This is quoted from the Chap Mei forums...

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Well, I stopped today and picked up that 4-pack of figures. Unfortunately, these are not Chap Mei. They are stamped "Maidenhead, SL64UB, UK" on their feet. While they are still in the 3.75" range and will play with that scale, they are made of softer plastic ans painted with a shinier paint than Chap Mei figures. They each have basic 5-point articulation and the helmets are molded on. There are 4 different weapons to go with the 4 figures.

That said, this seems to be a major new line coming from TRU that might play well with Chap Mei. LASER is actually an acronym for Land-Air-Sea Elite Rangers, so they're not so much a space line as a high tech military line. There are names and bio cards for each figure on the back of the package similar to GI Joe. TRU has a website for the new line here.

http://www.toysrus.com/shop/index.jsp?c ... d=11890200

The website promises more from the line, including vehicles. There's a PDF preview of an original comic where you can get a look at one of the possible vehicles.

So, while not Chap Mei (at least these initial figures) this could still be a cool line for 3.75" military figure collectors to get into.

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Futuristic soldiers, a comic and upcoming vehicles, nice.
5 points of articulations kills it for me, but then again with my Joes, I can have all the heroes I want.

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Saw two vehicles last night at TRU.

Both.. honestly lame and under-detailed.

One was a mech that had less detail than the Imaginext mechs. the other was a wheeled transport vehicle with light up lasers.

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Does anyone here really know exactly how the ChapMei stuff is distributed? There are so many items they create, but it seems that the stores like TRU get one or two theme styles, while overseas gets another, or places like BigLots score pieces that are never seen in a large chain? Is it really just a 'luck of the draw' in one's ability to find the really gold items, like the Cyclops with the glowing eye, or the Viking sets? Kind of odd how it seems haphazard, but I would like to believe there is some method to the madness.

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TRU tends to pick up and repackage lines based on what's trending in movies and such. Other than them, no one else is really carrying the product in the US anymore. Big Lots hasn't stocked new Chap Mei in a few years now. To really get the full line you need to go overseas. I'm guessing that the product has a larger presence in Europe because it is kore generic in theme. Retailers there want stuff they can sell in multiple countries to various cultures. America is homogeneous enough that more specific products do better here, Plus our entertainment industry is a lot more powerful than elsewhere.

The troop transport/van thing is pretty generic. Reminds me of those blow molded vehicles that would say "Compatible with GI Joe" on the package. Still, it's decently sized, not sure on the price though. Only had the van at the TRU I was at, but the box shows the van interacting with a jet/helicopter thing that seems like it could have potential.

Here's some cellphone pics I snapped . . .

Huh, sitting on the van like that is rather interesting. I'll have to see if my TRU has the jet.

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I'll have to keep an eye out to, that van looks very promising, but i gotta see it in person.

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Looks like something to use for a futuristic A-Team, hehe.

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I'm kinda liking that van for my revamped Adventure Team.

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Given my Johnny West roots, I keep finding myself drawn to the Western sets at my TRU, as the stage coach looks fantastic. The western town also has potential. Not as big of a fan of the covered wagon set, since the top is hard plastic. But those are ones I keep looking at, along with the new plane, and to some extent the older police van.

This new van looks interesting though as a futuristic vehicle.

On the question of distribution, I bought a number of the western figures at Dollar Tree some time ago. They were painted horribly, so they might have been rip-offs of Chap Mei, but they were definitely the same sculpt as the cowboys in the TRU set.

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Looks like Robocop's Paddy Wagon...

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What makes that van even cooler is the fact it has the pegs to mate with that drop ship so the 2 fit together, although i cannot guarantee that they both stay together, but they've done something that the other big names tend to stay away from. I can't wait for my local TRU to get these in so i can check them out for myself or someone else gets this and takes some good pictures.

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Saw the dropship last night.. OMG. IT IS HUGE.
It's their big box item like the C-130 and the large pirate ship. It was on a high shelf and I couldn't even reach it safely so I didn't get a close look. It looks really impressive and much bigger than I expected.

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So are the figures 3 3/4" or 5" tall?