F-Toys Full Action Series

Vol. 1 "select" version with markings for the Tainan Air Group

Shokugan (食玩) are products that consist of a snack and a toy which are ostensibly intended for children. The origin of this marketing technique probably started with W.K. Kellogg who began including cereal premiums with his Toasted Corn Flakes in 1909.

From the Willard Library Digital Collections

Cracker Jack followed suit in 1910, and started including a prize in each box of snacks in 1912 (a tradition that ended in 2016). Companies that still include toys with their candy include Ferrero (producers of Kinder Eggs, which until recently were banned in the U.S.), Glico, Furuta, and F-Toys confect.

F-Toys confect (エフトイズ・コンフェクト) is based in Osaka, and best known by modelers and gamers for producing prepainted 1/144 military models. I'm not sure if they actually make any candy, since their products emphasize the toy more than the candy (which is usually just a small piece of gum), but they seem to consider themselves a confectionery business at least in name.

A couple of years ago, they started their Full Action Series (フルアクションシリーズ), a line of prepainted 1/72 scale aircraft. There are currently five "volumes" in the series.

Vol. 1 A6M2 Reisen model 21

Vol. 2 D4Y Suisei model 12

Vol. 3 Focke-Wulf Fw 190A

Vol. 4 Ki-43-II Hayabusa

Vol. 5 Spitfire Mk. IX

The models can be ordered online through shops like HLJ and Hobby Search, or purchased at a Japanese supermarket (if you have one in the neighborhood).

At the local Mitsuwa Marketplace

I currently have a D4Y Suisei and a Fw 190A. Each box contains a covered plastic tray filled with various sprues, parts, and a set of decals, as well as instructions and a token piece of candy.

I picked up the D4Y Suisei because it is an interesting looking airplane that you don't see very often. Markings are for 7 different aircraft.

I got the Focke-Wulf because it was on sale. I believe it is a Fw 190A-7 based on the gun cover and the position of the bomb rack, but I could be wrong. Markings are for 8 different aircraft.

There are a lot of parts, so they are not just simplified quick build models. The decals seem to be a bit on the thick side, but are well printed. It would have been nice if details on the types of paints they used were indicated so it would be easier to find the colors needed to do any touch up painting.

I currently don't have any plans to build these models for various reasons, but part of it is because built up airplanes take up a lot of space to store and display. Still, they are nice models, and I may pick up some more of them in the future.

Orcus

In the AD&D Monster Manual, Orcus is described as "a grossly fat demon lord", but in 2nd edition he started becoming more muscular, until by 4th edition he had the look of a professional bodybuilder.

Fully roided out.

Reaper Miniatures has produced a couple of figures that can be used to represent Orcus. Their first effort (which I didn't care for) was like the 2nd edition D&D version of Orcus, being muscular, but with a pot belly.

Prince Of the Undead

Their second version of Orcus was the Demon Lord of the Undead (Bones 77316), and he looked like a genuine grossly fat demon lord.

There were a few things about the model that I wanted to change because this was not the version of Orcus that I envisioned. Some of the features that needed to be altered were the Jacob sheep horns, pentagram on the forehead, three fingered hands, and tail ending in a snake head.

The wings were also spread out, which I find ill-suited for miniatures that are presumably walking on the ground (not to mention how unwieldy they are for gaming).

Lastly, the Reaper wand ends in a cluster of skulls, kind of like the Geballte Ladung equivalent of the Wand of Orcus. This had to be fixed.

I cut off the original horns, and replaced them with the horns from a brass ring that I found on eBay. The pentagram was covered up with Kneadatite.

I added a tail made from a soft steel rod. The forked-tail and two additional fingers were built up with Kneadatite.

The Wand of Orcus had the multiple skulls replaced with a single dwarf skull from an old Citadel skeleton (FTS11). Various glass beads were added to make it look more like the Sutherland version of the wand. Two additional fingers gripping the wand were built up from Kneadatite.

The most difficult part of the conversion was trying to find some furled wings. I don't know how many extraneous miniatures I had to get before I found wings (from the Schleich Dragon Runner) that were the right size for this figure.

I'm almost finished with painting the figure, but I think I need to rebase him on a heavy washer or a larger base because he is front heavy and tips onto his nose quite often.