Incoming: DID 1/6 scale 1930s Chicago Gangster is Johnny Depp as Dillinger in Public Enemies?

Public Enemies is a 2009 American biographical-crime film directed by Michael Mann and written by Mann, Ronan Bennett and Ann Biderman. It is an adaptation of Bryan Burrough's non-fiction book Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933–34. Set during the Great Depression, the film chronicles the final years of the notorious bank robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) as he is pursued by FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale), and his relationship with Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard), as well as Purvis' pursuit of Dillinger associates and fellow criminals Homer Van Meter (Stephen Dorff) and Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham).

This is DID's new preview of their next release - a 1/6th scale 1930s Chicago Gangster "John" with obvious reference to Johnny Depp's John Dillinger character as seen in "Public Enemies"

The 1/6 scale head sculpt of 1930s Chicago Gangster "John" is pretty good in likeness to Johnny Depp in some angles and not so in others but overall, the stitching and make of the striped suit is superb! The miniature Tommy gun (Thompson submachine gun, caliber .45) is excellent, as is the violin case used for storing it - scroll down to see the pictures :)

Depp described Dillinger as "that era's rock and roll star. He was a very charismatic man and he lived the way he wanted to and didn't compromise." He felt "some kind of inherent connection" to Dillinger through one of his grandfathers, who ran moonshine, and his stepfather, who committed burglaries and robberies and spent time in the same prison Dillinger helped his associates escape from.

DID 1/6 scale 1930s Chicago Gangster "John" (ETA September 2013) will come with 1/6 scale Head sculpt, All Era body, Three pairs of hands, White shirt, Black vest, Double-breasted suit, Black overcoat, Pants, Wine-colored tie, Black belt, Pair of black gloves, Pair of black socks, Double pistol holster, Masked scarf, Banknotes, Money bag, Black hat, Pair of sunglasses, Cigarettes x 2, Golden pocket watch, M1911 pistols x 2, Sub-machine gun, Violin case, Screw-driver, Pair of leather shoes

And here's the money shot - 1/6 scale Johnny Depp as 1930s Chicago Gangster John Dillinger 12-inch figure with his Thompson submachine gun taken apart and stored in a violin case. Do note that the chair is not included.

It would be awesome to see 1/6 scale Johnny Depp as demon barber Sweeney Todd having Johnny Depp as 1930s Chicago Gangster John Dillinger sitting in his chair for a haircut and shave ;p that would be something!

Related posts:
March 27, 2010 – Heroic 1/6 scale Bank Robber REVIEW aka 2009 "Public Enemies" Johnny Depp as John Dillinger figure
March 28, 2010 – "OK, boys; let's go make a withdrawal" - a toy blog post on bank robber figures :)

Read More

Coming soon: DID 1/6 British Military Intelligence Section 6 (MI6) Agent "Jack" 12-inch Spy Figure

Well, DID did it again ;p they managed to put out a very secret agent figure under the guise of a MI6 agent and named him "Jack" to avoid all the hoo-ha just in case. Wait... what? Instead of James, it's Jack and as for him being an MI6 Agent, that he has always been.

James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. The fictional British Secret Service agent has also been adapted for television, radio, comic strip, and video game formats in addition to having been used in the longest continually running and the second-highest grossing film franchise to date, which started in 1962 with Dr. No, starring Sean Connery as Bond. As of 2013, there have been twenty-three films in the Eon Productions series. The most recent Bond film, Skyfall (2012), stars Daniel Craig in his third portrayal of Bond; he is the sixth actor to play Bond in the Eon series. (source: wiki)

The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 (Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the agency which supplies Her Majesty's Government with foreign intelligence. It is frequently referred to by the name MI6 (Military Intelligence, Section 6), a name used as a flag of convenience during the Second World War when it was known by many names. The existence of MI6 was not officially acknowledged until 1994.

The Bond films are renowned for a number of features, including the musical accompaniment, with the theme songs having received Academy Award nominations on several occasions, and one win. Other important elements which run through most of the films include Bond's cars, his guns, and the gadgets with which he is supplied by Q Branch.

As the central figure for his works, Ian Fleming created the fictional character of James Bond, an intelligence officer in the Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6. Bond was also known by his code number, 007, and was a Royal Naval Reserve Commander.

Fleming took the name for his character from that of the American ornithologist James Bond, a Caribbean bird expert and author of the definitive field guide Birds of the West Indies. Fleming, a keen birdwatcher himself, had a copy of Bond's guide and he later explained to the ornithologist's wife that "It struck me that this brief, unromantic, Anglo-Saxon and yet very masculine name was just what I needed, and so a second James Bond was born".

Fleming said: "I wanted the simplest, dullest, plainest-sounding name I could find, 'James Bond' was the dullest name I ever heard and much better than something more interesting, like 'Peregrine Carruthers'. Exotic things would happen to and around him, but he would be a neutral figure—an anonymous, blunt instrument wielded by a government department."

Well, Mr Fleming, James Bond is NOT the dullest name anymore :p After 23 films over 50 years, James Bond is now the most well known name for a secret agent / super spy ever and that in itself is rather funny since a secret agent is supposed to remain secret.

In 2006, Daniel Craig was given the role of Bond for Casino Royale, which rebooted the franchise. The twenty-third Eon produced film, Skyfall, was released on 26 October 2012. The series has grossed just over $6 billion to date, making it the second-highest-grossing film series (behind Harry Potter), and the single most successful adjusted for inflation.

So here's a look at the DID 1/6 scale British Military Intelligence Section 6 (MI6) Agent "Jack" 12-inch figure which will come with black tuxedo suit and a Walther PPK, the most famous of Bond's handguns

Close-up pictures of the 1/6 scale DID Agent "Jack" head sculpt that bears much resemblance to the actor Daniel Craig who has taken up the James Bond role for the last three films

Scroll down to see the rest of the pictures :)

Read More

Preview DID 1/6 scale George C. Scott as General George Smith Patton 12-inch figure

"Patton" is a 1970 American biographical war film about U.S. General George S. Patton during World War II. It stars George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Michael Bates, and Karl Michael Vogler. It was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner from a script by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North, who based their screenplay on the biography Patton: Ordeal and Triumph by Ladislas Farago and Omar Bradley's memoir A Soldier's Story. "Patton" won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

The opening monologue, delivered by George C. Scott as General Patton with an enormous American flag behind him, remains an iconic and often quoted image in film. The film was a success and has become an American classic. In 2003, Patton was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

DID will be releasing this 1/6 scale George C. Scott as General George Smith Patton 12-inch figure as he is seen in the movie "Patton". DID Corp. may have labelled this release as General Patton but the head sculpt is that of George C. Scott as the General in the movie. Nonetheless, head sculpt not withstanding, this is another amazing 12-inch military figure to be released by DID.

Dragon Models Limited (DML) had released a 1/6 scale 12-inch General George S Patton figure in 2006 wearing this exact same attire. You can check out my toy blog post HERE for the review and pictures I took in 2009. Unlike this upcoming DID General Patton figure, Dragon based their head sculpt on the actual person and though not as realistic as the head sculpts are today, it was good for its time.

12-inch General Patton wears M44 Jacket (also known as "Ike Jacket") over his Officer's Khaki Cotton Shirt and Necktie with US Third Army Shoulder Sleeve insignia, "US" collar patch, Ribbon Bar, Collar Stars and Shoulder Stars. General Patton is in his trademark Officer's Riding Breeches and knee high cavalry riding boots. Around his waist is his brown leather belt with two holsters for his guns, one on each side.

General Patton deliberately cultivated a flashy, distinctive image in the belief that this would motivate his troops. He was usually seen wearing a highly polished helmet, riding pants and high cavalry boots. He carried flashy ivory-handled, nickel-plated revolvers as his most famous sidearms (a Colt Single Action Army .45 "Peacemaker" and a S&W Model 27 .357).

George C. Scott's performance as General George S Patton won him an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1971. He famously refused to accept it, citing a dislike of the voting and even the actual concept of acting competitions. He was the first actor to do so. Roger Ebert said of George C. Scott, "It is one of those sublime performances in which the personalities of the actor and the character are fulfilled in one another."

Besides the Ike Jacket, DID will include another tunic that has all George S Patton's medals on it! It is loaded with decorations.

General Patton and fellow Californian Army Air Forces Lieutenant General Jimmy Doolittle were honored on June 9, 1945, with a parade through Los Angeles, California and a reception at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before a crowd of over 100,000 people.

The next day, Patton and Doolittle toured the metropolitan Los Angeles area. Patton spoke in front of the Burbank City Hall and at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. He wore his helmet with a straight line of stars, chest full of medals, and two ivory-handled (not pearl, as is often incorrectly asserted) revolvers.

He punctuated his speech with some of the same profanity that he had used with the troops. He spoke about conditions in Europe and the Russian allies to the adoring crowds. This may be the only time in America when civilians, en masse, heard and saw the famous warrior on the podium.

Besides the helmet with four stars, DID 1/6 scale George C. Scott as General George Smith Patton 12-inch figure will also come with his garrison cap.

The General looks very impressive indeed!

DID spared no expense and shows us what is under the General's tunics (two are provided) - Officer's Khaki Cotton Shirt and Necktie, Officer's Riding Breeches with suspenders.

To achieve the authentic look, DID has a 'fat' suit under the clothes to give the General his wide girth

Other Generals that I have posted earlier:
MAY 21, 2009 - Hasbro G.I. Joe Classic Collection Historical Commanders Edition: General Dwight D Eisenhower
MAY 22, 2009 - Hasbro G.I. Joe Classic Collection Historical Commanders Edition: General George S Patton
MAY 24, 2009 - Dragon Models Limited (DML) 1/6 scale General George S Patton, Commander U.S. Third Army 12-inch figure
MAY 25, 2009 - Hasbro G.I. Joe Classic Collection Historical Commanders Edition: General Omar Nelson Bradley
MAY 27, 2009 - "Generals, Fall IN!" All three Hasbro G.I. Joe 12-inch Generals standing side-by-side

Read More

Preview DID Waffen SS-Panzer-Division "Das Reich", Eastern Front 1943 - SS Engineer "Niels"

WWII Sturm-Pioniers (Assault Pioneers) were German combat engineers responsible for the construction of bridges for infantry soldiers to cross natural and man-made obstacles as well as the breaching of enemy fortifications; supervising the construction of field defensive works such as bunkers, support weapon firing positions, etc.

DID's new Waffen SS Engineer "Niels" depicts such a sturm-pionier within the SS-Panzer-Division "DAS Reich", during operations in Eastern Front 1943.

DID Waffen SS-Panzer-Division "DAS Reich", Eastern Front 1943 - SS Engineer "Niels" Set will include: One 1/6 scale head sculpt, One New all-era 12-inch figure body, Three pairs of hands, One tunic, One combat trousers, One camouflage smock, One backpack, One bread bag, One camo helmet cover, One side pouch, One field cap, One grey scarf, One cuff title, One trousers suspender, One belt, Two triangular flags, One oblong flag, One flag carrier, One water bottle, One shovel with carrier, One saw with carrier, One bayonet with sheath and carrier, One wire-cutter with carrier, One helmet with inner leather, Three pieces of explosive blocks, Two pieces of explosive charges, One exploder, One grenade, Wire, One Teller mine, One mess kit, One K98 rifle, Eight styles of insignia, A pair of leather boots. That's a lot of stuff! Scroll down to see the pictures of this amazing highly detailed set.

That's really a lot of stuff but then, as a combat engineer, they are essential tools in their line of work

NOTE: Sandbags are not included (meant for display purposes only).

A lot of World War II era German 12-inch soldier figures have come and gone but this one looks to be a keeper ;p

Read More