Application

Red Knight Legion - A Body Study Part Uni

Volunteer Study

Here are the results of our extensive study of the 'Joe'. Both form and function are meticulously detailed in this graphic intensive section. As new Legionnaires join the Legion we will endevour to add them to this study. Currently we have studied 12 of these 12 inch soldiers including: Vintage GI Joe, Captain Action, Marx figures, Classic Collection, Cotswold Elites, and 21st Century, Dragon Models, Elite Forces, and Ertl.

I've compared their posing capabilities, their actual dimensions as compared to real life soldiers, and various body parts to come up with the best looking and best fighting Joe.

Specifically, I've evaluated these genetic masterpieces on:
     Position of Attention
     Realistic Body Design
     Kneeling Position
     The Best Hands
     Standing Firing Position
     Prone Firing Position
     Sitting Position

The Super Soldiers
Position of Attention

Vintage GI Joe Hasbro	Vintage Captain Action Ideal	Stony Smith Marx	Grunt Hall of Fame
Krause Elite Brigade	CC Joe Classic Collection	ME Joe Master Edition Results same as Vintage	Sam 21st Century
Hans Dragon Models	Deer Hunter Ertl Outdoorsman	Outstanding Articulation Soldiers of the World	Mercenary 21st Century, Ver 2
Body Builder Elite Forces

As you can see by the pictures above, seven of our troopers can stand at the correct position of attention. Captain Action can't twist his feet or knees to allow the necessary 45 degree angle for his feet. Stony has the same problem but even worse, his feet are welded in place. Grunt's problem is even worse. Hans looks good but he can't put his heels together, neither can SOTW or Mercenary. Body Builder comes close, but he has to bend his knees to get his heels together.

Best Position of Attention goes to:....the vintage joe body styles of Joe, Krause and ME and to Ertl's Outdoorsman.

And now a study of the body measurements and range of motion each of our super soldiers have...

Item Vint. Joe
Hasbro Cpt Action
Ideal Stony
Marx Grunt
HOF Krause
Elite Bde CC Joe
Carded - CC Sam
21st Ver 1 Hans
DM OD
Ertl OA
SOTW Merc
21st Ver 2 BB
Elite Force Units

Height 11.50 / 69.00 11.38 / 68.28 11.50 / 69.00 11.5. / 69.00 11.25 / 67.50 11.13 / 66.78 11.25 / 67.50 11.88 / 71.28 11.63 / 69.78 11.88 / 71.28

11.94 / 71.64 11.50 / 69.00 In

   Comments: (Expressed by Actual / Converted 1:6 Scale) Our soldiers have a nice mix of heights (just like reality). The Mercenary (21st Century ver 2 body) wins as he is the closest to the genetic perfection of 6 feet tall.

Head Size 4.38 / 26.28 4.25 / 25.50 4.25 / 25.50 4.00 / 24.00 4.25 / 25.50 3.86 / 23.16 4.13 / 24.78 4.38 / 26.28 4.25 / 25.50 3.88 / 23.28 3.94 / 23.64 3.88 / 23.28 In

   Comments: (Expressed by Actual / Converted 1:6 Scale) No clear winners here. Carded CC has hat size of 7-1/16, Grunt has 7-3/4, OA and BB have 7-1/4, and Merc has 7-1/2; all others are off the normal human scale.

Head Rotation 360^o 360^o

180^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o dg

   Comments: All had 360 degree rotation except for Marx Stony Smith, who only had 180 degrees (more real).

Head Nod

100^o 95^o 0 0

105^o 42^o 35^o 10^o 16^o 18^o 45^o 60^o dg

   Comments: Measurement of how far they can tilt their head forward and back as a total degree range. Normal humans have about a 90^o range of motion.

Item Vint. Joe
Hasbro Cpt Action
Ideal Stony
Marx Grunt
HOF Krause
Elite Bde CC Joe
Carded - CC Sam
21st Ver 1 Hans
DM OD
Ertl OA
SOTW Merc
21st Ver 2 BB
Elite Force Units

Head Wag 15^o 20^o 0 0 5^o 0 0 15^o 36^o 20^o

50^o 20^o dg

   Comments: Measurement of how far they can tilt their head side to side as a total degree range. Normal humans have about a 45^o range of motion. This side to side motion was impossible for some (stiff neck) where the Vintage and Elite soldiers had a problem with the rivets that restrict movement.

Neck Size

2.69 / 16.14

2.75 / 16.50

2.75 / 16.50 2.88 / 17.28 2.63 / 15.78 3.00 / 18.00 3.00 / 18.00

2.75 / 16.50 2.88 / 17.28 2.88 / 17.28 2.88 / 17.28 2.63/ 15.78 In

   Comments: I choose 16-16.5 as being the most realistic neck size of our soldiers based on height and physique.

Shoulder Rotation 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o dg

   Comments: This measurement shows the ability to 'pinwheel' your arms. All had 360 degree rotation.

Arm Lift 148^o 138^o 40^o 90^o 143^o 135^o 115^o 154^o 160^o 145^o 140^o
180^o dg

   Comments: This is a measurement of how far up our troops can raise their arms in a lat raise movement. Picture standing at attention with your palm against your thigh, raise your arm, keeping it straight and the palm facing down, do not twist the arm. Normal humans have about a 170^o range of motion. Therefore, BB (Elite Force) is our clear winner.

Item Vint. Joe
Hasbro Cpt Action
Ideal Stony
Marx Grunt
HOF Krause
Elite Bde CC Joe
Carded - CC Sam
21st Ver 1 Hans
DM OD
Ertl OA
SOTW Merc
21st Ver 2 BB
Elite Force Units

Arm Length 3.50 3.50 3.50 3.13 3.38 3.13 3.25 3.38 3.38 3.38 3.50 3.38 In

   Comments: No real winners here as it's not the length that counts, it's the proportion. Curled fingers should come to about mid thigh. As you can see by the Attention photos, Cpt Action's and OA's arms are too long where everyone elses are about right.

Elbow Range 140 130 110 55 145 145 120
151 130 130 140 145 dg

   Comments: Very important measurement. This measures the degree of motion from hyper-extending your elbow through a full contraction when the wrist gets close to the bicep. Normal movement for human males is just slightly lower than vertical (hyper-extended) all the way up so the wrist almost touches the bicep. Hans from Dragon is the winner in this category! You can see how the latest advances in figure-genetics have gotten us closer to the Hans ideal.

Elbow Rotation 360^o 360^o

80^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o dg

   Comments: Most have 360 degree rotation accomplished by a split-joint in the bicep that simulates the human ability to twist the upper arm. Marx Stony Smith, who only had 80 degrees (no split-joint) is more real.

Wrist Range 165^o

180^o 0 0

180^o 113^o 130^o 125^o

180^o 175^o 85^o

190^o dg

   Comments: Similar to the Elbow Range measurement. This measures the degree of flexibility in the wrist joint. Holding the hand straight out palm up, how far below horizontal and how far above horizontal can you move the hand without moving the arm. Normal movement for human males is about 45^o below and 70-80^o above. just slightly lower than vertical (hyper-extended) all the way up so the wrist almost touches the bicep. Capt. Action, Krause and OD are perfect with BB topping the charts.

Item Vint. Joe
Hasbro Cpt Action
Ideal Stony
Marx Grunt
HOF Krause
Elite Bde CC Joe
Carded - CC Sam
21st Ver 1 Hans
DM OD
Ertl OA
SOTW Merc
21st Ver 2 BB
Elite Force Units

Wrist Rotation 360^o 360^o 0 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o dg

   Comments: All had 360 degree rotation except for Grunt, who can't 'spin' his wrists. Not a human quality but helps to position weapons.

Chest Size

7.25 / 43.50 7.00 / 42.00 6.38 / 38.28 7.00 / 42.00

6.86 / 41.16 6.86 / 41.16 6.50 / 39.00 6.75 / 40.50 6.38 / 38.28 7.25 / 66.78 6.50 / 39.00 6.38 / 38.28 In

   Comments: (Expressed by Actual / Converted 1:6 Scale) Again, more of a proportion thing. But if your neck is 16.5 inches then your chest is probably greater than 42 inches. OA from SOTW is on the extreme! A 66" chest? He should have been called 'Body Builder'.

Waist Size 5.38 / 32.28 4.75 / 28.50 4.63 / 27.78 5.00 / 30.00

5.63 / 33.78 5.00 / 30.00 4.5 / 27.00 4.44 / 26.64 4.50 / 27.00 5.50 / 33.00 4.56 / 27.52 4.50 / 27.00 In

   Comments: (Expressed by Actual / Converted 1:6 Scale) Reality check! - The Massive chest and tiny waist just wouldn't work for a live trooper. Krause just edges out Vintage Joe for the top slot. OA has a normal waist but his chest is too large, throwing the proportion off.

Waist Rotation 360^o 360^o 0 0 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o dg

   Comments: All had 360 degree rotation except for Marx Stony Smith and Grunt, who can't 'spin' their waist around at all. Reality is somewhere in the middle (no pun intended).

Item Vint. Joe
Hasbro Cpt Action
Ideal Stony
Marx Grunt
HOF Krause
Elite Bde CC Joe
Carded - CC Sam
21st Ver 1 Hans
DM OD
Ertl OA
SOTW Merc
21st Ver 2 BB
Elite Force Units

Waist Bend 46^o 70^o 0 0 50^o 10^o 24^o 0 45^o 40^o

95^o 50^o dg

   Comments: Upset City! Cap Action was the king but Merc beats everyone hands down! This troop can almost do regulation situps! Many of the new genetic techniques use a 2-part waist / abdominal construction. 21st Century did it best.

Waist Wag 15^o 35^o 0 0 20^o 5^o 10^o 0 30^o 30^o

40^o

40^o dg
   Comments: Wag is the range of motion your waist has side to side. Again the Merc leads the pack with the best waist articulation of all troops. BB also has great Waist Wag. Of note, the genetic engineers who designed OA put in a neat sliding waist feature but Merc still out performs. The only issue we have with the new multiple waist joint is that it is sometimes hard to 'line-up' all these elements into a nice straight 'gig' line.

Inseam
(Crotch to sole) 5.13 / 30.78 5.25 / 31.50 5.25 / 31.50 5.50 / 33.00 5.00 / 30.00 5.50 / 33.00 5.63 / 33.78 5.50 / 33.00 5.63 / 33.78 5.50 / 33.00

5.75 / 34.50 5.25 / 31.50 In

   Comments: (Expressed by Actual / Converted 1:6 Scale) In a normally proportioned american male, this measurement ought to be slightly less then 1/2 of his height. Merc comes the closest so he wins this category.

Hip Rotation 360^o 360^o 0 0 360^o 0 0 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o dg

   Comments: Imagine someone holding your foot and twisting your leg all around. Not really a human trait - but it sure prevents some breakage! The split joint in the thigh of the modern genetics design simulates the ability we have to 'twist' our legs without rotation of the knee or hip. (But we still can't do it 360^o).

Item Vint. Joe
Hasbro Cpt Action
Ideal Stony
Marx Grunt
HOF Krause
Elite Bde CC Joe
Carded - CC Sam
21st Ver 1 Hans
DM OD
Ertl OA
SOTW Merc
21st Ver 2 BB
Elite Force Units

Hip Lift Range 70^o 140^o

205^o 360^o 95^o 130^o 135^o 140^o 145^o 130^o 190^o 160^o dg

   Comments: A test of flexibility. This measures the range of motion from lifting your leg straight out in front as high as you can go, all the way down and back to as far in the rear you can lift it. Discounting Grunt's bizarre deformity, Stony has the best forward to back leg flexibility.

Hip Lateral Raise 170^o 130^o 120^o 190^o 180^o 180^o 195^o 194^o 185^o 170^o

230^o 200^o dg

   Comments: A test of flexibility. As a reference, to be able to do the splits you would need a 180^o (90^o degree raise of both legs), at the same time! Ouch! Merc is the clear winner here. Olympic gymnasts have nothing on him.

Knee Rotation 360^o 0 0 0 360^o 360^o 360^o 0 0 360^o 0 0 dg

   Comments: Again, no 'normal' human can do this (spin your knee in its socket) but it prevents some breakage if you are trying to get your trooper in those weird positions!

Knee Bend 95^o 88^o 105^o 60^o 88^o 90^o 86^o 148^o 155^o 90^o

160^o 150^o dg

   Comments: Again, a range of motion measurement. Humans can literally 'sit' on their ankles. That's because our knees 'strech' and our calfs and thighs 'squish'. Now, after a couple of knee surgerys, I can tell you the human knee joint is fragile, but a 'healthy' human has no problem with a 170^o bend!
Note: Lots of hype about OD's thigh holes, as you can see, it didn't put him over the top. Merc wins again!

Item Vint. Joe
Hasbro Cpt Action
Ideal Stony
Marx Grunt
HOF Krause
Elite Bde CC Joe
Carded - CC Sam
21st Ver 1 Hans
DM OD
Ertl OA
SOTW Merc
21st Ver 2 BB
Elite Force Units

Ankle Rotation 360^o 0 0 0 360^o 360 360 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o 360^o dg

   Comments: Again, no 'normal' human can do this (spin your foot around 360 degrees) but it allows some positions like attention and the prone position to be achieved.

Ankle Range 96^o 115^o 0 0 112^o 68^o 55^o 115^o 46^o 85^o 105^o

140^o dg

   Comments: A range of motion measurement. Normal human range is about 90^o. Try pulling your toes up and then pointing them down as far as possible. This is the range. Who can stand on their tippy toes? Good old (new) BB can! And he wins this category.

Foot Length (Shoe Size) 1.86 / 11.16 -
11½ 1.56 / 9.36 -
9½

1.94 / 11.64 -
12 1.50 / 9.00 -
9 1.75 / 10.50 -
10½ 1.81 / 10.86 -
11 1.75 / 10.50 -
10½ 1.56 / 9.36 -
9½ 1.44 / 8.64 -
9 1.75 / 10.50 -
10½ 1.75 / 10.50 -
10½ 1.44 / 8.64 -
9 In

   Comments: Your foot should be about 1/6 th of your height! Stony from Marx is almost dead on. Vint. Joe and CC Joe come in close seconds.

Item Vint. Joe
Hasbro Cpt Action
Ideal Stony
Marx Grunt
HOF Krause
Elite Bde CC Joe
Carded - CC Sam
21st Ver 1 Hans
DM OD
Ertl OA
SOTW Merc
21st Ver 2 BB
Elite Force

Number of Crosses
3 2 5 0 4 0 0 2 1 0

7 4

   The Mercenary from 21st Century wins round 1!

Average Male Statistics Gathered From: MIL-STD-1472D, Notice 2, 30 June 1992, "Human Engineering Design Criteria For Military Systems, Equipment and Facilities"

To view how some of these statistics and measurements equate to real life, we'll examine our soldiers in various poses.

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The Super SoldiersPosition of Attention

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The Super Soldiers
Position of Attention