SAF acquires Mine Protected Tactical Vehicles (MPTV)

It was announced in yesterday's newspapers that the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has acquired new sets of wheels wrapped in steel for Afghanistan. 15 MPTVs (Mine Protected Tactical Vehicles) were purchased last September. The SAF will be shipping these armored vehicles to Afghanistan where more than 160 of the Republic's troops will be stationed to help rebuilt the war-torn country.

These vehicles are known as Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles by the United States Military. The vehicles are a family of armored fighting vehicles designed to survive IED (Improvised Explosive Device) attacks and ambushes. IEDs cause the majority (63%) of US deaths in Iraq. IED blasts have become the biggest threat in Afghanistan, causing six out of 10 fatalities this year.

Hot Toys 1:6 PLATOON figures coming soon

We've all seen the Hot Toys prototype pictures of Charlie Sheen as Chris Taylor in "Platoon (1986)" but the latest pictures released have me drooling ;p- - -

Coming up next will be 1:6 figures of the other cast of "Platoon" - Tom Berenger as Sergeant Barnes, Willem Dafoe as Sergeant Elias and Johnny Depp as Lerner. Finally, I can lay my hands on these guys after missing out on Sideshow's offering years ago. Coming from Hot Toys, you can only expect the best in sculpt, outfit, gear and weapons :)

Here's another look at the Hot Toys 1:6 Charlie Sheen as Chris Taylor Vietnam War military figure

Hot Toys 1:6 Falconer Predator Sneak Peeks

There are four Predators in the 2010 film of the same name: the "Classic Predator", "Tracker Predator", "Falconer Predator" and "Berserker Predator". The Classic Predator is designed to resemble the creature in the original Predator film and is smaller than the Tracker and Falconer Predators, two of the larger Predators hunting the humans.

This is a sneak peek at Hot Toys 1:6 scale Falconer Predator. The mask looks like a falcon and he has a single long blade instead of the usual double blade

The Falconer Predator controls a flying reconnaissance drone while the Tracker Predator, identified by a pair of tusks attached to its helmet, controls the quadrupedal hunting alien animals (like hunting / tracker dogs)

The Berserker Predator, identified by an alien mandible attached to its helmet, has already been previewed HERE

UPDATE August 13, 2010: Hot Toys Falconer Predator PREVIEW (Official pictures) Collectible Figure from the "Predators (2010)" movie

Pre-order Brother Production 1:6 Bruce Willis John McClane figure

The Brother Production 1:6 figure Natural Born Hero Series 001 New York Detective "Dirty Johnny" is now up for pre-order at The Falcon's Hangar HERE

This figure is limited to only 150pcs available worldwide so "Think Fast Look Alive Die Hard" (tag-line for the 1995 movie :>)

Need some convincing? More pictures HERE

Hot Toys 1:6 USAF Pararescue Jumper Boxed Set

The photo below shows Pararescuemen from the 304th Rescue Squadron being hoisted up to an HH-60G Pavehawk during Operation Iraqi Freedom in April 2003 at Tallil Air Base, Iraq (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt Shane A Cuomo from MilitarySpot)

And this is the Hot Toys US Air Force Pararescue Jumper (with M203 Grenade Fire Support) boxed set from 2004. Seeing the poorly executed Wild Work USAF PJ (previewed in a earlier post HERE) made me take out this boxed set and admire its contents.

Surprisingly this 1:6 military figure is still in its box,which is pretty rare for me but there are just so many good figures that I haven't been able to open all of them. Sometimes there would be multiple buys and upon reaching home, other events occur which require my attention and some of the openings are put off till a later date. This was one of those times.

Hot Toys DX04 1/6 Enter the Dragon Bruce Lee PREVIEW

Hot Toys next MMS DX Series, DX04 will be Enter the Dragon: Bruce Lee 1/6th scale Collectible Figure

Celebrating his 70th anniversary and paying tribute to the 20th century most influential and one-of-his-kind martial artist in the world, Hot Toys is proud to present the 1/6th scale Bruce Lee Collectible Figure for the first time, specially crafted based on his image in the movie "Enter the Dragon" in 1973, highlighting two newly developed authentic head sculpts with Parallel Eyeball Rolling System (PERS), newly sculpted muscular body, two sets of specially-made costume and two movie-accurate diorama backdrops.

The 1/6th scale Bruce Lee Collectible Figure specially features: Authentic and detailed fully realized likeness of Bruce Lee as Lee in the movie Enter the Dragon, Two (2) newly developed head sculpts with Parallel Eyeball Rolling System (PERS) with different facial expressions, including one (1) battle damaged version with scars on both sides of face, Multi-layered stereoscopic hair sculpture, Approximately 30 cm tall. Newly sculpted muscular body with over 30 points of articulation with battle damaged scars on chest, waist and back. Each piece of head sculpt is specially hand-painted

Wild Work USAF PJ (Pararescue Jumper) Preview

Pararescuemen (AFSC 1T2X1), also called PJs (a nickname pronounced 'pee jays'), are United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and Air Combat Command (ACC) operatives tasked with recovery and medical treatment of personnel in humanitarian and combat environments. They are the only members of the DoD (Department of Defense) specifically organized, trained and equipped to conduct personnel recovery operations in hostile or denied areas as a primary mission. [source: wiki]

And coming from Wild Work, this 1:6 scale 12-inch USAF Pararescue Jumper

Brother Production Die Hard BRUCE WILLIS 1:6 Action figure PREVIEW

Yet another 1/6 scale 12-inch Bruce Willis figure (the last one previewed was the Virtual Toys VTS VM003 City Detective 12-inch collectible figure where Bruce Willis is Agent Tom Greer, an FBI agent who investigates the murder of others' surrogates in the 2009 movie "Surrogates".

This is the Brother Production Die Hard BRUCE WILLIS 1:6 figure (Natural Born Hero Series 001 New York Detective "Dirty Johnny") and he'll come with Normal Headsculpt x 1, Wounded Headsculpt [Dirt Effect] x 1, 1/6 Base Body with Tattoo x 1, Shirt [Dirt Effect] x 1, Underwear [Dirt Effect] x 1, Sweater [Dirt Effect] x 1, Underpants [Dirt Effect] x 1, Belt & Socks [Dirt Effect] x 1, Shoes [Dirt Effect] x 1, Shoulder Holster [Dirt Effect] x 1, Police Badge x 1, Pistol x 1, Watch x 1, Slogan Board x 1 set, Slogan Board Stickers x 1 and Hands x 3 pairs (Worldwide Limited to 150pcs)

This is supposed to be Bruce Willis as NYPD detective John McClane in "Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)", the third entry in the action film series "Die Hard".

Sideshow Battle of Crete: German Paratrooper PREVIEW

On the morning of May 20, 1941, World War II was well underway, threatening innumerable lives as Hitler's Third Reich invaded country after country. As Greek and Allied troops defended the isle of Crete, Nazi Germany launched a massive airborne paratrooper assault on the island. Unprepared for such an invasion, the Allied commanders lost control of the their main airfield, and German troops flooded the island in an ongoing battle that would last for ten days, ultimately ending in the loss of Crete to German forces despite staggering losses in their own ranks.

In the end, the Battle of Crete would be marked a failure by both sides. The great number of casualties to the Germans was considered too great to risk another large-scale airborne attack, and the Allied forces would count the island among the fallen territories. Even so, the Allies' admiration for Germany's planning and execution of the airborne trooper invasion lead to significant advancements in their own paratrooper divisions. As World War II waged on, the lessons of Crete would resonate with both Germany and the Allied forces.

1:6 Iron Man 2 Mark V Suitcase?

In "Iron Man 2 (2010)", at the opening of "Stark Expo", Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr) as Iron Man is introduced to the crowd by these sexy cheerleaders called the Ironettes. We've all seen them in the trailers and movie itself.

Now here's one in 1:6 scale. This is the just announced 1:6 scale Girls Mission Irongel 12-inch female figure. I think they coined the name form mixing "Iron" from Iron Man and "gel" from Angel because I cannot imagine they were actually thinking of the jelly-like material known as gel

What caught my eye was her ... suitcase, which looks very much like the suitcase containing the Iron Man Mark V, as seen at the Circuit de Monaco when Ivan Vanko / Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) first attacked Tony Stark. This was literally a case containing the (iron) suit.

1:6 Stuff for Kitbashing OR just some of my stash :)

According to Wikipedia, kitbashing or model bashing is a practice whereby a new scale model is created by taking pieces out of commercial kits. These pieces may be added to a custom project or to another kit. For the hobbyist, kitbashing saves time that would be spent scratch building an entire model. Hobbyists may kitbash to create a model of a subject (real or imaginary) for which there is not a commercial kit.

I think for many of us 1:6 military figure collectors, we would have kitbashed at least one figure or more because we want to upgrade the figure we have or customize a figure we would like to see but is unavailable in the market. This happens especially when a new collector comes into the market and finds that military figures of a particular era (e.g. Vietnam War figures) have ceased production and the older ones are no longer available. Dragon had released quite a number of SDU figures in the past with Hot Toys following suit but since then, if you want an SDU figure, you might have to resort to kitbashing one yourself from parts available. It's most easy to kitbash PMCs (Private Military Contractors) because they don't have uniforms nor standard gear.

So what do you need for kitbashing?

Medicom Sleepy Hollow 1:6 Ichabod Crane PREVIEW

It seems like someone at Medicom office in Japan has a thing for Johnny Depp because that person has managed to convince the company to produce and release a string of 1:6 scale 12-inch figures based on the American actor and musician known for his portrayals of offbeat, eccentric characters such as Edward Scissorhands (although Hot Toys version looks better IMHO), Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series (Hot Toys released at least two of them too), Willy Wonka in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)", "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)", Mad Hatter from "Alice in Wonderland (2010)" (there is going to be two versions) and now Ichabod Crane from "Sleepy Hollow".

Sleepy Hollow is a 1999 American period horror film directed by Tim Burton. The story centers on police constable Ichabod Crane (played by the ever magnificent Johnny Depp) sent from New York City to investigate a series of murders in the village Sleepy Hollow by a mysterious Headless Horseman.

Kitbash 1:6 Metal Gear Solid Zombie Snake

This is my attempt at kitbashing a 1:6 scale 12-inch Metal Gear Solid Zombie Snake figure because I didn't get the Medicom version when it came out, choosing instead the MGS3 Snake Eater with Splitter pattern face paint and "Snake Camouflage" outfit, an extra weapon and a fake Gavial head!

So when I stumbled upon this Zombie Snake head sculpt, I just had to bash him up with the spare parts I have. The new Hot Toys True Type Body (Advanced version) certainly helped to buff him up too.

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

Something pretty significant happened this week more than 41 years ago. The Apollo 11 space flight landed the first humans on Earth's Moon on July 20, 1969. The mission, carried out by the United States, is considered a major accomplishment in human exploration and represented a victory by the U.S. in the Cold War Space Race with the Soviet Union.

Launched from Florida on July 16, the third lunar mission of NASA's Apollo Program (and the first G-type mission) was crewed by Commander Neil Alden Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr. On July 20 1969, Armstrong and Aldrin landed in the Sea of Tranquility and became the first humans to walk on the Moon. [source: wiki]

Mattel Christopher Reeve 12" Superman Sneak Peek

Mattel has unveiled their upcoming 1:6 scale 12-inch Christopher Reeve Superman at SDCC 2010

Christopher Reeve (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) achieved stardom for his acting achievements, including his notable motion picture portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman in the big budget film, "Superman: The Movie (1978)".

TOYMASTER 1:6 Reporter v 2.0 Sneak Peek

Very nice pictures have appeared of Toymaster's next release - their second 1:6 scale Reporter. Their first was a War Journalist with a Leonardo DiCaprio head sculpt released sometime ago. Check out the super nice and detailed G-Shock watch as well as the uber cool sling bag

Sideshow 1:6 Yoda's Hut on Dagobah

We've seen preview pictures of Sideshow's 1:6 Yoda but it gets better :) Yoda gets a home!

Backstory: While the oppression of the cruel Empire hangs like a dark shroud over the galaxy, the few remaining Jedi have gone into hiding to protect their knowledge and ways. Hidden deep in the mysterious and perilous jungles of Dagobah is the simple clay hut of Jedi Master Yoda who has chosen this exile to wait in hopes that the Jedi will one day defeat the Empire.

It is here that Yoda reveals his true identity to Luke Skywalker after deliberately provoking Luke, testing him for signs of that he has inherited his father's deep flaws. Yoda begrudgingly agrees to train Luke in the ways of the Force, and the two spend many hours training together in Yoda's tiny home with Luke hunched over under the short roof to glean what knowledge he can from the great Jedi Master as his mentor.

Sideshow Collectibles 1:6 Yoda, Jedi Mentor PREVIEW

Having shown sneak peeks of Sideshow Collectible's 1:6 scale Yoda figure in my earlier post, official pictures of Yoda have been released and he is now up for pre-order.

This Sideshow Collectibles 1:6 Jedi Master Yoda is as he appeared in "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)" as a Jedi Mentor to Luke Skywalker on Dagobah.

Enterbay 1:6 Donnie Yen as Ip Man PREVIEW

"Ip Man" was the 2008 semi-biographical martial arts film based on the life of Ip Man, a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun and the first person to teach the art openly. One of his students was none other than the widely influential and acclaimed martial artist and filmmaker Bruce Lee. The film was directed by Wilson Yip, and stars Donnie Yen as Ip Man, with martial arts choreography by Sammo Hung. "Ip Man" won the "Best Film" and "Best Action Choreography" at the 2009 Hong Kong Film Awards. "Ip Man 2" has since been released this year and is just as good, if not better than the first film.

Now ENTERBAY will be releasing their exclusive Real Masterpiece – Ip Man. According to their website, "This 1/6 Scale Donnie Yen as Ip Man Collectible Figure, is engineered in precision, masterfully sculpted and made to our high standard."

Soldier Story U.S. 101st Airborne Division, Bastogne 1944 PREVIEW

This is a GREAT time for 1:6 scale military collectors who are into WWII US Paratroopers (that's me) because things just got even better. Having previewed the DID 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Officer "Major Richard" in the last post, now official pictures have been released of Soldier Story's next offering - a 1:6 scale 12-inch United States Army 101st Airborne Division paratrooper as he would have been equipped at Bastogne in December 1944 during the Second World War.

He looks to be from the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division during the siege of Bastogne. The two-buckle boots look to be outstanding and the M-1928 Haversack is closely associated with the 327th GIR.

DID 2nd Bn, 506th P.I.R. "Major Richard" Preview

"Band of Brothers" is a 2001 ten-part television World War II miniseries based on the book of the same title written by historian and biographer Stephen Ambrose. The executive producers were Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, who had collaborated on the World War II film "Saving Private Ryan (1998)". The narrative centers on the experiences of "E" Company ("Easy Company") of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment assigned to the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army. [source: wiki]

The main character of the show is arguably Major Richard Winters (1918–), played by Damian Lewis, who leads the cast for most of the episodes and is the main subject of the episodes "Day of Days", "Crossroads" and the final episode, "Points".

And now from DiD comes news that they will be releasing another World War II US Army Paratrooper, "Major Richard" of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, United States Army. Major Richard will come complete with his full set of attire, equipment and gear plus parachute (main and reserve) all ready to do battle in Europe!

I'm on WICKET :)

Thanks to Jon and Andrea of "Wicket® Toy & Collectible Photography" from Los Angeles, California, I am now a feature on their blog :) which only goes to show once again that blogging has its privileges. I've met many GREAT people through my blog and made quite a number of friends from it and Jon is one of those who became close through our common interests.

You can read about the full interview HERE ;p

About Jon and Andrea (from their profile on their blog):
"Wicket Toy & Collectible Photography is project that a couple from Southern California started to support everything toys and collectibles. We write reviews on collectibles, report up-to-date news on all the latest releases, and photograph our favorite toys. We're not doing this for profit, just to show love for a hobby that we both enjoy very much. If you share our love, we think you'll enjoy what we're all about."

Both Jon Secor and Andrea Guzman have some amazing photography skills (that I would kill for - ha! ha! just kidding) and you only have to visit their other site Wicket Figure Portraits to see how GOOD they really are. It is linked to their flickr account and their pictures will simply blow you away! You have to pop over and see them for yourselves.

A BIG thank you to Jon and Andrea for the opportunity

Hot Toys Iron Man Mark VI with Battle Damage Preview

Hot Toys is proud to present the 1/6th scale Mark VI Limited Edition Collectible Figurine from the Iron Man 2 movie. The movie-accurate Mark VI collectible is highly detailed and fully deployed, specially crafted based on the image of Robert Downey Jr. as the iconic character Mark VI in the movie, highlighting the newly sculpted head, light-up functions, well equipped armor, battle damaged additional parts and extra special figure stand surrounded by damaged navy drone.

The 1/6th scale Mark VI Limited Edition Collectible Figurine specially features: Authentic and detailed fully realized likeness as Mark VI in the movie Iron Man 2, Newly sculpted head with authentic likeness of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in the movie, in newly developed helmet with removable mask, Two (2) interchangeable removable mask including one (1) battle damaged version, Approximately 30 cm tall with Over 36 points of articulations

Crazy Owners Black Ninja Preview

This is another upcoming release from Crazy Owners as part of their Japanese Historical Series i.e. COF-012 Black Ninja action figure.

The forearm and shin armor looks really nice although the headsculpt looks a little boyish. Hope they include a hood to hide the face Ha! Ha!

Toys City / MIL / Merit 1:6 DEA Agent Preview

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States. Not only is the DEA the lead agency for domestic enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act, sharing concurrent jurisdiction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, it also has sole responsibility for coordinating and pursuing U.S. drug investigations abroad. [source: wiki]

As of January 2010, DEA FAST (Foreign-deployed Advisory and Support Teams) currently fields 5 teams. One team is always stationed in Afghanistan conducting Counter Narcotics (CN), Counter Terrorism (CT), Direct Action (DA) missions. The remaining four teams are stationed at Quantico Marine Corps base, Virginia. FAST originally was created to solely conduct missions in Afghanistan but has evolved into a global action arm for the Department of Justice and DEA. FAST agents are required to be experts in all weapons used by USSCOM (United States Special Operations Command) and foreign criminal entities.

And Toys City in collaboration with MIL and Merit will be releasing this 1:6 scale 12-inch DEA figure

Struck by Lightning!

Six full-time national servicemen (NSF) were hurt when a bolt of lightning hit the hill they were training on in Marsiling last week. The men were participating in a training excercise under a shelter during the time. The NSFs, who were undergoing training to become officers, took shelter under a tree from rain at the time when the exercise was temporarily suspended, according to a Straits Times report.

This incident comes as no surprise as Singapore has one of the highest rates of lightning activity in the world. The hot and humid weather is ideal for the formation of lightning-producing storm clouds.

And now for a different kind of lightning... presented to you by Medicom Kubrick Star Wars figures

First Peek: Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern!

From the cover of the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, here is our first look at Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern (click on the picture to get a larger and better view)!

Here's an extract from the Entertainment Weekly article:
Ryan Reynolds stars as Hal Jordan, a cocky test pilot who becomes a ring-wearing intergalactic superhero in this massive sci-fi epic from director Martin Campbell ("Casino Royale"). Though Reynolds has prior experience in the superhero realm from his role as Deadpool in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine", playing Green Lantern involved some major challenges, like getting hurled through the air on a wire at up to 60 feet per second to create the illusion of flight. “The first time you do it, you’re seriously considering an adult diaper,” Reynolds says. Still, he couldn’t resist the chance to play the beloved DC Comics hero, whose power ring can conjure virtually anything he can dream up. “Will and imagination are his superpowers,” Reynolds says. “We need a circus of Timothy Learys to think of things Hal would invent with his ring.”

Green Lantern is scheduled to hit theaters on June 17, 2011 and also stars Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Tim Robbins, Mark Strong, Taika Waititi, Temuera Morrison, Angela Bassett, Jay O. Sanders and Jon Tenney.

More Hot Toys Teasers: 1/6 Chris, Hans Landa & Royce

There're going to be 1/6 scale figures of Adrien Brody as Royce (from "Predators"), Charlie Sheen as Chris (Platoon), and Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa (Inglourious Basterds)

Hot Toys 1/6 Ghost Rider Sneak Peek!

Hot Toys is on the roll and let nothing stand in their way! Now they've got the Ghost Rider on their side. Ghost Rider is a 2007 superhero film based on the character of the same name which appeared in Marvel Comics. The film stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who morphs into the demon vigilante Ghost Rider.

And what's that at the back? Is that his Flame Cycle?

Hot Toys 1/6 Iron Man 2 Mark VI Teaser Pix

Here you go - Hot Toys 1/6 scale Iron Man 2 Mark VI revealed with battle damage. Feast your eyes on this, boys & girls. Expect more to come in the next few days

Nuff said. Make Mine Marvel!

1:6 Mad Max / Road Warrior Bike on e-bay

This is an AWESOME 1/6 scale motorcycle custom-made by an e-bay seller "Probuilder41" based on the 1979 Australian dystopian action film which starred the then relatively unknown Mel Gibson. Its narrative based around the traditional western genre, Mad Max tells a story of breakdown of society, murder and vengeance. It became a top-grossing Australian film and has been credited for further opening up the global market to Australian New Wave films.

Description as posted on site: "NO! This is not a real motorcycle... but it is a 1/6 scale one-of-a-kind replica of a Mad Max / Road Warrior bike. It is 14" long and 8" tall."

Mattel The Riddler: "Riddle Me This"

The Riddler (Edward Nigma OR Nygma OR Nashton) is a fictional character, a comic book character and super-villain published by DC Comics, and an enemy of Batman. In live action, he was portrayed by Frank Gorshin and John Astin in the 1960s television series, as well as by Jim Carrey in the film "Batman Forever (1995)".

In 2005, a new interpretation of the Riddler debuted in "The Batman" animated series episode “Riddled”. The Riddler returned with a Gothic look and no one would have imagined the Riddler with long hair. Before this, the character was often depicted as wearing a domino mask either with a green suit and bowler hat, or a green jumpsuit.

Mattel Killer Moth from "The Batman"

In "The Batman" animated series, Drury Walker and his pet moths were exposed to an unstable chemical the Penguin gang had stolen. His moths died and merged with his skin and mutated into a cocoon, and eventually, Walker was turned into a powerful, gigantic moth monster, similar to the comic book persona Charaxas.

This is the action figure of Killer Moth (as Charaxes) released in 2006 under Mattel's The Batman Shadowtek line. I much prefer the look of this Killer Moth as the original Killer Moth wore a garish costume with striped purple and green spandex, orange cape and a moth-like mask.