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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Preview DAM 1/6 US Navy SEAL Riverine Ops Rifleman (Desert Camo version) 12-inch Figure

DAM Toys has released pictures of their next upcoming figure and it is going to be a U.S. Navy SEALs special forces Riverine Ops Rifleman (desert camouflage version). This 1/6 company is coming out with some DAM fine 12-inch military figures and this latest one is no exception! They are beginning to give Soldier Story a run for their money.

Riverine Operations are conducted by forces organized to cope with and exploit the unique characteristics of a riverine area, to locate and destroy hostile forces, and / or to achieve or maintain control of the riverine area. Joint riverine operations combine land, naval, and air operations, as appropriate, and are suited to the nature of the specific riverine area in which operations are to be conducted.

In the 1997 American action film "GI Jane" directed by Ridley Scott, the United States Navy SEALs were equipped similarly for the end scene battle in Libya. The gear from the movie looked to be LBVs, LC2 with CAR15s and also M16A2s.

This DAM Toys 93011 1/6th scale U.S. Navy SEAL Riverine Ops Rifleman (Desert Camo version) 12-inch Figure will come with 1/6 scale real-like Head sculpt, 12-inch action body, Black T-shirt, Special operations desert camouflage combat uniforms with flag, BDU Belt, desert camouflage jungle hat, 1879A Rifleman Chest Rig with 0990 backpack, LC2 belt, 2QT canteen with canteen cover and camo paint, 1QT canteen with canteen cover and camo paint, 0254A Medical pouch (woodland camouflage), 0902A mini buttpack, LC2 first aid / compass case, AN/PRC-148 radio and radio bag / pouch

Also comes with LASH I headset, double pistol magazine pouches, Panama outsole jungle boots, NOMEX gloves (black), Navy UDT Life Preserver (life-saving float collar), navy shore patrol whistle, SCUBAPRO twinjet fins

He carries the M14 rifle with COMP M2 Red Dot Sight, Rifle sling, M14 7.62MM magazine X 2, MK23 MOD 0 pistol, .45 pistol magazine X 2, holster, M18 smoke grenade X 2, MK13 MOD 0 flares, VIP strobe light, G-SHOCK watch, military pace counter beads, SOG X42 combat knife, carabiner

This incoming DAM Toys 1/6 scale US Navy SEAL Riverine Ops Rifleman (Desert Camo version) 12-inch Military Figure is looking mighty fine indeed. Every time I tell myself I want to stop collecting military figures and focus on movie-related 1/6th scale action figures instead, these preview pictures just pull me back in ;p

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Playmobil Figures Series 3 "Statue of Liberty" mini figure (La Liberté éclairant le monde)

The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World; French: La Liberté éclairant le monde) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886.

The statue, a gift to the United States from the people of France, is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.

The Statue of Liberty is an icon of freedom and of the United States: a welcoming signal to immigrants arriving from abroad.


The "Statue of Liberty" mini figure (French: La Liberté éclairant le monde) is part of the Playmobil Figures Series 3 set of female figures that have just been released.

Playmobil Fi?ures Series comes disassembled in loose parts all in a bag. You get to assemble the parts to form a whole or you can mix and match parts to customize your own mini figure.

Scroll down to see more pictures of this Playmobil Fi?ures Series 3 "Statue of Liberty" mini figure (for girls) with torch and tablet. Another nice figure from Playmobil. Between Playmobil and Lego, I much prefer Playmobil because they are bigger in size and hence has more presence.

I admire those people who are able to turn the individual Lego bricks into works of art but the Lego sets that are retailing in the shops cost way too much for something that you still have to put together yourself.

These series of Playmobil Fi?ures offer a lot more options and flexibility with very interesting designs and ideas being executed.

Not being confined to a particular theme (Western, Roman, Modern, Police etc) has thrown up a lot more possibilities and the ability to mix-and-match adds to the fun factor.

When I discovered that Playmobil Fi?ures Series 3 (for girls) will include this mini "Statue of Liberty" figure, I went back and got the Playmobil Fi?ures Series 1 "Uncle Sam" figure as well because I think together they make a nice couple, don't you?

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G.I. Joe named 20th Century's Top Toy! Beating Transformers, Lego, Barbie and Monopoly

As reported on Fox News:
G.I. Joe vanquished Legos and Transformers, Barbie and the View-Master to be named the top toy of the 20th Century in a recent survey.

The battle-hardened Hasbro action figure, which first hit toy shelves in 1964 as the Vietnam War ratcheted up, was picked by visitors to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis' website as the top choice. The original 12-inch soldier, relaunched as a smaller action figure in the 1980s, has captured the imaginations of young children for years. The museum picked their top 100 toys of the last century and put them up for a vote that 24,000 people participated in.

G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe, fighting man from head to toe...

"Toys are a powerful tool for exploration and imagination as we learn and grow," said Jeffrey Patchen, the museum's president & CEO. Transformers and Legos came in second and third place, respectively. Other toys that fared well in the voting included Etch-a-Sketch, Play-Doh, Monopoly, Hot Wheels, Lincoln Logs, Mr. Potato Head, Cabbage Patch Kids, Crayons, Spirograph and Raggedy Ann.

G.I. Joe comes out on top!

The National Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y., inducted G.I. Joe into its National Toy Hall of Fame in 2004. According to the New York museum's website, Hasbro has sold more than 400 million of the action figures. The original figure was shrunk to eight inches in the 1970s, then retired from production in 1978 before its resurrection as a 3.75-inch figure in 1982. In the early 1990s, Hasbro took G.I. Joe back to its original size, and cashing in on collector demand, produced several new and vintage replica versions.

From its early days during the Vietnam War, G.I. Joe has been controversial, according to the Toy Hall of Fame.

"For some critics, Joe’s message of “might makes right” is the wrong one to share with children," says the Hall of Fame's website entry on G.I. Joe. "Other adults counter that Joe encourages kids’ stories of good triumphing over evil and fosters creativity, imagination, and self-esteem. But while grownups argue over Joe’s merits and flaws, kids play on, and hundreds of other “action figures” people the toy landscape."

According to wikipedia: The conventional marketing wisdom of the early 1960s was that boys would not play with dolls, thus 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.

The Hasbro prototypes were originally named "Rocky" (marine / soldier) "Skip" (sailor) and "Ace" (pilot), before the more universal name G.I. Joe was adopted. One of the prototypes would later sell in a Heritage auction in 2003 for $200,001.

Aside from the obvious trademarking on the right buttock, other aspects of the figure were copyrighted features that allowed Hasbro to successfully pursue cases against producers of cheap imitations, since the human figure itself cannot be copyrighted or trademarked. The scar on the right cheek was one; another, unintentional at first, was the placement of the right thumbnail on the underside of the thumb.

The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier (U.S. Army), Action Sailor (U.S. Navy), Action Pilot (USAF), Action Marine (USMC) and later on, the Action Nurse. The term G.I. stands, in popular usage, for Government Issued and after the First World War became a generic term for U.S. soldiers. The development of G.I. Joe led to the coining of the term "action figure". GI Joe's appeal to children has made it somewhat of an American icon among toys.

This is the G.I. Joe Timeless Collection III 1/6th scale Talking Action Pilot 12-inch figure released in the year 2000 and came with pilot's flight helmet with visor, oxygen mask and hose, flight suit, Mae West life vest, flashlight, G-pants, black boots, flare gun, working parachute, blue fatigue cap, belt with Service Pistol and holster, knife in sheath and Map case with map. When you pull his dog tag, you can hear him sound off

The hard case parachute pack keeps the parachute neatly packed inside

And can be opened to deploy the working parachute

Hasbro G.I. Joe Timeless Collection III 1/6th scale Talking Action Pilot 12-inch figure stands above the heap of other toys that have not made the grade, lying in a pile at his feet.

These are the toys my boys had when they were much younger and have since outgrown them but we just never got around to throwing them away so they are still kept around in the house as a reminder of their childhood days. See if you can recognize some of them.

They had dinosaurs when Jurassic Park was the rage (also from watching the animated Extreme Dinosaurs), animals when Lion King reigned at the cinemas, ninja turtles, robots...

SPAWN toys from the McFarlane line of figures, Marvel superhero action figures, Star Wars action figures...

The list goes on ;p These are only the tip of the iceberg haha What to do when their father is a toy collector? He's most encouraging indeed.

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Mezco Toyz 2005 released highly accurate Liz Sherman figure from Mike Mignola Hellboy comic

Elizabeth "Liz" Sherman is a pyrokinetic female human, and part-time Agent of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Her parents died when she accidentally set fire to the neighborhood as a child. After the incident, Sherman became a street thief for 10 years. Frustrated by her life, Elizabeth eventually joined the B.P.R.D.. Though she has left the Bureau numerous times, she always returns because it is the closest thing she has to a home or a family.

This is the Liz Sherman 7-inch action figure from the Mezco Toyz Hellboy series of figures that were released in 2005. IMHO the sculptors managed to capture the essence of Mike Mignola's signature drawing style very well and these ranks as one of my favorites even now :)

Mezco Toyz Hellboy Comic Series One figures included this particular Liz Sherman figure, Lobster Johnson, Mecha Ape with Herman Von Klempt head, and Hellboy (earlier posted HERE). The "Abe" Sapien figure, with packaging designed for Mezco Toyz by Mike Mignola, was released as a Comic Con exclusive in 2007 (see my previous post for pictures of Abe).

Liz Sherman is capable of pyrokinesis (mental control over flames). She can mentally generate fire, projecting flames from her hands or having it surround her body in a protective cocoon. She has also, on rare occasions, been able to levitate with her fire, but this is a fairly uncommon occurrence. Her powers are extremely volatile and are capable of a very wide radius and measure of destruction; when her powers first awoke as a child, she killed dozens of people.

Liz Sherman's pyrokinesis appears to be something above and beyond "typical" pyrokinesis; more then once it has been hinted that her powers stem from some sort of entity or presence that dwells inside her, one that isn't necessarily based on fire but rather energy in general.

Liz briefly tries to rid herself of her pyrokinesis by using it to jumpstart Roger the Homunculus, and falls into a coma as a result. Liz is taken to the Wauer Institute in Tirgoviste, Romania, until Roger later returns her powers to her after being plagued by guilt concerning the incident.

As a result of her time amongst the monks, Liz now has complete control over fire: she can produce small hand-sized flames to light her way in darkness, she can erupt in a furious explosion of fire to destroy anything around her (the use of her powers on this scale seemingly require her to chant a mantra: "The fire is not my enemy, it is a part of me, it is mine", and can also manipulate fire into shapes and designs.

Liz Sherman's powers and the nature in which they function are similar to those of the Marvel Comics superheroine/villain, Phoenix. Also, like Jean Grey, the Phoenix's alter ego, Sherman is a red-head and a part of "super team." In addition, both characters have died and come back to life several times. It is possible that these similarities are an intentional homage.

Liz is often teamed with Hellboy and Abe Sapien, the "super team".

In the Hellboy film series Liz has a romantic relationship with Hellboy, becoming pregnant with his twin children. However, in the Hellboy comic books Liz and Hellboy are just friends; there is no hint of a romantic relationship between the two of them and she is more like a little sister than a girlfriend.

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