Very cool toys and nice pics as usual. I don't remember any of the Buck Rogers lines from back in the day, but have seen that Corgi Starfighter before, would love to add it to my Corgi collection one day. Have you seen the box for it? So cool.
I have a vintage ad for some BR toys showing some of the figures in your pics.
_________________________________________________ Paul F,
thevintagetoyadvertiser.org 1970s and 80s vintage toy ads and other retro paperworks
imperialgunnery.com Vintage Star Wars action figure weapons and accessories guide
dcarty Imperial Lieutenant
Posts : 265 Join date : 2010-11-14 Age : 53 Location : Colorado Springs, Colorado
Those are fantastic! I've still got my old Twiki figure and some Black Hole figures as well.
At the risk of blaspheming, even as a kid I liked the more refined detail and extra articulation of the Mego action figures over Kenner. I always wonder what their Star Wars line would have looked like had they not passed on the deal.
Dave
Thundershot Imperial Commander
Posts : 481 Join date : 2013-12-15 Age : 49 Location : U.K.
Always good to see vintage advertising Artoo , and yes I remember taking my Starfighter out of a box exactly like that one back during a Christmas morning in the early 80's
I too have often wondered about the "What if Mego" question myself.. we'd probably of gotten a small range of superb 6" figures as Mego always employed top quality sculptors who produced excellent likenesses, but I shudder to think how cheap & cheerful the vehicles & playsets would of been.
Look at their lacklustre blow moulded Enterprise Bridge playset & recycled Micronauts toys used for Buck Rogers for example
arohk Jedi Knight
Posts : 1612 Join date : 2012-06-27 Age : 57 Location : Canada
Very cool I don' t think I have anything left from Buck Rogers anymore I do have one lone red century droid from the black hole, but I do have a very nice Battlestar Collection.
Thundershot Imperial Commander
Posts : 481 Join date : 2013-12-15 Age : 49 Location : U.K.
Subject: Re: Buck Rogers (& Others) Sun Oct 16, 2016 11:41 am
A few more "& others" (Well it doesn't feel right posting a thread entitled "Star Trek" on a Star Wars forum )
No introductions needed I trust..
Mego 1979, Star Trek TMP:
Ertl 1984 Star Trek III: (A bit of a cheat, Mr Spock's a custom.. Mego head on a Ertl Kirk body.)
T'shot
Thundershot Imperial Commander
Posts : 481 Join date : 2013-12-15 Age : 49 Location : U.K.
I remember the name Automan but never saw it. I realise now it's a similar look to Tron and read that it was the same production team responsible for both. Very cool figure and maybe hard to find as the toyline never went beyond I think it was the first six figures?
_________________________________________________ Paul F,
thevintagetoyadvertiser.org 1970s and 80s vintage toy ads and other retro paperworks
imperialgunnery.com Vintage Star Wars action figure weapons and accessories guide
Thundershot Imperial Commander
Posts : 481 Join date : 2013-12-15 Age : 49 Location : U.K.
Subject: Re: Buck Rogers (& Others) Sat Nov 05, 2016 6:17 am
Hi Artoo ,
From what little research I've done I think that 6 figures were intended, and indeed illustrated on the packaging, yet as the television show tanked only Automan himself was ever produced.
There's an obscure Star Wars connection here, Acamas Toys (the company behind this figure) also produced an Automan dress up costume which, as a cost saving measure, used a re-paint of their Luke Skywalker face mask.
Thundershot Imperial Commander
Posts : 481 Join date : 2013-12-15 Age : 49 Location : U.K.
Subject: Re: Buck Rogers (& Others) Sat Nov 12, 2016 11:53 am
Vintage 6" A-Team:
Face colour variant:
Reaction Figures "Alien!"
I'm not a fan of these modern retro style figures, yet, as I love the movie Alien (even more so it's sequel) and this being a copy of the genuine Kenner design, I think this guy earned a place in my collection
Thundershot Imperial Commander
Posts : 481 Join date : 2013-12-15 Age : 49 Location : U.K.
Subject: Re: Buck Rogers (& Others) Sun Nov 13, 2016 9:51 am
ReAction Figures Alien, in Kenner style
Hot Toys Aliens 1:18 scale snap kits:
Back to vintage with L.J.N.'s Gremlins:
Toy Island's rendition of Robocop:
..with all three display options:
Mattel's Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars Krang & Dr Doom:
Dr Doom scores bonus points for his weapons storage capacity, a thigh strap for the laser pistol & a laser rifle that clips onto his backpack
Thundershot Imperial Commander
Posts : 481 Join date : 2013-12-15 Age : 49 Location : U.K.
I think the show was a French production, using a Japanese animation company, that was dubbed into English. I certainly don't remember any toys being available in here in the U.K. managing to buy these thanks to ebay.
The music, for the series, always stood out for me..
... along with the heroes weapon, along with that gauntlet force shield, O.k. it's a bit of a Lightsaber rip-off but I'll always let it off because its hilt doubles as a laser pistol.
Thundershot Imperial Commander
Posts : 481 Join date : 2013-12-15 Age : 49 Location : U.K.
Subject: Re: Buck Rogers (& Others) Sun Apr 30, 2017 9:32 am
Micronauts Hyperion
trappedtexan Moderator
Posts : 4772 Join date : 2012-12-01 Location : USA, Texas
Yeah.. it's one of those toy lines where I all I know is that I know very little.
Thankfully I know a bit more about vintage Action-man so recognised this as soon as I clapped eyes upon it..
Found in the second hand shop, earlier this week, they must of thought it was a cheap plastic ornament not realising it's an Action-man accessory... I've teamed him up with my Mountie:
trappedtexan Moderator
Posts : 4772 Join date : 2012-12-01 Location : USA, Texas
Neat. As I understand it action man was the 12" equivalent to go Joe for us in America and action force was the 3 3/4 equivalent for gi Joe right? I had some gi Joe 12" though most of my collection was the 3 3/4 ones. I don't think any of our 12" Joe's had large animal sidekicks. This looks like a blowmold toy so likely easy to mistake for some ornament just like you said.
Posts : 481 Join date : 2013-12-15 Age : 49 Location : U.K.
Subject: Re: Buck Rogers (& Others) Mon May 01, 2017 2:00 am
Hi there, Yeah, Palitoy started off by simply importing & re-branding G.I.Joe as Action-man but soon started to branch out & developing the toy for English market. They produced some superbly detailed uniform sets (each authentically modelled after British army regiments) and vehicles... indeed.. the famous gripping hands, a.k.a. "Kung-Fu Grip" in the U.S, & lifelike hair were Palitoy innovations.
Thundershot Imperial Commander
Posts : 481 Join date : 2013-12-15 Age : 49 Location : U.K.
Subject: Re: Buck Rogers (& Others) Mon May 01, 2017 2:14 am
Here's a great local news feature about the history of the Palitoy company, featuring lots of Star Wars too:
Thundershot Imperial Commander
Posts : 481 Join date : 2013-12-15 Age : 49 Location : U.K.
Subject: Re: Buck Rogers (& Others) Sat May 13, 2017 10:28 am
Lion Force Voltron:
Thundershot Imperial Commander
Posts : 481 Join date : 2013-12-15 Age : 49 Location : U.K.
Subject: Re: Buck Rogers (& Others) Sat May 13, 2017 12:59 pm
T'other Voltron..
trappedtexan Moderator
Posts : 4772 Join date : 2012-12-01 Location : USA, Texas
Subject: Re: Buck Rogers (& Others) Sat May 13, 2017 2:36 pm
I had a couple of different color on growing up, had a smaller one that they had wheels and rolled, had a larger one that tops opened and figures went into, and had this bottom guy. I didn't know he was a voltron and always thought he musy have been like the dollar store version (knockoff/bootleg) of a voltron. I never remembered seeing him in the cartoon as it was always lions in that and when apart this one had cars, helicopters, and various odd vehicle things making up his body.
Seeing that brings back many memories of it. I see he is missing a helicopter blade. Do you remember exactly what company these are? Mine are long gone but I would like to find one. The one I had was made from harder rubber but not really super hard. Kind of reminded me of a stiff eraser type material.
Posts : 481 Join date : 2013-12-15 Age : 49 Location : U.K.
Subject: Re: Buck Rogers (& Others) Sat May 13, 2017 4:12 pm
Hi there, I've picked all of these up from flea markets & charity shops. Voltron wasn't really a thing here in Britain, so finding anything's a bonus even if it's not %100 complete, you kind of live in hope of finding enough parts over the years to complete stuff.
The rubbery guys are by LJN, more famous for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and Thundercats, I believe they're made from the same material as the old W.W.F Thumb Wrestlers?
The die cast version's a really well made, solidly built & nicely detailed toy, the copyright text's all in Japanese.. which I can't read.. but I think it's made by Poppy & sold via Matchbox(?)
Again, it's incomplete yet here's the version I have: