Following the success of Hasbro’s GI Joe and Action Man toys, released in 1964 and 1966 respectively, army action figures have become an exciting staple of any young boys toy box. Among a series of companies, 21st Century Toys have become one of the newest to take on creating these exciting figures with their Ultimate Soldier range.

Range of Armed Forces Figures

Following a successful launch in 1997 of their SAM range of 12 inch action figures, they then heavily expanded their range in 1999 to feature three different series of army men toys. The Ultimate Soldier toys series features various modern day soldiers from Vietnam era troops to Spetsnaz, the Americas Finest series featuring Steve McQueen, firefighters and a K9 Officer and the Villains line featuring a KGB Enforcer, a bounty hunter and a biker.

After five years of production, 21st Century Toys decided to cancel the twelve inch line due to the proliferation of companies offering similar action figures, but featuring more detailed weapons and accessories. However, most of the figures produced during this time are still available from various specialist toy shops and online auction sites, normally priced around the $50 mark due to the rarity of these items.

Ultimate Soldier Accessories

The feature that set the 21st Century Toy’s Ultimate Soldier apart from the incredibly successful GI Joe and Action Man were the detailed and true-to-life uniforms, accessories and weapons. From fighter pilots with flight suits, life jackets, parachute rigs and survival pistols to Recon Soldiers with binoculars, rifles and utility vests, these accessories really set the range apart from the figures available at the time.

With an exciting range of twelve inch action figures, as well as other varying scales of exciting armed forces figures, 21st Century Toys have given collectors and children alike a wonderful and detailed offering of ultimate soldier figures, accessories and vehicles ideal for play boxes as well as collections.