Power Team Elite: World Peacekeepers Amphibian

The World Peacekeeper's Amphibian is another vehicle from Power Team Elite that can fit right in with your GI Joe motor pool.  Of course, as an amphibious vehicle it has the ability to transverse both land and water in search of Cobra (or in search of Joe, depending on which side 'gets' it in your own mind).

The Amphibian is an odd vehicle.  Best I can tell it's a spitting image of a rather unique line of all-terrain vehicles from Argo aimed at sportsmen rather than built for military purposes.  There are some noticeable differences between the most modern iterations of the Argo and the Amphibian, however:  The PTE vehicle's front has a different profile, the seats are different and it looks a little larger.  It's quite possible that this World Peacekeepers vehicle is an Argo of unknown vintage, or it could be simply based on the Argo design with enough changes to avoid any violation of Argo's intellectual property.

[UPDATE]


Commentator Ian Walker below reveals that this looks a lot more like a "Xibeihu 8x8, a Chinese amphibious vehicle likely based off the Argo".  Here is more info from the manufacturer's website

The above picture shows the complete set out of it's box, with the two figures.  I find these figures rather unremarkable, but if you want a closer look at them, please see the review for the PTE Ground Patrol Unit here, as to avoid repetition about them.  The accessories that come with this package are shown below: two rifles, a drum, a gas can, and a pair of binocs.

The scale of the vehicle is pretty much in line with what you would expect out of 1:18.  It's comparable in size to that of a small car.  

The outboard engine (above) clasps on to the back of the vehicle (below) with a notch to hold it in place (two pics below).  A big complaint I have is that this does not work so well in keeping the engine attached to the back, especially when it gets wet.  It will snap off with very minor force on it.  I wish they would have made it fasten better, though that probably would have meant it would be harder to remove.  I would actually prefer that since in operation you'll probably be wanting the outboard attached much more often than not.  It was aggravating having this thing fall off the back a number of times just putting figures on it or placing it for photos.

Above shows the rear of the vehicle with the outboard removed.  You can see the notch which helps secure the accessory to the rear, even if it doesn't work so well.

One thing I'm noticing about the Power Team Elite lineup is that this camo pattern is quite common.  It may be effective at providing camouflage for all I know, but on a toy I find it grainy and a bit unattractive.

If you really want to, you can cram about 8 figures in it: two in the front and three on a side on the benches in the rear.  Six figures, however, is probably more comfortable.  

The steering column is made entirely of soft rubber.  One disadvantage of rubber is that over time, it fractures and can discolor.  In the short term, it provides a nice level of detail that probably wouldn't be possible with normal plastics unless you wanted those handle grips to be brittle.

I suppose by now you've asked the question, "does it float?"  It does as seen below.  Being a small vessel, you do have to be mindful of how you distribute the load.  Here it is with four figures loaded.  I tried six and it was a little too heavy and it started taking on water.  The wheels have no internal axle as they are mounted on pegs that protrude from the body, and are removable, so they do not leak.  If water comes over the black plastic part of the hull, it takes on water as there is no seal between the bottom and top half.  So as long as you don't weigh the Amphibian down too much, it should remain afloat.

Tactical Assessment:

This is not really a combat vehicle.  Modern military amphibious vehicles tend to be larger or have a little armor to them.  Most similar to the PTE Amphibian in function are the older WWII 'floating trucks' like the DUKW and the Schwimmwagen.  Each were light transports/recon vehicles of dubious seaworthiness.  The PTE vehicle by comparison would share the same limitations.  It is not designed to transverse rough waters. However, one advantage the Amphibian has over these vintage types is that it has more more buoyancy on the outside of the hull provided courtesy of eight large tires.  I reason that it should therefore be a bit more resistant to being swamped than it's vintage predecessors.  Still, this is not the vehicle you want for transversing rapids or making landings on rough shores.

On land, it has the ability to cross rough terrain and significant inclines due to the grip of it's eight low pressure tires.  However, the's speed is limited by it's lack of power and by it's transmission.  I doubt the vehicle has sufficient suspension or chassis to make a high speed rides particularly enjoyable anyway.  This vehicle was created for utility purposes and for granting access to tough to reach areas, not road-cruising.  Being relatively slow in water and on land while being completely unarmed also makes this something I doubt you would want to be in when you are crossing a stream while under fire.  It clearly offers more opportunities for raw adventure than battle.  Still, it should be able to find it's uses as a useful military transport vehicle in more remote areas or when ferrying between ships and calmer shores.

Specs:

I've made some changes based on the idea that the PTE Amphibian is more like the Xibeihu 8x8 than the Argo. I'm also dropping the idea of  a diesel motor. 

Engine:  i3-cyl 812cc 36hp /51lb/ft @4000rpm Gasoline Engine, 

Outboard: 1-cyl 125cc 8hp gasoline engine

Transmission: CVT + 2 forward gears, neutral, reverse
Transaxle: 8x8 on land, paddle tires w option of outboard engine on water

Max speed on land: 28mph

Max speed in calm water: 3 mph with tires alone, 8 mph with outboard motor.

Crew 1 driver. (a second hand guiding the outboard can increase maneuverability on the water)

Cargo: 8 total passengers on land, 6 in water.  1100/660 lbs total land/water

Towing Capacity: 2000 lbs*

 Fuel Capacity: 10 gallons.  5-6 hours of operation*

*note, these are not official product specs, but my rough estimates for use in an imaginary universe.  the rest I borrowed from the manufacturer's site here with roughly calculated conversions.  Just a friendly reminder that you should consider that I could be making anything and everything on this site up as I go.

Overall Grade: B

A pretty solid toy, overall. 

Quality: B+

No Major gripes apart from perhaps a little more thoughtfulness in securing the outboard motor

Appearance: B

Plain by design, but not spectacular.

Play Value: B

floatability adds to the possibilities. 

Accessories: C+

Has a couple of the normal PTE items, plus the so-so figures.

Synopsis:

An intriguing vehicle, but I don't see why this is a must have.  Adventure team fans might be more inclined to it, as would army builders, etc.