Art Design: This is a straight-forward box with a carrying handle. On the front of the box, there is a picture of the building, and a window with the actual action figure. On the back of the box is the same photo of the building, and a photo of the action figure and his gear. Hasbro-GI Joe, which is the master of this kind of commerical art would have had the building in front of a background of a GI Joe diorama of tanks, jeeps, and figures. The FCP is is manufactured by Elite Operations. Elite Operations produces an economy line of 12" action figures that are pretty flimsy and sell for $4.99 each. However, the figure in this set is closer in quality to a Sideshow Toys Dragon-style body. Not a bad deal.
Headsculpt and Figure: The body of this Elite Action Figure is articulated similar to a Dragon, except the plastic is cheaper and the head has the GI Joe neckpost and bobbles when you shake it. The face on the action figure that was packaged with this Forward Command Post looks a lot like actor Ron Ely; who played Doc Savage and Tarzan in the 1960s and 1970s.
The Gear: A Knock-Off mortar that is too rubbery looking is the only negative here. The rest of the gear is at a minimum up to the standards of the Ultimate Soldier's level of quality. You get a handgun, holster, rifles, grenades, knee pads, etc.
The Building: The building is easy to put together, and the cardboard walls slide into grooves and would be easy to replace with any other cardboard of the same size. The balcony railings are battle-damaged, but the broken bits are included. You could either glue the broken pieces back onto the railings, or you could put them around the floor of the building along with other debris if you were going to take any diorama photos. The building can be painted, or weathered, or left as is. The Building shows some Battle Damage, and the cardboard walls also have illustrations of battle damage. The Forward Command Post also includes a large camouflage silkcloth which provides camouflage to the soldiers on the second floor of the building. You can customize this building to look like a hospital, a MASH unit, a small office building, etc. In addition to the battle-damaged look, you can always replace the cardboard walls with any other cardboard and turn this building into a display Headquarters for your 12" action figures. The negative is that the snap-together building is a little bit unsteady and would be a lot sturdier if the parts were glued together to make a permanent building. On the other hand, it is easy to take the building apart and put it away.
The Price: $29.99 at Toys R Us when I bought it, but some sources have reported that the price is $39.99 at some Toys R Us. I have seen this set at K-Mart also, for $29.99. It may be at Wal-Mart too, and online dealers may have it in stock.
Grade: B
