July 30, 2002 - Action figure manufacturer bbi pulled out all the stops for its second anniversary in the action figure arena by producing a very special limited edition Elite Force figure.

To create an air of excitement around the company's anniversary as well as its auspicious figure, bbi held an on-line contest for its special members who tried to guess the identity of the mystery figure based on a series of clues. bbi announced the identity of the mystery figure and the winner of the contest on its website on July 4. Todd Walkaraj of Jacksonville, Florida was the first to guess correctly and win his the SEAL Team Six Navy HALO Jumper.

Only 2,002 of this figure were made making it a coveted piece. Twenty figures have already been sold at the Wizard show in Chicago, forty more will be available this weekend at Comic Con and one was awarded to the contest winner. This leaves only 999 available for sale in the U.S. (the balance will be sold internationally).

SEAL Team 6 HALO Jumper

Originally developed in 1963 by the Army for use by Special Forces the HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) technique is considered one of the military's potentially hazardous advanced skills.

Also termed MFF, or military free-fall, parachute operations are used to infiltrate enemy areas under the cover of darkness to avoid detection. The parachutists exit the aircraft at an altitude of 35,000 feet and free-fall to a height of 2,500 feet before deploying their canopies.

The HALO technique is designed to land the parachutists in combat ready position. The majority of military Special Forces units now employ HALO techniques.

This edition of the Elite Force 2002 Anniversary figure represents a Navy HALO Jumper from the famous SEAL TEAM 6. This unit was formed and commenced by Richard Marcinko.

For more information about these and other bbi action figures, visit the Blue Box Toys website at www.blueboxtoys.com

Elite Force WWII figures are available through on-line e-tailers.

Suggested Retail: $99.99
Available: Mid August

Elite Force and bbi are registered trademarks of Blue Box Toys. ©2002 Blue Box Toys, all rights reserved.