US Navy Shore Patrol, World War II

White sailor's cap, navy-blue square rig uniform with black knotted scarf, web belt with M1911A1 .45 pistol in holster, duffel bag, M1 garand rifle, dress shoes and dog tags.

Home for the holidays, World War II

Pte 1st Class, US Army 2nd Infantry Division going home for the holidays.

Richard Marcinko, Land Warrior

BBi, another of the 1/6 pioneers that have fallen by the side. They produced some pretty nice pieces in the past but has gone quiet on the 12" front.

Vietnam War, M60 shorty Machine Gunner

He has the SEAL customised grenade jacket, just like the Stoner gunner's customised Woodlands jacket - very nice - his jungle machete (we call it parang) and his M79 grenade launcher in his ARVN rucksack.

Vietnam War, SEAL Stoner Machine Gunner

This Hot Toys figure deserves a second look.


The Claymore bag, besides carrying the claymore mine with firing wire and detonator/cracker, even has the instructions on the bag, just like the real thing.

Vietnam War, Viet Cong Scout

The only VC produced by Dragon, Linh

Vietnam War, MACV-SOG

They were Vietnam War's covert special warfare unit. They created the STABO rig which was an emergency extraction rig using special web gear that converts to a harness for attaching to a rope lowered through the treetops from a hovering helicopter. Since then, SEALs and Delta teams have used this method of extraction in dire situations. One of the methods they devised to remain invisible behind enemy lines was wearing boots with asian-sized human barefoot soles. That way, their oversized boot prints could not be detected. They also wore black and even NVA uniforms to confuse the enemy.

Vietnam War, Green Beret

The United States Army Special Forces or SF, is an elite special operations force trained for guerrilla warfare, unconventional warfare, and special operations. SF was founded in 1952 by OSS Jedburgh Colonel Aaron Bank known as the father of the Special Forces, and its members are informally known as "the Green Berets", because of the unit's distinctive green beret headgear. Their official motto is De Oppresso Liber (Latin: "To Liberate the Oppressed"), a reference to one of their primary missions to train and assist foreign indigenous forces.

The Green Berets became popular thanks to the 1968 film featuring John Wayne titled "The Green Berets".

Vietnam War, RTO Smith

The details on the AN/PRC-25 radio and harness is amazing, even has a spare antenna & handset pouch - very much like the real thing (which was a bitch to carry during those army days - glad that part is over)

Dragon's Lt Col Hal Moore, 1st Battalion/7th Cavalry Regiment
Dragon's "We were soldiers (2002)" (Vietnam war film starring Mel Gibson as Lt Col Hal Moore) boxed set

Vietnam War, Lt Col Hal Moore

When Lt Col Moore learns from a superior officer that his unit will be known as the 1st Battalion / 7th cavalry regiment, he is disquieted because the 7th Cavalry regiment was the battalion commanded by General Custer when he and his unit was slaughtered at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

So before leaving for service in Vietnam, Moore tells his unit that he will not leave anyone behind, dead or alive. Great casting putting Mel Gibson in the role as Lt Col Moore.


Nice paint job for the M16 with the metallic shine

His Radio Telephone Operator (RTO) "Smith"
Dragon's "We were soldiers (2002)" (Vietnam war film starring Mel Gibson as Lt Col Hal Moore) boxed set

We Were Soldiers (2002) - Vietnam War film

This film dramatized the Battle of Ia Drang in November 1965, the first major engagement of American troops in the Vietnam War. The film was directed by Randall Wallace and stars Mel Gibson (they of the "Braveheart" fame). It is based on the book We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young by Lieutenant General (Ret.) Hal Moore and reporter Joseph L. Galloway, both of whom were at the battle.

Dragon produced this promo item to go with the show. They did this with many action movies at that time (Windtalkers, Bad Boys II, Black Hawk Down, K19 Widowmaker, SWAT etc) - great for collectors like moi but like i said, in their heyday. The box came with a slipcase cover.

The package itself

Lt Col Hal Moore and his RTO, Smith

Vietnam War, USMC Infantryman

Dragon released some nice looking Nam figures in their heyday. They seem to have lost the fight in the 12" market, leaving it to players like Hot Toys, DiD, ace, Toy Soldier and others. A pity coz they were doing some great stuff then. This USMC figure (released in 2001) was from the period of Jan-Feb 1968 at Khe Sanh. Dragon always named their figures, this one was "Russell" and bore an uncanny resemblance to Russell Crowe, famous at that period for "Gladiator" followed by "Proof of Life".




Russell Crowe, he has put on some weight since then.

Full Metal Jacket (1987) - Vietnam War film

Full Metal Jacket (1987) is an Oscar-nominated Stanley Kubrick film which portrays the urban Vietnam War fought by the US Marine Corps. The title refers to the type of ammunition used by infantry riflemen.

Senior Drill Instructor Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (R. Lee Ermey, a former drill instructor in real life) didn't really have to act - he just had to be himself and he was excellent at it. The whole basic training aspect brings back a lot of memories for a lot of us who did BMT during NS.

Sideshow released this figure and i think he is the first 12" figure with a Rating becoz of his language. Press a button on his back and Gunnery Sergeant Hartman will shout out "motivational" phrases, some with the words "numb nuts" in it, just for kicks.




Gunnery Sergeant Hartman about to go into his war cry.

Platoon (1986) - Vietnam War film

Charlie Sheen starred in this movie written and directed by Oliver Stone which was based on Stone's own experience as a combat infantryman in Vietnam. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1986 and which military or movie buff doesn't know this movie. 'Nuff said.


Charlie's unmistaken mug

Interesting trivia: Charlie Sheen's father, Martin Sheen starred in Apocalypse Now (1979 film set during the Vietnam War which also won an Academy Award). It tells the story of Army Captain Benjamin L. Willard who is sent into the jungle to assassinate United States Army Special Forces Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, who is said to have gone insane. Robert Duvall was excellent as the wild Lt. Colonel Bill Kilgore leading his men, the 1st Sqn, 9th Calvary into battle with the sound of "Ride of the Valkyries" blasting out from loudspeakers on the hueys.

Vietnam War, 1965 to 1975

Was doing some cleaning of the displays and decided to take pictures of some of my Nam collection.

These two pieces were produced by Hot Toys in 2006 and they are two of the nicest pieces from my Nam collection. US Navy SEAL stoner machine gunner (left) and M60 shorty machine gunner (right) from the 1967 to 1971 era. They were packed to the brim with all the things you'll need for the war in the jungles. The M60 gunner's face sculpt was meant to be Richard Marcinko (i think), famous author of Rogue Warrior and all the other SEAL novels that make for very interesting read. The language used was top crass.

The other two warriors in this pix were from 21st Century Toys "Ultimate Soldier" back in 2000. Suffice to say, they are no longer producing 12" figures. One of them is the US Special Forces MIKE (Mobile strIKE) Force with the Swedish K AMG while the other is the Navy SEAL Stoner Machine Gunner with pet monkey.

Kamen Rider V3 S.I.C.

There were two versions of S.I.C. V3 produced, one with base and one that came together with Riderman. For the S.I.C. V3 that came with base, there was the option to give V3 a more streamline, less bulky look although it has less articulation.


Defeated Shocker enemy

The updated, more articulated V3 S.I.C.

Kamen Rider V3 Deluxe by Medicom

The best V3 ever!! Love the slipcase & box design too!

Check out the slipcase art. Also gives you a hint of what to expect inside.

The box itself.


Box contents

Kamen Rider V3 - beautifully designed and crafted


Kamen Riders communicate "telepathically" via the antennae on top of their heads. This communication device between Kamen Rider V3 and the Double Riders allows perfect coordination between each Rider as they enter the battlefield. It can also be used to communicate with the Shonen Raida-Tai (Rider Scouts) Headquarters and the scouts' individual Pendants.

Kamen Rider V3's first and foremost weapon - the Henshin belt "Double Typhoon". V3 is powered by the wind energy which he gathers with the twin "Typhoon" fans in his belt. Whereas Kamen Rider 1 & 2 were powered by single windmills, V3 is powered by both the right "Kamen Rider 1 Typhoon" of Skill, and the left "Kamen Rider 2 Typhoon" of Strength.

The "Double Typhoon" is the heart of Kamen Rider V3's strength as well as the ability to "Henshin" (transform) into Kamen Rider V3. The little doohickey on the side is the V3 Hopper.

The V3 Hopper resides in a special holster on the left side of V3's belt. By propelling this miniature satellite vertically into the air (max. height up to 500 m), V3 can monitor the surrounding terrain via the interface embedded in his visor. This is also particularly useful for tracking fleeing enemies.

A comparison between the Medicom deluxe V3 (on the left) and the older version V3 (on the right). The older version's anatomy looks wrong compared to the deluxe version. Particularly don't like the way the pants ride up his leg. Strangely, the deluxe version looked bigger on its own but when placed side by side with the old, they are actually similar in size but with different emphasis. This old version is a later model from the previous blog entry - the colour of the earlier version was a deeper green and the antenna was metallic, not plastic. It also came with an extra mannequin body and helmet.

Check out Kamen Riders group shot.