The Fighting 1:18th! The best Military 1:18 scale site on the net!
The highlight of the show was getting to talk to Tony from Merit again. I had previously met him at the San Diego Comic Con 2009 last year and talked his ear off for probably the whole show. It is really nice getting to talk to someone who is as passionate and as knowledgeable in our hobby as we are.
Merit had planned to have a bunch of new items stateside in time for the show, but due to shipping and delivery issues, most of them did not make it in time for the convention.
Tony hoped to have them all available at the San Diego Comic Con 2010 later this year, and possibly have them available sometime this month for us to come down to their offices and take a look. Here’s to hoping!
I got to pick his brain for a good hour or two, and tried to squeeze in every question our fans wanted to hear. Granted, there were some things he could not answer, and some things he hoped to have answers to soon, but I still got a few nuggets of information to pass on.
First, about the new 1:18th scale OurWar figures from Tieka Toys, Merit *should* have them stateside for sale in about 6 weeks or so, and the set of 7 figures *should* run around $50-$60 dollars, but he final price has not been set yet. Merit is the official distribution partner, but some websites like SmallJoes are getting them from a different supplier, and may have them earlier. Foxhole Toys is getting them from Merit, as are a few other online retail stores. Hopefully they will be a success!
Each figure comes with a removable helmet, an individual vest, a camelback and a pretty cool terrain-style hex base. They also each come with two sets of knee pads, a “hard” style and a “flex” style pads. The figures each come with one weapon apiece, though one figure comes with an additional shotgun and one comes with a pistol and holster. I had thought they came with elbow pads as well, but I didn’t see any.
I got to handle one of the figures, and they seem pretty well done overall. They are very similar to the 25th-style G.I. Joes, though they seem to measure right about 3 3/4ths inches, compared to the 4 inch size of the modern G.I. Joe figures. They have a plastic T-bar in the crotch area, and have the separated chest piece, though the included vest greatly mitigates the effectiveness of the movable chest.
The ACU camouflage is nicely done, and apparently is done by some sort of decal process. Initially they come out of the package VERY shiny, though they tend to dull a bit once they hit the air and are handled. Some clear flat may help as well.
The new P-38 “Marge” looks fantastic, as do the Merit Soldiers.
The Iranian F-14 is starting to grow on me.
Thank you again for the recon and subsequent intel on these lines, as your insight is always appreciated.