Review 1: NECA Resident Evil "Operation Raccoon City" Vector 7-inch action figure

In September 1998, an incident in the underground laboratory of Umbrella Corporation resulted in Raccoon City being devastated by the effects of Umbrella's t-Virus, which had managed to escape into the city's population, most of which died from the infection and became reanimated as "zombies."

In order to ensure Umbrella's survival, U.S.S. (Umbrella Security Service) Command determined that nothing could be allowed to link the company to the catastrophe that destroyed an entire city. Hence, VECTOR and his team were deployed for the commencement of Operation: Raccoon City, which entailed nothing less than the extermination of any kind of evidence, including survivors, that could potentially implicate Umbrellla Corporation in a number of "morally questionable activities," such as illegal experimentation and viral weaponry.

"VECTOR" is the codename of a covert operative who served in the ranks of the Umbrella Security Service (U.S.S.), an elite paramilitary division of the Umbrella Corporation. Prior to the Raccoon City outbreak of September 1998, VECTOR was assigned as a recon to the newly-reconstituted U.S.S. Delta Team, nicknamed "Wolfpack," shortly after the previous team's destruction on the Ecliptic Express.

This is the NECA Resident Evil Vector 7″ action figure from the Resident Evil franchise, Operation Raccoon City. The figure comes in a clamshell packaging and is described as "a hooded soldier decked out in full tactical gear with an arsenal of weapons and loads of articulation. Vector is ready for combat and the zombie attack."

Little is known about the background of the operative known as "VECTOR;" his true name and origin remain a mystery. After becoming employed in the ranks of Umbrella Security Service (U.S.S.), an elite paramilitary unit and subsidiary branch of the Umbrella Corporation, VECTOR was sent to Rockfort Island where he honed his skills as a soldier.

Having developed a highly lethal proficiency in martial artistry – especially in knife combat – under several Japanese masters, VECTOR's fighting prowess was ultimately noticed by HUNK, one of Umbrella's best operatives who took a special interest in the new recruit's potential. After VECTOR fought HUNK in single hand-to-hand combat to a draw, the U.S.S. veteran personally oversaw the young trainee's progress.

Once his training was complete, VECTOR proved to be one of Umbrella's most effective assets; his achievements-in-the-field were matched only by his former mentor, HUNK. The Corporation noted how his movements were instinctive and smooth, in contrast to his motionless behavior when at rest.

Given his skills in stealth and reconnaissance, Umbrella determined that VECTOR was ideal for the role of recon in the reformed U.S.S. Delta Team; the previous unit having been annihilated during an assignment on the Ecliptic Express. Although VECTOR and HUNK preferred to continue working together as they had a low tolerance for anyone of lesser skill, the company felt that their interests would be better served by distributing their two top assets into separate teams, rather than focusing them both in a single unit.

Hence, VECTOR was assigned to fellow U.S.S. operatives LUPO, BERTHA, FOUR EYES, SPECTRE, and BELTWAY in the new Delta Team, otherwise known as "Wolfpack."

Like the other members of Wolfpack, VECTOR's uniform was heavily customized, both in technology and appearance. The suit's unique features included a built-in active camouflage, enabling the wearer to become invisible for a short period of time, and technology that allowed him to mimic another person's appearance as well.

NECA Resident Evil "Operation Raccoon City" Vector 7″ action figure comes with his specialist suit which "allows active camouflage, detection avoidance and mimicry of enemies. He is armed with a tactical SMG (Sub-Machine Gun), UCBS pistol and combat knife." The pistol comes holstered on the figure's assault vest and can be taken out :)

The 7-inch tall VECTOR action figure cannot hold his rifle with two hands due to the limited articulation at the shoulders (the arms are not able to cross to the centre of his body) and can only fire his weapon one-handed. The other hand is for holding his knife.

Scroll down to see more pictures of this NECA Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City Vector 7-inch action figure.

I haven't been buying carded / clamshell packaged figures for a while now, preferring the 1/6th scale 12-inch action figures for their ultra-detailed and highly accurate uniform and accessories plus articulation and pose-ability but once-in-a-while, I pick up one or two smaller sized figures that catch my attention.

This particular figure certainly caught my attention. The whole black outfit with the masked head and blue "lit up" eyes makes him stand out and really piqued my interest. Not being a gamer, I did not know of this particular character's existence until recently so when I saw it on the racks, I had no qualms about picking it up.

I had fun toying with the figure and taking pictures to post on my toy blog. I am also tempted to kitbash a 12-inch VECTOR action figure based on this 7-inch tall version so that is a project to keep in view for the future :)

Scroll down to see close-up shots / pictures of this NECA Resident Evil "Operation Raccoon City" Vector 7-inch action figure

In the pictures below, you can see Vector's UCBS pistol holstered on his vest. It almost looks like it's molded to the holster so it's nice to know that it can be drawn.

NEXT: See pictures of NECA Resident Evil "Operation Raccoon City" Vector 7-inch action figure with his pistol and knife.

What a difference a shemagh makes ;p Very Hot 1/6 scale Mercenary (sand ver) with kufiya added

continued from earlier post...

The keffiyeh / kufiya (Arabic: كوفية‎, kūfiyyah, plural كوفيات, kūfiyyāt), also better known as a ghutrah (غُترَة) or shemagh (شماغ), and also known by some as ḥaṭṭah (حَطّة), mashadah (مَشَدة), or in Persian chafiye (چَفیِه), and in Kurdish cemedanî ( جه مه داني), is a traditional Arab headdress fashioned from a square, usually cotton, scarf. It is typically worn by Arab men, as well as some Kurds.

It is commonly found in arid regions to provide protection from direct sun exposure, as well to protect the mouth and eyes from blown dust and sand. Its distinctive woven check pattern may have originated in an ancient Mesopotamian representation of either fishing nets or ears of grain, but the true origin of the pattern remains unknown. [source: wiki]

For decades, keffiyeh have been issued to British soldiers who now, almost exclusively, refer to them as shemaghs. Their use by some units and formations of the military and police forces of the former British Empire and subsequent Commonwealth dates back to before the Second World War. Since the beginning of the War on Terror (used to specifically refer to the ongoing military campaign led by the US, UK and their allies against organizations and regimes identified by them as terrorist), these keffiyeh / shemagh, usually cotton and in military olive drab or khaki with black stitching, have been adopted by US troops as well, a reversal of previous policy which saw them strictly forbidden during the Gulf War (2 August 1990 – 28 February 1991).

I have already reviewed this Very Hot 1/6 scale Mercenary (sand version) 12-inch action figure in my previous posts HERE and HERE but felt that it lacked something. I decided to make this figure wear a shemagh (which was not included with this set but taken from my stash - pictures of my stash HERE) instead of the helmet and am now quite pleased with the outcome / look :)

Scroll down to see more pictures of this Very Hot 1/6 scale Mercenary (sand version) 12-inch action figure wearing a 1/6 scale shemagh on his head.

I had to google the internet to learn how to tie / wear a shemagh for this 1/6 scale figure and I have to say, I always thought the shemagh was a bit big but discovered that is is just right if one was to follow the instructional pictures and / or video.

I had tried wrapping a 1/6 shemagh when I was kitbashing an SAS action figure from Bravo Two Zero operating during Desert Storm some time back. I never watched the video then but the end result wasn't too bad either. You can check out the pictures HERE as well as pictures of the SAS action man riding the G.I. Joe Fast Attack Cycle from Hasbro HERE

Scroll down to see close-up pictures of Very Hot's 1/6 scale Mercenary (sand version) 12-inch figure wearing the shemagh over his head.

Welcome to DASH, Here’s a Hot Toys Luke Skywalker Giveaway

In case you haven’t heard of Collector-ActionFigures.com, we wanted to make a strong first impression. In fact, we’re giving away a Hot Toys Luke Skywalker to make sure you remember us. This beautiful figure is valued at almost $300, includes a bundle of extras, and is being given away to one lucky collector for free by Collector-ActionFigures.

For your chance to win Luke Skywalker, all you need to do is complete a free membership registration with Collector-ActionFigures. It doesn’t cost a dime and only takes a minute, but make sure you go through the entire process to activate your account. Not only will you then be entered to win the contest, you’ll also have access to the internet’s best catalog of action figures. There’s simply no better way to start off a digital collection on DASH than by entering a classic figure like this Hot Toys beauty into your collection.

Enjoy your new membership, and we wish you good luck towards winning this unbelievable masterpiece of a prize.

Contest Details

• All entries must be received by 11:59p.m. ET on Friday November 30th.
• One grand prize winner will be selected at random.
• For an international winner, the first $10 will be paid for shipping, and the rest will be paid
  by the contestant.

For complete contest rules and requirements, please email corey@Collector-ActionFigures.com

Even mercenaries have sniper teams and two mercs are definitely better off than one ;p

continued from earlier post...

A marksman, markswoman, or marksperson is a person who is skilled in precision, or a sharpshooter shooting, using projectile weapons, such as with a rifle but most commonly with a designated marksman rifle and / or a sniper rifle, to shoot at long range targets. The main difference between a marksman and a normal sniper is that a marksman is usually considered an organic part of a team of soldiers, whereas regular snipers tend to work alone or with other snipers.

A sniper is a highly trained marksman who operates alone or in pair who maintain close visual contact with the enemy and engages targets from concealed positions or physical distances exceeding the detection capabilities of the enemy personnel, without being detected. These sniper teams operate independently, with little combat asset support from their parent units. Snipers typically have highly selective and specialized training and use high-precision rifles and optics, and often have sophisticated communication assets to feed valuable combat information back to their units.

In addition to marksmanship, military snipers are trained in camouflage, field craft, infiltration, reconnaissance and observation. Snipers are especially effective when deployed within the terrain of urban warfare, or jungle warfare. [source: wiki]

The verb "to snipe" originated in the 1770s among soldiers in British India where a hunter skilled enough to kill the elusive snipe was dubbed a "sniper". The term sniper was first attested in 1824 in the sense of the word "sharpshooter".

Different countries use different military doctrines regarding snipers in military units, settings, and tactics. Generally, a sniper's primary function in warfare is to provide detailed reconnaissance from a concealed position and, if necessary, to reduce the enemy's fighting ability by striking at high value targets (especially officers, communication and other personnel) and in the process pinning down and demoralizing the enemy.

Military snipers from the US, UK, and other countries that adopt their military doctrine are typically deployed in two-man sniper teams consisting of a shooter and spotter. A common practice is for a shooter and a spotter to take turns in order to avoid eye fatigue.

In most recent combat operations occurring in large densely populated towns such as Fallujah, Iraq, two teams would be deployed together to increase their security and effectiveness in an urban environment. A sniper team would be armed with their long range weapon, and a shorter ranged weapon to engage and protect the team should enemies come in close contact.

Typical sniper missions include reconnaissance and surveillance, target marking for air-strikes, counter-sniper, killing enemy commanders, selecting targets of opportunity, and even destruction of military equipment, which tend to require use of rifles in the larger calibers such as the .50 BMG, like the Barrett M82, McMillan Tac-50, and Denel NTW-20.

Snipers have increasingly been demonstrated as being useful by US and UK forces in the recent Iraq campaign in a fire support role to cover the movement of infantry, especially in urban areas.

In this toy blog post, I decided to pose the Very Hot 1/6 scale Mercenary (sand version) set which I had reviewed earlier HERE with a kitbashed PMC (Private Military Contractor) 12-inch figure I had put together some time ago (check out my 2008 post HERE for more pictures).

The 1/6 scale head sculpt with molded beard was produced and released by Hot Toys as a PMC which was part of their now non-existent 12-inch military figures series. The specially modified M4 rifle was also produced by Hot Toys and sold as a part of their 1/6 scale modern weapons series.

The good thing about kitbashing a PMC (Private Military Contractor) or mercenary is that since they do not belong to any particular army, there isn't any rule regarding what they can or cannot wear. So almost anything goes :) You can mix and match and put parts of gear together the way you like it.

The only thing to note is that the pouches which hold the spare magazines must match the weapon they are carrying. They can't be possibly loading AK47 / AK74 magazines into a M4 SOPMOD rifle right? And they won't be carrying rifles of different calibre because that would mean double the weight in terms of ammunition (one set for each weapon). Even between mercenaries, it would make more logistical sense to be carrying similar calibre weapons so that they can support one another with ammunition and such.

Preview CooModel 1/6 scale Human Skeleton 12-inch figure - if only it came with sword and shield

"Jason and the Argonauts" is a 1963 Columbia Pictures fantasy feature film starring Todd Armstrong as the titular mythical Greek hero in a story about his quest for the Golden Fleece. Directed by Don Chaffey in collaboration with stop motion animation expert Ray Harryhausen, the film is noted for its stop-motion creatures, and particularly the iconic fight with the skeletons.

And now coming from COOMODEL: 1/6 scale Human skeleton Body introduced. Note: skeletal material: PVC (to prevent bursting) with Movable joints Material: the particularity nylon stamina PVC (to prevent brittle)

Wouldn't it be COOl if these were actually 1/6 scale skeletons from "Jason and the Argonauts"? All they need is the sword and shield plus skeletal hands that can hold the weapons. Looks like these "hands" are pose-able. If you scroll down to see the rest of the preview / prototype pictures, you'll see a picture of this particular CooModel 1/6 scale Human Skeleton 12-inch figure grasping what appears to be an "air" pistol i.e. holding the gun firing pose but with no gun in hand.

Also these skeletons might be good for building dioramas and creating a post apocalyptic future scene, maybe with some Terminators in them.

The skeleton army was designed, for the most part, to defeat their enemies through sheer numbers by overwhelming them. George Lucas probably drew that inspiration when he came up with the battle droids. See my post HERE and HERE where I reviewed the Sideshow Collectibles Star Wars Militaries Series 1/6 scale Infantry Battle Droids as well as PICTURES of two battle droids side-by-side.

Scroll down to see close-up pictures of CooModel 1/6 scale Human Skeleton 12-inch figure

And here's a picture of Jason fighting the skeleton army. Like I said, it would have been awesome if this CooModel 1/6 scale Human Skeleton 12-inch figure actually came with sword and shield. I would buy that in a second if it did ;p hint! hint!