Personally, I think that most of what Lanard produces in the way of four-inch Joe scale product is too different visually from the Hasbro's way of doing things to be a good stylistic match for GI Joe. However, once in awhile they produce something that seems to fit right in with the mix of realism that I enjoy. Here is the M5-R Dragonfly, part of Landard Toys' The Corps: Total Soldier line:
When I saw this on the shelf, I was very curious how it would fit modern four-inch GI Joe figures. I bought one of those "Little Bird" choppers second-hand some time back and I was disappointed that modern 4" figures would not convincingly fit seated in the cockpit (it should be noted that some members on Hisstank pointed out that the PTE MH-6 should fit most modern joes fine. Perhaps I have an earlier piece?). The M5-R is very similar in size and shape to the well known Little Bird attack chopper, but does it fit modern GI Joe action figures?
The answer is, YES.
You may have noticed that there is only one seat, but two figures can fit inside the roomy cockpit quite well without looking too awkward. The figures also seem to stay inside just fine during the maneuvers you would expect a vehicle like this to perform normally.
The cockpit detail is fairly simple and clean, not overly 'toyish' in appearance. However, there is nothing in the way of instrumentation and just a basic control stick, centrally mounted. The seat itself is nicely detailed and the texture molded into the plastic gives the appearance of cloth while adding some grip to hold seated figures.
As an aside: I'm wondering what crossed Lanard's mind when they decided to name this toy, "Dragonfly" given the name belongs to an iconic GI Joe helicopter. I also wonder what implications this may have for any future updates by Hasbro to the venerable Dragonfly XH-1 with regard to the use of it's original name. The old Dragonfly mold had been released in a desert brown and renamed the 'Locust' at one point and it leaves me confused about what this means for any future use of the name by Hasbro. I don't think I'm alone in having some disdain for all the renaming of the re-releases of classic GI Joe vehicles, most notably of late, the
While the cabin detail is sparse, the engine detail is kind of cheesy, but still, not too bad.
The Button on the left side of the aircraft marked by a yellow arrow plays electronic chopper sounds and lights up the engine compartment. This feature is for the kids, though personally, I never thought much of this sort of thing when I was young.
The tan tab you see on the underside is a hook that flips down from the body as an additional play feature.
Frontal view of the helicopter and it's observation light. Below you'll see a side handle that should be grippable by most 4" figures, however, the landing skids lack any sort of standing platform.
The most disappointing feature of the Dragonfly M5-R is the cheesy shaped rotors, particularly the cartoonishly over-large center assembly and flybar. It doesn't quite work for me, but still, on the whole it's a fairly decent looking vehicle.
Figure and Accessories:
Although none of this stuff is of particular interest to Joe Collectors, I imagine the accessories this toy comes with will offer a lot of play value to children who aren't so particular about mixing toys no matter how stylistically different they are. The figure comes with an assortment of ridiculously sized weapons and tools: a sword and gun that attaches to his back, as well as some sort of explosive device and a pickaxe. The motorcycle has two wheels that turn, but it's front fork does not, and it has no kickstand. Also, the included figure cannot grip the handlebars, though a number of Joes can. The accessories are just there to fill out the package.
Tactical assessment:
Except for the accessories that are included for the figure, the aircraft is not armed. As mentioned before, I think that's okay since there are plenty of uses for non-weaponized vehicles. Missions for observation, training, medical evacuation, rescue, and transport all have their place in the Joe organization and the M5-R can fit the bill for these. Where most vehicles released for GI Joe are weaponized (or sometimes even over-weaponized), it's actually nice to have access to more mundane support vehicles. However, the M5-R could offer a little more than that with some customization, but without any of that it's confined to non-direct combat roles for lack of any firepower.
Regardless, performance is still important even for an unarmed military vehicle. I'm not sure what the particular inspiration was for this toy was, though I suspect it was more of a generic concept of an observation helicopter given it's lack of weaponry. It should be noted that most modern observation or utility helicopters used for military purposes are able to carry more than just one or two people. A notable exception would be the Bell 47/H-13 Sioux of M*A*S*H fame, but the general design is far too antiquated for comparison. There are a number of two-person civilian choppers that would approximate the M5-R, but in my estimation they would be too underpowered for realistic military use. As such, we are left with a somewhat unique military light helicopter, and 'unique' tends to be right up Joe's alley.
Here's my semi - arbitrary performance statistics.
M5-R Dragonfly:
Empty Weight: 1100 lbs
Max Takeoff Weight: 2200 lbs
Powerplant: 250 shp turboshaft engine
Max Speed 100 mphHere's my semi - arbitrary performance statistics.
M5-R Dragonfly:
Empty Weight: 1100 lbs
Max Takeoff Weight: 2200 lbs
Powerplant: 250 shp turboshaft engine
Cruising Speed 90 mph
Never Exceed Speed 130 mph
Service Ceiling 12,000 ft
Hover Ceiling (in ground effect) 9,000 ft
Hover Ceiling (out of ground) 5,200 ft
Range 210 miles
I started with the MH-6 as sort of a template and mixed it in my mind with as similar light civilian helicopter I could find to the Lanard Chopper, the Guimbal Cabri. Then I fudged the numbers based on my following (non expert) observations of the chopper's design:
1. The exhaust on the bottom suggests a turboshaft design. While turboshaft engines are more expensive than piston engines, they are lighter, more efficient, and require less maintenance for the power produced
2. The rotors are shorter and wider: This limits the speed and fuel economy of the aircraft, but makes it able to take off and land from smaller spots, and offers more lifting power.
3. The rotors are a two-blade design, which are cheaper, simpler to maintain, offers less overall performance in the way of speed and maneuverability, but is easier to store. Two bladed rotors also tend to provide better hover stability, but are noisier and produce more vibration.
Synopsis:
What we're left with is a chopper that focuses on economy and maintainability over performance, but with decent lifting power in a small package. The short, twin rotors allow for tight stowage and landing in small areas. Despite being a little short on range, this aircraft could have some appeal on boats and yachts where other copters are a little too large to accomodate. I'd also think with a few customs it could make a simple medevac chopper much like the aforementioned Sioux, or even a light gunship.
Quality: A
It's pretty durable and should survive normal childhood handling no problem
Appearance: B
It is a little cheesy looking, a bit overly toyish, but not incredibly out of place compared to more realistic toys.
Play Value: C+
No guns, rockets, missiles, and only basic accessories. It's a very simple vehicle
Figure & Accessories: D
They would have adequate appeal to children, but are otherwise basically junk that are intended only for use with the very basic figure, not the vehicle.
OVERALL: a Solid
B-
Conclusion:
Although this may be for a future post, it may be a good alternative for the PTE Little Bird for a couple reasons; mostly that the PTE choppers are hard to find and a little more expensive (or a lot more expensive if you have to go to ebay), and that in my experience modern joes to not fit well in them. If it weren't for those drawbacks, the PTE would be a far better choice, but you can find the Lanard toy in stores now.
