Chap Mei Police vs. Bad Guyz
Living so near to China, the Philippine toy market is basically just bootlegs piled on shelves next to a smattering of officially licensed products. Sure we see the same Hasbro and Mattel figures as the rest of the world, but the majority of our population can not afford “original” toys like Transformers and Marvel Heroes.
Enter Chinese toy manufacturers like Chap Mei.
If you haven’t heard of these guys, visit Toy Kingdom and check out the sections near the GI Joes. Next to those peg warmers that haven’t been touched since last year, you’ll see several shelves of product that moves faster than any of the lines that us collectors squabble over. Moms know that junior isn’t the careful,anal retentive that Dad is, someone who locks his toys away untouched in a glass cabinet. No, Junior is someone who’s going to be throwing his toys across the room to see if that jetpack they come with really does make them fly. Since parents know they’ll need to replace a lot of these come next year, they’re much more likely to shell out for cheaper off-brand items than something that costs half their monthly paycheck.
Consider this: Average office worker here makes what, maybe php10,000 a month if they’re lucky. One GI Joe jet costs about php5,000 at suggested retail price. That is one jet, one figure, and maybe a few accessories like missles. You might get lucky and enjoy some kind of action feature (if “enjoy” can be the right word). Now a Chap Mei “Soldier Force” D-Hurricane helicopter is about the same size as an “Echo Class” GI Joe vehicle (Like the Night Raven jet), or maybe a little smaller. It has 3 1:18 scale figures, a small bunker playset, a dirt bike, and a ton of accessories. Plus it’s got the light and sound action features. All of that for only p1,500.
The thing with Chap Mei though is that though the majority of their vehicles and figures are in the 1:18 scale, their weapons are made in a 1:12. They are all oversized to look big and imposing for the kids. “My gun is bigger than yours is” and all that. Bad for the Joe collectors who want to mix and match. Good for the superhero crowd who are trying to arm their bit players.
These four sets are from Chap Mei’s “Police vs. Bad Guyz” line which, duh, features Policemen and Bad Guys. I bought 4 of the 6 sets that were available, namely, they are cops Officer Hammer, Sergeant Thomas, Captain Maxwell, and one of the criminals, Stinger Lloyd.
I’m not sure of their availability in other malls here. These I found in the Sta. Lucia Grand Mall toy store in Cainta on one of my odd toy runs outside of my usual route. Since I’ve got an American mentality when it comes to shopping, I couldn’t leave the store empty handed when I didn’t find any Transformers Animated Alternators, especially after coming all this way. Now php250 a pop may seem like a lot for a cheap Chinese toy, but once you open these up, you’ll notice that they aren’t really that cheap. Sure they aren’t ARTICULATED that well, and they aren’t realistically proportioned, but they are well made, sturdy, and very fun. They’ve each got a tons of accessories and a vehicle (in the case of Lloyd, more weapons). It’s a bargain really.
Here’s some photos/a list of everything that came with them:
OFFICER HAMMER
SERGEANT THOMAS
CAPTAIN MAXWELL
STINGER LLOYD
Though the vehicles and playsets are perfect for your Joe collection, only a few of the accessories are. Of those listed above, only the revolvers and the 3 grenades would go well with a GI Joe figure’s size. The rest are made for the 1:12 scale. If you have any one of the Marvel Legends Punisher figures, or are trying to arm your SHEILD army, this is the way to go.
Unless you want to pay tons of money on McFarlane Military statues for the weapons.
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