Small Scale Military Headquarters

Before I ask my questions, let me give you some background. You may find it funny, you may find it sad.

My background

I have been a collector of 1:18 and 1:32 figures since I was a kid. I grew up with GI Joes and Airfix soldiers. So over the years, it was easy to spot quality as sculpting/quality processes improved. Ever since the 1:18 line of Ultimate Soldier XD figures came out, I was hooked. On the figures that is. Not the vehicles. Let me stress that. Not the vehicles. There was something about me being older and something about the vehicles being too "big", if you know what I mean.

Losing Interest in Ultimate Soldier XD

I loved the initial 1:18 GI/Germans that 21st Century Toys put out. They were great. Then came the Vietnam figures, which were cool because we finally had some VC/NVA opponents. (I'm actually sad I didn't pick more up when Toys R Us had dozens in the bargain bin - I thought they would be there forever.) Then came the paratrooper figures. A little harder too find, but still cool. Especially that German general guy. But then came the Battle of the Bulge series. So weak. They just looked bulky and clumsy, like GI Joe knock offs. After that, things started to look better again with the Pacific series. Unfortunately I could never find a single US Marine on the pegs. I eagerly anticipated the Japanese, which had a lot of promise. Sadly, they looked terrible (especially the caps) and I left the ones I saw on the shelf. At present, I like the DAK series, but the GI tankers leave me cold. There's something very boring about them, I can't put my finger on it. And the regular Germans (Otto the officer for example) are lacking as well. And do we need more Vietnam guys? Talk about redundant. If they're going to release more Vietnam GIs, then give us more VC/NVA figures. Maybe produce a female VC with conical hat. That would be interesting.

Why do I relate all this about the 1:18 XD line? It all comes together when you read about my first Forces of Valor experience.

My First FOV Sighting

Now, technically, I have always been semi-aware of the FOV 1:18 line. I'm pretty sure I saw the Humvees on clearance and I saw most of the modern figures out of the corner of my eye. However, I was more interested in hunting down the latest Ultimate Soldier XD figures than looking at these "cheap Target knockoffs" (that's what I initially thought about them). One day I saw a modern figure (Private Marc Brooks) and picked it up. "Hmm, that's actually kinda cool. Too bad it's a cheap Target knockoff. It's not like it's Ultimate Soldier or anything!" So even though it was really cool and purchase-worthy, I flung it to the side. What an idiot I was.

The Present

I am now on a mad hunt to complete my collection of FOV 1:18 figures. I have all of the WWII line, I just need a couple more of the modern guys.

As I mentioned before, I don't do vehicles. That was, until I started looking at this forum at the pics you guys are posting. Is it me, or is the Bradley cool? Am I wrong thinking the Sherman is cool too?

Someone please tell me objectively. Are the 1:18 scale FOV vehicles really that cool? I saw some of your discussions about detail accuracy and the like...are they really that good? I need to know for a reason.

I have been to every Target in my area and I have seen 2 Shermans (both paint variations) and 1 Bradley (green paint). I think I saw the Tan Bradley at one point, but I'm not 100% sure. The bottom line is that these vehicles are out there staring me in the face. Should I get them? Should I hoard them up before someone else does?

Please someone objectively tell me if they really are this cool? I don't want to spend $80 getting them all, just to find out they're just toys.

And that's another thing. Should I wait for these wonderful clearance times that you guys talk about? I saw those images of the wall of Humvees and other vehicles. You people make me sick. I'm saying that because I wasn't there to grab them all up at those bargain prices.

So should I wait? Or get the vehicles now?

These are just toys. While FOV did a very nice job on them - the M1 comes to mind - they lack some of the more detailed features that are present on most of the 21c armored vehicles. If you want models, the 21c tanks are the way to go, however, the FOV vehicles are not that bad...

Quite frankly, I think the FOV modern 1:18 vehicles - the M1 Abrams and M3 Bradley - are the best vehicles in their series. The M1 comes in a woodland cammo scheme and a desert cammo scheme. The desert version looks awesome with weathering and great markings. It does not offer anything significant difference in detail over the BBI M1 Abrams, which was also sold at Target just before the FOV vehicles came out. The stowage rack is a made from soft plastic and often looks a little bent up, but to me that is a minor concern. The vision ports on the commander's hatch are not painted, but that can be fixed.

The Bradley looks great, but has much less detail than the 21c version. The turret hatches open, as does the rear ramp, which exposes a painted interior. The interior can hold 3-4 troop figures. The TOW launcher does not pivot, nor does the driver's hatch open. The desert cammo bradley has great weathering and can be customized to include a lot of stowage. Still, the FOV vehicle lacks much when compared to the 21c Bradley.

The FOV Tiger was well done, but has some ugly moulded tools on it. It replicates a mid-production Tiger with the zimermit. Again, only two hatches open and the mud flaps move apart from the basic features. The engine gratings are moulded on with no space under them.

The FOV Sherman is perhaps the weakest of the vehicles. It has features that belong to a couple different variants of the Sherman. Also, only the two hatches open, apart from the basic features like rolling treads, rotating turret and elevating gun. Tools are moulded on and there are no accessories. You would be much better off getting a 21c or BBI Sherman.

Again, with the exception of the M1 (which doesn't offer anything significant over its competition) the FOV Bradley, Sherman and Tiger are all much more toys when compared to their highly detailed 21c counterparts. The FOV vehicles are still great tanks and cannot be beat for their price point.

I would not necessairly wait for these vehicles to go on sale at Target, like the BBI Hummers, armor, and figures did. First of all, it seems that Target has ordered far fewer of the FOV vehicles, with some like the Tiger actually being rather rare and hard to find.

Hopefully this information helps you

Thanks for your thoughts. I went back and forth about purchasing the FOV vehicles until I went to Toys R Us today. I saw a 1:18 Ultimate Soldier German halftrack. I had a $5 off coupon, so I figured what the heck and picked it up. It's awesome. I can't believe I actually considered buying an FOV vehicle now. Ultimate Soldier XD is so much better.

Oh, who am I kidding?

The Bradley and the Sherman are awesome!

It's just a matter of time before I scoop them all up.