iron** » Sun Jan 02, 2005 1:47 pm

Are you sure the cannon comes with the Mexican, I think they are just in the same photo together.

Morian Miner · Post by **Morian Miner** » Sun Jan 02, 2005 10:32 pm

Wow. That stagecoach is a must - not sure if for me or for my wife and daughter (both horse nuts). And cannons!!!!! glad I didn't buy more of the playmobil cannons. Man, I hope they bring out some indian warriors. Crazy horse, Chief Joseph. And the possibility of civil war - that would put me in the poor house!!!! I love it!

dzirhan · Post by **dzirhan** » Mon Jan 03, 2005 4:06 am

Big_Iron wrote:
With that line up, who is Left as the SOF line? Is Soldier of Fortune now more of a term for Professional Soldier, in that case Fortune is a relative term. I always thought SOF was all about Mercenaries and Hired guns, but looking at the line announced it seems more like, the Extreme Units, the ones who know they are going to be in Harms way first and the last ones to get relieved

Could be actually the line may have a tie-in with the Soldier of Fortune magazine covers similar to the G.I Joe comic packs or alternately it could be they just want to market the figures under the Soldier of Fortune magazine brand, basically covering any conflict that the magzine has covered so you could get figures from any modern conflict. Soldier of Fortune has always been a term for mercenaries. I suspect it could be Dusty Trails is thinking that with all the modern 1/18 lines out there, a tie-in with an established brand might help in the initial stage

Big_Iron · Post by **Big_Iron** » Thu Jan 06, 2005 7:34 am

I'd love some versions from back in the 80's (probably the last time I actually bought SOF) from the Russian Afghanistan era. I think that is when I developed a desire for a Dragunov SVD...

If the Stagecoach driver and Shotgun rider look anything like a certain Movie version, I am excited. The Stagecoach looks identical so here's hoping.

Jesse, did you ever get a reply on that email? I haven't yet, but I did send mine during the holidays...

vycos · Post by **vycos** » Thu Jan 06, 2005 8:42 am

http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodi ... er=DU04001

entertainment earth carries all of the dusty trail toys. The link above takes you to the set. They also sell individual figures but with the set your getting a much better deal.

Big_Iron · Post by **Big_Iron** » Thu Jan 06, 2005 8:52 am

Oh man you got me all excited. Those are their Paratroopers and their 7 inch Figure/Statues.

I had that giddy feeling and was getting my credit card ready....

Jesse James · Post by **Jesse James** » Thu Jan 06, 2005 11:16 pm

Nah, no reply. Didn't expect one either though, but it'd be nice if companies did interact more often. BBI never does, and that's a gripe I have with them. 21st is best about that it seems.

Jeff Cope · Post by **Jeff Cope** » Fri Jan 07, 2005 10:22 am

FYI -

Hot Toys, a Hong Kong company that recently released 4" Aliens vs Predator Snap Kits, will be producing the Colonial Marines from Aliens in the same format later this year.

Snap Kits, for those who aren't familiar, are highly detailed, pre-painted action figures that you build via a series of ball and socket joints. After you assemble the figure you're left with a 4" action figure with 15 pts of articulation.

Jeff

tmanthegreat · Post by **tmanthegreat** » Fri Jan 07, 2005 12:17 pm

You know, I have seen that US WWII Paratrooper (2nd from left in vycos' picture) at the Hobbytown in Fresno, Ca! It was not a 7" figure but a 1:18 (4") figure with parachute! There wasn't very much articulation like what is on a good 21st figure or BBI figure. The sculpting was very good however!

Big_Iron · Post by **Big_Iron** » Fri Jan 07, 2005 2:32 pm

And they really are tangle free chutes. When the Wild West line was announced, I snagged the HALO guy just to see what their sculpting was like in that scale. Their M4 Carbine is really close to the BBI one in the same scale. Better than PowerTeam and Hasbro (obviously). If the HALO guy had had ANY articulation at all he would have been awesome. If Dusty Trail can do the same type of sculpting WITH a bunch of articulation in the Wild West line, then it is going to be a great line indeed....

Post by **aferguson** » Fri Jan 07, 2005 2:56 pm

all dusty trail figures feature beautiful sculpting. It will be interesting to see how they deal with adding articulation to their figures..

I have most of the paras and they are very nice...but absolutely no articulation. The HALO is my fave. Unfortunately the parachute harnesses are molded on so there is a limit to how you can realistically pose the figures.

When we get our 1/18 C-47's and Hercules' we will have troops to jump out of them, however.

Big_Iron · Post by **Big_Iron** » Sun Jan 09, 2005 7:44 am

As good as they did on the uniform details of the Fallschrimjaeger et al., it would be nice to see Cavalry in their Wild West Line up.

Jesse James · Post by **Jesse James** » Sun Jan 09, 2005 10:27 pm

If Paul's pictures are anything to go by, it appears they'll be articulating their figures 100% identical to the highest articulation 21st has put on its figures.

That's cool by me... 18-ish points per figure is pretty high.

Working holsters and removable hats are just gravy then!

I still hope for Civil War stuff... At this point though, I'd take any era that DT wanted to throw at us.

Big_Iron · Post by **Big_Iron** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 6:44 am

Here is something that has been vexing me a bit on the Wild West and SOF lines from DT (and I agree with JJ, anything that DT wants to do in 1:18 scale from any era of history will get more than a cursory glance from me)

But here is my concern, WHERE will these be available at Retail? Right now the only place I have ever seen DT product besides a Toy Show was at a Comic shop and I don't see these being real hot for the comic book store owner to be order bulk of. I mean they fail the test, No Super Powers, No Hobbits and no scantily clad females with chests the size of VW Micro-Bus. I am guessing this will be an E-Tail thing. But I guess I have more hope for the continuation of the line if they good retail space.Thoughts?

I do like the fact that a small company is doing these and not Big toy maker (Hasbro, Mattel).

Post by **aferguson** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 7:26 am

you may find them showing up at more mainstream retailers like WM, Target etc as they could have more mass appeal than DT's other stuff. Otherwise they may be only available online. I agree that comic shops are not going to be too excited with these.

I am wondering how much they're going to cost. The stage coach with two figures and four horses could be a lot....

We all want this line to do well not only for its sake but so we may see other eras from DT.

Jeff Cope · Post by **Jeff Cope** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 2:21 pm

Toys R Us is carrying DT products now. They picked up both Series 1 and 2 of the 6" statue line. I would expect them to be on board with the 1:18 stuff as well.

I'll be speaking with DT next month at Toy Fair and will find out what I can.

Jeff

Morian Miner · Post by **Morian Miner** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 2:46 pm

Well, to appeal to comic book stores they could just make the second series be "Soiled Doves".

Big_Iron · Post by **Big_Iron** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 7:11 pm

TRU carrying the Wild West line would be awesome. When you see DT at Toy Fair, tell them how much we are all looking forward to their articulated 1:18 stuff (without being to Fanboy of course)....

As far as "soiled doves" I could see that being added to the Wild West line for sure. Probably more in the line of Saloon Girls or Infamous Females in the Wild West....

flayrah · Post by **flayrah** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 7:35 pm

Add my voice to someone who'd love to see some 1:18 women.

Big_Iron · Post by **Big_Iron** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 6:12 am

Wondering on the Pricepoint of the Stagecoach (and figures).....and hopefully next month at Toy Fair maybe some of that will be answered....

I've seen the Paratroopers go for as low as $8.00 (online) and with a pricetag of $15 (local comic shop and they haven't sold one YET).

So I would assume the figures would come in about the $7-$9 a piece range. Using that as a guide I can see the Stagecoach being about $40.00....

What would you guys be willing to pay? Assuming the driver and Shotgun rider were articulated like the figures shown (basically SAME quality, not the Hasbro version of lame pack ins). I'd go $50.00 at a big box retailer. But that is a Max...especially since I'd probably buy 2 or 3...

Small Scale Military Headquarters

Dusty Trails articulated 1/18 figs

Dusty trails trooper set