Soldiers of the World Desert Storm 1st Cavalry Division Gear
Packaging: The standard SOTW carded set, except the "card" has tons of gear! As you can see from the photo, just about the entire card is full. I guess they could have added a bug juice dispenser or another Smoke-Frag Grenade? The SOTW boxes, just like Max Steel, could use a new color scheme. SOTW especially has a generic look. This may just be one way they save money and keep prices down. On the other hand, if they could change the card colors a little, it would not look so boring to the collectors who have seen the same color scheme for the past ten years. As far as removing the items from the card is concerned, there is no way to do this and keep the item "MINT."
GEAR: What's old: The plastic harness belt, the pistol, the clip-ons for th ammo pouches and canteens; the boots. The plastic harness belt is not bad, but if you have any 21st Century or other harnesses available, then cut the harness off the SOTW web belt, and put the nicer harness on the belt. The plastic belt is sturdy, and it has a good buckle, so it makes the grade (for my troops). The plastic harness on the other hand, does not have any little gear straps or clips, and is useless. The other companies put the little straps on their harness belts, and thus you can attach grenades, flashlights, etc. The pistol is the same one that has been used for a few years now. It is a decent sculpt, but the resin style that all the other companies use (even G.I. Joe) looks more realistic than the shiny plastic. The clip-ons that are on the backs of the canteens, ammo pouchs, medical kit, are not as sturdy as Dragon, GI Joe, or others. Sometimes the whole thing comes loose from the back of the canteen. These pouches must be put on the belt before the belt is attached to the figure. The boots are the very soft rubbery boots. These are within the norm, and G.I> Joe uses them on some sets too. The details on the shoe-strings are a bit fuzzy.
GEAR: What's New: The shovel, the smoke grenade, the flashlight, the soft rubber on the canteens, ammo pouches, the night vision scope, the grenades. The shovel has some silver weathering scratches on the metal end, and the handle has a real wooden texture look. This is probably the nicest shovel (e-tool) that has been done. The smoke grenade looks like what GI Joe, Dragon, 21st Century, Blue Box have all been putting out for years. It is a real step forward for SOTW. The grenades are resin, and the flashlight, canteens, ammo pouches, all have a soft rubber coating. Very impressive to the touch. The flashlight also has a silver lens painted on. The night scope has a lens cap too!
Overall: A lot of interesting new parts, and the chocolate chip Desert Storm pants and shirt have snaps, not velcro. The helmets are still for small heads. It is a big step forward for SOTW, and a great asset for kitbashing.
