Armies in Plastic

One of the toughest things about toy soldiers (the green plastic army men kind) today is the lack of modern conflicts. There are plenty (and great sets mind you) from Revolution, Civil War, WWII, Zule, Ancient Rome, etc....but nothing after WWII.

I stumbled across some modern Marine figures from a great company called Armies in Plastic (www.armiesinplastic.com) ...they are modern Marines which could fit into Desert Storm or any modern era (Zombie Apocolypse?).  I will take some pictures out of the box as well but they have several great molds.

Check their website out...they have plenty of historical sets...many you wouldn't even think of (Middle East India, Japan-Russo War, Cubans, Chinese Boxer Rebellion, and plenty covering the rest of American Military History.

My wish is for some Korean War and Vietnam War figures. Maybe one of these days. Check out www.armiesinplastic.com and like any company, they'll make more if they have buyers. Please patronize them.

The Smoking Army Man

I doubt this would get approved today, but in the hey-day of green plastic army men, Auburn produced a smoking army man. Being an Army veteran myself, plenty of soldiers still smoke, and even I envied a long drag while out on a field exercise. Hurry up and wait is the order of the day for most soldiers. Smoking?...while not politically correct, still something to do while sitting around.

"Smoke 'em if you got 'em!"

Vintage Kenner Star Wars - The Original 97

OK - maybe not the original 97, but a good chunk of them. I have some work to do to eventually complete the collection. But figured a good blast from the past would make people smile.

The Simpsons - World of Springfield

Playmates Toys came out with a helluva long standing series of Simpsons toys. I think they covered about every character, minus the celebrities. While I was always a fan of the Simpsons, never watched it religiously. I managed to snag this lot via Ebay for cheap.  Don't know where to begin with naming them all. Suffice it to say, my two favorite characters were Groundskeeper Willie and Smithers.

Gentle Giant Retro Cantina

If you hadn't seen Gentle Giant's reproductions of Kenner's original vintage Star Wars line, your missing out. More recently, Gentle Giant offered a reproduction of the Sears Cantina Adventure Set, which was a basic cardboard cutout cantina, but it came with the four cantina figures (Greedo, Walrusman, Hammerhead, and the infamous tall, blue Snaggletooth).

Shown below are the 12 inch scale adventure set. The box itself made it worthwhile to purchase. Also shown is the instructions sheet.

Finally, had the Cantina sit back for a cool one and some music. Included are the 12 inch Blue Snaggletooth and Greedo from Gentle Giant, the Momaw Naddon (Hammerhead) from Sideshow, and the Kenner/Hasbro Cantina Band set with six different instruments. My original intent was to have the Gentle Giant Han Solo in there as well, but since it is the small head variant, getting harder and harder to find, I couldn't take him out of the package quite yet.

Lego Friends Make Their Stand During Zombie Apocolypse

I saw a friend (who has two girls) make a Facebook post about gender driven toys. My response was to just "mash them up." In this case, my daughter and I took her collection of Lego Friends, a bunch of Walking Dead MiniMates zombies, and the Lego Village to create a all girl last stand in the zombie apocolypse. It was a blast. I also added a bunch of weapons from the Lego Lord of the Rings sets.

Barzso "Last of the Mohicans" Playset

Happy 2013! It's good to be back. What is my New Year's resolution? Do a post every Sunday and Wednesday. That should be easier to keep than losing weight or drinking less. Just kidding...it isn't work if we do something we love. Anyway, Sunday and Wednesday posts, weekly, are my resolutions.

First off for 2013...a great playset from Barzso (www.barzso.com) from the late 90s? "Last of the Mohicans" starring Daniel Day-Lewis and  Madeline Stowe is one of the most amazing movies I have seen. This is one of the few examples where the movie is better than the book. I tried reading the book after the movie....snooze.

Anyway, sometime, early in Barzso's history they gained the rights to do a licensed playset about the film. Mind you, there hasn't been a licensed plastic miniature playset in several decades. The first time I bought this set (yes, the first time - sold it to make money, and then missed it) I paid a good chunk for it. The second time, much less, but this time I am not selling it again.

So the playset includes six character figures, Huron Indians, Mohawk Scouts, and British Regulars. The six character figures include Daniel Day Lewis as Hawkeye (Nathaniel Poe), Madeleine Stowe as Cora Munro, Jodhi May as Alice Munro, Steven Waddington as Major Duncan Hayward, Wes Studi as Magua, Eric Schweig as Uncas, and Russell Means as Chingachgook.

The Huron village portion is pretty cool...longhouse and many accessories. In the movie, this comes at the end as Hawkeye barters for the release of Cora.

The British regulars and Hurons come in handy to recreate the scene where the British leave Ft. William Henry and are ambushed by the Hurons.

The best part of the playset is the rock ledge where Hawkeye, Uncas, and Chingachgook stand up to Magua as he is taking Alice as his bride. No spoilers here. You have to see the movie.