WTF Happened to 21st Century Toys?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2024
- A short video on legendary toy company 21st Century/Ultimate Soldier.
I have listed links for some of the base models I use in case anyone wants to buy them and customize them: / sunny-days-1-18-scale-...
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Scale models, customs, 1/18, 1/25, 1/48, 1/72, diecast, action figures, tutorials, how-to, GI JOE, Marauder, Joytoy, Vehicles, Hasbro, Bbi, Elite Force, 21st Century. I am now an Amazon affiliate.
The reduced profit margins was always my theory, i can remember for a short while my local Wal-Mart had an entire isle side dedicated to 21st Century Toys.
Wow, absolutely incredible! Yep, that will do it!
When these toys were around , I was a broke kid.
When video games that I loved requiered pay to win I was broke.
Now I have money to buy stuff like this and none of those exist anymore.. WTF
Bummer!
I was born early 2000's and I LOVE WWII and vintage thing's (typewriters, etc. I saved up for my own remade polaroid camera) and if I was old enough to see these, I would have had SO MANY!! Now I have a tiger 1 with a broken hatch, a sherman tank, and 4-5 figs.
Cant complain though, I LOVE THESE. Wish I was old enough to buy these for $40 rather than $300 lol.
@@RetlocGaming Very nice! Absolutely, it's amazing how much these increased in value.
@@MysticsModels Yeah. I hopefully will be getting an American m16 SPAA and a Whirbelwind AA.
@@RetlocGaming Very nice!
I wish a company like 21st Century was still around. Their vehicles and playsets are incredible, their figures were just lacking. Modern vehicles and figures with modern articulation would be a dream come true. I currently pair my 21st Century Toys M4 Sherman with JoyToy WW2 guys
Very nice! I really wish they were too, and I agree about the figures. Other than BBI no one cane close. I look at Chap Nei And some GI Joe and just wonder why they can't do better.
I greatly preferred 21st century 1/6 scale Ultimate Soldier toys of the 90's and early 2000's over the G.I. Joe line.
The choice of modern, Vietnam, WWII, or America's Finest was great for any and all collectors or kids to choose from.
Add to that, you had true 1/6 scale vehicles in all of those lines made it just amazing.
I greatly miss this company and the product they gave us!
Indeed, the detail level was worlds above GI Joe and others.
I grew up in the late 90's and early 2000s, and the Ultimate Soldier figures were the staple of my childhood. I must have owned over 20 figures and had a blast playing with them. I even kept the boxes, because I loved the artwork and had an interest in military history. As an adult, I still have a soft spot for them to this day, and it makes me miss the simpler times when my biggest worry was what I wanted to play next.
Absolutely. I was thinking about this today. Beyond just being highly detailed toys, 21st Century presented history to us, unlike most toy brands. I can't help but think what 21st could have become if they had remained commercially successful like Gi Joe or Marvel.
Same Here! They were better than GI Joe because the details were better!
Thanks for the video. I've collected 1/6 scale military since I was a kid, was lucky enough to get my hands on almost everything 1/6 military 21CT made, including the RC M5 Stuart. I miss them a lot, the market never really filled that niche again.
Oh wow, great items! Yeah, there aren't a lot of 1/6 vehicles other than 21st and certainly nothing on their level.
Side note! I have heard this story from several dealers, so I believe it is true. When the company went bankrupt they had a huge auction of all their stock at one location (I believe it was in the midwest) and put the word out. They had so much to sell that you could buy cases of stock for pennies on the dollar.
Man, I wish I had been there!
Damn sorry I missed that!
They had a warehouse in Mesa, AZ and when 21st Century Toys went kaput, the toy retailer The Monkey Depot bought the stock for pennies to the dollar. I was lucky enough to live nearby at the time and loaded up on as much as I could afford at the time. I cannot recall pricing save for what I paid for each 1/32 Long Tom Howitzer. I paid $1.14/ea for those. I don't know why I remember only that price, but there it is.
@@oberstwake That's incredible!!!
goddamn i wish i knew about this. Im buying most of my stock on Ebay now.
The loss of 21C and Plan B Toys will always be such a tragedy
I agree. Plan B? I'll check that out.
I bought a 1:6 scale Humvee RC on clearance at Walmart for $50 around 2007. It is a toy I still think about today!
Very nice!
Damn shame they disappeared. I had a few of their 1/18 and 1/32 airplane models growing up, the Pearl Harbor edition P-40, MiG-15, and Luftwaffe F-104G were my favorites. The Starfighter was an absolute unit and at $40 when they were being sold at Wal-Mart, they were a bargain for the detail.
And the sad part is that they had some great things coming too. I remember waiting so patiently for their 18th scale B-25, F-4, and MiG-21 back in 2008.
Right, it's such a shame. I was just thinking about that last night!
I remember seeing the USAF F-104 on sale at the Harrison, Arkansas Walmart for $12.95.
@@WAL_DC-6B Omg, is that 1/18 scale?
@@MysticsModels Yes, and I almost bought one only to return from the checkout line to putting the F-104 model back on the shelf in the store. I thought at the time, "these things were just too big."
@@WAL_DC-6B I think that's part of the reason they weren't practical for a lot of people.
I'm glad I saved all of them. Two AH6 Black Little Birds. A couple of HUMVEES, a jeep, and a Scout Motorcycle.
Very nice, I had that little bird fir a bit and customized several.
I always loved these as a kid. I could rarely afford them, but when I could, I'd only find one or two. when I was 10 years old, I bought a 1/18 BF-109G-6 from my local walmart for 40$. I actually didn't have enough, the tax was another 2 bucks and change, and luckily my friend's dad (I was there with friends) lent me the money, and I washed his car the next day for it. I wish I still had it, but I don't think it survived my childhood. that was the only 1-18 scale plane I found when I had the money for one, but I'd always see TBM/TBF Avengers and Stukas at walmart, they were huge! I never could afford those.
They were really incredible and the detail was amazing. I think the price was one of the reasons tha brand didn't survive, they were too expensive for kids to buy in many cases and should have been marketed to adults as well. Come to think of it, I don't know that they were marketed, I did not hear about them at the time on any media source.
@@MysticsModels yeah, they had no media tie-ins what so ever, and no commercials I've ever remembered seeing.
@@aidanacebo9529 It probably would have done some good. I'm not sure if advertising was as big on the internet back then.
Still love my R/C M5 Stuart Tank.
Very nice!
They made some great stuff in 2000 and 2001 I was into 1/6 scale and had bought alot of gear from them and soldiers
Very nice!
I remember my dad getting me the P-51D and Panzer III when I was a kid in 07-09 era. Absolutely loved them. Too bad I gave them away when I supposedly outgrew toys, now I’m 25 and wish the 21st century company was still around. I swear we had much better quality toys growing up 😢
21st century and bbi stood world's above the other toymakers. You can still buy them on eBay uf you like but they are pretty pricey fir ones in good shape. I got into toys in 2011 so I missed them completely. Wish I'd bought 100 or so Cobras!
I loved their 1/6 scale stuff. Even though it was less detailed that Dragon and some others, it was the middle ground. More detailed than Hasbro, but less detailed and less pricey than Dragon. So you could play with them as a kid, but also display them if you wanted. The uniform and weapons sets are awesome and I buy them when ever I see them at a shop. I think that M&C Toys is filling the gap of 21st Century, but they are still lacking a little bit in the detail. It's wild to see an ebay sale of one of these items where they have the original price tag. Something going for clearance at $5 now reselling for $60
His point, the Cobra Heli was 37.00 now it sells for as much as $500!
They also did platoon figures 1/18 jonny depp:Gator..Charlie sheen: Taylor, William defoe:Sgt Ellias,TOM berenger:SgtBarnes
I remember that, amazing company and VERY missed.
The Villains line died right out the get go because of the Columbine School shooting in Colorado. 21C pulled the line after that. My brother worked for 21C as well as I sometimes.
Oh wow, what did you do there?
@@MysticsModels hello, me not much I mainly would build the shop what ever it needed like storage shelves and tables. Instead of money they would give me cases of product. My brother, he was on the design department. He mainly worked on the 1/6th WW2 ,1/18 and 1/32.
@@carlclink9993 OH wow, that's incredible! Was this in California?
This is super exciting to meet someone who actually worked for 21st. You'd be surprised how hard it is to find any deep information on this company on the internet. Would you be willing to private message me at Facebook at facebook.com/kevin.grant.3194 so I can ask you a few more questions? I'm interested in the manufacturing process and if you know what happened to all of the molds. Thanks a million!
I remember when 21st Century showed or announced a 1/18th B-25 Mitchell in the works. Unfortunately, seems like the company was already facing problems at that point. Think the model would’ve been huge, one can only dream of how fantastic that would’ve been.
I really wish they had been around to release many more amazing models!
I heard there was a prototype sold and is now a base for most of the really rare kits some model companies make as well as a b17 but that could have been hearsay but I’m not convinced it isn’t being as when you look at the time lines of some of the 1/18 scale kits released in the mid 2000s you get some high quality surface details but low quality inner details on some and both on others so it could be that it’s true but again I’m not sure either way
I loved these so much! I had the little bird and lots of humvees, figures, weapon, and uniform sets. So cool!
So cool!
I got two of the 1/6th RC Hummers at Walmart for $50/each on clearance. There was a pallet of them in the center of the aisle at the time.
Wow, that's incredible! I sure wish I'd been into them back then.
Excelente video...tengo 51 años...vivi en europa y ahora en argentina y sigo tratando de conseguir estas figuras..y sus vehiculos que son geniales..escala 1.18 y 1/6 increibles....y una gran variedad...sigo disfrutando de esta marca aun con laa nuevas figuras como did..joy toy..etc..etc...para mi 21st siguen siendo geniales!.....
@@BUSHIDOTATTOOESTUDIO Thank you so very much!!!
Great video! Very informative.
Thank you!
Excellent video, I always wondered what had happened to these toys and company!
Me too, it was a very interesting story!
Great video. Thanks for discussing. I regret not buying more of these when they were available.
I know, me too!
Same here, massive regret!
Awesome vid - love the 1/6. Have a lot of the WWII and still love them.
Indeed, they were an amazing company.
I used to own the urban camo SWAT officer. I truly miss these lol
Me too!!!
@@MysticsModels Nice! Also i might not be a buddhist but i respect your beliefs. I've got my own too. Im not sure i even have have a label lol
@@occultperspective thank you. That's awesome!
I really liked this tribute deep dive video into one of the greatest toy brands out there
Thank you, it was fun to make!
Great video. I always wondered what happened to them. I have a few of the 1/6 Villains, and a 1/18 tank.
Very nice! Yeah, it's an interesting story.
I remember seeing mass amounts in the clearance section.
I was good while it lasted.
Sure was. That was before I git back into military toys. No point in lamenting though!
I worked at 21c ,in the vehicle and prop machine division. I hated to see it go, i was one of the last to go and ended up working on the Dusty Trails toy lines(not actually toys, more like semi posable figures ) Before i worked at 21C ,i was in visual effects in films,such as Starship Troopers and The Fifth Element, which we employed realistic weathering. One day i started aging,antiqing and weathering the vehicles i was working on, and eventually the brass caught on and was implimented. One major reason for our demise was Chinas blantant disregard for intelectual properties. Since we were out of country, our prototypes were quickly copied and given the fastrack to production to hit the market before ours. It was sad, but there was nothing could be done. Hope this was helpful. R
Absolutely incredible. Thank you so much for this information. I figured I didn't have the whole story. Wow, that's a really sneaky technique. You'd think they could just come up with good ideas on their own. Thanks for letting me know this info.
Several OSWers (myself included) were fortunate enough to get many of the pieces from the Grimsphere and prototype auctions. They also listed several singletons, including the VC girl, Patti Hearst, and the ISA in Guatemala. I’ve also got some of the design documentation for the “last wave” plus what they had in the pipe. Marcelo, Rex, and “whereswaldo31” did a lot to talk about the end and where things went wrong.
That's awesome! I will check ot out!
One of the biggest conundrums of the post 21st Century Toys-era is that nobody makes pilots/crew for the 1/18 scale vehicles that we all have, especially the WWII tanks.
I focus on modern stuff, and I didn't realize that. Thanks for the info.
First time I was able to get 21st Century toys was my visit in the US in 2002..Loved the WW2 figures.. Everytime I visited the US I'd get a few figs.Too bad these figs never reached my country..But BBi did...Loved the BBi line up too which was more accessible here in the PH than 21st century toys..
I actually miss it..I still have them..
That's awesome! I sure wish they were still around, their items were amazing!
Top Shelf! Well Done!
Thank you!!
Cool info. Have you seen some of the tank RC conversions? Pretty nice.
No, I'll check it out!
@@MysticsModels yeah just YT 21st Century model tank RC conversions. There’s some pretty nicely done ones out there.
@@colossalbigfoot256 Very nice!
I found the 1/6 M2 Bradley for sale on FB Marketplace. $40.00...... I hit the afterburner and was on it. Thankyou very much.
That's amazing!
Professional modeler Roy Sotherland was the creative brains behind 21st Century Toys. It is because of his guts and determination to go to a toy manufacturer in China with dozens of beautifully made scale models it took off.
That's awesome, I didn't know that!
My childhood right here 😭
Awww, yes indeed!
I wonder what happened to all the molds they used?
Right, me too!
Hello I come from Vietnam. I own a 1:6 scale Soviet figure fighting in Afghanistan. Do you know how much I paid for it? I had to pay $50 to own it. The process for me to find it on e-commerce platforms was very long because currently all of this company's toys are in inventory. However, when I received it even though it was 24 years old but Its joints just squeak, I just need to rotate the joints many times and it works as usual. Furthermore, its plastic material, even after many years, still shows no signs of breaking Or it falls apart and it's still very hard. I wasn't careful and the skin on my hand got stuck in a joint and there was a hematoma inside. So it can be seen that the products that this company creates are of extremely excellent quality. I intend to transform this Soviet soldier into a Vietnamese soldier during the Vietnam War. But I don't know when it will be done because I'm still young so the budget to play a 1:6 model will be a bit difficult. Hopefully, soon I'll be able to do it. Finally, thank you for reading all my comments and please forgive me if the grammar and words I used are not good because as I said, I am still young so being fluent in English is somewhat difficult.
Dear, Minh Quang from Vietnam 2/19/24
Your English is excellent! It's so great that you are into these collectibles at a young age. Keep up the customizing, I feel it is a form of art.
The adult market now would absolutely eat there products up
Right!
Just purchased the armed terrorist from the villains. I had been watching it for awhile and seller sent me like 52% discount so ended up paying 30 when originally wanted 65
Great fig, you wont regret it!
Very nice!
When I was little, I had the 1/18 scale Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow P-40 Warhawk. I should have kept it but it was beaten badly as I did use it as a toy and was thrown out after all the prop blades were broken off and the canopy and elevators missing. For a while ive been searching to get another and hope to find one someday. It was perhaps one of if not my favorite toy I had.
That's a really incredible aircraft. I hope you find it, I know they have them on ebay but are very expensive.
@@MysticsModels i thought i had the 1/18 scale but I actually had the 1/32 scale model. I did find another mint in box model and it feels awesome to have a piece of my childhood back.
Damn I still have a few hundred of these I bought through the years, mostly collected 1/18th XD and 1/32nd but I should probably break them out of storage. Hell I now play with my 1/18th scale Vietnam soldiers and Huey’s with my daughters lol.
That's awesome, yeah, I wish I had been collecting back then, I started in 2011.
They don't make em like they used to. Now we only have the world peacekeepers on Amazon and even then there is a small selection of vehicles.
Exactly, that and chap mei!
I have several of there models planes and tanks at the age of 80
Very nice!
I remember going to Walmart and finding these awesome WWII aircraft. Wanted a 1/32 Zero SO BAD, but never could find one. The last one I managed to score was one of the Stukas...best day ever. Shame they never released a 'legends' line...planes that bore the markings of people like Erich Hartmann, Adolf Galland, Hans-Ulrich Rudel, Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, Saburo Sakai, etc.
That's awesome! I just got a Lou P-51 Mustang 1/18 on eBay.
I still have some 1:18 helicopters, but I'm missing the rotor blades. They're almost impossible to find.
@smartintan Indeed. You can order 325mm rc rotor blades from China or use styrene for many.
I have upgraded their RC 1/6 Scale M5 Stuart light tank to an adult RC system with more functions the original Tank had that was geared to children.
Very nice!
Anybody remember the “platoon movie” figures they made ?
That's right+
my choice 118 scale models
Totally!
Very informative, thanks for sharing! Any suggestions on brands similar for XD style “1:18” US Vietnam figures? Thanks again!
Thank you! Only to use some gi joes like tunnel rat and Recondo.
Yes, these items are Listed for High Prices, but may not actually sell at those prices.
That's true!
Well who owns the molds for the vehicles 21st Century made?
Maybe theirs hope someone else will get them and start re-popping these subjects. It happens with plastic model kits from decades ago.
Excellent point!
You can purchase some 21st Century models in kit form such as the 1/18 scale, North American F-86F "Sabre."
21st Century toys were a game changer in the 90's. I really loved their Villains line, and T-Gore is still one of my favorite figures of all time. I didn't get into the smaller scales much because, as an 80's Joe fan, the articulation and playability wasn't as good. I still have boxes of 1/6th figures and several of the larger vehicles. It was a good time to be a toy collector. With the demise of ToysRUs though, the toy market has changed drastically, and in my opinion, not for the better.
I totally agree. I really wish there was something comparable today.
I have a question regarding 21st-century toys with motor works is it a sub group of the company since I own 1/18 scale tanks from them (2 tiger 1) and a Sherman and the paint are a bit more weathered than the others what I seen online
I actually don't know how Motorworks relates to 21st Century, there isn't a lot of info on either online.
Yeah, I loved their stuff.
Hello. I just watched this video as I am doing some research on 21st century and BBI. Do you by chance know any of the toy designers that worked for these companies? I have been in discussions with a factory to begin manufacturing some 1/18th vehicles. We have one complete, but would love to speak with the old designers from those companies.
Thank you, I appreciate any help!
That's amazing! I spoke to someone v that worked there and created a video about soaking with an insider. I mentioned a couple of people, one works for Hot Toys now. I can't remember the names but they're on the video.
@@MysticsModelsAwesome! Thank you.
Great info!
Thank you, it was very fun to research.
Is there anyone who is still making 1/32-1/18th scale toys to the same quality of 21st century??
Absolutely not, except for Hobby Boss Models.
@@MysticsModels ah ok thank you
@Mr. Unoriginal Thank you for commenting! 21st and Bbi were incredible and I really wish we had something similar now.
Ah i yearn for my childhood
Right, me too!
Where can I buy a model p51 just like the 21st century one with retractable landing gears, etc
Ebay!
It’s a real shame. SOTW made some nice uniform that with a little customizing, fit well with Ultimate soldiers & their accessories.
Agreed, absolutely.
They started it all.
Yep!
I do would love to see it I beg for it
It's a shame that there aren't groups around that trade in toys. If I find anybody interested enough to parley for my 21st Century Toys, they only want the big money items.
Yeah that's true, it really is.
I was big into gi joe, soldiers of the world, and the ultimate soldier. Gi joe had the best figures with their super articulated figures, ultimate soldier had the best and most diverse head sculpts and SOTW was a weird one, their later gear sets were phenomenal but the boxed figures that were suppose to represent the gear same sets were very cheap and unrealistic. I feel on the ultimate soldiers uniforms were made from too heavy of a cloth and ruined some of their realism but their weapons and gear were great.
That's true, the uniforms were very good, but did have too thick of cloth. I go to a toystore near me that has a bunch of the ultimate soldiers and see them often. Thanks for the input!
@@MysticsModelsthanks for the video! I always wondered what happened to them.
@Warriorbob-im5py I did another video on this where I talked to a guy that worked there. It was a number of things such as high overhead and a change in the way the toy industry paid producers.
I want them to bring them back 😢 please
@@franklin1879 Right! That would be great!
@@MysticsModels yeah
And now no one makes anything and the market is high fit their products
Totally!
FYI the 21st Century Toys website name has been repurposed and now has a lot of STEM type equipment and toys that seemed educational in nature. I did not go through the website investigating it. I glanced at it and determined it was not what i was looking for. And I moved on.
Interesting, thank you!
Are you selling any of your custom products?
I will be in the near future, I was out of the country for a long time and unable to build any.
Great info
Thank you!
With the demise of Toys-R-Us & KB Toys, etc. So went the fortunes of 21st Century Toys.
They were a little on the expensive side for the time. And we all learned valuable lessons about that time about "Collectables & the Collectables Markets (including comic books)" and that was anything people seemed to love could be mass produced, have a unique number stamped on the individual item after which the manufacturer could artificially jack up the price while convincing us that the value will only I crease over time. It was just another one of the American Dream's Big Lies.
Sure you can find those items priced higher, but that is not the same as the value of the item, it is the price a fool will pay for a thing that has far lower actual value
Good points!
I own several of their Vietnam War series and seemingly hard to find Soviet-Afghan War Spetsnaz.
That's awesome. Those are really cool!
@@MysticsModels Oops I meant hard to find not fight. 😅