Review – Toy Boarders Series One

NOTE: This toy was provided by the manufacturer. Not that you really care, except that you’re probably a little jealous that I get free toys in the mail from time to time.

The little green Army Man toys have existed for as long as I can remember, filling hours of fun when I was very young with little more than a handful of zero articulation soldiers. And, in recent years, the concept has been expanded out to include other groups . . . including these skateboarders straight out of the Toy Boarders series (official website, Amazon.com search*).

Eight Different Skaters

The official store page shows all eight designs, but if you scan through my pics here I think you can get a better look at each design. Not being a skater myself — just never really got into it when I was a kid — I can’t say what poses these guys are in, but they all look to be having a blast and are ready to skate around your home (for pretend, of course, since the wheels don’t really work and this isn’t Toy Story so the toys don’t move and talk on their own).

Appropriate Sculpts

At just a few inches tall — photographing these was a little bit of a challenge — the sculpts are not the sharpest out there, but they’re perfect for a variant on the classic green Army Man toy soldier. And the feel in-hand really reminds me of those toy soldiers; the plastic and color are just right and even the folds in the clothing feel appropriate. The artist behind the project clearly spent a lot of time examining green Army Men toys.

A Good Price

At the official store these are priced at $6 for 24 toys. Not as cheap as the plastic green Army Men sets, but perfectly fine when you consider that these are being produced by someone with a vision . . . and that’s what made me say “yes” when I was asked if I would review these. It’s a fun concept, and the chance to help spread the word about one man’s vision was one I happily took. And it helps that the final product so neatly captures the concept: little Army Man-style skateboarder toys.

Closing Thoughts

I must admit that I never would have bought these toys on my own. I just don’t collect this style of toy — I even passed on the Walking Dead toys in this style from Gentle Giant — but if I were a collector of little posed figures inspired by green Army Men toys I’d be happy to display these in my collection. The execution perfectly captures the concept, the price is fairly low, and the plastic quality is perfect for the idea.

If you’ve got shelves of similar toys — or if you’re a dedicated skateboard fan — then you should visit the official site for a closer look at these cute little skateboarding toy figures.