Lieutenant Eddie Rickenbacker

There are heroes and then there are legendary heroes. Lieutenant Eddie Rickenbacker was one such legendary hero.

During World War I Rickenbacker distinguished himself with his bravery, command decisions and dedication to his duty and men.

It was during WWI that technology made war even more horrible and destructive.

Taking place during the height of the Industrial Age much of the war was waged using new technology.

Machine guns, tanks, flamethrowers, mines, hand grenades and mustard gas were just a few of the new ways to kill enemy soldiers in masse.

Traditional mounted infantry and outdated weapons were soon replaced with more advanced and deadly killing machines and methods.

Often men would stake out for months in trenches separated by killing fields as troops fought back and forth over the same plot of land only to wind up no further advanced than when they first started.

Unlike most of  his officer contemporaries Eddie Rickenbacker did not come from a wealthy or affluent family.  He was a true blue collar worker and he approached his military service without the pomp and circumstance of his fellow officers.

He started out as a chauffeur of an officer and managed to convince his superior to let him join the new Air Force.

In a short amount of time he gained his wings and became a pilot.

His aerial combat became the stuff of legends and his willingness to get the job done, his loyalty to his men and his perseverance in the most difficult of situations made him one the war’s greatest heroes.

Sideshow Collectibles created a 12-iinch fully articulated figure of Eddie Rickenbacker a number of years ago as part of its Bayonets & Barbed Wire Collectible Figure line.

The figure comes in Sideshow’s standard flip lid box with archival photos of Eddie on its cover against a WWI battlefield background.

Additional full color photos of the enclosed figure are on the sides and back.

A bio of Eddie accompanies the two figures of Eddie on the back while a short history of the war and his involvement text piece is on the inside of the flip lid.

The figure and accessories are displayed behind a clear plastic panel and are held in place by a clear plastic cocoon and plastic strap.

A circular base and wire stand are included for posing the figure.

A piece of tissue paper covers the clear panel to prevent scrubbing.

Accessories and clothing includes:

US Officer’s Tunic With Officer Bars and Pilot’s Wings (with multiple pockets and fold-over flaps with buttons and cuffed collar also with buttons and buttons down the front)

US Officer’s Breaches (upper large legs sections with double thickness reinforced knee patches and tapered cuffs that fit in the green leg wrappings)
 
US Officer’s Trenchcoat (light tan with two front flap pockets, cinch belt with buckle and large collar)

US Officer’s Belt (brown leather with a gold buckle and shoulder strap)

Scarf (white silk)

Overseas Cap (tapered with fold up sides)

US Officer’s Map Case (tan burlap with twin snaps)

Map (extremely detailed topographical map on light tan paper)

All of the accessories are highly detailed and historically correct in their recreation.

Eddie’s hands are gloved and preset for holding the various objects.

The figure’s facial features look exactly like Rickenbacker with his short-cropped brown hair, heavy eyebrows, bright blue eyes, sharp long nose and broad smile with pearly white teeth.  Facial coloration is varied to emulate actual flesh tones.

It’s an impressive historically accurate figure loaded with details.

Psalm 46:10 (NIV) “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”