REVIEW: The Corps! Total Soldier Flying Force 3-Man Recon Team

Iok

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I know everybody's getting excited about the new BBI figures but if you're looking for another cheap (and in this case, fun!) alternative to your Joes, then why not The CORPS!?

That Figures: REVIEW: The CORPS! Total Soldier Flying Force 3-Man Recon Set

Lanard's The CORPS figures - along with the Chap Mei/True Heroes toys - prove that cheap doesn't always mean nasty. When you consider that for less than the price of a single-carded figure from any of the ''big'' toy companies you can get three figures, an assortment of weapons and a mini-vehicle, it makes you wonder just how the likes of Hasbro and Mattel can really justify their prices.

In terms of articulation, the figures are the equal to - and in some cases even surpass - a lot of offerings at this scale. Indeed, unless you're going for something along the lines of a GI Joe figure, you'll be hard pressed to really find anything superior to The CORPS! figures (annoying T-crotch limitations aside), especially at a competitive price. So the plastic must feel really cheap then, right? Sure, some of the weapons are quite rubbery but the figures themselves are no worse than what Hasbro gave us in the Retaliation vehicle sets. And to really seal the deal, the sculpt work and paint apps (in particular) are surprisingly good and put a lot of other figures of this scale to shame.

Their stylized look (and admittedly at times odd proportions) may not be to everybody's tastes but if you're a fan of retro action figures or you're a collector of ''Knock Off'' toys (and that's not intended as an insult to the line in the slightest), or if you're looking for some extra pilots for your Joe-scale vehicles then you're sure to find something of note with this line.

As for the Flying Force 3-Man Recon Set, it's a perfect example of what makes this line so much fun. Great, stylized sculpts, neat articulation, superb paint apps and a boatload of accessories, all at a price you really can't afford to pass-up.

A fun set at a great price.

Full Review - with more pics - here:

That Figures: REVIEW: The CORPS! Total Soldier Flying Force 3-Man Recon Set
 
Meddatron

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Awesome, Thanks for the review. The corps really does have some quality stuff. Not everything works for me, but some works very well. Some of the playsets are perfect for dios, like this one.
 
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Meddatron said:
Awesome, Thanks for the review. The corps really does have some quality stuff. Not everything works for me, but some works very well. Some of the playsets are perfect for dios, like this one.
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No worries. Glad you enjoyed reading it.

Yeah, they can be a mixed bag but the quality of the good stuff far outweighs the ''damage'' done by the weaker pieces, especially when you consider the price.

I'm hoping to find a few more pieces, those playsets included. They look really cool.
 
lancelot

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I really hate how Hasbro set a bad precedence with cutting articulation. The Corps was becoming super lame enough with the bright colors and lame weapons and accessories, but having inaction figures just puts them at a new low. Sad times for action figure isles.

Speaking of the Corps, a machine gun my old 2002 desert Humvee broke while in storage and I need a new fork base for it. I have no idea where to start removing the old one. Lanard always used the crappiest most brittle plastic back then, I don't think there is a single old O-Ring Corps figure that still has its thumbs.
 
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Iok

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lancelot said:
I really hate how Hasbro set a bad precedence with cutting articulation. The Corps was becoming super lame enough with the bright colors and lame weapons and accessories, but having inaction figures just puts them at a new low. Sad times for action figure isles.
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I'm torn on articulation sometimes. Much as I love super pose-able figures like Microman and GI Joe, I can live with reduced joints if they can still be displayed dynamically. Stuff like the True Legends Heroes of Olympus only have 4 or 5 PoA yet they look really neat on the shelf. I'm not a fan though of the Star Wars-style ''standing stock still'' figures like the Buckshot figure included here. The other new CORPS figures I've seen look kind of cool in their default poses, even with the limited number of joints but I'll really have to take a closer look for myself.

EDIT: And I didn't think the CORPS! colorways were THAT bad - certainly no worse than some GI Joe figures. The Total Soldier ones are much more muted now and I like the desert/camo look.
 
lancelot

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Iok said:
I'm torn on articulation sometimes. Much as I love super pose-able figures like Microman and GI Joe, I can live with reduced joints if they can still be displayed dynamically. Stuff like the True Legends Heroes of Olympus only have 4 or 5 PoA yet they look really neat on the shelf. I'm not a fan though of the Star Wars-style ''standing stock still'' figures like the Buckshot figure included here. The other new CORPS figures I've seen look kind of cool in their default poses, even with the limited number of joints but I'll really have to take a closer look for myself.

EDIT: And I didn't think the CORPS! colorways were THAT bad - certainly no worse than some GI Joe figures. The Total Soldier ones are much more muted now and I like the desert/camo look.
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If a figure is sculpted in a clever way, then reduced articulation can work a little. The Retaliation Cobra Trooper can hold weapons and snap into a crouched pose better than a lot of 25th, POC, and 30th figures because it's simply sculpted better. The details don't get in the way of motion. There was also a cheap Joe knock off brand Unimax made back in 2009 called "Fearless Forces" and those figures could hold several weapons surprisingly well despite their lack of wrist articulation! They hold RPG-7s like champs! Better than almost every post 25th Cobra Trooper can at least. If a weapon has a forward grip, or stick magazine the left hand can grab on to, they can do decent action movie poses, which is all you really want when your a kid plying with these kinds of toys. Too bad that line was so short lived.

At any rate, 5 POA figures are rather useless in a 3" 3/4 military line. On the other hand, those figures and some fireworks are a good way to celebrate July 4th.
 
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lancelot said:
If a figure is sculpted in a clever way, then reduced articulation can work a little. The Retaliation Cobra Trooper can hold weapons and snap into a crouched pose better than a lot of 25th, POC, and 30th figures because it's simply sculpted better. The details don't get in the way of motion. There was also a cheap Joe knock off brand Unimax made back in 2009 called "Fearless Forces" and those figures could hold several weapons surprisingly well despite their lack of wrist articulation! They hold RPG-7s like champs! Better than almost every post 25th Cobra Trooper can at least. If a weapon has a forward grip, or stick magazine the left hand can grab on to, they can do decent action movie poses, which is all you really want when your a kid plying with these kinds of toys. Too bad that line was so short lived.

At any rate, 5 POA figures are rather useless in a 3" 3/4 military line. On the other hand, those figures and some fireworks are a good way to celebrate July 4th.
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As I mentioned earlier, the vintage Star Wars-style 5-PoA figures don't generally work for me (like Buckshot in this pack) but in some cases it can work, for example if the figure has his arms bent or the joint swivels the shoulder angle rather than simply moving it forward/backward (I keep going back to them but the Legends of Olympus figures are designed in a way that really capitalizes on their limited number of joints.)

It really depends on the kid playing with the toy but it's often the case that they'll just bounce the figure across the desk or throw it off the couch and in those instances, articulation isn't an issue. When it comes to collectors we tend to expect more but I personally tend to find ''The Pose'' for each figure and then display them in that stance. If the figure has limited movement but still looks good then it's not an issue for me, as I tend to just leave them on my shelf like that.
 
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