1/6 scale S.W.A.T. 12-inch Action Figures - We really need more of them to form a bigger team!

Remember when 1/6 scale Norman Stansfield called for "EVERYONE"? See my earlier post HERE of bad cop Stansfield and good cop of Gotham City Police Department Jim Gordon with a bunch of 12-inch S.W.A.T. figures. Well, here's "everyone" that were gathered for that particular toy blog post i.e. some of the 1/6 scale S.W.A.T. 12-inch figures I had assembled for the photo shoot :)

S.W.A.T. (special weapons and tactics) teams are elite tactical units found in various law enforcement agencies trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers. SWAT team members' duties include: performing hostage rescues and counter-terrorism operations; serving high risk arrest and search warrants; subduing barricaded suspects; and engaging heavily-armed criminals. They are often equipped with specialized firearms including submachine guns, assault rifles, breaching shotguns, riot control agents, stun grenades, and sniper rifles. They have specialized equipment including heavy body armor, ballistic shields, entry tools, armored vehicles, advanced night vision optics, and motion detectors for covertly determining the positions of hostages or hostage takers inside enclosed structures.

If you didn't manage to get a good look at who's who that were posing for pictures because the focus was on the two main cops, here's your chance to see the nine S.W.A.T. action figures I picked for the shoot. There are more but the camera angle can only take in that much ;p Scroll down to see who they are.


Starting with one of my most recent acquisition: This 12-inch GCPD S.W.A.T. figure is basically the Hot Toys Toy Fairs Exclusive "The Dark Knight" 1/6th scale Gary Oldman as Lt. Jim Gordon (S.W.A.T. suit version) Limited Edition 12-inch Collectible Figure Set (reviewed earlier HERE and HERE) without the head sculpt. I switched out the head so that I could put on the helmet and goggles to obtain a complete S.W.A.T. figure (you can't do that with the Jim Gordon head). See more pictures of this figure in my earlier post HERE.

This is Dragon Models Limited DML 1/6 scale San Francisco Sheriff's Department Special Response Team (SRT) 12-inch figure "David Wong", released in 2003. MORE pictures HERE

1/6 scale New York Police Department (NYPD) Emergency Services Unit (ESU) "Bill Smith" 12-inch action figure by Dragon Models Limited, released in 1999. MORE pictures in my earlier post HERE

1/6 scale Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) 12-inch figure of Colin Farrell as Jim Street in the 2003 film "S.W.A.T." along with Samuel L. Jackson as Sergeant Dan "Hondo" Harrelson, LL Cool J as Officer Deacon "Deke" Kay and Michelle Rodriguez as Officer Chris Sánchez. See MORE here

Hot Toys 1/6 scale Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) 12-inch figure (version 2.0) with MORE pictures HERE and HERE

BBI Elite Force 1/6 scale Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) 12-inch figure "Sergeant Mendez" came with lots of stuff and was most affordable. Check out MORE pictures of this fine 12-inch S.W.A.T. figure HERE. BBI figures were really value-for-money and very well produced. Alas, those days are a thing of the past now.

This is the 1999 released Dragon Models Limited DML 1/6 scale Hong Kong Police Force Special Duties Unit (SDU) – nicknamed Flying Tigers 飛虎隊 – 12-inch figure "Michael Chan", the Assault Team Leader (with extra helmet added). The SDU were the elite paramilitary tactical unit of the Hong Kong Police Force. The unit was formerly trained by the British SAS before the handover of Hong Kong to China. See MORE pictures HERE

And this is a Kitbashed 1/6 scale Hong Kong Police Force Special Duties Unit (SDU) Assault Team Member using mostly Dragon and Medicom parts and accessories. Check out the pictures HERE

This is actually a kitbashed foot soldier / trooper of COBRA ("COnversion by Blackmail, Revolution and Anarchy") Command on account of the COBRA logo on his pants but in reality, this could be any one of those Special Assault Forces ;p You can see MORE pictures of this figure HERE

And here are all the 12-inch "S.W.A.T." figures you have seen above standing together for a group picture. Click on the picture below for a bigger and better view :)

click on the picture for a BIGGER and BETTER view :)

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October 7 – The Day the War in Afghanistan Began with U.S. Special Forces leading the way

continued from earlier post "Remembering 9/11"...

In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, many U.S. citizens held the view that the attacks had "changed the world forever." The Bush administration announced a war on terrorism, with the goal of bringing Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda to justice and preventing the emergence of other terrorist networks. These goals would be accomplished by means including economic and military sanctions against states perceived as harboring terrorists and increasing global surveillance and intelligence sharing.

On October 7, 2001, the War in Afghanistan began when U.S and British forces initiated aerial bombing campaigns in Afghanistan targeting Taliban and Al-Qaeda camps, then later invaded Afghanistan with ground troops of the Special Forces. This was the second-largest operation of the U.S. Global War on Terrorism outside of the United States, and the largest directly connected to terrorism, resulting in the overthrow of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, by a U.S.-led coalition.

The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front (Northern Alliance) launched Operation Enduring Freedom. The primary driver of the invasion was the September 11 attacks on the United States, with the stated goal of dismantling the al-Qaeda terrorist organization and ending its use of Afghanistan as a base. The United States also said that it would remove the Taliban regime from power and create a viable democratic state. More than a decade into the war, NATO forces continue to battle a widespread Taliban insurgency, and the war has expanded into the tribal area of neighboring Pakistan. The War in Afghanistan is also the United States' longest running war.

In the first phase of Operation Enduring Freedom, ground forces of the Afghan United Front working with teams of U.S. and British Special Forces and with U.S. air support, ousted the Taliban regime from power in Kabul and most of Afghanistan in a matter of weeks.

This is the BBI released Elite Force 1/6 scale Richard Marcinko, Land Warrior 12-inch figure. Richard "Dick" Marcinko (born November 21, 1940), is a retired Navy SEAL commander and Vietnam veteran. He was the first Commanding Officer of SEAL Team Six and Red Cell. After retiring from the United States Navy, he became an author, radio talk show host, military consultant, and motivational speaker.

On 7 October 2001, the U.S. government launched military operations in Afghanistan. Teams from the CIA's Special Activities Division (SAD) were the first U.S. forces to enter Afghanistan and begin combat operations. They were soon joined by U.S. Army Special Forces from the 5th Special Forces Group and other units from USSOCOM.

This is the 2002 released Dragon Models Limited (DML) 1/6 scale CIA Covert Ops Agent "Jones" 12-inch figure supposedly operating in Qala-i-Jangi in November 2001. He came with sunglasses, green hooded sweat shirt, 3-colour desert camouflage trousers, web belt with utility pouch, Smith & Wesson 1006 pistol in holster, Woodlands camouflage butt pack, M9 bayonet in scabbard, Camelbak water carrier, watch, TACBE radio, Kalashnikov AK–47 with Surefire tactical light and double magazine, and Adidas shoes.

The Dragon "Jones" Head sculpt was meant to resemble David Beckham, world famous footballer. This was probably one of the first sculpts done of him. Since then, there have been plenty of Beckham head sculpts released. See MORE pictures HERE :)

Dragon Models Limited (DML) also released this 1/6 scale US Army Special Forces "Dean" 12-inch military action figure in 2002 with head sculpt resembling that of Liev Schreiber who played CIA operative John Clark in the 2002 film "The Sum of All Fears", which was very loosely based on Tom Clancy's 1991 novel of the same title. See MORE pictures HERE

"Dean" wears a black knit cap, goggles, black leather and wool jacket, woodlands camouflage assault vest with utility pouches containing his Motorola Walkie-talkie radio and Mk13 signal flare, desert camouflage trousers, web belt with ammo pouches plus two M67 fragmentation grenades, drop-down holster with his Beretta 92F pistol, water canteen, first-aid pouch, M9 bayonet in scabbard, drop-down woodlands camo pouch with AN/PVS-7 NVG and is armed with the SOPMOD (Special Ops Perculiar Modification) M4A1 Carbine fitted with AN/PEQ2 laser designator and M68 Aimpoint plus the Barrett M82 .50inch sniper rifle.

"Dean" also comes with a HUGE backpack. The color has faded from the original green to this coyote brownish tan over the years, a natural weathering process haha

This is a kitbash 1/6 scale the Afghan United Front (Northern Alliance) soldier. The US-led Coalition was assisted by the Northern Alliance forces (a military-political umbrella organization created by the Islamic State of Afghanistan in 1996. The organization united various Afghan groups fighting against each other to fight the Taliban instead) in Afghanistan.

This figure is originally Dragon Model's "Mustapha" of the Moroccan Infantry French Expeditionary Corps, circa Monte Cassino 1944. His getup in basically the same, only weapons and gear have been updated.

Close-up of the "Mustapha" head sculpt. MORE pics HERE

This is the first Hot Toys released NSW DEVGRU (Naval Special Warfare Development Group) operator, released in 2003. Before Hot Toys got into the movie business, they were concentrating their efforts in the military genre and produced some very nice 12-inch military action figures.

This 1/6 figure came with the then revolutionary rubber body but as you can see, the rubber has hardened and cracked over time. You can see my post HERE on "What to do about Cracking Rubber and Disintegrating Suits"

The cracked skin does go well with the tiger stripes desert camouflage pants haha

This is the later released Hot Toys 1/6 scale CIA operative in Afghanistan (released in 2007) 12-inch figure with updated equipment and accessories including the LST-5C SATCOM.

He also had on him Afghan wool hat, tactical eyewear, LASH II headset, long-sleeved Afghan style shirt, Shemaghs, AK47 chest-rig, civilian vest, Binoculars, H.A.W.G. Hydro backpack, LST- 5C SATCOM, pants, M9 pistol in 6004 tactical holster, Hiking boots, AKMs with GP-25 underbarrel grenade launcher, flexi-cuffs, camera, mobile phone, SONY WAIO laptop and digital camcorder

Head sculpt was meant to resemble Eric Bana who played Sergeant First Class Norm 'Hoot' Gibson in "Black Hawk Down [2001]" based on real Delta Force operator Norm 'Hoot' Hooten

Last but not least, 1/6 scale Viggo Mortensen as US Navy SEAL. Viggo Mortensen was Master Chief John James 'Jack' Urgayle of the US Navy SEALs in "GI Jane (1997)" together with Demi Moore. He certainly makes a fine addition to the US Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), premier Navy SEAL unit and the USN's primary Counter-Terrorism and covert operations unit.

Check out more pictures HERE :)

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was established by the U.N. Security Council at the end of December 2001 to secure Kabul and the surrounding areas. NATO assumed control of ISAF in 2003. ISAF includes troops from 42 countries, with NATO members providing the core of the force. In 2003, Taliban forces started an insurgency campaign against the democratic Islamic Republic and the presence of ISAF-troops in Afghanistan. Since 2006, Afghanistan has experienced a dramatic increase in Taliban-led insurgent activity. On May 21, 2012 the leaders of the NATO-member countries endorsed an exit strategy during the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago.

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1/6th scale World War II Allied Forces Pilots and Air Crewman 12-inch action figures gathered

G.I. Joe wasn't just named 20th Century's Top Toy (see my earlier post HERE) for no reason. G.I. Joe is the Father of all 1/6th scale 12-inch figures and subsequent action figures as well.

While toy company Mattel could barely keep up with demand for its Barbie dolls in the early 1960s, its competitor, Hasbro, realized the market had no equivalent for boys. In 1963, Hasbro began development on a military-themed line of dolls that, like Barbie, could be accessorized with different outfits and equipment. Boys wouldn't want to be seen playing with dolls, so the word "doll" was never used by Hasbro or anyone involved in the development or marketing of G.I. Joe. "Action figure" was the only acceptable term, and has since become the generic description for any poseable doll intended for boys. "America's movable fighting man" is a registered trademark of Hasbro, and was prominently displayed on every boxed figure package.

Because of the success of Hasbro's G.I. Joe line, there began a new breed of buyers who bought the toys not to play with them but to collect and pose them and these 12-inch figures became 1/6th scale collectibles. Fueled by the demand for collectibles, companies began manufacturing and releasing 1/6th scale outfits and figures for the collector market, no longer targeting boys but grown men who were keen and eager for more detailed uniforms and accessories.


This is the 1996 GI Joe Collectors’ Club exclusive “Memphis Belle” pilot. "Memphis Belle" is the nickname of a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress during the Second World War that inspired the making of two motion pictures: a 1944 documentary film, "Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress", and a 1990 Hollywood feature film, "Memphis Belle". The aircraft was one of the first B-17 United States Army Air Forces heavy bombers to complete 25 combat missions with her crew intact. The aircraft and crew then returned to the United States to sell war bonds.

The World War II US Army Air Force B–17 Bomber Pilot came with all his flying gear including “Memphis Belle” A-2 leather jacket, USAAF Shoulder Insignia, Officer’s service cap, Officer’s service shirt with dress necktie and light drab “pink” trousers, Pistol belt with hip holster and 1911 A1 .45 Colt pistol, B-4 life preserver, HS-33 Headset with Intercom link, clipboard and dress shoes. I added the Officer's crush cap with gold officer’s insignia by Cotswold Collectibles.

One of my all time favorites is this: US Army Air Force B–17 Waist Gunner, World War II - Flying gear includes High Altitude Cold Weather B-3 sheepskin leather jacket, sheepskin gauntlets, A-3 sheepskin leather trousers, A-6A leather boots (black rubber soles with front zip fasteners), inflatable B-4 life preserver, ANH-16 Winter helmet, garisson cap, ‘Skyway’ goggles and A-8B oxygen mask with H-2 emergency oxygen cylinder. Outfit produced by Aces, 1996 plus some GI Joe accessories added. MORE pictures HERE :)

Here's Dragon's World War II USAAF B-17 Bomber Captain "Skip" released in 2001 with Crush cap and gold officer’s insignia, Olive Drab shirt (rank & branch on collars) with khaki tie, Aviator wings above left breast pocket, Fur-lined collar flying jacket, waist belt & buckle, web belt with 1911 .45 Colt pistol in holster & ammo pouch, trousers and sheepskin flying boots. Also included was Aviator’s kit bag with ankle boots, Bausch & Lomb sunglasses & wrist watch. MORE pics HERE

This 1/6th scale 12-inch US Army Air Force P-40 Pilot “Lt George Taylor” was released by Dragon also in 2001 when the movie "Pearl Harbor" came out. Dragon's P-40 Pilot of December 7, 1941 wore Type A-9 summer helmet with brown leather ear cups, B-7 flight goggles, A-4 summer flight suit made from light olive drab gabardine with waist belt over light olive drab shirt, B-3 life preserver, S-2 parachute with “bayonet” type harness fittings, M-1936 web belt with M-1911A1 pistol in its M-1916 leather holster plus 2 extra clips and standard GI service shoes. MORE pics HERE

Dragon Models Limited (DML) released this 1/6th scale World War II American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tiger" P-40 pilot "Ben Cole" in 2001 with Type A-8 flight helmet with brown leather ear cups, B-7 flight goggles, Garrison cap, A-2 leather flight jacket with Nationalist Chinese flag and Blood Chit, Leather shoulder holster with Browning HP automatic pistol, “chino” khaki shirt and trousers, waist belt, White scarf with Generalissimo Chiang kai-shek’s "stamp" presented in 1941, S-2 parachute with “bayonet” type harness fittings, and service shoes. MORE pics HERE

Action Unique released this World War II era Flying Tigers uniform set which consisted of a US Navy Flight suit and belt with buckle, leather flying jacket with First Air Commands Group and "Hell's Angel" insignia of the 3rd Pursuit Squadron (AVG), blood chit on back, White Silk Scarf with red stamp of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, brown leather boots, Smith & Wesson "Victory" Model 0.38 caliber revolver in shoulder holster, Browning High Power (HP) automatic pistol in hip holster on service/pistol belt, tan Overseas Cap with National Chinese "Sun" insignia, Flight Helmet (Type A-8), Flight Goggles (Type B-7) and aviator's kit bag/flight bag. MORE pics HERE

1/6th scale US Army Air Corps Captain released by Cotswold Collectibles

G.I. Joe 40th Anniversary 1/6th scale Air Force Dress Uniform set from 2004 with Jacket, dress pants, shirt with necktie, garrison hat, black low quarter shoes, insignia on a 12-inch G.I. Joe figure

Action Man 1/6 Royal Air Force Working Dress comprising RAF garrison cap, RAF blue-grey sweater and trousers, tri-service colours belt, RAF woollen greatcoat and boots.

Action Man 1/6 scale Royal Air Force Fighter Pilot 12-inch figure wearing black flying helmet, goggles and oxygen mask, and dressed in RAF blue-grey cotton service jacket and trousers, belt, pilot's scarf, life vest and Pattern 1940 flying boots

BBI Elite Force 1/6 scale Royal Air Force 12-inch Fighter Pilot figure "Keith Gordon" with RAF peaked cap, sunglasses, Type C Pattern 42 Flight helmet, Mk IVB flight goggles with painted metal frames and two hinged lenses, oxygen mask fitted with microphone and oxygen tube, silk scarf, RAF battledress, whistle, web belt with British Enfield .38 pistol in holster, flare pistol, flare rounds in metal container, pouch, jack knife in trouser pocket, map,1932 pattern ‘Mae West’ life jacket, gloves, watch, 1936 pattern 40 flying boots with sheepskin lining.

Another british RAF pilot. This one's by three Zero I think. Recognize the David Beckham head sculpt?

Here's a picture of the whole group of WWII Allied Forces pilots and air crew standing united together.

click on the pic for a bigger view :)

And these are some of the 1/6th scale accessories that the 12-inch pilots carry with them.

click on the pic for a bigger view :)

Isn't it interesting that at the start of the war, men were flying in planes with propellers but by the end of the war, jet engine planes were taking to the skies. The Messerschmitt Me 262 became the first jet-powered fighter aircraft — the fastest, most advanced war plane at the time. The British did finally get their own jet fighter, the Gloster Meteor, up in the air at the tail end of the war.

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Dragon Models (DML) MIB3 (Men In Black III) 1/6th scale Agent J & Agent K 12-inch figures

The original duo of Tommy Lee Jones Agent Kay and Will Smith Agent Jay from "Man In Black" are now in 1/6th scale for the first time. These 12-inch action figures have long been on my waiting list since the movie first came out in 1997 and somehow it has taken that long to produce and release these figures. If not for the third film MIB3, I doubt that these would even be made. Most companies want to stay current and do not revisit old movies except for the sure, tried and tested ones such as Star Wars, Predators, Terminator and Batman movie franchise. Somehow collectors seem to not get enough of these and 1/6th scale manufacturers just keep churning out figures based on those movies. What about "The Fifth Element"? A 1/6th scale Bruce Willis as Korben Dallas OR Milla Jovovich as Leeloo would be a treat indeed.

"Men in Black" is a 1997 science fiction action comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, produced by Steven Spielberg, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio, Rip Torn and Tony Shalhoub. The film was based on the Men in Black comic book series by Lowell Cunningham, originally published by Aircel Comics. The film featured the creature effects and makeup of Rick Baker. The film was released on July 2, 1997, by Columbia Pictures and grossed $589,390,539 worldwide against a $90 million budget.

I've already done reviews on both Dragon's Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) in my earlier posts. You can check the Blog Archive (August 2012) for the posts. This particular toy blog post in Toy Haven is just for the two of them ;p They make a fine movie pair, don't they? There's no denying the chemistry between them. Other notable pairings that come to mind - Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson (Zoolander, Starsky and Hutch), Michael J. Fox and Christopher Loyd (Back to the Future), Robert Redford and Paul Newman (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting), just to name a few. Scroll down to see more pictures :)

Agent K is armed with the Ankle Gun / Agent Pistol while Agent J is armed with the Noisy Cricket.

Will Smith stars as James Darrell Edwards III / Agent J: A former NYPD member, newly recruited to the MIB. Smith was cast because Barry Sonnenfeld's wife was a fan of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Chris O'Donnell turned down the role because he found the role of a new recruit too similar to Dick Grayson, whom he played in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. Will Smith said he accepted the role after meeting with Spielberg and cited his success as a producer.

Tommy Lee Jones as Agent K / Kevin Brown is Agent J's grizzled and humorless mentor. Clint Eastwood turned down the part, while Jones only accepted the role after Steven Spielberg promised the script would improve, based on his respect for Spielberg's track record. He had been disappointed with the first draft, which he reportedly said "stank"; he felt it did not capture the tone of the comic.

Men in Black won the Academy Award for Best Makeup, and was also nominated for Best Original Score and Best Art Direction. It was also nominated for the Golden Globe of Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.

Following the film's release, Ray-Ban stated sales of their Predator 2 sunglasses (worn by the organization to deflect neuralyzers) tripled to $5 million.

Zed: You'll dress only in attire specially sanctioned by MiB special services. You'll conform to the identity we give you, eat where we tell you, live where we tell you. From now on you'll have no identifying marks of any kind. You'll not stand out in any way. Your entire image is crafted to leave no lasting memory with anyone you encounter. You're a rumor, recognizable only as deja vu and dismissed just as quickly. You don't exist; you were never even born. Anonymity is your name. Silence your native tongue. You're no longer part of the System. You're above the System. Over it. Beyond it. We're "them." We're "they." We are the Men in Black.

Zed: Kay, give the kid a weapon.
[Kay opens a chest filled with intergalactic guns. He picks up a large rifle]
Kay: A Series Four De-atomizer.
Jay: That's what I'm talkin' about.
Kay: [picks up a very tiny gun and gives it to Jay] Noisy Cricket.

Jay: [stares the weapon in disgust] Hey, Kay, nah, nah. Come on, man, you-you get a Series Four De-atomizer and I-I get a little - little midgy cricket?
Kay: [notices Jay is pointing the gun in his direction] WHOA! kid...
[grabs the arm Jay is holding the weapon with and points it away from him]
Jay: Feel like I'm gonna break this damn thing...!

The Noisy Cricket was a very tiny gun with a lot of power. Despite its small size, it launches a large orb of energy. This palm-sized firearm wields an unbelievable amount of power. The Cricket can level a truck, blast through three feet of concrete, or shatter the exoskeleton of all but the hardiest of extraterrestrials. Few agents ever get the hang of holding the gun properly to minimize its kickback, often resulting in hurling them across the room.

Lest we forget, there's also Frank the Pug. In the first film, Frank the pug appears at a small kiosk next to a man selling keys. Frank acts as an informant for MiB, providing Agent K information on the "galaxy" referred to by the Arquillians. Frank reveals that the galaxy is on Earth.

Related posts:
Dragon Models MIB3 Agent J REVIEW 1 with Frank the Pug / dog pictures
Dragon Models MIB3 Agent J REVIEW II
Dragon Models MIB3 Agent K (2012) REVIEW

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