REVIEW: The CORPS! Rapid Assault Attack Fighter

The CORPS! Rapid Assault Vehicles

If you're a regular reader of That Figures, you'll know we've a lot of time for Lanard's The CORPS! figures. Priced at a super-competitive level and featuring some cool - albeit somewhat stylized - sculpts, they're a surprisingly fun line of allowance-friendly toys.

And you may also recall how much fun we had with the Rapid Assault Combat Copter. Now it's the turn of the Rapid Assault Attack Fighter, which has just been re-issued in the new Total Soldier camo colorway. Does it too provide the same level of fun and value-for-money? Read on and find out...

Rapid Assault Attack Fighter

Let's start with the most obvious difference between the Total Soldier re-issue and the earlier release (colorway aside), namely that this wave of Rapid Assault vehicles do not include a bundled pilot. It seems even Lanard's super-competitive pricing couldn't bring in a vehicle AND pilot at the same price as they did a couple of years ago. 

I'm a little disappointed that they couldn't manage to include a pilot and I'm sure kids buying this toy would have loved to have a little guy inside their vehicle but, given that the figures are available for under $2 each, it's not like a vehicle AND pilot combo is going to break the bank,

So with that said, let's take an up-close look at the jet itself.

As you can see, the Attack Fighter is very much influenced by the GI Joe approach to vehicle design. Although very clearly influenced by such fighter craft as the F-15 and F-16, Lanard's designers have taken those real-world elements and incorporated them into a vehicle that works at the smaller scale (and obviously, price point) to create a new-look vehicle.

The resultant design, whilst it looks neat, isn't really practical as a real-world vehicle. With that said, though, it's certainly no more unrealistic than something like the Trouble Bubble or some of the Marvel movie tie-in vehicles, so unless you're a absolute stickler for 100% realism with your vehicles, then I don't think you'll have too many problems with this aircraft's design - even if it does challenge the laws of flight dynamics.

Although the Attack Fighter doesn't come with a pilot, the packaging indicates that the Flying Force's Ivan ''Condor'' Lushka is the designated pilot (although any CORPS or similar scale figure will fit just fine) and so I've included the above image to give a sense of scale to the vehicle. I would also say that despite appearances, the figure actually fits well within the cockpit and doesn't seem so large when he's seated within.

The Attack Fighter's sculpt is fine for what it is. This isn't a particularly detailed sculpt (though there are some neat touches with the panels and - sadly immobile - flaps) and initial impressions of the vehicle's design don't really alter with additional time or scrutiny. That's not to say it's not an interesting or cool design but rather that it's very much a ''what you see is what you get'' kind of toy.

In terms of play features, there's not a great deal to see with the Rapid Assault Attack Fighter. The underside features four detachable missiles (as seen above), which fit very snugly into their clip/peg mounts and they won't really come loose unless you give them a good pull. I like this, as I have found in the past some GI Joe toys have a tendency to feature missiles and bombs that drop off when you so much as look at them, so this makes for a refreshing change.

The only other play feature is the canopy cover, which - as you can see in the above image - opens to allow access to the interior. And whilst I like how secure the missiles are, I'm not a fan of the way the canopy closes, as the catch used to click the dome shut is very tight and every time I open it I have a panic attack due to the fact that it feels like the dome's hinge is going to snap. Perhaps there's simply a knack to locking and unlocking the clasp I'm missing.

There are a few transfers that come pre-applied to the vehicle, such as the wing markings and there's also an interior cockpit display panel. It may be limited to my vehicle but the cockpit panel was applied at an odd angle, so it may be something to watch for when selecting which Attack Fighter you're going to  purchase.

But beyond that there's really not a great deal to say about this toy, so I'm going to jump straight to the Final Thoughts and discuss the toy's positives and negatives.

Final Thoughts

I have mixed feelings about the Rapid Assault Attack Fighter. On the one hand, it looks good - if you're a fan of GI Joe-esque/Super-Deformed cartoon-y vehicles. But if you're looking for an accurate replica of a real-world vehicle then look elsewhere, as this isn't the toy for you.

So how does it shape-up as a comicbook-influenced super-vehicle? Well, it falls into the fair-to-OK kind of area. There's not really anything particularly wrong with it but it also just doesn't quite have anything to really make it exciting or fun. The play features are limited to an opening canopy cover and detachable missiles but these minor points aside it's very much a solid piece of plastic. Don't get me wrong: it's a nicely designed, well painted piece of plastic but it just lacks that extra element like retractable undercarriage or spring-loaded missiles or... something to really make it exciting or engaging. 

Of course, it's aimed at younger fans and I'm sure as a kid I would have spent hours flying this thing around the yard or dangling it from a string out of my bedroom window and for that it's ideal. The construction is - like most CORPS! toys - robust and I could imagine it surviving plenty of such play sessions. It's just that this toy jet is pretty much just a toy jet and not much else.

Still, for the price you really can't go wrong and if you're looking for a cheap, robust jet fighter for a younger collector or you just want to add an extra, cheap vehicle to your collection then you could do worse than to pick up the Rapid Assault Attack Fighter.

It's a plastic toy jet that costs $6. And that pretty much says it all either way.

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