The Corps [Lanard]: Rapid Assault Attack Fighter

with Elliot "Eagle Eye" Reaver action figure

We're branching out and it's only logical. I for one have no issues with integrating toys of other lines besides G.I Joe into use along official G.I. Joe figures and vehicles.  A lot of others feel the same way.  Face it, Hasbro doesn't have a monopoly on good vehicles that approximate the scale of G.I. Joe's 3.75" line, in fact some may even consider that G.I. Joe isn't even the leader in providing vehicles in that scale anymore.  I don't know if I'd go that far, but having more competition and options is always a good thing.  That said, the first non-Joe, Joe-scale vehicle we're going to examine is the Rapid Assault Attack Fighter, from The Corps toy line by Lanard Toys Inc.  I picked this jet up for a couple reasons: one, I like jets and was a bit curious if this could possibly fit with what I wanted my collection to be, two, I've not seen a review or even much written about this line, and three, it was only like seven bucks.

Edit: It seems moments after i posted this, I did locate two reviews of former paints of this vehicle with different figures.

http://www.infinitehollywood.com/the-corps-ethan-crowne-and-rapid-assault-jet-review/
http://www.battlegrip.com/?p=1011

As you can see, there's not much too it.  It should be noted that this same mold has been introduced in a number of different paints and possibly names over the years, possibly under different names or even other Lanard toy lines.  

The cockpit is very roomy.  Retaliation Roadblock (perhaps the largest figure of the GI Joe 3-3/4" line) fits in there just fine, so presumably any other Joe that can sit down should fit too.  There is a fair amount of detail in the cockpit as well as well as some lateral ribbing which looks like it's there to offer some resistance to the figure rolling around in the cockpit.  A nice touch.

All stickers come pre-applied, which is kinda too bad since some aren't positioned symmetrically.   The only accessories are the two rockets and two missiles already attached to the jet, and the ID card for the pilot, Elliot "Eagle-Eye" Reaver.

The figure has eleven points of articulation, just like most of the original A Real American Hero figures. The head , torso, ad arms swivel and the knees bend.  The arm rotate like the old Joes, but the hip joints are simple swivels, not sockets like most of the vintage Joes had.  There are also two peg holes in the bottom of his heels that fit vintage GI Joe pegging.  He comes with no other accessories and the gear you see on him is firmly attached to his body.  Stylistically, he doesn't match anything in the GI Joe line that well, particularly not with modern figures of the 25th Anniversary series or newer. 

One of the things I was most curious about on the Rapid Assault fighter was what the underside looked like.  It's fairly detailed, but lacks any sort of landing gear (which is something I find hard to accept, myself).  On the underside we have the same sort of detail on the engines as well as detail outlining the outlines for landing gear bay doors.  From this angle we can also see the the jet's weaponry:  two guns located under the cockpit and four missiles/rockets mounted under the wings.  The guns are molded into the plastic body but the two missiles and two rockets are removable:

Both armaments on each wing are mounted to a plate that screws into the wing, as seen above.  Each weapon is held in place by a combination of two things: the clip you see above, and a pylon that the weapon fits into (which you can see with the missile or rocket removed).  These pylons are pegged very similar to a lot of medium sized or larger GI Joe vehicles.  Both weapons fit on the SkyStriker's pylons, however, the clips you see make it more difficult to mount other weapons on the Rapid Assault Jet.  In fact, it's not easy to switch the Jet's own rocket and missile to the other's station.

I find it hard to give this toy a grade, much less a tactical assessment.  It's simply too undersized to have it's capabilities extrapolated against real world conditions.  While I never assume or expect that one Joe-sized toy is even scaled equally with another, undersized aircraft like this tend to fail to suspend my disbelief enough to acknowledge it's viability in a world that has a lot of medium and full sized aircraft.  The same thing goes for the Cobra Firebat and Sky Sweeper, which are of a similar size and configuration.  The fact that none of these things has a proper landing gear really bothers me about them.

Like I said, GI Joe objects are not to scale to one another.  The figures approximate 1:18 scale as do some vehicles.  Other vehicles are more like 1:32 with over scaled cockpits to accommodate the 1:18 figures.  The larger they get, the more exaggerated the scaling varies from the figures.  Often too, so it is when dealing with small alpha-class sided aircraft like the Firebat, Sky Sweeper, and this Lanard Jet.

However, it is possible to find comparable fighter jets and war planes in the real world if you assume these things have been scaled way down.  For instance, consider the following:

• Folland Gnat
• Cessna A-37 Dragonfly

These are small warplanes that actually served in the middle portion of the last century.  Both had appreciable combat records.  The Lanard Jet is more like the Gnat than the Dragonfly, which wasn't a fighter.  Both have a thrust-to-weight ration much closer to 1:2 than the 1:1 seen on the more modern fighters and both are not capable of supersonic travel.  This is probably a good place to start as far as true overall size.

Tactical Assessment

General:

• Crew: 1
• Empty weight: 4800lbs
• Max Weight: 7000lbs
• Powerplant: 2 x 1800 lbf turbojet engines
• Maximum Speed: 625 mph
• Cruise Speed: 450 mph @25000ft
• Range: 400 miles
• Service Ceiling: 42000 ft
• Rate of Climb: 18,000 ft/minute (initial). 6 min to 30,000 ft.

Armament:

• 2 x .50 cal machine guns (200 rounds each)
• 2 x Air to Ground rockets (unguided)
• 2 x Sidewinder air-to-air heat seeking missiles.

Basically, this is a plane that is limited to daytime operation.  It lacks radar and a lot of other advanced avionics modern fighters have had since the 1960s.  It can navigate by radio and GPS and use it's heat seeking missiles within visual range.  While it's extremely maneuverable due to it's size, it doesn't have the power to climb or accelerate well.  Consequentially, it relatively low thrust means hard maneuvers cause it to lose speed quickly.  It has no afterburner and is not designed for supersonic flight and it's short range means it doesn't have much endurance.  As a front line fighter, it would have been somewhat competitive no later than the early 1960s.  Now it's mainly a trainer or an inexpensive tool of mercenaries, warlords, or third world armies.  Cobra might find it useful to equip it's affiliate terrorist groups or to field a cheap, inexperienced air force in a part of the world where competition from other jets is uncommon.

Grade:

Quality:  C+

solidly built, which is to be expected from a small plastic toy these days.  Missiles stay on, which they should as they used a clip *and* a pylon to secure them all.

Appearance: C-

decent detail, but stickers applied haphazardly.  The camo pattern looks like automated sparypaint (and probably is).  Undersized.

Play Value:  D+

A couple missiles, no other accessories.  Canopy opens.  Lacks landing gear.

Figure:  D  

Colorful, and the ID tag is a nice touch, but it's bested in many ways by actual GI Joe figures over thirty years old.

Overall:  D+

Summary:  A good value, and I'm sure someone who likes the style of Lanard toys is going to think I'm crazy for assigning this low of a grade, but to me, this thing tries too hard to be a toy.  Like the Rattler, a lower grade doesn't mean you should stay away from this, nor does it mean I wouldn't recommend it.  It just means there are reservations about it from a Joe collecting perspective.   If you are a big fan of micro-jets unlike me, then you might really like this.  Me, I think I'll find a use for it but it might be awhile before I buy something else like this.