Power Team Elite Combat Tank
Available as always through G.I. Joe HQ
So far you've seen me take a look at some of M&C Toys' Power Team Elite medium-sized and smaller vehicles and figure sets. These items are priced at a real budget and give you a whole lot of bang for a very small amount of buck.
So what happens when the World Peacekeepers crank it up a notch in the price point level and the size level? You get some really fantastic items like the Combat Tank and Blackhawk helicopter. Two items that are a little more expensive, but definitely give you plenty of plastic for your money.
Tanks in general are sort of hit or miss for me, in all honesty. I much prefer my G.I. Joes (and PTE figures for that matter) as fast attack quick combat specialists. A tank is pretty much the antithesis of "fast attack". It's a lumbering, rumbling chunk of armor and metal that is a real powerhouse, but is far from a quick assault vehicle. They're tough to conceal, hard to maneuver, and definitely not light enough to tote around.
Still, there is something appealing about the design of a tank...even if they're slow and beefy, the streamlined look of them and the raw power behind the main assault cannon are wonders to behold...when the toy is designed right. Again, I look towards the G.I. Joe line. Something like the MOBAT really did not appeal to me as a kid. It was short and stubby, not very angular, and just not a whole lot of fun. Sure, most Joe vehicles are out of scale, but the MOBAT was WAY out of scale. However, once Hasbro got that one out of the way, we got pieces like the Mauler and the Patriot Grizzly, both of which are fantastic tanks...slim and angled armor, potent cannons and a sight to behold.
So is the PTE Combat Tank MOBAT-esque, or some of the better stuff?
It's far and away more on the level of the Mauler and the Grizzly, and is really a surprisingly fun and effective vehicle for PTE or G.I. Joe, especially at the price point.
First of all, this tank gets immediate brownie points over the other Joe tanks mentioned simply because it's actually GREEN and not desert-themed. Yeah, I realize most of the battles we've fought over the past 20 years have been in the desert, I'm still not a big fan of figures and vehicles so strictly relegated to that particular environment. Thankfully, this Combat Tank is colored a nice army green and can be used in many different environments.
Another thing that jumps out at me is the terrific streamlined turret that turns easily and has a great elevating gun barrel. For a non-mainstream toyline, there is detail galore in the tank itself and the turret, as well as two opening hatches for figures to sit inside of and man the outside machine guns.
The next incredibly cool aspect of this tank is something that Hasbro tanks have been missing for a while now...real rubber movable treads! The free-rolling wheels and rubberized tank treads work really well and add a whole new level of play to this vehicle...something I think is great, and realistic as well.
The overall armored detailing of the tank is fantastic. Armor plates match as they should and look realistic. Tons of great bolts and slabs that mesh together and make for a super-realistic looking battle vehicle. The basket on the rear of the turret is great as is the wealth of antenna and twin machine guns used for secondary attacks.
The rear of the tank and the grill both are very nicely detailed, and there are even a couple of cool headlights on the front, too. For a large vehicle like this at the small price point it's offered at, we have a real winner here.
To top this all off, the coloring of the tank is made very, very nicely as well. Based on typical army green, it is nicely weathered and made to look like metallic armored plate and is an extremely effective technique to get a look of aged metal and just looks great.
As has become standard with the Power Team offerings as well, is the plethora of accessories and figures that also come with these bargain-priced sets. Even just getting this tank for $17.00 would be an excellent deal, but this set also comes with three Marines, two oil drums, two gas cans, a mortar launcher, bazooka, two tank traps and some simulated barbed wire. This is a TON of stuff, all practically tossed in for the price of the tank.
These three figures are also Marines...new figures that I haven't had a chance to take a close look at yet. They come in a slightly different camouflage scheme than the Rangers, including some digital camo mixed in.
The figures also look a little different as well, just to spice things up some. One of the common heads from my last review is offered as a figure here, too, but they added a nice blond handlebar moustache, which immediately makes it recognizable as a different character. A minor change, but it makes a big difference.
Everything seems to come together here to get a tank that is fun and useful for pretty much any purpose you can think of. This large vehicle with three figures and a wealth of accessories for the price point it's at is just terrific, and this has some great potential. It could easily fit in as a Joe vehicle as is, or as a great basis for a custom that could make this work as well.
Either way, I recommend picking this tank up if you're looking for a quick and easy (and cheap!) way of building up your armory. I don't think you'll regret it.
