Blood Wolves (Stan Winston Creatures)

What do you get when you take one of the most well known names in the horror industry and blend in action figures? You get Stan Winston Creatures. If you've seen a horror movie between 1970 and 2000, we guarantee you've seen his work.

No, you won't find your Spawns, your Batmans or your Han Solos here. Instead what you'll get are unique figure lines which rival the best product McFarlane Toys has produced. This is due to one of the most key elements of action figure creation - Articulation. The figures can be manipulated at the knees, thighs, hips, waist, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists and neck.

Keeping in theme with celebrating Halloween all month long, we're taking a look at one of our favorite, and relatively unknown series, the 2002 released Blood Wolves from Stan Winston Creatures.


The series is small, but what you get is worlds beyond most toy lines. Four highly articulated, impressively accessorized, and expertly crafted with utmost attention to detail figures.

The characters were; Lycon, Medieval Trakk, Vereticus, and Wolv.

If you hadn't guessed at this point, the series took a page from your standard werewolf guide for its premise. Sure it could have been construed as cliché, and possibly even a quick way to make a buck, but we personally think the figures speak for themselves.

Stan Winston unfortunately passed away in June of 2008, but through his films, his toys, and all his other work, he stands as a legend of horror. A true person to be honored as we get ready to throw our Halloween parties, and watch hours of spook filled films.

Join us October 31, 2012 for our final Halloween celebration post. It's the most requested toy line from our readers, and one of the most largest action figure lines out there. We'll see you Wednesday when we wrap it all up with a large bang!

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Beetlejuice - The Movie (Kenner)

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! Say his name three times, and this miscreant freelance bio-exorcist appears.

It seems like every time Tim Burton directs a movie, he gets the majority of the credit for its success.

In 1988 Bettlejuice was released nationwide, and pulled in a whopping 73.7 million dollars. Not bad for a film which was made for only 13 million.

Kenner purchased the rights to create a toy line based on the film, and in 1989 released two series, one sub series, and a handful of vehicles/playsets.

The figures came packaged in a white/lime green packaging which featured each character depicted in a drawing at the top right of the card. The bottom right of the card was reserved for a photo of the "action" each respective figure had - Most of which was removing heads to reveal hidden ones underneath.



While series one had six figures, series two only had two. The packaging also got a re-coloring, and now contained a majority of lime green color as opposed to white. The overall design (however) remained the same.



A sub series of four figures entitled "Neighborhood Nasties" was produced during the second wave of figures. Unlike the first two waves of figures, these particular toys had no correlation with the film. The packaging was the same as that used for wave two.



One playset and two vehicles were created for the series - Though none of them were based off of things seen in the films. Though I suppose you could pretend that the grave was.



The series did fairly poorly on the market - Mostly because many children had never seen the film. The secondary market seems to have forgotten about these toys as well, as a mint in package figure sells for as little (or sometimes as much) as a dollar or two. The vehicles and playset can be found for between five and ten dollars.

It's sad to see that for a film that did so well, the toy line never found a home. But, for those who have seen the film, this is certainly a great set to track down, and it won't cost you much. The difficult challenge is actually finding all the individual figures, as they are pretty sporadic on the secondary market.

Join us next time for our look at Blood Wolves!

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Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Series 2 (Playmates Toys)

We interrupt our month long Halloween celebration to bring you a look at the brand new series two of Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line from Playmate's Toys. For those of you who enjoyed our original look at Series 1, this is a continued addition to that post.

Unlike when the first series launched, the new animated series has hit the air waves of Nickelodeon, and the show is being met with tremendous reviews. Fans young and old seem to have embraced the new series with open arms, and merchandise has been flying off of retail shelves.

Series two began hitting shelves in early October, 2012 with the three new figures; Metalhead, Fishface and Dogpound. We first found these figures as we were venturing through Delaware and Pennsylvania on our way to New York Comic Con. The three new figures bring with them a whole new look at the series, and introduce us to a couple of the newer characters from the animated series.

Many of you may remember Metalhead from the original series, and for what its worth, he remains intact in the form from yesteryear. The figure has a few slight changes to make him mesh with the new series, such as three toes, and a new back story. But again, for the most part, the series has done him justice by not retooling him completely.

Fishface and Dogpound, the two latest villains, bring an exciting new feel to the series, and not only that, are really cool to look at. To date, Dogpound is the bulkiest and heaviest figure in the series.

Much like the first series, the figures have some articulation, but are lacking it in some very common and important places. In the case of Dogpound and Fishface, it's in the knees. Fishface's legs are fashioned in the same right as the Kraang figure, and Dogpound as a whole is pretty much just one massive lump of plastic. He does have some wrist and leg movement, but it's very limited.

We also immediately spotted a production error on the back of the Metalhead card. As you can see in the photograph below, the picture of Raphael was used to advertise two separate figures - Himself and Michelangelo. We reached out to Playmates Toys regarding this issue, and they have told us that the mistake had been spotted on their end, and that when a second production run is made, the error will be corrected. That's good news for variant hunters. However, it will be interesting to see which card becomes the rarer one. Obviously if the corrected cards are printed in lower quantities, they will be harder to find.

***UPDATE***

As of December 7, 2012 we've started seeing the corrected card backs for Metalhead hitting shelves.  What this means is that Playmates Toys will no longer be running the error cards, and the only way you're going to find them is if they are overstock somewhere.  Another thing to note with the corrected card back is that due to the holiday season, Metalhead is an increasingly difficult figure to find.  We're not sure how many more production runs this particular figure has, so it is possible that the corrected version could become the rarer version.  Especially once all those kids out there receive their figure for Christmas, and rip it from the card.  Variant hunters should grab this figure while they can.

There are a few more interesting things to note pertaining to the card backs. For starters, the assortment numbers for the new figures have not changed from the first series number. The card backs for the three new figures also show all the originals plus the new assortment. Yet the card backs for the original figures have not been updated, and still show only the first series of figures available. We're not sure if all the cards will be updated for this new print run or not, but we would hope that at some point all of them are to showcase the full current line of figures available.

Playmates is moving full speed ahead with the series, and while no new figures are anticipated for the remainder of the year, it has already been stated that Spring of 2013 will bring three new figures; Snakeweed, Baxter Stockman and Leatherhead. Five months is a long time to wait though, and we hope that Playmates wouldn't grind the series to a halt for that long of a period. Especially with Christmas right around the corner. We're keeping our fingers crossed that some new toys will hit shelves in that time frame leading up to March of 2013. We'll of course keep you updated if they do.

If there was one complaint we have with the series it is that many stores are starting to raise the prices of their merchandise. Basic figures which were once only $8.99 at Toys R' Us have gone up to $9.99. The various sizes of vehicles have also increased in price by two to three dollars each. However, the most shocking sticker price hike is for the Toys R' Us exclusive Secret Sewer Lair which was once priced at a reasonable $119.99 which has gone up to $139.99. Tis' the season to get greedy we suppose.

For those of you looking for more collecitbles to chase down, a new press kit has made its way onto sites such as eBay. These kits were mailed to various members of the press, and contained a wonderfully put together little package. The box is shaped and designed to resemble a glowing manhole cover, all brought together with the TMNT logo. Inside sits a nice fold out poster depicting all four of the Turtles, and a DVD. The DVD contains a preview of the one hour premiere episode of the show. Underneath all of this sits one of the four turtle figures. Sadly, you won't find that the figures have been touched up with paint like they were for the New York Toy Fair promotional figures, but each figure is signed by the respective voice actor.

The kits have been selling on eBay for anywhere from thirty to eighty dollars each (as of this post), which is nothing compared to the three hundred fifty to four hundred dollar price tag that the original Toy Fair promotions each go for.

Join us Thursday as we continue with our regularly scheduled Halloween celebration.

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***UPDATE***

Toys R' Us has become the place to AVOID when buying your Turtle toys.  We've sat back and watched as figures went from $8.99 to $9.99 within weeks of their release.  Then when sales picked up, we shook our heads as Toys R' Us once again increased their price to $10.99, and dropped our jaw as the store once again raised the price to $11.99 for the holiday season.  All of this while Target and Walmart remain at a reasonable $8.99 per figure.

Toys R' Us is definitely flexing their greedy muscles with the series, and we can't endorse that.  Toys R' Us has been added to our personal list of stores to avoid for this series.

Video Game Super Stars - Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2 (Toy Biz)

If you ask ten gamers what their favorite survival horror series is, we're pretty sure the majority of them would say, "Resident Evil" - or "Biohazard" as it is known by our friends abroad. Since its debut on the Playstation in 1996, fans have been sitting on the edge of their seats with each installment. Since then the series has been adapted into comic books, novels, movies, and more.

Characters such as Chris Redfield, Leon Kennedy, Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield and Albert Wesker have become household names among RE fans. Each new story, regardless of the format it is being told in, adds to the ever growing history of the series, and expands the plotline even further.

As a result of the ever expanding RE universe, there have been a lot of Resident Evil toys over the years. Today, we're going to take a look at the very first (and second).

In 1998, Toy Biz under the sub banner of Video Game Super Stars released the very first Resident Evil line. It consisted of five figures, all based on the very first game.

The majority of the figures are considered to be two packs, though don't strain your eyes looking for a second figure inside. Rather what is considered a second figure is actually a small "creature" from the game - with the exception of the "zombie" two packs, and the larger Tyrant figure which has nothing else packed in with it.

The package is beautifully designed to resemble artwork from the original game, and the use of black really adds to the dark nature of the series. We especially like the pixilated versions of the characters at the bottom center of the package.

The figures produced were;

Chris Redfield and Cerberus
Hunter and Chimera
Jill Valentine and Web Spinner
Tyrant
Zombie and Forest Speyer

In that same year, Toy Biz followed up with a series of figures based on Resident Evil 2. This time the series was broken up into two parts. The first was the basic set of figures, and the second was the Platinum Edition set of figures. Considering the line was targeted at a specific audience, and there was really no difference between the actual quality of the figures in the two lines, we're not sure why Toy Biz did this. Perhaps Platinum Edition figures were produced in smaller quantities, or perhaps it was because they were slightly larger (in some respects) - But, we honestly don't know.

Once again the original artwork for the game was utilized perfectly for the card back - Though this time it was respectively for the second game, which certainly helps to distinguish the two lines.

The following basic figures were released;

Claire Redfield and Zombie Cop
Leon Kennedy and Licker
William G-3 and G-4

As we said above, we're not sure what makes the above figures any better than the basic ones. Resident Evil Platinum Figures had the same overall package design (with the exception of saying "Platinum" on the package). The figures aren't a different or better quality than the basic ones. Again, our only hypothesis can be that they were produced in smaller quantities, or because some of the figures were slightly larger.

The figures produced were;

Ada Wong and Ivy
Hunk and Zombie
Tyrant and Mr. X
William Birkin and Sherry

All and all, there are well over half a dozen lines based on various Resident Evil games from various companies. Each one brings a unique packaging design, and sculpting style. As a result, it can be annoying to fans to hold the various figures from various sets side by side because there is little to no consistency as a result of the license being handed around from company to company. However, if you can look at each line individually, and enjoy it for what it is, there is a lot to be said for each particular series.

Today, the secondary market has been particularly kind to the Toy Biz line of RE figures. An entire set of what you've seen above can set you back as much as $600.00, which averages out to approximately fifty dollars a figure. Not a bad return on a line that eventually made its way to the clearance isle.

Join us next time when we take a look at Beetlejuice – The Movie!

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Vampirella (Moore Action Collectibles)

The character Vampirella is often times mistaken to have been created in the mid 1990's. This was due to the character seeing a massive resurgence in popularity, thanks in part to adult screen actress Julie Strain who hit the road for several live appearances during this era at various comic book conventions across the nation.

However, she was actually created in 1969 by Forrest J Ackerman and costume designer Trina Robbins. The character was mainly utilized as a horror-story hostess (such as the capacity of Elvira) until issue number eight were she was developed by writer-editor Archie Goodwin to a more dramatically leading character.

Since then, stories under the title of the character have been produced by multiple companies such as Warren Publishing (1969-1983), Harris Publications (1983-2007), and Dynamite Entertainment (2010-2011). The various mini series that were produced by Harris Publications from 1991-2007 are what brought about the largest resurgence of the character.


In the year 2000, Moore Action Collectibles attempted to capitalize on the Vampirella image with a small toy line based on the character. In fact, it was only based on the character as the only figures produced were of her.

To date, this series goes down as the only one we know that produced an intentional variant figure that was packaged backwards. Obviously there are some fans out there who simply enjoy plastic behinds, and this variant was very appealing to them.

A second version known as "Harvest Moon" was also produced. This depicted the character in a white and black outfit, as opposed to her typical red one. The packaging was also changed from the initial blue cardboard backer to an orange/peach one.

Despite the success of the comic book, fans actually enjoyed the live appearances more. Something about a skimpy outfit on a slim woman with nothing to apparently hide got the blood flowing for a lot of "men". This is where Julie Strain comes into the picture. Ms. Strain was not the first model to dawn the Vampirella outfit, nor was she the last. She is however one of the most well known persons to do so.

As a result of this combined popularity of both the character and model, a couple "Julie Strain" based figures were produced. Both were made exclusive to Fandom and Tower Records. The first being the purple carded version, and the second being a boxed version.

A third exclusive, "Golden" Vampirella was produced for various toy shows in 2001. This would also be the last figure produced for the line.

The character Vampirella never saw the success of characters such as Spider-Man, Superman or Spawn, but the series produced under her name do have a loyal fan base. A film was produced in 1996 staring Talisa Soto, Roger Daltrey, Richard Joseph Paul, and Corinna Harney, directed by Jim Wynorski that went straight to video. Despite there being an announcement of a sequel in the credits, the second film never came to be.

Join us next time when we take a look at Video Game Super Stars - Resident Evil!

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Monster Playsets Series 1 and 2 (McFarlane Toys)

Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy - These are all characters who shaped the world of fictional horror as we know it. They've been the source of scares since the dawn of the first horror title, and to this day are fan favorites in all their classic and current iterations.

There are those who view scary movies, specifically gory ones as a representation of societies decay. This theory bears scrutiny as even the earliest societies have been documented for their stories on "monsters". Horror films have also been scientifically proven to stimulate the brain, producing endorphins based on the excitement that terror brings, which in turn reduces stress.


McFarlane Toys gave an iconic node to the greatest of the greatest classic monsters starting in 1997 with their Monster Playsets line.

Unlike the majority of figures coming down the production line of McFarlane Toys, the Monster Playsets were simplistic in nature. While they represented the iconic characters well, they didn't necessarily contain the attention to detail that fans had come to expect from the company - At least not in the figures. However, the background pieces and accessories were incredibly detailed - Right down to severed legs.

This is all made acceptable in that the figures were never designed to look like any specific portrayal of the characters as seen in the past. Rather, they were homage’s to the characters as seen from a fans perspective who just so happened to have the licensing and ability to mass produce said nod.

The yellow cardboard backer of the first series left little to desire in the first series of figures, so it was a welcome change for the revamped brown back for the 1998 second series.

The update to the bubble section itself was also a much needed, much appreciated change. In the first series, pieces seemed crammed inside with the majority of them overlapping each other. The new packaging design allowed for all the pieces to be spread out so that people could see everything inside.

In total the series one and two had eight playsets produced. They are as follows;

SERIES 1

Dracula Playset
Frankenstein Playset
Hunchback Playset
Werewolf Playset

SERIES 2

Dr. Frankenstein Playset
The Mummy Playset
The Phantom of the Opera Playset
The Sea Creature Playset

For fans of classic horror, these are an excellent conversation piece in their collections. It's not often that we see figures based loosely on a concept, as opposed to specifically related subject matters. This was a great idea, and a fresh take on the action figure market. It's a shame that so few companies take risks like this today by producing sets such as these. Though in the here today, gone tomorrow market we see these days, it's no surprise that the majority don't.

We'll take a look at the remaining series in the Monsters line at some point, so stay tuned for a continuation of this post coming down the pike at some point.

Join us next time when we take a look at Vampirella!

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The Nightmare Before Christmas (Neca)

In 1993, Hasbro found very mild success with figures based off of the film The Nightmare Before Christmas (you can visit our Hasbro post "HERE"). Since then, several more toys, and various trinkets based on the film have hit shelves across the world.

Some of the best merchandise based on the series is NECA's 2004-2007 line of figures. Each figure is crafted to absolute meticulous detail with amazing true to film accessories. If you're looking for great The Nightmare Before Christmas toys, look no further.

There were six series of figures, each with four figures per wave (or, 24 figures total). The packaging was a generic blue/black background all encased in a sealed plastic bubble.














Two exclusive figures were offered at San Diego Comic Con. The first, Pirate Jack, was offered in 2006. The second, Vampire Jack, was offered in 2007.



Several multipack/box sets were produced to coincide with the line. Many of them were repacked figures from the line, though some were altered in sculpt, or came with new backgrounds and/or accessories. There were also a handful of new pieces, such as the Lock, Shock, and Barrel three pack, and Oogie Bookie with Jack two pack.





Two vehicles were also produced for the line. The Mayor's Car, which was limited to only 1500 pieces also happens to be the rarest piece in the entire line. It came in a regular beige box with no markings of any kind on it.



This line of toys is particularly difficult to come by, but even though this may be the case, each figure is still fairly reasonably priced between ten and twenty dollars each. There are a select few figures which can fetch as much as fifty dollars each, with the multipacks being incredibly difficult to track down, and prices vary daily.

If you're a fan of the film, then hands down this is a set you should be collecting. If you're not a fan, but love the thrill of the hunt, then this series is definitely a challenge.

Join us next time for our look at Monster Playsets!

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Hellraiser (Neca)

"The box...You opened it, we came." - Pinhead

Hellraiser has been racking up the sequels since the first film made its debut in 1987 from classic horror visionary Clive Barker. With it has come a trove of fans who love the concept of Pinhead, and all his Cenobite counterparts. Much is the case of horror flicks, viewers aren't necessarily concerned with the cast of characters playing "human" roles, but rather in how Pinhead and his crew are integrated into the film, and how said "human" characters will die - Specifically, how gruesome in nature they will die.

Sixteen years after the first film debuted, Neca produced a fan favorite line of figures based on the series. The line focused mainly on the Cenobites, not bothering to incorporate many of the human characters into the line, and the ones that are included were depicted in severely decimated states - such as Julia and Frank with no skin.

The first series is the most unique in that each figure came packed with a side to make the infamous box. This of course meant that every figure needed to be collected in order to do so. The only exception to this was the Wire Twins two pack which did not include a part.

The packaging was rather dark in nature, but feature a fantastic photo of the figure on the top right of each card. Also appealing to fans was that each card listed what series the figure inside was from on the top left under the title, "Hellraiser". This made it easy to keep track of which figures were associated with which line.

Series one included six figures, plus one two pack. The two pack was designed to provide fans with a slightly different twin, but still left them with no option but to purchase the single pack as well should they want to complete the box (as there was no box piece included with the two pack). The figures were;


CD, Chatter Beast
Chatter, Pinhead

Stitch, Wire Twin
Wire Twins (two pack)

Series two did away with the box pieces, and instead incorporated the figures with several accessories, and interchangeable body parts such as heads. Out of the six figures produced, one was a resculpted Pinhead character. The line included;


Angelique
Barbie, Butterball

Julia
Pinhead, Surgeon

The final series, series 3, had only four basic figures, and one boxed figure. The size of the overall figure in the box wasn't larger than the carded ones, but the protruding glob from his head ensured the need for the different packaging. Each carded figure came packed with a piece to construct the Leviathan. The series also included a third resculpted Pinhead figure. The figures included;


Twins, Female
Frank, Pinhead

Dr. Channard

A four pack box set was produced which contained a selection of Cenobites from the first film. The set was called Cenobite Lair Boxed Set. The figures were no different than the prior released single packs from the various series.


Cenobite Lair Boxed Set

Two exclusives were produced for the series, a pewter Pinhead which was made available only at San Diego Comic Con, and a mail away Chatterer II. Both were released in window boxes as opposed to on carded as the majority of the figures were.


Pinhead (San Diego Comic Con), Chatterer II (Mail Away)

The Hellraiser series of figures were highly accepted and appreciated by fans of the films, but didn't necessarily capture the attention of casual horror fans or average toy collectors - Though the sculpts are amazing, and certainly deserve their time in the spotlight. If there is anything that can be said about this set it is that Neca did it right. They paid perfect fan service to the series, and did it in a way that was hard to (if not impossible to) find any fault with.

Join us next time when we take a look at Neca's The Nightmare Before Christmas!

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The Addams Family (Playmates Toys)

They're creepy AND they're kooky? What kind of family could a combination like that churn out? The Addams Family of course.

In 1992, Hanna-Barbera launched an all new animated series on ABC based off of that classic family which first started their iconic time in the spotlight in 1938 as a live action show. The show ran for just a little over a year before it was pulled, but still managed to crank out 21 episodes over two seasons during that short time frame.

The most interesting thing the show seemed to have going for it, but which was unknown to most children, was that John Astin, the original actor to play Gomez in the 30's also voiced the animated Gomez.


Playmates Toys, who had seen huge success with their figures based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line was licensed to release figures based on the show from the start. This was typical for Saturday morning cartoons to be launched with toys as the shows themselves were often times considered by parents to be thirty minute toy advertisements.

The packaging was very vivid and eye catching with its mixture of yellows, purples and shades of red. Each card back included a "family portrait" of the figure inside (picture G.I. Joe file cards) which offered a few tidbits on the character's background. The top of the card showed a group shot of the family all snapping their fingers to resemble the opening theme song, while the middle of the card was reserved to show the other figures available in the line.


The figures saw little success (much like the show), and Playmates ceased production on them prior to the cartoon series ending. This is perhaps a good thing as there was room for only a handful more of figures (such as Wednesday and Cousin It) before it would have to rely on variant figures or some other form of cliché to milk the series for every dime it was worth.

I can't personally help but think that between Hanna-Barbera/ABC and Playmates, they were banking the entire series on the "snap, snap" portion of the theme song in hopes that kids would pick up on it, find it fun, and dive deep into the series as a result. Obviously, that didn't happen.

Today the figures can be obtained for anywhere from $5.00 to $10.00 each. On occasion the Morticia figure has been known to sell for $20.00, but that is a rare occurrence. Overall, it's not a bad set of figures, it's just not a very good one.

Join us next time for our look at Hellraiser!

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The Munsters (Figures Toy Company)

The Munsters are a classic icon of television as it used to be - When programs were wholesome, funny, meaningful, and at the same time managed to avoid being fowl, and rude. They're from a time long gone in the world of television, and missed treasure that can fortunately be relived on DVD today.

The idea for The Munsters was originally proposed to Universal Studios by animator Bob Clampett who wanted to do a cartoon series on the premise. However, it wouldn't be until the early 1960's that the concept would be revisited when a similar treatment was submitted by Rocky and Bullwinkle writers Allan Burns and Chris Hayward. The series was put into production, and aired from 1964 to 1966 for a total of 70 episodes.

Star Fred Gwynne, Yvonne De Carlo, Al Lewis, Beverley Owen (1964), Pat Priest (1964–1966), and Butch Patrick would find great success on the series, but at the cost of being type cast for the remainder of their careers. Butch Patrick would be the only cast member to embrace his typecasting, and go on to utilize it to create songs based on the character Eddie Munster.

The show suffered from ratings drops due to the use of black and white film, which was slowly being phased out in Hollywood. Shows such as Batman, presented in full color were pulling viewers away from the format at a rapid pace, and lead to the shows cancellation in just two seasons. When the series was run in syndication, it quickly garnered a new fan base, as well as pulling in old one, far surpassing its original popularity. Today, it's classic television at its best.


In 2004, Figures Toy Company produced the entire family as a one shot set. They were designed both in packaging and sculpt in the same sense that the old Mego toys were produced - Though they weren't exactly spot on sculpts of the actors. Herman, Lily, Grandpa, Marilyn, and Eddie - Figures Toy Company produced them all.

Each cardboard backer was designed to resemble a beat up wall with cracks and missing drywall sections. To the left of the bubble which encased the figure were six circles which each held an image of the "dolls" available.

Probably the most notable pieces in this set are the clothing. Each one is meticulously accurate to those worn by the characters in the show - Down to the color of the fabric. Mind you, most people wouldn't know this considering the show was in black and white.

All and all these are not bad figures, and certainly would be something a Munsters fan would want to own.

Join us next time when we take a look at The Addams Family!

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September 2012 Recap

Below is a recap of all the post we've covered in September 2012. If you missed any, or simply want to see them again, click on each "title" to be taken directly to that post. As always, thanks for reading.

Mork and Mindy
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Futurama
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
All-Star
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Last Action Hero
Our Gang

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Our Gang (Mego)

Our Gang, more commonly known as The Little Rascals to today's generation was a series of shorts created by Hal Roach. Two hundred twenty shorts (as well as one full length movie) were produced since the series was introduced in the 1920's, making it one of the largest serial series ever made. Characters such as Alfalfa, Spanky, Darla, Froggy, and Buckwheat quickly became household names, and to this day are iconic characters.

Due to the ever growing popularity of the show, as well as the ever growing children used for it, it became necessary to replace the children every few years with new actors. Thus when shows are run in syndication today, it can cause some confusion for viewers who aren't necessarily educated on the series background.

When the serial first began in the 20's, the films were silent. This allowed Roach to focus on letting the children act like children, as opposed to sticking to scripts, which the majority of the children couldn't read. However, when the serial was converted to "talkies", the common term for movies that made the leap from silent to sound, it forced the children actors to quickly develop their reading skills if they wanted to be a part of the show.

The series was way ahead of its time by way of casting. In an era where white males were considered dominant, it was impressive and commendable that the series cast both black children, and also females in equal lead character roles - Something that wouldn't be notable in a series until almost five decades later in Gene Rodenberry's original Star Trek series.

After years of gradual cast changes, the troupe standardized in 1936 with the move to one-reel shorts, lasting just ten minutes in length. Most casual fans of Our Gang are particularly familiar with the 1936–1939 incarnation of the cast: Spanky, Alfalfa, Darla, Buckwheat, and Porky, with recurring characters such as neighborhood bullies Butch and Woim and bookworm Waldo.

These are also the characters that Mego's 1975 line were based on. With the show in full syndication (now under the title "The Little Rascals"), Mego took the still rising popularity of the series as an opportunity to produce eight inch "dolls". Though interesting to note is that the toys produced were not under the banner "The Little Rascals", but rather the original series title, "Our Gang".

Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Spanky, Mickey, Porky, and Darla were all produced for the series. Each character came packed on a cardboard backer designed to look like the side of the gang's clubhouse wall, and contained fantastic fully painted representations of the six figures available. Each doll was dressed in a traditional garb as seen in the serials.




Mego also produced a Clubhouse playset which included a scooter, and two vehicles - The Orange Crate Cart, and Rowboat.

Unlike most traditional Mego playsets which were cardboard "set pieces", the Clubhouse playset was a fairly large plastic box that opened from the front on a hinge. It also included a strap at the top for transporting it.

Each piece (the playset and vehicles) were designed to look like they had been put together with planks, and complimented each other perfectly.



Today, the dolls are actually easier to obtain than the Clubhouse, Orange Crate Cart, and Rowboat - Especially sealed ones. A full set of figures can sell for as little as $200.00 (depending on condition), while the vehicles fetch 1/4 of that price for open ones, and more than $200.00 for sealed ones. The Clubhouse sells for even more at $100.00 loose, and three to four times that price for sealed ones.

Join us on September 30, 2012 for a special announcement!

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Last Action Hero (Mattel)

Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1993 film Last Action Hero will probably never go down in history as one of his better movies. The film itself was written to be a parody of action movies of the era, but unfortunately the joke was lost on the majority of movie goers. Many saw it as a poorly written action film that said farewell to Schwarzenegger's career as the top action star he was in the 80's.

Preparing for the film to be a huge success, Mattel licensed the rights to produce a line of toys. It turned out to be a poor marketing move. With the film a flop, it left several toys on pegs which were eventually moved to the clearance isle.

As far as action figures go, they weren't bad. The sculpts were pretty spot on for their time, and the packaging was rather eye catching, done in the same artistic style as the movie poster itself.

Seven figures were produced including one variant. Out of those seven figures, four were based off of Schwarzenegger's character, Jack Slatter. The one variant being another Jack Slatter figure, which was packed with either black or white handcuffs. Each figure came packed with an incredible amount of accessories - Though they didn't necessarily pertain to the film.

The figures produced were;

Axe Swingin' Ripper
Dynamite Jack Slater
Evil Eye Benedict
Heat Packin' Jack
Hook Launchin' Danny
Skull Attack Jack
Undercover Jack (Black and White Handcuff Variants)

Two vehicles were also produced, Evil Eye Roadster and Slater's Convertible. Each vehicle came in a medium size rectangular box, also depicted with fantastic artwork.

The film may have been a flop, and on the first release, the figures may not have impressed many either. However, from a collector's standpoint, these are far from the worst figures we've ever seen. In fact, with regards to accuracy in sculpting, they're pretty good. They're definitely worth a second consideration for action figure collector's looking to purchase something new.

Join us next time when we take a look at Our Gang!

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