The Corps! is kind of like the poor man's 3 3/4" G.I. Joe. They are fully poseable action figures that look like they could fit into the G.I. Joe world...the only difference is that The Corps! figures don't have the detail or design. Like Joe, however, The Corps! has Asian Pacific Americans added to their line and in true military toy line tradition, these characters tend to be either martial arts experts or ninjas...or both. Anyway, here is what I have:
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Dragon Han Recon Task Force (Black Belt Ninjas) Line 1996, Lanard Within a 3-Pack of Black Belt Ninjas According to the card included with the figure, Dragon Han is a member of the Recon Task Force (Black Belt Ninjas). He "served as advisor and karate trainer for U.S. forces in Asia. He is a Grand Master in Taekwando and Aikido." The figure is actually pretty ugly and looks nothing like the drawn representation of Dragon Han. He comes with nunchakus, a sai and a crossbow. The paint job is really very strange, especially around the hair which makes his look like "Moe" from "The Three Stooges."
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Hiro Yamata Recon Task Force (Black Belt Ninjas) Line 1996, Lanard Within a 3-Pack of Black Belt Ninjas According to the card included with the figure, Hiro Yamata is a member of the Recon Task Force (Black Belt Ninjas). He is a "Member of an ancient and secret Ninja clan. He has trained since birth in all martial arts skills." It's interesting how, between G.I. Joe and The Corps!, most descendents of ancient Ninja clans have gone to serve in the U.S. Military. Again, the figure is actually pretty ugly, although I think it's better than the Dragon Han. Again, this figure looks nothing like the drawn representation. He comes with nunchakus, a pack of arrows and a crossbow.
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Dragon Han Ultra Corps! 12" Line - Wall Mart Kid Connection Set 2000, Lanard Individual Figure Okay, some people like the 3 3/4" Corps! figure, claiming their as good as the G.I. Joe line. I don't want to offend anybody, but that would be a giant NOT! for me. Now, Lanard is jumping on the 12" band wagon and has produced the Ultra CORPS!, featuring several of the characters used in 3 3/4" form. Dragon Han is one of those characters. While not the greatest, I do have to admit that it's not bad either. It's certainly more on par with G.I. Joe than its smaller brethren. I'm not sure I'm crazy about the head sculpt, but the accessories that he comes with are quite nice. I have the Wall Mart Kid Connection set...which apparently means I get crummy packaging, but many more accessories. I'd be interested to see them produce more of these...
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The following are items I still need to complete the set. If you notice any other items that should be added, please e-mail me.
- Lightning Mobutu (The Corps!)
- Sensei Kobuto (The Corps!)
- Quantum (The Corps! S.T.A.R. Force - Captain S. Takahashi)
- Bengala (The Corps!)
- Dragon Han (12" Ultra Corps! - Regular Packaging)
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