Sunday, March 4, 2012

Review 1: InFlames / HeadPlay 1/6 scale Metal Boss 12-inch Collectible Figure BDU Version

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (メタルギアソリッド3 スネーク・イーター Metaru Gia Soriddo Surī Sunēku Ītā, commonly abbreviated to MGS3) is an award-winning stealth action video game directed by Hideo Kojima. Set in the Cold War-era Soviet Union, the story centers on FOX operative Naked Snake as he attempts to rescue a weapons designer and sabotage an experimental super-weapon. While previous games were set in a primarily urban environment, Snake Eater adopts a 1960s Soviet jungle setting, with the high tech, near-future trappings of previous Metal Gear Solid games being replaced with the wilderness.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, a prequel to the previous games set three decades prior to the events of the original Metal Gear in 1964, introduces a young Big Boss as a former Green Beret under the codename "Naked Snake". Naked Snake is virtually identical to Solid Snake from the previous Metal Gear Solid games in terms of appearance.


The protagonist of Snake Eater, Naked Snake known as Big Boss in subsequent games (voiced by Akio Ōtsuka in Japanese and David Hayter in English), is a former U.S. Special Forces (Green Beret) and CIA operative.




This is the InFlames and HeadPlay 1/6 scale Metal Boss 12-inch Collectible Figure BDU Version. The box packaging comes with a slipcase cover which has a rather nice rendition of Naked Snake on the front. Since this is an unlicensed product, obviously there is no mention of Naked Snake or Metal Gear Solid 3. Instead, this product is called Metal Boss BDU version.


Removal of the mostly white slipcase cover reveals box itself, which is predominantly black.


The box is divided almost equally in two halves - one side contains the tray that holds the 12-inch Metal Boss / MGS3 Naked Snake figure with some of his gear and accessories (do note that the watch looking thing you see between the figure and webbing / harness near the top right is his eye patch.


The other tray holds another set of uniform (BDU - Battle Dress Uniform) and the rest of his 1/6 scale stuff, including his weapons and a huge Crocodile head, actually a fake gavial head to decrease chances of being detected in water.


InFlames and HeadPlay 1/6 scale Metal Boss (MGS3 Naked Snake) 12-inch Collectible Figure BDU Version straight out of the box, without all his gear and accessories, just wearing his Black Bodysuit under the OD (Olive Drab) Jungle Fatigues, OD STABO Rig and Cloth Jungle Boots


The tropical combat uniform (designed in 1962) was ideally suited to Vietnam because it was both lightweight and quick drying, but it's exposed pocket buttons had a tendency to get snagged in the jungle. The new design, 2nd Pattern (amended in January 1965) concealed the buttons of all four cargo pockets behind flaps, which successfully alleviated the snagging problem that affected the original model. Developed at the MACV Recondo School in Vietnam, the STABO Harness was designed to enable the rapid extraction of reconnaissance personnel by helicopter.


Metal Boss BDU version or MGS3 Naked Snake's choice of weapons include Kabar Knife with Sheath, Tac Knife with Sheath, M16 Rifle with removable 30-round magazine, US SOCOM Pistol with removable magazine, silencer and light attachment.


Marine Corps Ka-Bar Knife or KaBar fighting / utility knife was first issued by the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. The knives were made by a number of manufacturers and featured a 7-inch black coated 1095 carbon steel blade with a leather ridged handle and a leather sheath. AND Naked Snake's combat tactical knife with sheath.


The Heckler & Koch MK23 is a handgun consisting of a match grade semi-automatic pistol, a laser aiming module (LAM), and suppressor. The MK23 Mod 0 was built as an "offensive" handgun for U.S. special operations forces under USSOCOM. Military versions of the firearm have the writing "MK23 USSOCOM" engraved on the slide. The MK23 Mod 0 was adopted by the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) for special operations units in the 1990s.


InFlames and HeadPlay 1/6th scale Metal Boss 12-inch Collectible Figure BDU Version Camouflaged Jungle Fatigues / BDUs (one-of-a-kind I think), Black Shoulder Pauldrons x 2, Black Kneepad, Spare Set of Hands.


Fake gavial head (or "Gharial", one of the longest of all living crocodilians or simply Croc head) which Naked Snake used to decrease chances of being detected in water.


Medicom Toys also released an official Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 1/6th scale Naked Snake 12-inch action figure with fake gavial (crocodile) head as well in 2005. You can check out the review HERE


InFlames and HeadPlay 1/6th scale M-1956 Load-Carrying Equipment (LCE) consisting of individual equipment belt supported by individual equipment belt suspenders. The belt is secured by means of a brass hook and loop buckle and has two rows of eyelets along the top and bottom for attaching individual equipment utilizing the M-1910 wire hanger. The LCE includes two M-14 ammo pouches (also used for 30-round M-16 magazines) and two M16 ammunition pouches, two 1-quart canteens with canteen covers and the field pack, a square canvas pouch designed to hold a single day's Meal, Combat, Individual (C-Ration) as well as sparse personal implements like a shaving kit and extra socks.

Click for a bigger and better view

Assembled M-1956 Load-Carrying Equipment (LCE) with additional Cloth Holster for the USSOCOM MK23 Pistol and un-used M-14 ammo pouches


The Field Pack's placement at the rear of the pistol-belt led to it being referred to colloquially as the "butt pack".


The InFlames and HeadPlay 1/6th scale Metal Boss 12-inch Collectible Figure BDU Version M-1956 Load-Carrying Equipment (LCE) set even came with miniature Slide keepers (contemporarily known as ALICE clips as well) were steel right-angled "U" shapes with a sliding flat steel piece which when closed formed a rectangle with length similar to the breadth of the pistol belt which could tightly hold things against it. These were used to attach the various pouches of the M1956 equipment to the pistol belt.


This is the Metal Gear series' trademark cardboard box in 1/6 scale by InFlames and HeadPlay, which Snake can hide under to avoid visual detection. I'm not too sure how that gives Snake the best camouflage but apparently it is in the game :) The green sticker sheet is for you to cut and use like duck tape / duct tape, a cloth- or scrim-backed pressure sensitive tape often sealed with polyethylene. It is very similar to gaffer tape but differs in that gaffer tape was designed to be cleanly removed, while duct tape was not. This tape resisted water and was used as sealing tape on ammunition cases during World War II. Because of these properties, it was also used to repair military equipment quickly, including jeeps, firearms, and aircraft.


NEXT: Fully geared up Metal Boss (BDU version) i.e. MGS3 Naked Snake in OD (Olive Drab) green tropical BDUs

Part III: Metal Boss out of his BDUs and in his Sneaking Suit
Part IV: Metal Boss wearing the camouflaged BDU instead of the basic green version

No comments: