Your Soldier Ape wears combat boots! The same combat boots found in many Action Jackson military sets. The boots have been reproduced by Classic TV Toys and by EMCE Toys. The original is made of a firm plastic, while the CTVT reproduction is a very soft rubbery material. The CTVT repro is unmarked. EMCE Toys reproduced these boots for their reproduction Soldier Ape figure. The EMCE version is very accurate in appearance, size and detail. The big "tell" with these boots are the thickness They are much thicker than an original boot. It's the same thickness difference noted with Doc Mego's Hero boots when compared to those originals.
The Soldier Apes have a bando that is unique to the character. The bando has been reproduced by Doctor Mego and EMCE Toys, and very accurately. The details on the reproduction area a little more dull than on the original. Both the Doc Mego individual sale of the bando, and the bando included on the reproduction figure are marked DM on the inside.
The Soldiers come with the same rifle as the General Apes, which can also be found in several Action Jackson sets. The rifle has been factory reproduced by CTVT and by EMCE Toys. The original says Mego on the stock, while the CTVT reproduction is unmarked. The EMCE version is stamped EMCE in place of the Mego stamp on the stock, so it's easy to ID. Good thing too, since it's pretty hard to spot otherwise. It's a very accurate reproduction in material and color. The tell here is the grip near the trigger. The pattern on the original is much smaller than the pattern on the EMCE version. EMCE also used black string instead of brown for the strap.
The vinyl on the Soldier Ape's gloves and tunic come in many colors. There are at least 2 shades of blue, maroon, blue with Lizard skin texture (glossy and non glossy version of this) "silver" (really gray), and maybe even black. If the cuffs are sewn on the sleeves of the tunic, then the figure should not have gloves. If there are no cuffs, the figure should have gloves to be complete. The cuffed version is less common, usually soldier apes have the removable gloves. I've not seen a black version of the tunic with gloves, but since there is a black version of the cuffed general tunic, logic suggests there probably is a black version of the soldier tunic and gloves. The gloves have been factory reproduced (see below).
The Soldier Apes gloves have been factory reproduced by EMCE Toys. Since the gloves and the tunic are made from the same material in the case of both the original and the reproduction (respectively) the material discussion can be seen in the next section regarding the tunic. The gloves on the reproduction are a little bigger in width, and the brown mitten part is cut a different shape. Original Mego gloves have ridges cut on the top, perhaps to similate fingers. Hard to say, but they are there, while the EMCE version is without these ridges. The reproduction is unmarked.
Soldier Ape tunics come in two styles and many colors. Most of the tunics are vinyl with brown cloth sleeves and have mitten style gloves that are separate from the tunic. Some come with no gloves, but instead have vinyl gauntlets sewn into the tunic sleeve (not pictured). There are many shades of color for the vinyl. Blue is the most common, but there is a lighter blue, a lizard skin blue, a variation to the lizard skin blue, maroon, silver (really grey), and even black. All of them feature brown cloth sleeves which lean towards the orangish side of the brown spectrum. This tunic has been factory reproduced by EMCE Toys. The reproduction tunic is the type with the separate gloves and comes only in blue. The repro tunic is a bit larger than the original, more in width than height. The blue is a bit lighter than the most common original blue tunic, but darker than the original lighter blue tunic. The originals tend to have a little bit of a glossy shine to them, while the reproduction has a very matte finish. The opposite side of the reproduction vinyl is a black rubber mesh, while the original is a soft blue backing (in the case of the blue tunic the repro represents). The brown sleeves on the reproduction are just a bit lighter in color overall and a bit less red/orange than the original and made of a more modern slicker material. The EMCE version is unmarked.
Soldier Apes wear cloth pants which lean towards the orangish side of the brown spectrum in color. The pants have been factory reproduced by EMCE Toys. The brown sleeves on the reproduction are just a bit lighter in color overall and a bit less red/orange than the original and made of a more modern slicker material. The EMCE version is unmarked.
Soldier Ape heads have been factory reproduced by EMCE Toys. The reproduction is accurate in size, although the details aren't quite as sharp. The face is a bit more on the red side of brown than the original, and the hair has more of a matte finish. The reproduction head is stamped with a 1968/2008 FOX copyright on the back.
