The Toy Room - REDUX : Toy Reviews

While other lines out there in the 3 ¾" scale, such as GI Joe and Star Wars, have lots of accessories and vehicles, they sometimes can be lacking in some essentials. Taking Joe for an example, while we have seen some fairly realistic vehicles come out lately, and more on the way, some were missing. Even with other companies, like BBI and 21st Century, their highly detailed lines were cool, but expensive. Then in steps M & C Toys, and their Power Team Elite (PTE for short) 3 ¾" toy line - ready to fill in some gaps at decent prices. In this review, I am looking at their set of Humvees I found at Kay Bee Toys, both at a reasonable $14.99. Do they fit in well with the Joes? Read on…

As you can see, there are two Humvees here, one standard looking one, and one modified as a Troop carrier. Let's first focus on the figures included with these vehicles, shall we? Scaled at 3 ¾", these figures fit well with other lines in the same scale. Add to that a decent sculpt all over (threading on the pockets, buttons, down to the shoelaces on the boots), and superb articulation, and these are great figures. What is impressive is the articulation, and even without ball socket necks, they still have almost 20 points, including wrists, thighs, biceps, and ankle movement. They also have tons of accessories per vehicle, from backpacks with real straps, to authentic looking military weaponry. The only gripe I have is with the way they are packaged - with the soldiers holding their guns - it warped three of the 4 guns between both sets. Still, everything else and the figures were fine, so I can let that slide a little.

Moving on to the vehicles, both are nicely done, and serve well as supplementary forces to your armies. The Humvee carrier has a grill in the front, and a back end right behind the front doors that can act as a supply carrier or troop carrier. The back top comes off very easily so that you can sit your figures or accessories easily in, and then the top can snap right back on. My only concern here is that even though figures can sit fine here, there is no way to secure them there, so the minute you roll the truck, everyone falls off their seat. Not an issue really with kids so much, but it would be nice to have seatbelts or foot pegs or something to help hold figures in place in the back.

As for the standard Humvee, it does stand out as the best bang for your buck. For the price, you get 2 figures and a great vehicle. With four opening doors, an actual front window, and even an opening back hatch for storage, this Humvee is exceptional for its scale. What I really like is the mounted cannon on the top, and its double-hinged door for figure access. Not even BBI's Humvee top hatch door has a double hatched door. I find that very cool - very cool indeed. The issue of non-restraint for the figures in their seats is still there, but not as pronounced, if only for the fact these figures do have individual seats, which do hold them in place somewhat. Out of the two Humvees, this is my favorite.

Overall, these two Humvees are excellent additions to my small Joe army, or to any small scaled figure army for that matter. At their prices, you can easily purchase a few of these Humvees and custom them into many things - Troop carriers for Alley Vipers in Cobra; an urban assault vehicle for Joe's SWAT members; a new form of Jawa transport (it could happen). Are they worth the $14.99 average price tag - easily, even up to $20 I would say, given the fact you get 2 figures and accessories. I suggest Kay Bee Toys as your brick and mortar source, while for online purchases I highly recommend Power Team USA.

Bottom Line

Bottom Line - well worth the dollars for a growing army, but not a necessity if you are only collecting one line. Also, if you are a parent looking to get inexpensive military figures for your kids without paying high prices, these are definitely the way to go.