Howdy figure fans, this time out we will be taking a look at ZY Toys RPG-7 sets. The RPG-7 is one of those ” familiar weapons ” with a shape so unique and characteristic that even your grandmother and her bridge club buddies would recognize one. And over the years, many an action figure company have taken a turn at producing the venerable RPG-7 in sixthscale… With offerings from Armoury Toys, Hot Toys, 21st Century Toys, and now ZY Toys. In the next section I will go into a brief history of this workhorse launcher – tracing it’s roots, and distribution. So, without further ado, let’s get down to business…
Background…
In studying the history of the RPG, I found out some interesting bits of information…There have been close to ten different iterations of the RPG, with the basic form first introduced by the Soviet Union shortly after World War II. This basic design incorporated key features from both the U.S. M1 Bazooka, and German Panzerfaust. Not the first time a weapon has borrowed design elements from it’s predecessors, and no doubt not the last. Later, the Soviets came up with what would become the most widely distributed, and most familiar iteration – the RPG 7…
The RPG-7 incorporates a simple and durable design that has no doubt factored into it’s longevity. Yet despite it’s lengthy history and widespread use, it has been somewhat scarce in the world of sixthscale weapons. Therefore, when new version hits the market, it’s worth a look. I have had experience with all of the aforementioned sixthscale versions apart from the Hot Toys version… And in my estimation, the Armoury Toys version is the best out there by way of detail and overall finish. I am quickly becoming a fan of ZY Toys product line, so when Brian sent the RPG sets to Giant Mansion Laboratory ( home of the Hyper Detail Gun Lab ), I was excited.
Despite the fact that ZY Toys does not identify the RPG’s in their sets as RPG-7′s, instead referring to them on their packaging as RPG Anti-Tank Bazookas, I am going on the assumption that they are indeed intended to be RPG-7′s. I know what you may be saying – Demo Dick, the Sharkman of the Delta, has a thing about never making assumptions… But he also bench presses 500 pounds every morning on the outdoor weight pile at Rouge Manor come rain or shine… And he makes protein shakes from crocodile beaks, and bison schwanz ( both of which he harvests himself – with his teeth )… So I am accustomed to breaking a portion os his particular set of rules.
Two versions…
ZY Toys has released two versions of the RPG-7 – one with a wooden heat shield, and one with what is either intended to be a metal or polymer heat shield ( in this case painted a medium matte black ). I am happy that they decided to offer two versions, as I have never quite taken a shine to modern era weapons with wooden furniture. Odd, as I have always loved the look of wood in almost everything else. I even spent a summer working as a finish carpenter, so I love to get my hands on the stuff for creative purposes. Never-the-less, I just tend to go more for the poly and plastic high tech material look with weapons.
Both versions feature a pair of rockets, a main launcher body with attached optics, movable front and rear iron sights, tan grosgrain ribbon carrying straps ( with metal slider buckles ), and a separate lever release widget that attaches to the side of the optic array. I should mention that in one of the box art pics there is an image of the optic sight array in a position other than the configuration as seen when you open the box. I know that sounds garbled, but bottom line is, I got the impression from the box art that the optics were removable. I tried to remove them myself, using utmost care, but after a few tries I gave up for fear that I might cause damage to either the sight or the launcher. This does not mean that the sight isn’t removable, just that I didn’t push the point to find out. I was happy to discover that the tiny switch at the upper rear of the firing handle does move. Be careful though – it is a very delicate piece, and might be susceptible to damage were the launcher forcibly placed into a figure’s hands.
Also worthy of mension is the packaging ZY Toys uses for they weapon sets. I have to give kudos to ZY Toys for their packaging – a small consideration in some respects, but a measure of effort never the less. Zy Toys have packaged their RPG-7′s in boxes constructed from sturdy white cardboard, which is similar to heavy gauge card stock. The box consists of two main pieces ( top half and bottom half ) – the outside of which are decorated with photographs of the RPG-7′s in an outdoor, scale specific, rubble strewn environment. This seems to be the same location that ZY Toys uses to photograph all of their weapon sets, and these are the same images that we see in the pre-release pics on the forum boards. I find myself wondering if this location was somewhere out in the rough, or was literally right outside of ZY Toys HQ – maybe on the fringe of the employee parking area.
Getting back on track, when you open the box, you see an inner clear plastic tray with cells ( openings ) for the RPG’s component parts. There is also a clear plastic over tray ( lid ) that securely covers the display tray, and keeps the individual parts from rattling around or coming loose. There is also an inner leaf of white card stock under the plastic display tray, which while unnecessary for the integrity of the packaging, is still a nice addition… You may even be able to come up with some clever 1/1 scale uses for this extra bit of card stock… A grocery list, a love note, an on the go pooper scooper, all three perhaps… The possible uses are only limited by one’s imagination. On packaging alone I would award a perfect five out of five starts for the sets.
I got wood…
As I mentioned earlier, I tend to go for the more high tech, less folksy look with modern weapons. And after thinking about it, I have decided that I may need to expand my ideas in this regard. But despite my rigid criteria, I still have to acknowledge that ZY Toys did a very nice job with the wooden paint apps on the folksy version RPG-7. It’s no secret that wood finishes can be very difficult to recreate with paint… Whether with respect to sixthscale weapons, or low budget house flip flare, it’s tough to paint something in order to make it look like it’s made out of wood.
Some sixthscale companies have tried to create the subtle color variations in grain by embossing a wood grain relief into the plastic… They then go back and and paint embossed area in one uniform color – most likely hoping that the texture of the embossing will add the just so wood grain magic to the paint. Others have tried to capture the wood look with paint effects that are nothing short of a mess times ten. Happily, ZY Toys managed to pull off the effect without overdoing it. There is room for improvement, but then again, this is one of the first examples of a ZY Toys weapon with a moderate amount of wood, so hopefully they will only get better with future releases ( maybe some AK’s… ).
Sidenote: After conferring with Brian about a possible repaint of the wooden version, it was decided that leaving the wooden furniture as a feature, and not painting over it with a camouflage paint scheme, was the best option.
One word Benjamin… plastics…
I may have been better off quoting from Benjamin’s “wood or wire” conversation with Mrs. Robinson, but hey, there is a great future in plastics… nuff said. Sorry for that tangential departure, but it does lead me to the one key difference between the two sets… The color scheme of the heat guards. In the case of the black heat guard, I am assuming that the material in question is meant to represent either a lightweight metal – or more likely a polymer plastic of some sort. I am voting or polymers as metal would add weight to the launcher, and would potentially be more costly and time consuming to produce… I also wonder about the heat distribution properties of polymers versus metals. I would tend to think that the former would prove more effective after multiple launches… Maybe it’s actually wood in both cases, with one version being unpainted and the other painted. Who knows… After much reading, I was unable to come up with a definitive answer.
Rocket science…
Of course no launcher, RPG or other wise, would be complete without a rocket… And in the case of the ZY Toys RPG-7 sets we receive two rockets per launcher. This is well in keeping with the real world capabilities of the RPG, as it is a multiple launch platform. I cannot give a positive I.D. on the type of rocket featured in both of the sets, but from my research I would offer that the rocket in question is meant to represent either a general purpose HE ( High Explosive ), or shaped charge HEAT ( High Explosive Anti Tank ) warhead. I guess you can make that call for your self depending on how you intend to outfit the figure that would be using the launcher.
One thing I would have liked to have seen would have been multiple rocket types ala Armoury Toys RPG sets. With the Armoury Toys RPG rockets, differences in warhead type was represented by variations guide rod length, warhead shape, flight fin shape, and overall color. In the real world, there are multiple types of RPG rocket warheads, including: illumination, tear gas, white phosphorus, smoke, and even a thermobaric variant. So it would nice to see a little variety in this area in possible future sixthscale RPG sets.
Final impression…
I have to say that I am as pleased with these sets as I have been with previous ZY Toys sets… They are a welcome addition to any sixthscale arsenal – and a must have for folks who like to customize Soviet figures. The detailing and finishing is competitive with Armoury Toy’s sets, and a step up from the 21st Century Toys sets from a few years back. The cost is reasonable at under $20.00, and both versions ( wood and plastic ) are worthy of consideration. The only gripe I have is the missed opportunity to include alternate warheads. I hope that ZY Toys will continue to offer up exotic weapon sets – and that they are still small enough to be open to suggestions and feedback from their consumers – and enterprising enough to cull the resources and initiative to implement changes and make improvements in their products.
Special note: When adding the release lever widget to the area where the RPG optic array is attached to the RPG launcher body, use utmost caution so as not to over stress the connection. The lever mounts via two small raised bumps that fit into equally small receiver holes. I found it easiest to pop the lever onto the laucher with the lever in a sidelong position ( how it would look when locked into the closed position – and how it is shown in my pics ). I would also advise not moving the lever once it has been popped in place, as it is quite fragile, and if broken would be a bear to fix.
My personal touches…
By now regular readers know that after I have unpackaged and photographed the subjects of my reviews, I go back and add my own personal touches. In this case, I decided to give each version a thorough weathering treatment – which is always fun for me, as I view weathering as a means by which to tell a story… It is the story of the action and engagements that weapon has seen, and a great way to add realism to the piece.
cod black ops toys are very cool