Small Scale Military Headquarters

I've never bought any of their stuff, but I came across this batch of PTE stuff at a makeshift toy store in Chula Vista, CA in the Plaza Bonita Mall. Lots of variety. I assume you've probably seen it all.

http://screencast.com/t/adtIekYflD

how much was the heli?

That's pretty cool, I haven't seen the helo with the rockets here in the states.

Not sure 100% on the price, but everything big was about $20 or less. Just grabbed my attention as outside of Toys R Us and the True Heroes line, you don't see too much of this scaled stuff anywhere.

PTE is one of the few scaled (more or less) lines still available at mass retail, along with the Bravo Team items at Target. I won't count the True Heroes stuff as it really gets toyish... PTE makes some neat and affordable items, especially the Chinese vehicles - and their detail and quality are getting better.

I've seen some small retail stores that carry PTE, quite often getting the overseas items, whereas Big Lots gets items made for the US market. I wouldn't rate your find as unusual, but its cool nonetheless.

I'm a real BBI figures fan, but PTE seems really not bad to me. They're cheap and so can easily play the role of ennemies (who wants to pay much for ennemies, but we need some for dioramas). They're also easy to custom. The weak point is their weapons: only soft plastic material for children use, it's not possible to keep these straight, so I bought some hard plastic AK-47, AK-74, RPG and RPK from marauderinc. Marauder also sell usefull stuff and furniture from the same brand to complete the PTE kits: it's sometime boring when PTE sell 3 figures but only 2 assault vests). I like their tents, beds, tables and chairs, kayak, and will surely buy some more, a lot of the PTE accessories can have a general use.
Here examples of what I've made of them (previously showed in some other topics). If some interest, I can show again some of this stuff with BBI figures.

Sorry, 2 pics disappeared:

Great pictures! I too like the PTE figures! They're inexpensive fun figures to pose. Skip those bbi soldiers, I'd like to see what more you can do with the PTE soldiers! They don't have to be enemies either. I like them just the way they are.
I can never understand why more people here don't try to customize PTE soldiers. They buy 21C, bbi, FOV, Dragon, and tear them apart to customize them. I think these soldiers look great out of the package. To me, the challenge would be PTE soldiers. I'm not artistic enough to do anything with mine, so I'm satisfied of how they are. Especially when you put their vests on, or ammo belts. And that's why I LOVE the pictures you posted with PTE. I can only hope you'll post MORE pictures with PTE!!

I have the Chicom tank and it is a really nice piece. I bought a whole bunch of the little sets just for the wall pieces. The figures suck though.

I like the price and simplicity of this figures.They have 18 points of articulation and they look better than the 80's 3 3/4" Joes.Not to mention this don't use the rubber band.This figures also don't need stands because they balance pretty well.The figures are based on real modern military,not military fiction.Everything PTE makes actually exist.
The accessories are very good to build inexpensive dioramas.
As you can see,with some paint,The vehicles look much better.
Thanks for the pictures.The pictures look better than the ones they use on the package.

I can understand why most people don't like the PTE figures. Besides being bland, when compared to 21C, PTE soldiers can hold their weapons where most 21C soldiers can not, you don't have to boil PTE soldiers in hot water to loosen their joints, or with bbi soldiers where if you don't boil in water first, their wrists or feet break off,... miss doing this. And there's no rubber stands that come with FOV soldiers where the FOV soldiers fall over all the time...

Holensock,
I think you're a little bit severe. PTE don't seem bland to me, just have a look at the stupid smile of some heroes from the 21st C. Platoon serie, as if they have smoked something wrong. But I agree on the point of joints. I had to repare a lot of BBI wrists (just a very small screw into the hand, the round head of the screw making the mobile joint in the arm).

Tankace,
Thank you for the comments. I don't have a lot of pics from PTE soldiers, have just made 3 sceneries for Matt at Foxhole. Have first to ask my children to let me their soldiers (I'm owner of BBI figs, not PTE). But I will try, my LAV can FLOAT. Did you have a look at foxholetoys? In one of their 2 gallerys, they show a nice custom white PTE LAV with, of course, UN markings. I should have bought it when they sold it on eBay. For the squad in a helo, I customized my son's GI Joe Chinook's like helicopter, but it was a too long job for me and I could'nt reach the look of the inside of a russian MIL Mi-8, that is much bigger.

I am sort of mixed on the PTE figures themselves. If they were slightly better proportioned and a little less cartoony they would be really awesome figures. Still, they do have a lot going for them - especially in terms of the articulation, vests, packs, and other accessories.

I use my PTE figures as "foreign" or "enemy" troops like stated above, but some like the British SAS and SEAL figures are pretty good on their own. In the foreign troop role, the figures work great as some of them have non-US types of cammo on the uniforms.

Customizing the figures is not terribly difficult, either. Headswaps can be accomplished by unscrewing the figure's chest piece, removing the head, and switching it out. I've even replaced the heads of PTE figures with 21c and BBI heads. It was amazing what that sort of head swap did in terms of figure realism.

yes.the figures are not the best out there but on the upside the vechilles are spot on.i have the "jungle camo" humvee [which is actually us army woodland camo pattern despite being called jungle] for my cobra forces and the black rocket armed helicopter for my uk sas force from "action force" and both really do look the part.definatly worth buying

Don't forget there are PTE Chinese soldiers too.


Shot at 2009-11-20

i forgot about the chinese figures

Where'd you find the Chinese guys? Haven't see those around.

...search "Merlin" in this board or send him an email at [email protected]. I previously got 6 soldiers through eBay, at a store called "favorjoy" as I remember. I haven't had any issue with sellers from Hongkong, but they anounce long shipping time and some time they have not so cheap prices... I got the same small BJ212 jeep like on the pics below, die-cast and highly detailled, but more 1/20 scale than 1/18, so I'm going to resell it. I bought a more modern one, a chinese Humvee custom, also very fine creation and with the right scale measures.

Sorry, made a mistake with the name: t's Melvin, and the topic is (like it is written:) Chniese military series http://www.warbird-photos.com/gpxd/view ... =3&t=27772