Review: Marauder 1:18 briefcases

By now, almost everyone in the Joe community knows Marauder Gun-Runners. If you’re looking for a replacement weapon for your 1:18 action figure (Dusty’s FA MAS perhaps?), or diorama accessories (cabinets, laptops, cellphones, fire extinguishers, now they’ve got sandbags!), or loads of infantry arms if you’re army-building (AKs and M4s, etc.), then Marauders is for you.

And now there’s a new line of accessories from Marauder John’s weapons smithy: three special briefcases.

A currency briefcase, another that contains C4 explosives and the third is a ‘hitman briefcase’.

I’m speculating here, but I think these briefcases, especially the currency briefcase, were inspired by POC City Strike Destro’s briefcase full of cash. I ordered the three briefcases from Marauders thinking that the wads of money were also removeable. It turns out that they’re not. Instead, the bricks of cash are simply printed on a cardboard and fitted in the briefcase. I was a bit disappointed by that. However, to compensate, Marauder stuff are all in scale and the printing is much sharper.

The second briefcase is more interesting: C4! Imagine a suitcase full of plastic explosives (judging from the quantity, this baby can obliterate half a city block). It also comes with a timer and detonator device.

But the one I like best is the hitman briefcase:  Full of dossiers about the target plus maps, passports and other documents an assassin needs to approach a target and be able to escape after the hit.

As for the price, $3.99 each is a bit steep, but I understand that I’m paying not just for the basic briefcase (an old Marauder item) but also the concept and the scale size and those little touches like the passports, maps and such. Perhaps Marauder can offer these 3 items (or one briefcase bundled with other accessories) in value sets later on.

Otherwise, these three new products from Marauders are worthy additions to your dioramas.

Rendition

“Rendition” is a another term for snatching enemy personnel. Here, a G.I.Joe team raids a suspected Siegie safehouse, and lifts a Crimson Guard–in full dress uniform, no less! 

 Tunnel Rat pulls up the barely conscious Siegie into the Humvee while his team mates provide cover.

 

 OK, target secured.

 

 Flint and Roadblock cover the front.

 

 As Tunnel Rat and Ripcord make sure the trussed up Siegie is on his best behavior.

 

 Securing the flexi-cuffs, just to be sure.

 

 Right. One dressed up Siegie ready for delivery!

 

 Flint is the leader of the snatch team.

 

 With Beach Head as second-in-command

 

 The rest of the team are: Ripcord;

 

 Leatherneck;

 

 Roadblock;

 

 Dialtone;

 

and Tunnel Rat, of course.

Stand-offish

Here’s a desktop mini-dio I set up spontaneously. I was able to buy a CP Mainframe and Beach Head from Kidzone in Shangri-La Plaza during our vacation in the Philippines last month (John acted as my tour guide, by the way. Thanks, bro!).

A few days later, my family and I went to Festival Mall, where I picked up a Fred VII figure (no helmets, rifle, stand and revolver, sheesh!) and a PP Crimson Guard (with a sub-machinegun!) at Black Dragon). When I got home, I played around with the stuff and here they are:

MyFireteam: Snipers

My fireteam’s primary sniper team is that of Cross Hair and Recondo.

 

I like this version of Recondo. For one thing, Hasbro did away with the version 1 mold which looked more like a big-game safari hunter rather than a jungle fighter as he is labelled in his card. OK, he still retains the khaki color of his uniform (which somehow makes it look more like a desert outfit) but at least it has a more modern design. The G36 rifle from Marauder looks good on him. He’d make a good spotter for Cross Hair.

 

Cross Hair is a relatively new character in the Joe-verse. Nevertheless, I’m impressed with his realistic-looking outfit, complete with removable bush hat and webgear. I use Recondo’s ghillie suit on him to complete his sniper gear. Now if only I can position his arms to properly hold a sniper rifle…

Wolverine!

The Wolverine is a mobile missile platform. It can carry 12 SAMs or SSMs or a mix of the two. Such a weapon in real life has been dubbed as a field commander’s personal shotgun. It can ripple-fire its ordnance, bracketing massed formations of the enemy to demoralize the troops.

Here, the G.I.Joe team’s Wolverine is sited atop a hilltop, awaiting orders from Hawk or Duke to fire its load at Cobra troops. Its regular driver, Cover Girl is on leave. Clutch gladly takes over. Grunt and Airborne help keep perimeter security.

 

 

 

 

 

The Wolverine has been one of the G.I.Joe vehicles I really wanted to lay my hands on for years. When the opportunity presented itself several months ago, I wasted no time in acquiring it. This Wolverine is almost complete, with the tow cable as the only missing part. That’s fine with me as it’s not noticeable anyway. The vehicle is in fine condition, no discoloring or what. Just some dust from the storage. Too bad it didn’t come with Cover Girl, which is one of the most sought after vintage figures (no wonder, the figure’s price can be a bit steep).

Last Saturday, I brought the Wolverine and the three figures in Sanam Luang Park 2 near our place. It was later morning, the sky downcast, in short, perfect lighting for a shoot. I thought I was going to roll in the bermuda grass again. Good thing I saw this big park sign at the entrance, elevated on a bermuda-grass covered mound. A ready-made hilltop! That, plus the absence of other kids (mine were with me but they left me to my shoot, preferring to go instead to the sandlot and swing set) made the shoot enjoyable.

A bad ninja movie (dubbed in Taglish)

 

Zartan: P#ksh#t! …

 

Zartan: …Ubos na ang palaso ko!

 

Zartan: Mga bata!…

 

…

 

Zartan: …Dakpin sya!

My Fireteam: Heavy Weapons

Bazooka + Roadblock = Massive Firepower

Bazooka: Three HISS tanks...Four Night Stingers...Two FANGs...Five Paralyzers...

Roadblock: It can only mean one thing: We're gonna bump off a lot of snakes today.

Fireteams are configured for missions that require speed and stealth. Hence, they travel light and pack only the necessary firepower to defend themselves. It is inevitable that things don’t go the way they are supposed to be, and a fireteam might find itself in a tight spot.

Here’s where the heavy weapons team comes in. Primarily composed of Bazooka and Roadblock (with some other Joes proficient with heavy weapons taking turns in deploying with these two), this team can help lay down suppressive fire to enable their comrades to exfiltrate safely. Bazooka’s primary MOS is anti-tank while Roadblock can play a rhapsody with a machine gun. Nowadays, he claims that a mini-gun can allow him to stage a full concert, that is, if he doesn’t run out of bullets (or Cobra targets, that is) first. They can also operate a 60 mm mortar (even an 82 mm one) in a pinch. Should FANGs or Trouble Bubbles enter the fray, this formidable pair can easily shoot them down with Stingers.

These versions of Bazooka and Roadblock are among my favorites. The ARAH/VsV molds really look good on camera despite my initial misgivings (I prefer collecting the vintage versions, after all).

My Fireteam: Infiltrators

 

Among the most skilled infiltrators in the G.I.Joe team, Flint and Lady Jaye join Airborne and Tunnel Rat in missions that require sneaking past Cobra’s defenses.

Flint is well-known for his ability to conduct well-planned and -executed rescue ops. He is also a certified helicopter pilot. Lady Jaye, on the other hand, can easily blend well in any environment. Airborne, who specializes in heliborne assaults, complements Flint. Tunnel Rat, on the other hand, is skilled in detecting, identifying and disabling enemy boobytraps (and use them against Cobra too!).

 

 

My Fireteam: Assault

 

A fireteam is a military unit, perhaps the smallest with just four members. The modern version was born in the jungles of Guadalcanal in WW2, when US Marines, in battling the Imperial Japanese Army and Marines, realized that the regular 8-man squad is difficult to maneuver in the jungle.

In my Joe-verse, considering the spec-op nature of the G.I.Joe team, the fireteam was adopted as the smallest unit. With only four members, the team can be easier to infiltrate and exfiltrate from enemy territory. To compensate, each team member carries tremendous firepower, aside from being sufficiently equipped to communicate with air and land and sea assets (i.e. strike aircraft, artillery and ships) to request for close support.

My first fireteam I call “assault,” because it has two of the Joes’ Rangers, Stalker and Beach Head; a heavy weapons specialist, Heavy Duty; and Joe small arms expert Grunt. In ops that call for assaulting a Cobra firebase or safe house, these four guys provide the shock to batter Cobra’s defenses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Atten-hut!

You may call me Ronin. I’ve been collecting G.I.Joe action figures on-and-off since 1984. My first vehicle was the Heavy Artillery Laser (HAL) and my first action figure was Grand Slam.  I got the set as a gift from my aunt in the States.

In July 1987, I had my first action figure bought with my own money, Snake Eyes v2. Don’t ask me what a figure released in 1985 was doing in a school supply store in San Pedro, Laguna in 1987. Believe it or not, I was able to buy a Duke v1, and first versions of the Cobra trooper and officer several months later.

I remember cutting back on my snack expenses at the time to raise enough fund and buy a G.I.Joe figure each week. To think each one was worth only P65 then gives me more reason to yearn for the 80s.

College cut short my collecting activities, as my attention was diverted elsewhere: studies, girls and reading lots and lots of books, not necessarily in that order.

Fast-forward to 2005. I was then a father of two, raising them with a wonderful wife. After several years working in a newspaper and a PR firm, I had a teaching position in a university in Manila. My Joes, along with other stuff from childhood and adolescence were all locked up in my old cabinet in my folks’ home, hibernating perhaps, until…

…In early 2005 I discovered in Bidshot, an online auction site, a bunch of Joes on the auctioner’s block. If I remember correctly, there was a Cobra FANG chopper and a complete Firefly v1, stuff I wasn’t able to add to my collection years ago.

Suddenly, I felt this urge to get my hands on my long-ago collection. I rescued the troops from my old cabinet, got re-acquainted with Snake Eyes and Timber, Beach Head and Tunnel Rat and Bazooka, and came face-to-face again with the Cobra blue trooper and his officer, their RTO, the Televiper, the Siegies and the Dreadnoks.

Before I knew it, there was recruitment once again, as through the Net I was able to reach out to fellow collectors, kindred spirits, with whom I have had no contact for almost 20 years.

Beefing up the batallions had been slow. I’m not a rich guy who can mobilize a private army at the snap of a finger. Whatever funds were left from our household expenses partly went to my acquisition efforts. To compensate for this, I had exchange programs with my fellow collectors. Soon the number of my troops started to multiply.

In 2006, my family and I went to Bangkok in search of greener pastures. Approximately two thirds of my troops were demobilized. Once in the Kingdom of Thailand, my army hibernated again.

Last year, preparations were underway for another recruitment campaign. This time, toy soldiers came from distant lands, transported within a week, facilitated through the convenient offices of the Internet.

I’m a member also of a Philippine-based forum of G.I.Joe collectors called Toysoldiers.  Anything and everything about the Joes and Cobras are discussed there, supplemented by photos.

It was this last which recently piqued my interest. I’m in my mid-30s now, too old for playing around with action figures. But my passion for collecting has found another avenue: Toy photography.

This is one of the reasons for this blog. To feature my collection and chronicle my continuous efforts to acquire more troops. 

I am aided in this regard by the G4, Supply Officer, i.e. my wife, the Chief Financial Officer in our home. Alexander the Great once said that an army marches on its stomach. My recruitment would definitely go nowhere if funds were witheld.

Also at hand is my son, acting as my adjutant. Inducted into my corps of collection two years ago, he has proven himself committed to the cause. He has also displayed skills in posing the action figures in ways I myself could not have done, and has become indispensable during photo-shoots as an able production assistant.

Lest I forget, my comrades from Toysoldier, whose friendship over the years has provided camaraderie, technical advice, professional inspiration and an efficient network for my collection effort.

To all of you, my deepest thanks.

Now, to the task at hand…