To kick off the New Year I thought I'd look at a vintage golden oldie from the hugely popular 1980s Kenner action figure line The Real Ghostbusters. First launched in 1986 as a tie-in product for the animated cartoon TV series of the same name, the series ran until 1991 when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles won over fickle hearts and a younger generation, knocking Dr. Peter Venkman, Dr. Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore, and Dr. Egon Spengler from toy store shelves.Kenner really raised the bar … [Read more...]
Kenner Super Powers: Firestorm!
Andy over at Action Figure Blues wrote a great review of two recent DC Direct Brightest Day figures - Mera and Firestorm. This has inspired me to take a look back at another classic Firestorm figure from one of my own absolute favourite vintage action figure lines – the Kenner Super Powers.Kenner's utterly cool version of Firestorm first appeared in 1985 as part of the second series, and was closely based on Al Milgrom's designs in the comic book. Compared to other DC Comics characters in … [Read more...]
Kenner Super Powers: The Joker!
After last week's look at Morpheus from The Matrix, here's another iconic figure who looks awesome in a purple suit – Batman's arch-nemesis himself, The Joker!Released as part of the first wave of Kenner's 4-inch Super Powers line from 1984, this is one of the finest renditions of the “Clown Prince of Crime” ever made, which brilliantly captures the maniacal expression of the villain from the original Silver Age DC Comics universe. This groundbreaking Kenner line remains a firm favourite … [Read more...]
Star Wars Variations: Han Solo on Bespin
The Internet has been abuzz with news of the Blu-ray edition of the original Star Wars trilogy which hit stores world wide recently, so I thought I'd stick with another vintage Star Wars action figure this post. Of course, I use the term “original” trilogy with some caution - as is well known, George Lucas has continued to mess with tweak the movies with every re-release to the exasperation of many fans. Probably the most controversial change occurred in the 1997 Star Wars Trilogy Special … [Read more...]
Star Wars Variations: Emperor’s Royal Guard
Whilst thinking about today's post I noticed that this blog has been rather light on vintage Star Wars action figures for a couple of months, so lets correct that situation right away with a look back at an absolute gem – the Emperor's Royal Guard. First appearing in 1983 on 65-back cards in conjunction with the release of Return of the Jedi, the Emperor's Royal Guard illustrates the attention to detail Kenner dedicated to each and every character in their 3 ¾ inch Star Wars series and is as … [Read more...]
Cap-Firing RoboCop by Kenner!
When an uber-violent hit movie garners an adult-only viewers certificate as well as its cult following, it would be reasonable to assume that toy makers looking to score with a tie-in action figure or toy line targeted at kids would be facing a problem – R-rated action figures?! When RoboCop hit the big screen in 1987 and went on to become both a critical and commercial success it was nevertheless accompanied by a successful merchandising campaign aimed at kids way too young to have seen the … [Read more...]
Star Wars Variations: C-3PO (Removable Limbs)
I mentioned in an earlier post that I have recently been re-watching the original Star Wars Trilogy again on DVD. The Empire Strikes Back inspired me to dig out one of Kenner's major Star Wars 3 ¾ inch action figure variations, the C-3PO (or See-Threepio) Removable Limbs version, and display him just as he appears in the movie – disassembled and slung into a harness carried on Chewbacca's back. Remember the scene when Chewie is trying to fix 3PO?Oh, my! What have you done? I'm BACKWARDS. … [Read more...]
Star Wars Variations: Black Bespin Security Guard
By the time that this classic 3 ¾-inch Star Wars action figure variation came out – first on a tie-in card for The Empire Strikes Back and then repackaged for The Return of the Jedi – it was already clear that toy manufacturers Kenner were happily set on helping kids re-enact all three movies using the entire cast, down to the smallest walk-on role! I actually watched The Empire Strikes Back again a few weeks ago on DVD and must have blinked at the wrong moment, because I could barely remember … [Read more...]