FOV vs Bravo Team

[Axis Nightmare]

Saw this Sherman in the "Military Issue" catalog. It is one of the very few items that actually lists a brand name for the product offered. It says it is an FOV. It lists another identical looking one on page two with no brand name attached. Thinking that Brovo Team was a Target exclusive, it wouldn't be likely it is Bravo Team Anyway, I began to think, is there a major quality issue between FOV and BT items?

Great catalog and good website by the way...

http://www.militaryissue.com/US-M4A1-Sh ... o/M901227/

[Razor17019]

Axis,
This particular Sherman was made for Target. They had metal turrets and the detail was good. You can find it cheaper at Small Joes:
http://smalljoes.com/cgi-bin/pgen.cgi?S ... FOVBT71607
Razor

[YT]

Bravo team is a line under the Forces of Valor brand, same thing.

[tmanthegreat]

Unimax is the parent company of the Forces of Valor and Bravo Team lines.

Forces of Valor was intended as a collector line with its detailed diecast 1:32, 1:72, and 1:16 scale tanks, aircraft, and figures as part of their Enthusiast Line. In an attempt to get into mass retail 11 years ago, they started their "Action Grade" line (first at Wal Mart then expanding to Target and TRU). The Action Grade vehicles were the same vehicles in the Enthusiast line, diecast and all, but without all the weathering and with fewer accessories.

In 2007, Unimax also started its "Bravo Team" line, first exclusively at Target, but eventually reaching TRU and the small retailers. This was initially a 1:18 scale line with modern and later WWII vehicles and figures. The vehicles were basically "scaled up" versions of the FOV 1:32 scale vehicles, but the 1:18 vehicles had less functionality (i.e. not as many opening hatches, etc.) Bravo Team was designed to be affordable and for the masses, not just collectors. It later expanded into 1:32 scale soldiers, 1:32 scale modern armor, 1:48 helicopters, and 1:72 armored vehicles and figures. All the smaller scale items were modern, not WWII, and they lacked a lot of detail. Whereas the FOV line had used diecast in both its Enthusaist and Action Grade vehicles, all Bravo Team vehicles in any scale were plastic.

The Sherman pictured above is the 1:18 scale Unimax Bravo Team Sherman, It is plastic in construction and only the commander's and loader's hatches open. No accessories come with it save the turret .50cal MG. The tools and other hatches are all molded on, though the tools are painted. The old 21c Sherman and BBI Sherman are better vehicles through and through, but the Bravo Team Sherman is pretty affordable. Hard to believe it came from the same company that made the FOV Extreme Metal 1:16 scale Sherman - those two item are night and day next to each other!

IMHO, the strongest point with the Bravo Team line were its 1:18 US Army, USMC, Delta Force, SEAL figures as well as the WWII US and Germans. Great figures for affordable prices.