Ultimate Soldier
Encyclopedia
Ultimate Soldier is a toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...

, produced by the company known as 21st Century Toys. It makes 1/6, 1/18, and 1/32 scale figures and vehicles. It was founded in 1997, and began making 1/6 scale figures and uniforms, and now mostly makes 1/6 scale weapon sets as well as 1/18 and 1/32 scale toys. The President of the fan Club
Fan club
A fan club is a group that is dedicated to a well-known person, group, idea or sometimes even an inanimate object . Most fan clubs are run by fans who devote considerable time and resources to supporting them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated with the person...

 was Rex Adams
Rex Adams
Rex D. Adams is currently serving as Chairman and Non-Executive Director on the Invesco Board of Directors.Adams previously served as a professor and dean at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business from 1996 to 2001; before that appointment, he had worked for the Mobil Corporation for 31...

.

The action figures are based on World War Two, Vietnam War, Korean War, and Operation Desert Storm soldiers.

In 1997, 21st Century Toys decided to create a "12" inch soldier with more detailed accessories than Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...

's G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...

. The original SAM action figures released featured the same basic movable joint design as the G.I. Joe Classic Collection action figures featuring 15 movable parts. They were slightly taller with a slimmer build, and made with flexible plastic. The hands were a main concern, because they were stiff and difficult to place accessories into, as well as having an unrealistic head sculpt with a baby-face like design. In 1999, the company released the Super Soldier body design with 27 movable parts. The expanded line included three new categories: The original Ultimate Soldier line included a Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national memorial in Washington, D.C. It honors U.S. service members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in the Vietnam War, service members who died in service in Vietnam/South East Asia, and those service members who were unaccounted for during the War.Its...

 set of The Three Soldiers
The Three Soldiers
The Three Soldiers is a bronze statue, on the Washington, DC National Mall commemorating the Vietnam War. It was created and designed to complement the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, by adding a more traditional component to the Memorial.- Sculpture design and symbolism :This well-known sculpture by U.S...

, a Spetznaz soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...

 and sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....

, a Navy SEAL
Seal
Seal commonly refers to:* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals many of which are commonly called seals* Seal , a device which helps prevent leakage, contain pressure, or exclude contamination where two systems join...

, George S. Patton
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...

, Erwin Rommel
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....

 and various other modern day soldiers. The America's Finest line included Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...

, firefighters, and a K-9
Police dog
A police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...

 police officer. The Villains line included Boris; a KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...

 enforcer agent, a bounty Hunter
Bounty hunter
A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...

 named T-Gore, and a biker
Outlaw motorcycle club
An outlaw motorcycle club is a type of motorcycle club that is part of a subculture with roots in the post-World War II USA, centered on cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals celebrating freedom, nonconformity to mainstream culture, and loyalty to the...

. The Misfits line included Jerry Only
Jerry Only
Jerry Only is an American bassist. He is the current bassist and vocalist for the Misfits. He is credited with creating the infamous hair style known as the devilock.-Life and career:...

 and Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein
Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein
Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein , is an American guitarist best known for his material with the horror punk band the Misfits.-Life and career:...

 from the band the Misfits. A United States Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...

 agent was being considered when it was mentioned in a fan club
Fan club
A fan club is a group that is dedicated to a well-known person, group, idea or sometimes even an inanimate object . Most fan clubs are run by fans who devote considerable time and resources to supporting them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated with the person...

 news letter; unfortunately this led to an unknown rival toy company producing it before 21st Century toys made their final decision about releasing it. This basic design was used in 2000 to create the Cy Girls
Cy Girls
CY GIRLS is an action figure series by Takara Tomy and Blue Box Toys under the brand bbi collectible , featuring an elite unit of female crimefighters, combining the elements of both a doll and an action figure...

 known as the Perfect Body Female.

The arms had four parts, featuring fore arms, elbow pieces, lower biceps joints, and upper biceps/shoulder joints. The legs also had four parts with movable hips, calves, thighs and knee caps. The torso consisted of a movable chestpiece, abdomen and a pelvic piece connected by screws and springs. The head consisted of a pivoting neck joint (also connected by a spring and screw) with a universal socket joint for the rubber molded head to connect to. The new head sculpt was much more realistic. The double-jointed elbows and knees enabled the arms and legs to be posed into folded positions. This action figure could be posed into any position that the human body was capable of (and several it was not capable of). The two main concerns were the following: the flap sections on the calves and thigh connecting to the knee caps would have gaps in between them, and the connecting joints created a loose fit. The pivot joint connecting the neck to the torso was also very loose fitting, so that if it were accidentally knocked out of place or removed, there was no known way to put it back on. There were also complaints about the Nazi soldiers from the Third Reich being on the shelves. In 2002 the "12" inch line was cancelled as companies such as Dragon Models, Blue Box (BBI), Sideshow Collectibles, In the Past Toys and various other rival companies released their products with the same basic body design and their more detailed accessories. 21st Century Toys has moved on to producing smaller palm-sized planes, tanks and action figures.

External links

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