Today, I’ve got a closer look at a classic processed plastic toy, the 1980s-90s Assault Defender Copter from Tim Mee toys.
Tim Mee is a US company that has been cranking out processed plastic goods for the last half-century. They still produce a some toys, but nowhere near the volume they did in the ’80s and ’90s. While they generally work in the “Army Men” scale (which I think is about 1:24), Tim Mee saw an opportunity to cash in on the bigger Joe market with the occasional 1:18 vehicle. Usually just stuff like Jeeps, M60 tanks and the like, the Assault Copter and its variants was by far the largest of their offerings.
Based on the McDonnell Douglas LHX concept, the design was a contemporary and competitor to the AH-66 Comanche, both very cool futuristic looking light attack choppers. In fact, I first encountered the design in the old LHX Attack Chopper DOS game of the early ’90s. Distinctive due to its large delta “stub” wings and tail-rotorless (NOTAR) design, the LHX was unfortunately not meant to be, and after an incredibly long and ridiculous trial period, neither helicopter ever entered service.
But it still makes for a cool toy subject. While not a very intricate vehicle, it does have some nice functional details. The landing gear retract, the canopy opens and can seat two large 1:18 figures, there is a working winch that can store a gurney in the fuselage. There are some hollow missiles that peg onto the wings, and the top rotor pegs in as well. There is a twin cannon under the nose, and what looks likes two more on the sides of the cockpit.
Again, this isn’t a Hasbro classic Joe vehicle. It lacks the various features those would have. Though it’s sturdier than a lot of Kenner stuff from the same period. It’s deceptively small, despite being almost 2 feet long, it’s very slender and low profile, which is fitting for a stealthy design. A 6-inch pilot is possible, obviously the two seats need to come out, but once it’s done, most anybody under 7-inch will fit.
I haven’t done much else yet, but I did add some rocket pods to the inside of those empty missiles, and I gave the chin turret a Gatling barrel. I dig it.
There’s several colors they were made in, but there is something appropriate about the glossy black of this one. Something worth getting ahold of, particularly on the cheap, and it makes for even some potential multiple buys, should you ever see more than one. While they were once plentiful, this is the first one I’ve ever seen. But if I were to come across a green or forest camo one …
