'Gunnery Sergeant' Leads New Line of Motivational Figures.

• Author: Foster, Sharon
• Position: New toy Sideshow - Product Announcement

Sideshow Toy, based in West Lake Village, Calif., has released its first motivational figure, Gunnery Sergeant R. Lee Ermey.

This flexible 12-inch figure is based on the infamous military persona of Ermey, who spent 11 years in the Marine Corps, including one-and-a-half tours in Vietnam. He rose to the rank of gunnery sergeant and retired because of his injuries.

Using G.I. Bill benefits, Ermey enrolled at the University of Manila in the Philippines, where he studied drama. Francis Ford Coppola was filming "Apocalypse Now" in the area and cast Ermey in a featured role. He has since gone on to star in numerous feature...