Here’s something you just plain don’t see enough of: a well made, durable, and fairly accurate large-scale action figure vehicle!
Apparently I’ve just been looking on the wrong side of the frickin’ Atlantic Ocean for the past few years…
Let’s start with where this impressive hunk of toy comes from, and that’s an interesting bit of story itself, which brings us to the United Kingdom. The Ministry of Defence joined up with toy company Character Group a few years back with the intention of making a toy line that would raise the profile of the Her Majesty’s Armed Forces and would kick some money back to the Ministry of Defence to fund other PR-related projects. The result is a line of modern military figures and vehicles geared in the style of the old Action Man 10-inch line. Personally, I think this is genius. In fact, if the State Department would like to do something similar, they need to give me call. Seriously, guys. I got ideas.
Anyway, if there’s one thing on this planet I love, it’s vehicles. If there’s one thing I love more, it’s military vehicles. And where my bread and butter is 1/12 scale, getting a military vehicle, even a few sizes bigger, is not exactly something I can afford to turn down.
The HM Armed Forces flagship vehicle is likely this beast here, the Fast Attack Jet. It comes in this giant box, which was expensive as hell to UPS into the country, as you can imagine. But looking at it, I really could see something like this on a TRU shelf, no problem. The “actual size” part on the box would have made this an instant buy at retail.
Inside, with a little assembly, you get a reasonably accurate-looking Hawker Harrier GR.3 in roughly 1/10 scale. Not only is it pretty sharp looking, but it’s a damn fine toy. Unlike most things this size, like RC planes or models, this one is truly intended to get banged around the house. It’s built from some heavy plastic, with some softer ABS for the nose and tail. The body incorporates some space for a handle, without being overly obvious, and the cockpit opens easily. The landing gear, which are retractable (woo!), click very firmly when being moved, and the two outer air-to-air Sidewinder-type missiles are spring loaded. So, yeah, this thing kicks all kinds of ass on the toy front.
But like I said, it’s got the looks too. There’s a lot of panel lines, rivets, and seams on the body that tone down the maybe kiddy proportions. The VTOL nozzles are nicely detailed and done in metallic paint. And while the flat grey is somewhat plain, it is close to the RAF’s non-camo’ed deco, and it does come with a nice decal set to spruce it up. As far as a more “collector” than “play” piece, the only quality concern I could come up with was that some of the abs parts were a little warped in the box, but nothing heat couldn’t fix. And while the cockpit is a bit large for even NECA-sized figures, it gives me an opportunity to cook up an ejection seat to fit in it and soak up some of that room. As somebody who has spent time removing any and every possible part in a smaller scale vehicle to cram a bigger figure into it, this is a welcome change.
The biggest plus for something like this has to be the simple fact that this is a Harrier that I can cram an action figure into. Not just any jet, or some made-up airplane, this is a Harrier. You remember True Lies? You know I do. The Harrier was born to be a movie star, and so, naturally, it makes perfect sense as a toy. It can do the stuff that makes regular airplanes want to puke: it can take off vertically, as well as off short improvised runways; it can land vertically; and it can hover.
In the 1980s the Harrier was a perfect example of finding an amazing yet simple solution to a very difficult problem. Had the Cold War ever really turned hot, the first thing any enemy is going to do is claim air superiority, and if you bomb the runways, you’ve effectively crippled an entire air force without having to shoot anybody down. The Harrier gave the UK and her allies a fail-safe — a weapon that could fly from a small ship, an outpost, or even a parking lot, and strike back. And strike back it has, since first seeing combat in the Falklands, to two separate tours in the Middle East, the Harrier has earned a reputation as a hard hitting and dependable strike-fighter.
It is painfully ironic to me, though, that this kind of kickass vehicle is only available from a country that has already retired the real bird it was based on. These days, the USMC still runs their Harriers in combat, while the RAF has mothballed theirs.
As far as getting one of your own, the bad news is it’s going to take a lot of work. And some cash. At retail in the UK, these run around £29.99, which is not a bad deal at all — around $50 — especially compared to something like Mattel’s ’66 Batmobile. Unfortunately, you have to find a patient dealer who’s willing to ship this monster, and the shipping will likely run more than the toy itself. Sadly, none of the usual suspects or Fwoosh sponsors, or even Amazon US have these, but I sincerely wish they would. Not just for collectors, but particularly for kids. I would’ve killed to have something like this as a little guy.
And who knows? Maybe if I had, I’d be driving one of the Marines’ jump jets, instead of writing about this RAF toy one. In the meantime, though, I’ve got plans to fit this one with a Martin-Baker style seat, for the 6-7-inch figures, and some paint and decals. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got a lot of adoration for the RAF, but USMC close-air support is a little more my speed.
