How does the quality of the BBI vehicles compare to the 21c?
I've just received the Sherman and am impressed with it, and have heard the buzz about the couple of recent releases of the P-51 and F-18, but what do you guys think about the other BBI vehicles.....the LAV, the M-1A1 and the Humvee.
I could even be interested in the BBI helos if you guys think they compare to 21c.
TTT
Your advice on BBI
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Threetoughtrucks
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Your advice on BBI
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Jesse James
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-LAV... Good on clearance, not good on full retail.
The figure's unique and interesting (very accurate looking) which makes him neat, but there's not much of any interior to it. There is a little troop area in the rear but it's a pretty dismal piece. The steering was actually interesting but not much else.
You figure you pay $5-ish for a figure though, so I say take that off whatever pay on clearance and you likely end up with a relatively cheap little vehicle you can paint up more accurately and it looks nice sitting next to the Bradley.
-Humvee... CLearance maybe, otherwise I've yet to get one. 21st's is nice but I never saw one that wasn't damaged. I fixed mine that I got but I'm still not pleased with it overall, and was looking to sell it at one point even... The figure sucked. BBI's humvee's are nice enough, but I never saw these on clearance to say "yeah, grab one". I suppose if you got it cheap, go for it.
-Dirtbike... Pass. Even on clearance, the figure sucks and the bike's not swift itself.
-Littlebird... I'm not a helo guy, but this was the buy of the century to me, even at full price. Great figure, and a nice looking (to me) chopper, so I think it's a good deal...
-Apache... I got mine for $23 because the box was trashed. It was complete though so I can't complain. I'm impressed with it too. It looks better than 21st's choppers to me, but I don't really know much about these to say one way or another how great it is. It's f'n huge though, and really sturdy.
-Abrahams... I never even saw this, yet some people found them on clearance. I hear it's not much different than the LAV though... I'd like to have had one actually and painted it up like I'd like it to be.
-The Buggy is great... I actually put it up there with anything 21st has put out just because it is relatively cmplexly sculpted with all the pipes and things. Driver was neat and all the guns and everything look nice and accurate with it. Seats swivel, bars move for accessing the seats/placing figures. It was cheap too. I'd like to have found a handful of these on clearance myself, to make like a little "squad" of them.
From my understanding, the WW2 stuff and the jets are a notch above anythign else they've ever done, save for the choppers which I've always seen people praise those. The Humvee's are oversized but "sturdy" and cheaper than 21st's... For every positive on BBI's Humvee then 21st seemed to fail, but for every positive 21st had then BBI failed.
So, my short review:
-Clearance anything (save for the bike) is probably a good buy.
-Choppers are good quality overall.
-Land vehicles are spotty and maybe better to get at clearance... Though I think the buggy was worth full price.
The figure's unique and interesting (very accurate looking) which makes him neat, but there's not much of any interior to it. There is a little troop area in the rear but it's a pretty dismal piece. The steering was actually interesting but not much else.
You figure you pay $5-ish for a figure though, so I say take that off whatever pay on clearance and you likely end up with a relatively cheap little vehicle you can paint up more accurately and it looks nice sitting next to the Bradley.
-Humvee... CLearance maybe, otherwise I've yet to get one. 21st's is nice but I never saw one that wasn't damaged. I fixed mine that I got but I'm still not pleased with it overall, and was looking to sell it at one point even... The figure sucked. BBI's humvee's are nice enough, but I never saw these on clearance to say "yeah, grab one". I suppose if you got it cheap, go for it.
-Dirtbike... Pass. Even on clearance, the figure sucks and the bike's not swift itself.
-Littlebird... I'm not a helo guy, but this was the buy of the century to me, even at full price. Great figure, and a nice looking (to me) chopper, so I think it's a good deal...
-Apache... I got mine for $23 because the box was trashed. It was complete though so I can't complain. I'm impressed with it too. It looks better than 21st's choppers to me, but I don't really know much about these to say one way or another how great it is. It's f'n huge though, and really sturdy.
-Abrahams... I never even saw this, yet some people found them on clearance. I hear it's not much different than the LAV though... I'd like to have had one actually and painted it up like I'd like it to be.
-The Buggy is great... I actually put it up there with anything 21st has put out just because it is relatively cmplexly sculpted with all the pipes and things. Driver was neat and all the guns and everything look nice and accurate with it. Seats swivel, bars move for accessing the seats/placing figures. It was cheap too. I'd like to have found a handful of these on clearance myself, to make like a little "squad" of them.
From my understanding, the WW2 stuff and the jets are a notch above anythign else they've ever done, save for the choppers which I've always seen people praise those. The Humvee's are oversized but "sturdy" and cheaper than 21st's... For every positive on BBI's Humvee then 21st seemed to fail, but for every positive 21st had then BBI failed.
So, my short review:
-Clearance anything (save for the bike) is probably a good buy.
-Choppers are good quality overall.
-Land vehicles are spotty and maybe better to get at clearance... Though I think the buggy was worth full price.
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tmanthegreat
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Pretty much what he says! The Apache has some serious errors (cockpit doors on wrong side, inaccurate rotor assembly, non-movable infrared sensor on nose), however the Blackhawk is very impressive and can hold alot of troops. The Littlebird is the best for value and detail. All the BBI Helicopters do not have all the opening engines, etc. that the 21st XD Supercobra has.
Don't bother with the M1A1. I've seen one discounted down to $20, but still couldn't justify it as all it seemed to lack all the functionality of a 21c piece.
The BBI M4 Sherman, however, gives the 21c version a run for its money, and comes with lots of detail and accessories, but still no interior.
The Jets are simply awesome and are the only 1:18 scale modern fighter planes out there. An ambitious move by BBI. The F-18 has weak landing gear, however.
The BBI P-51 is, hands down, the best 1:18 WWII aircraft, and perhaps the best 1:18 aircraft all round 21c included!)
Don't bother with the M1A1. I've seen one discounted down to $20, but still couldn't justify it as all it seemed to lack all the functionality of a 21c piece.
The BBI M4 Sherman, however, gives the 21c version a run for its money, and comes with lots of detail and accessories, but still no interior.
The Jets are simply awesome and are the only 1:18 scale modern fighter planes out there. An ambitious move by BBI. The F-18 has weak landing gear, however.
The BBI P-51 is, hands down, the best 1:18 WWII aircraft, and perhaps the best 1:18 aircraft all round 21c included!)
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lablksmith
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My wife "accidently" knocked my die cast 21st Sherman off the table onto the floor last week. Not a scratch. Yesterday she "accidently" knocked my BBI Sherman off the table onto the floor. Again not a scratch. So,floor test, even 
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mondaytanker
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My 2 cents:
The first generation of BBI was toy like, but better than GI Joe toys. They also are the only company offering the LAV and Abrams. The detail on the LAV and Abrams is so so. Some scratch building and repaints could help. It would be nice if some one offered individually linked plastic tracks for all the 1/18 scale AFV, similar to Tamiya tracks.
The Helos are simply amazing. I have the Little Bird, Apache and 2 Black Hawks (also 21st AA Huey and Cobra). They are huge! Again repaints would help.
BBI did not paint the whole vehicle, just areas, leaving glossy plastic showing. This is their biggest down fall in my opinion. I am still waiting for my BBI Sherman to arrive. (which has been sitting in FED EX's Chicago sort facility for 3 days!) But from the photos it appears to be completely painted.
Just a side note on Humvees. I purchased the 1/18 Maisto. Lots of detail. I removed the missile launcher and stuck the .50 cal from my M-41 on the roof and added a gunner. Looks sharp, except for the glossy OD paint.
Mondaytanker
The first generation of BBI was toy like, but better than GI Joe toys. They also are the only company offering the LAV and Abrams. The detail on the LAV and Abrams is so so. Some scratch building and repaints could help. It would be nice if some one offered individually linked plastic tracks for all the 1/18 scale AFV, similar to Tamiya tracks.
The Helos are simply amazing. I have the Little Bird, Apache and 2 Black Hawks (also 21st AA Huey and Cobra). They are huge! Again repaints would help.
BBI did not paint the whole vehicle, just areas, leaving glossy plastic showing. This is their biggest down fall in my opinion. I am still waiting for my BBI Sherman to arrive. (which has been sitting in FED EX's Chicago sort facility for 3 days!) But from the photos it appears to be completely painted.
Just a side note on Humvees. I purchased the 1/18 Maisto. Lots of detail. I removed the missile launcher and stuck the .50 cal from my M-41 on the roof and added a gunner. Looks sharp, except for the glossy OD paint.
Mondaytanker