I understand how this may sound coming from me, but I don’t care. I need more vehicles. Nothing brings your collection to life like the inclusion of massive plastic transportation you can put your figures in.
For this list, I’m going to briefly run down five “generic” vehicles that I am in desperate need of, maybe some of you do too. I’m not talking about character-specific vehicles, like the 1989 Batwing, for example, because that is definitely worth another list. And for nomenclature’s sake, I say 1:12 scale, but really, we’re talking 6- to 7-inch compatible, and that isn’t necessarily going to be in true scale. Much like 1:6 scale, there are lots of vehicles designed for 12-inch figures, but few are legitimately 1:6 scale, even though they’re sold that way. So in no particular order …
1. Squad Car
Some of the vehicles I’m going to talk about are going to feel a little out there, like, “Cool, but would I need one?” And then there are vehicles like this. Whether you had a secret stash like me of Plan B Police figures or you’re crazy like me and own Madelman ones or you just bought a bunch of T-1000s (looking at you, DHunter) or even just a Commissioner Gordon, you need a cruiser. “What kind” is certainly open-ended; honestly I’d take about anything, but the ones that spring to mind are these two.
There is something so iconic about the old “prowler” cars of the 1940s and ’50s, so it’s no surprise that the Animated Batman series was so fond of them. It could be a little anachronistic in some people’s setups, but would still be styling.
On the other end of the spectrum, the old Ford Taurus cruiser that Robocop uses completely exemplifies the no-frills, strictly business look of a cop car from the late 20th century. In a perfect world, maybe there would be a Robocop that could fit in a cruiser, but baby steps.
2. Fighter Plane
I have canvassed the world and, to the extent of my knowledge, I own just about every plane that could conceivably fit a 6-inch figure, with the exception of that massive Fairland Toys F-22 that is very hard to find, and the old Irwin F9F Panther made for the 12-inch Joes. It’s a good list, but it is also a very disparate list, and it skips around a lot. One type that I just can’t shake the jones for would be a single-engined, single-seat, piston-engined fighter plane.
There are of course hundreds of types that fit this category, but just like any list, the P-51D Mustang and the Spitfire immediately come up.
Both have classic, elegant lines, small frames with lots of power, and stores for an impressive amount of armament. Mega Bloks recently added the P-51 to their Call of Duty line, and seeing it just made my heart hurt. Now, there is a model company out of the UK that produces a 12-month subscription build for a very accurate (and expensive) 1:12 Spitfire Mk VB. The only problem is, I don’t think it’s built with an action figure pilot in mind. A design like one of these need not be relegated to the 1940s, either. Mustangs actually flew with militaries into the 1970s, and if we remove them from the combat setting, they are still among the most popular racing platforms out there.
3. Humvee
There are some Jeeps. There’s even an excellent Land Rover, if you can get your hands on it. But the AM General HMMWV is one that just hasn’t made it into this scale. And it’s prolific nature in pretty much every other scale makes it somewhat mind-boggling.
Especially because once you have a frame, there’s a dozen variations you can make. Doors, no doors, soft top, hard top, truck, TOW launcher, Amphibious, Ambulance, SWAT, Civilian, and so on. Even without 6-inch G.I. Joes, or much of any 6-inch soldiers, this vehicle still has a ton of uses.
4. Bell UH-1 Huey Family
When it comes to helicopters, I have two of the best ever made, and one, of course, is the Madelman PDJ Helicopter. Based on the Eurocopter Dauphin, it is a sleek number that feels cutting edge, even if it’s a design from the 1970s. As spoiled as that might make me, I have longed for a classic, no frills design for as long as I’ve collected figures. That design is the Bell Huey. Something about this small versatile design that captures your imagination, and it’s inclusion in so much of pop culture makes it a staple. Rambo needs one. Dutch needs one. Any soldier from Vietnam up through the Gulf War looks right riding on the skids.
And like others on this list, it’s versatility makes for lots of variations, even outside the military ones, like a news copter, or police, or AirMed, or lots of other civilian markings.
5. Cargo Truck
And lastly, we can’t get more no-frills than something we see and use, directly or otherwise, practically daily. Being less specific than the last two, no particular make and model are necessary here. As long as there’s a cab, and a bed or box to put stuff in, we’re good. Most people probably can’t get away with a tractor trailer in 1:12-ish scale in their collections, but a 6-wheeled or even a 4W would work great. And it can be as pedestrian as an International or a a GM truck front, or as exotic as a UniMog, it would still be a lot of fun.
What could you do with it? Use it as a getaway vehicle, and then open up those loading doors so the bad guys can take pot shots at that chasing squad car from #1. Have that classic superhero clinging-to-the-roof fights. Make it a mobile command center. Or just load it up with crates and guys to make a great backdrop.
And like some of the others, the variations would open up tons of different ways to use it. A flat bed version, container, or rag top could also lend themselves to more military-themed stuff like a troop carrier or a gun platform.
I’m not sure how many of these people would really be after, and I’m not sure how we’d get them, other than these are the kinds things we do see in other scales. All I know is I would put any and all of them to good use in my collection, and I bet you would, too. But to those that say it couldn’t be done …
… it has been done before. We just need ’em bigger.