Power Team Elite Military Buggy
Available as always through G.I. Joe HQ
Now we're talkin'.
The previous sets I've reviewed have been the small scale figure/vehicle combinations...while they're neat, they're not loaded with a number of features or accessories and are cool items, but not really cool items, if that makes any sense.
The ATV and the Motorcycle both have their uses, but are both woefully limited, too...I wanted to get some pics of something with some beef. Well, here we go...
This thing is very, very cool, and unlike the other two vehicles, which will work all right with the Joes, this buggy fits seamlessly with the 21st special ops team that the Joes are and is loaded with enough weaponry to make any COBRAs run for the hills. First of all, I don't know anything about realistic military weaponry or gear...I couldn't tell an LCV from an ATV, but apparently this buggy is patterned very closely to the LCV that the Navy SEALs use. If that's the case, more power to 'em, and definitely keep it up, because this little vehicle is very cool.
It's design is obviously realistic in design, as is Power Team Elite's trademark, with a nicely angled sloping chassis, low clearance, and a swift looking little 4x4. The body itself is slim and streamlined, yet still retains a tough, no nonesense, battle-ready look with a nice weathering job and some very real paint applications to top it all off.
The slightly oversized tires work wonders in the desert sands and help make this buggy look quick and maneuverable. Even over my gravel driveway the tires spin freely and the vehicle rolls nicely, allowing for fun play. Yes, I still play with my toys, and I played the heck out of this one. :)
This foundation is only the beginning, though...everything builds on it from there. The sloped rollbars cover the cockpit nicely and wraps itself around the gunseat in a very nice protective cage which adds some great defense, yet doesn't take away from the aerodynamic feel that a quick attack vehicle must have.
So far I've covered the "quick" from the term "quick assault vehicle", so where does the assault come in? Well, on this vehicle, pretty much everywhere.
I'm not sure if that monster cannon on the front is creative license or something that the real-life buggy comes with, but WOW. That thing is an absolute monster, and it looks very realistic and cool to boot. The twin handles that the passenger grips it with combined with the gunbelt full of HUGE shells (which drapes down and goes into an ammo box on one of the side rails...too cool!) makes the weapon look not only formidable, but completely real, too.
Besides the obvious hood-cannon it appears that the main attack compliment is a very awesomely detailed .50 caliber heavy machine gun perched on top of the rollbars. It looks completely authentic and is easily reached by the gunman in the back seat.
Speaking of the gunman in back, not only does he have that beast to fire when facing frontwards, but if they get attacked from behind, the seat swivels around and he has a perch for an M-60 (and the '60 itself) there so he can cover their six as well if necessary.
Now not only does the Military Buggy have all of this going for it, but just in case you run out of bullets in all those weapons, you have two LAW rocket launchers that clip to the rollbars as well, which can be quickly grabbed and used as necessary. This thing is equipped!
The vehicle here is really the total package. It works as a realistic vehicle for you authentic military types, but it's also detailed and souped up enough to work in a Joe environment, which rocks.
The only real downside I can think of are the two figures included. They don't come with a whole lot of accessories, and one of them seems very generic. The desert trooper with the moustache and goatee looks pretty cool and has some serious personality, but the other one just doesn't, and the lack of vests and extra gear just is a slight downside. Trust me, though, with this vehicle you won't even notice the negative, especially at the awesome price point it's available at.
Why anyone would spend $15-20 on a BBI LCV which is smaller and more brittle, and frankly less fun is beyond me. This one costs less, includes more figures and gear, and is a whole heck of a lot cooler. If there are a couple must haves in the PTE line so far, this definitely makes the very short list. An excellent little attack craft.
