The Corps [Lanard]: Dragonfly M5-R

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 EagleHawk  Tomahawk.

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 mph
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.  

A Note About "Realism"

Hasbro has come up with some really odd and unworkable pieces over the years for GI Joe and Cobra vehicles.  I have to be honest that I'm not that big a fan of a lot of it.  I established this site with the intent of talking primarily about the equipment of the GI Joe universe and how it might fit into a realistic or quasi-realistic military setting.  As I think over what's out there in those respects, Joe and Cobra vehicles seem to fit into one of three different categories:  The first category would be vehicles that are closely modeled off of real military weaponry like the already reviewed Sky Striker, or be so obviously sound in it's design and being comparable to real vehicles like the VAMP (even if it's weapon's targeting ability is somewhat suspect).  The Second category would be vehicles that are either loosely based on real vehicles, but have enough extra-ordinary modifications and capabilities to make them somewhat unfeasible or exceptional (like the Rattler), or are certainly plausible enough as vehicles but would be nonsensical as military weapons (like the Fang, for example. Gyrocopters do exist, but it's weapons would be too hard to use effectively, I think).  The final category of vehicles are things that are both implausible as vehicles and as weapons.  The SHARC is probably the best example of this last group.  It can fly as a jet and then hit the water becoming a submersible, and take off from under the surface and become airborne again -all from a vehicle that from the appearances of the Joe-scale is not much larger than a minivan.  While I'm not averse to the use of futuristic technology, I can only go so far.

That said, there's probably reviews you won't see on this site, unless by chance I get my hands on and have the inkling to write up a review of vehicles and weapons I generally don't like.  No, I'm not soliciting free stuff, I'm just establishing parameters of what you might or might not eventually see here.  However, if anyone truly wants my non-expert thoughts on things I haven't posted on, feel free to email me or leave comments.  Since I may not have the vehicle you are inquiring about, I'll be certain to need decent quality pictures to base a post on.  However, some rules:  Any pictures you submit should be of your own taking.  I am quite disinclined to use pictures from www.yojoe.com or any other site as that content belongs to the owners of those sites.  It is both a copyright thing and a desire to be a welcomed part of the community; that means not rubbing the operators of sites everyone already knows the wrong way.

I've added a new "Contact" form at the bottom of the page.

Anyway, an odd post I know.  Thanks for reading.....

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.