Army Ants (Hasbro)

Army Ants
Hasbro
1987

Take the premise of Mattel's M.U.S.C.L.E. figures, and smash them together with Hasbro's G.I. Joe, and you get Army Ants. Miniature ant squadrons headed for the battlefield in a blue vs. orange throw down!

Don't let the miniature multicarded figures fool you. These were by no means generic characters - They were by Hasbro after all, the owners of G.I. Joe. Each one had its own identity and rank, and featured a unique set of weapons and accessories.

GENERAL SPECIAL FORCES TEAM PACKS (8 PACKS)

General McAnther's Special Forces Team with Bone Crusher, General McAnther, Gimme 50, Heave-Ho, Jagged Tooth, Knockdown, Semper Fi and Tail Spin

General Patant's Special Strike Forces Team with Beau Geste, Blak Jak, Blighty, Blitz Kreig, General Patant, Rambant, Snorkle Head and Stalker

Despite having zero articulation from being one piece molded figures, each Army Ant had accessories which could be removed or interchanged with other characters. This made for a rather diverse way of play for such a simplistic line.

GENERAL PATANT'S SQUAD PACKS (3 PACKS)

Aerial Assault Squad with Bullseye, Reeky and Windy

Assault Team with Grease Pit, Mega-Hurtz and Road Rash

Bazooka Team with Bug-Eye, Howler and Loadout

Sniper Team with Recoil, Repeater and Warpo

An excellent feature to the series was how each multipack featured different characters. This wasn't a line which forced people to buy the same figures over and over just to get a handful of new ones.

GENERAL MCANTHER'S SQUAD PACKS (3 PACKS)

Artillery Team with Ozone, Pig Out and Sneaky

Bomber Squad with Crossfire, Razor Beak and Snarl

Flame Throwe Squad with Blow Torch, Rip Pin and Stabber

Mortar Team with Bunko, Incoming and Quick Hit

Join us next time when we take a look at Tickle Me Elmo!

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

WWF - World Wrestling Federation (Hasbro)

WWF - World Wrestling Federation
Hasbro
1990 - 1994

1985 to 1994 was the ultimate era of wrestling for us as kids. It was the time of classic wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, Macho Man Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, Big Boss, Million Dollar Man, Rowdy Roddy Piper and so many more we could be here all day listing them...

...Or, we could just show you.

Hasbro pretty much covers every wrestler we can think of (and more) who were icons in the ring during this time in their WWF line which ran from 1990 to 1994. With eleven series of figures, any wrestling fan is sure to be able to find some of their all time favorite characters here.

SERIES 1

Hulk Hogan with Gorilla Press Slam*The Ultiamte Warrior with Ultimate Smash*Andre the Giant with Giant Jolt*Ax with Ax Attack

Smash with Demolition Smasher*Ravishing Rick Rude with Rude Awakening Headlock*Randy "Macho Man" Savage with Elbow Smash*Akeem with Body Slam 

SERIES 1

The Big Bossman with Hard Time Slam*Ted DiBiase with Million Dollar Punch

Jake "The Snake" Roberts with Python Punch*Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake with Sleeper Hold

SERIES 2

Hulk Hogan with Hulkster Hug*The Ultimate Warrior with Ultimate Slam*Honky Tonk Man with Rattle and Roll

Dusty Rhodes with Dust Buster*Rowdy Roddy Piper with Piper Punch

SERIES 2

Jimmy Snuka with Superfly Slam*"Macho King" Randy Savage with Macho Masher

Hacksaw Jim DUggan with Hack Attack*Ted DiBiase with Million Dollar Stomp

TAG TEAM FIGURES (1990)

The Bushwhackers - Butch with Down and Out Blaster and Luke with Down Under Pounder

The Rockers - Marty Jannetty with Rocker Drop and Shawn Michaels with Rocker Shocker

Demolition Smash with Demolition Smasher and Crush with Crush Cruncher

SUMMER SLAM REPACKS

Hulk Hogan with Hulkster Hug*Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake with Sleeper Hold*Jake "The Snake" Roberts with Python Punch

The Big Bossman with Hard Time Slam*The Ultimate Warrior with Warrior Slam*Honky Tonk Man with Rattle and Roll

SUMMER SLAM REPACKS

Dusty Rhodes with Dust Buster*Rowdy Roddy Piper with Piper Punch*Jimmy Snuka with Superfly Slam

"Macho King" Randy Savage with Macho Masher*Hacksaw Jim Duggan with Hack Attack*Ted DiBiase with Million Dollar Stomp

SUMMER SLAM TAG TEAM REPACKS

The Bushwhackers - Butch with Down and Out Blaster and Luke with Down Under Pounder

The Rockers - Marty Jennetty with Rocker Dropper and Shawn Michaels with Rocker Shocker

Demolition - Smash with Demolition Smasher and Crush with Crush Cruncher

SERIES 3

Hulk Hogan with Hulkaplex*The Ultimate Warrior with Warrior Wham*Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake with Beefcake Flattop

Greg "The Hammer" Valentine with Hammer Slammer*Earthquake with Aftershock*Typhoon with Tidal Wave

SERIES 3

Sgt. Slaughter with Sgt.'s Salute*"Macho Man" Randy Savage with Macho Masher*Mr. Perfect with Perfect Plex

Koko B. Ware with Birdman Bounce*Texas Tornado with Texas Twister*Big Bossman with Jailhouse Jam

SERIES 4

The Undertaker with Tombstone Tackle*Ricky Steamboat with Steamboat Springer*Bret "Hitman" Hart with Hart Attack (Pink Heart)

Bret "Hitman" Hart with Hart Attack (Purple Heart)*The British Bulldog with Bulldog Bash

TAG TEAM FIGURES (1992)

The Legion of Doom - Hawk with Hawk Attack and Animal with Dooms-Dayer

The Nasty Boys - Brian Knobs with Nasticizer and Jerry Sags with Punk Pounder

SERIES 5

Hulk Hogan with Hulkster Slam*"Macho Man" Randy Savage with Savage Slam*Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart with Anvil Flattener

Sid Justice with Power Bomb*Skinner with Gator Breaker*The Mountie with Mountie Mash

SERIES 5

"The Model" Rick Martel with Arrogance Splash*Birgil with Bodyguard Bash

Warlord with Warlord Wham*Irwin R. Schyster with Write Off Slam

SERIES 6

Ric Flair with Flair Snare*Papa Shango with Spell Binder*El Matador with Bullseye Bash

Repo Man with Robber Clobber*Tatanka with Tomahawk Tackle*The Berzerker with Berzerker Blast

WWF MAGAZINE MAIL AWAY EXCLUSIVES

Bret "Hitman" Hart*Hulk Hogan*The Undertaker

Beginning with series 7, Hasbro started changing up the cardback colors. This makes it a little easier to differentiate between the latter waves of figures - If they're carded of course.

SERIES 7

Kamala with Kamal Krush*Owen Hart with Rocket Blast*Crush with Kona Crusher

Nailz with Jailhouse Jab*Razor Ramon with Razor Rage*Shawn Michaels with Conceited Crunch

SERIES 8

Bam Bam Bigelow with Bam Bam Slam*Yokozuna with Sumo Smash*Lex Lugor with Narcissistic Knockout

Mr. Perfect with Perfect Plex*Bret "Hitman" Hart with Hart Attack*The Undertaker with Tombstone Tackle

SERIES 9

Rick Steiner with Steiner Slam*Scott Steiner with Steiner Suplex*Dink the Clown with Big Top Clobber

Tatanka with Tomahawk Tackle*Ted DiBiase with Million Dollar Mash*Hacksaw Jim Duggan with Hacksaw Slam

SERIES 10

Giant Gonzalez with Giant Jab*Marty Jannetty with Jannetty Jam*Samu with Samu Shocker

Fatu with Gatu Flattener*Bushwhacker Luke with Down and Out Blaster*Bushwhacker Butch with Down Under Pounder

SERIES 10

Shawn Michaels with Conceited Crunch (White Tights)*Shawn Michaels with Conceited Crunch (Black Tights)

Razor Ramon with Razor Rage (Purple Shorts)*Razor Ramon with Razor Rage (Red Shorts)

SERIES 11

Ludvig Borga with Finland Finisher*Yokazuna with Sumo Smash*Crush with Kona Crusher*1-2-3 Kid with 1-2-3 Punch

Adam Bomb with Nuclear Knockout*Billy Gun with Cowboy Clobber*Bart Gun with Rodeo Roundhouse

There were four versions of the blue packaged ring available, but unfortunately the only way to tell which one you had was to open it.  The four versions are;

1) Blue Ring with Blue Turnbuckles - Circular Top Turnbuckle

2) Blue Ring with Blue Turnbuckles - Square Top Turnbuckle

3) Blue Ring with Black Turnbuckles - Circular Top Turnbuckle

4) Blue Ring with Black Turnbuckles - Square Top Turnbuckle

ACCESSORIES

Blue Ring*Yellow Ring

ACCESSORIES

JC Penny Exclusive Blue Ring with Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage Figures

Join us next time when we take a look at Army Ants!

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

September 2013 Recap

Boy, this year is flying by!

Below is a recap of all the post we've covered in September 2013. 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.

Predators Series 1 - 9
Popeye The Sailor
Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutagen Ooze - Series 2
The World of Annie - 6 Inch Dolls
Ooze-It
Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Series 5
The Shadow
Defenders of the Earth
Over the Top
Video Game Super Stars: Mario Kart 64
Wild Wild West

In addition to those new posts, we've also updated our original Marvel's G.I. Joe post with an all new layout featuring larger pictures of each issue.  Check it out, "HERE"!

We've also updated our original Mirage Comics Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles post which now not only features the original series, but all the spin offs, and secondary series under the Mirage banner.  You can check that out, "HERE"!

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page.

Wild Wild West (X-Toys)

Wild Wild West
X-Toys
1999

I think we're one of the few people who actually liked the movie Wild Wild West. Admittedly we never saw the original television show, so the sudden change of direction the film went from the show wasn't even a thought in our minds. In fact, I don't think we even knew it was a series until after we saw the movie.

Will Smith and Kevin Kline play off each other so well in the movie, and quite frankly it's just fun to watch. It has a healthy dose of action, a good bit of comedy, and characters which are likable. What's not to like about that?

X-Toys had a very short live shelf life from 1999 to 2000 having only produced four toy lines until closing shop. One said line was a small series based on the film Wild Wild West.

The company gets points for trying. The figures aren't terrible, in fact they're quite on par with the likes of your average Toy Biz Marvel line of this particular era. They have descent sculpts, descent paint jobs, and descent articulation - Not to mention a some great accessories.

FIGURES

Artemus Gordon with Hidden Message Shell*Artemus Gordon with Retinal Terminus Projector*Dr. Loveless with Spider Blaster

FIGURES

General McGrath with Capture Disk Slinger*James West*James West with Power Escape Hook*James West with Demolition Pool Ball*Rita Escobar with Venom Spitting Arthropod

VEHICLES

Derailer Tank with Dr. Loveless*Desert Wasp Nitro-Cycle with James West

We suspect the lackluster sale of figures can be attributed to the lackluster reception of the film which received mostly negative reviews. We suspect Will Smith may be kicking himself for passing on the role of Neo in The Matrix for James West in this film - But, let's be honest, first film aside, the sequels for The Matrix didn't fair to well either. Either film seems like it would have been a bad choice in hindsight.

Join us next time when we take a look at WWF - World Wrestling Federation!

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Video Game Super Stars - Mario Kart 64 (Toy Biz)

Video Game Super Stars - Mario Kart 64
Toy Biz
2000

Video Game Super Star figures are hard to come by. Whether you're chasing down Diddy Kong, X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, or the other various series under the VGSS banner you're in for quite the hunt - An expensive one at that.

The figures produced for Mario Kart 64 are no exception to this rule. Fans love action figures based on video games, and it seems they're more so ravenous for the ones which ended up in clearance bins. It's rather ironic how stores couldn't get rid of stock at a buck a piece, yet these days people will pay close to a hundred or more for them.

Toy Biz produced seven character / vehicle packs, and each one has its own unique style and accessories to correspond with the popular game franchise - Well, with the exception of Mario who received two variations. Those are only unique in the accessories category as the vehicles and figures are the same.

Bowser*Donkey Kong*Luigi

Mario (with Ghost)*Mario (with Shell)*Wario*Yoshi

Fans of Mario Kart need look no further than this fantastic line!

Join us next time when we take a look at Wild Wild West!

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Over The Top (LewCo)

Over The Top
LewCo
1986

Question: What do you do when you have a movie about arm wrestling staring one of the hottest action stars of the 80's?

Answer: Make action figures designed to arm wrestle based on said action star of the 80's!

Cannon films gets a bum wrap in the movie industry. They're "credited" with making some of the most overpriced, under delivering films in the industry, as well as causing the boom which would be celebrity paychecks. In the documentary, Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (which we highly recommend movie fans watch - On Netflix now), Robert Foster tells an excellent story of how he told the head of Cannon films his client would not work for him for ten million dollars. To which the response he got was, "How about twelve?" This was during a time when at a most Stallone had probably only been paid four or five million for his roles. When other actors started hearing about this, they too started asking for the large payouts to perform in movies.

If that weren't bad enough for the group, Cannon was also the group behind Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, and though we love it, and are in the minority, Masters of the Universe. They were also the driving force behind the numerous Chuck Norris and Jean Caude Van Damme films which were churned out in droves during this era.

We digress though (but seriously, check out the documentary).

Over the Top wasn't deemed to be a "bad" film, it just got a wrap of being another routine movie in the world of film making. It's also been stated as nothing more than a feature film product placement ad, and a 90 minute rock video due to all the hard rock songs showcased throughout it.

LewCo stepped in to produce action figures of the film, and sadly never did anything beyond this. The company folded almost immediately under the lackluster reception of the film which equated to poor sales of toys.

The irony of this is that carded figures will set you back over a hundred dollars a piece these days, with loose ones setting you back anywhere from $20.00 to $60.00 a piece. Where was this kind of demand when the toys were being shuffled off to clearance bins?

FIGURES

Bob "Bull" Hurley*Cleve "Armbender" Dean*John "Golden Boy" Brzenk

John "The Bear" Grizzly*Johnny "Ice Man" Walker*Lincoln Hawks

ACCESSORIES

Arm Wrestling Table (For Figures)

DOLLS

Lincoln Hawk

INTERACTIVE PLAY

Arm Wrestling Table (For Kids)

Join us next time when we take a look at Video Game Super Stars - Mario Kart 64!

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Defenders Of The Earth (Galoob)

Defenders Of The Earth
Galoob
1985

Defenders of the Earth was a spectacular culmination of three of the hottest series heroes of all time; Flash Gordon, The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician as they did battle against Ming the Merciless. The series ran for only one season which comprised of sixty-five episodes.

Coinciding with the animated show was a set of figures produced by the Micro Machine makers themselves - Galoob! Each carded figure came on its own unique cardback with fantastic artwork depicting the character inside. This is classic cardback representation right here!

FIGURES

Flash Gordon*Garax*Lothar

Mandrake The Magician*Ming The Merclless*The Phantom

CREATURES

Mongor

What was fantastic about this series is how vehicle "heavy" it was. Galoob produced four in total in addition to the awesome giant creature above. There was definitely a lot of love invested into this line.

VEHICLES

Defenders Claw Copter

Phantom Skull Copter

VEHICLES

Flash Swordship

Garax Swordship

Join us next time when we take a look at Over The Top!

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

The Shadow (Kenner)

The Shadow
Kenner
1994

Oooh...Ouch. When a film costs forty million to make, and you only see a return of forty-eight that definitely isn't going to translate into the franchise full of toys, comics, books and more that Universal Pictures was banking on. It probably didn't help the film at all that it was poised against other summer blockbusters such as Disney's The Lion King, and Jim Carrey's The Mask. It also didn't help when reviewers gave it mostly negative reviews with the consensus of being visually impressive but ultimately forgettable.

This didn't stop Kenner from diving head long into a toy franchise in hopes of cashing in on the film's expected success. With eight basic figures, one deluxe and four vehicles, the line was certainly ready to take off from the starting gate, and fill shopping carts across the world. Unfortunately this never happened. With lackluster sales, the toys were quickly reduced, and shuffled to clearance isles.

BASIC FIGURES

Ambush Shadow*Lightning Draw Shadow*Ninja Shadow*Transforming Lamont Cranston

Battle Shiwan Khan*Dr. Monquino*Mongol Warrior*Shiwan Khan

DELUXE FIGURES

Electronic Bullet-Proof Shadow

Worth noting is Nintendo originally planned to release a game based on the film for the Super Nintendo. When the film bombed they quickly backed out of the deal despite the game already being finished.

VEHICLES

Mirage SX-100 Car*Thunder Cab

Shiwan Khan Serpent Bike*Nightmist Cycle



Join us next time when we take a look at Defenders Of The Earth!

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Series 5 (Playmates Toys)

We thinks it's safe to say that the rate in which the series five Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stuff hit store shelves pretty much surprised everyone who collects the series.  It was just July of this year when series 4 hit store shelves, just about a week ago that the second series of Mutagen Ooze hit store shelves, and in between all of that were a ton of vehicles (which we'll cover in this post).  Playmates Toys is in full swing of for the line with no sign of it slowing down any time soon.

The first item in the new series that we personally saw was the Ninjas in Training two pack featuring very young versions of Leonardo and Donatello.  We absolutely love this set, and have been anticipating the mini ninjas since we first saw them at Playmates Toys reveal early this year.

Each figure stands approximately two inches high, and comes with their classic weapons of choice with a twist - They're designed to look like wooden training weapons.

Each figure features a swiveling head, and can also swivel at the waist - Though admittedly, this looks really weird when done because the shell splits as well.  We suppose this was put in strictly for the articulation police - You know, the collector that can't justify buying a figure if it doesn't have an outrageous amount of articulation.  The arms are on ball joints which allow for up and down, and a little side to side motion in them.  Unfortunately the legs have no articulation, so the pose that they're sculpted in are the only way you're going to get them to stand.  Still, the stance for each figure is pretty cool, and works well for displaying.

The Raphael and Michelangelo Ninjas in Training feature the same articulation, and weapon style, and round out the "collection" of mini turtles nicely.

The M.O.U.S.E.R.S. seven pack is destined to be a fan favorite, and one that many people will be buying in abundance for "army building."  Playmates was incredibly generous when putting this package together not only when it came to the sheer quantity you receive for the price, but also in the detail.

Each Package features two black, two dark grey, and three silver M.O.U.S.E.R.S. figures, each with 360 degree rotating legs, a ball jointed neck and a mouth that opens and closes.  The detail inside the mouth is impressive with little pink wavy lines inside depicting the power source flowing through them.

The package displays the "figures" in walking and standing poses, but sadly you're only going to get a standing pose out of them when displaying them.  They're simply too top heavy to pose any other way.

Other figures have been announced to date such as Spider Bytze, Shredder #2, and Battle Shell Turtle figures which coincide with the 4 inch line, but to date these figures haven't been found on store shelves.  We're not sure if these are slatted for 2014, and will encompass series six, or if there's still more to see from series five (figure wise).  We suppose it's also possible that series six could hit store shelves this year at this rate.  We'll certainly keep you posted.

Because a whole bunch of vehicles came out in between the series four and five figures, we're not sure if these belong to the 4th or 5th, but since we didn't cover them in our series four review, we'll cover them here.

When the Shellraiser was released with the initial series one figures we were majorly disappointed with it.  It was nothing more than a hollow hull which served as nothing more than a carrying case - Which clearly wasn't the vehicle's produced intention.  We were expecting seats inside, consoles, even a simple steering wheel would have sufficed - But instead there was nothing.

When it was announced that Playmates would be producing a new Ninja Controlled Shellraiser we hoped that the vehicle would be redeemed - Especially with the higher price tag.  Sadly, it wasn't, and this new version of the Shellraiser is nothing more than a cash grab by Playmates Toys.

Sure, it now features a radio controlled function, and fires out up to ten manhole cover discs, but that's it.  You can't even access the inside of the hull to put figures inside, and all and all this vehicle compliments the series about as much as Carrera's Slot Car Race Set.  Unless you're a completest, or absolutely love remote control cars, this is definitely an item you can pass on - Especially if you already have the original Shellraiser.  The $49.99 price point certainly doesn't help either.

The Hover Drone vehicle coincides with the smaller class vehicles of the series, ranging at around $9.99.  We love this thing!  We really like the Kraang based color theme here - light blues with bright pink inner workings.  We more so really like the fact that it works great for actually standing up your Kraang figures with the foot peg and handlebars.

But, don't just get this thing for helping your figures stand, it really is a pretty neat little thing.  It has wheels on the bottom that when you move them forwards or backwards, the hover engines (fan blades) spin inside - And you can really get these things moving if you spin the heck out of the wheels.  It also has two pink missiles that can be flicked out of the barrel located on each wing.

This vehicle is proof positive that a toy doesn't need to be overly fancied up with accessories or gimmicks, nor expensive to be cool  For ten bucks, we're sure kids young and old will get their money's worth out of this thing.

The second smaller class vehicle is one we almost completely missed.  Why?  Because it looks to similar to the series one Rippin' Rider when on store shelves.  The MMX Cycle is slightly larger and bulkier than the aforementioned Rippin' Rider, but all and all it really gives the impression of, "Oh, look.  Another motorcycle for the new TMNT line."  It really doesn't feel necessary.

Much like the Rippin' Rider, it features two missiles that can be flicked from the same sculpted launcher of the previous motorcycle, and features a kickstand for standing the bike up.  Beyond that though - It's just another motorcycle in what is quickly becoming a heavily motorcycle populated line - Though we can't deny that aesthetically it's very pleasing to look at.

The last vehicle produced is the medium sized Ninja AT3 which features an exclusive All-Terrain Leonardo figure.  The figure alone is worth the purchase in our book, and really the main selling point for us.  We love the cap on his head, and the newly sculpted swords for the figure.

The three wheeled ride features a small spring loaded missile on the front - A rarity for the line as the majority of the vehicles seem to be geared towards flicking the projectiles out from the rear.  Though beyond that, and the three spinning wheels you won't find any other features.

It's a little heavier than most of the mid sized vehicles in the series, and it also doesn't feature many thin plastic pieces, so it may be a little more sturdier for those out there who have children who are tough on their toys.  Though, we suppose that just like any other toy out there, with persistence it would break.

That about does it for our look at the series five figures, and either the series four or five vehicles in the hot, hot, hot, Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line.  This line is one of our absolute favorites on the market today, and we really hope that Playmates Toys can keep up the momentum, excitement, and sheer volume of toys.  We already have our mental checklist in full swing of toys we'd love to see from this line just based on the first season of the show.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.