Masters of the Universe, Mattel’s hugely successful action figure line of the 1980s, has proved enduringly popular. Big sellers back in the day, these figures can still be found loose on flea markets for a fair price, like this classic Man-E-Faces 1983 figure (dated stamped 1982) from the second wave of Heroic Warriors from the Original Series, which I picked up just the other day.Almost all the figures in this line came with a built in power punch action – twisted at the waist and then … [Read more...]
Lieutenant Starbuck from Mattel’s Battlestar Galactica
Light years before the name “Starbuck” added an “s” and became synonymous with caffè latte, the world’s most famous Starbuck was the fictional first mate of the Pequod, the whaling ship at the heart of Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick. In fact, it was in homage to this literary character, that our Lieutenant Starbuck here, the protagonist of the cult 1978 sci-fi television show Battlestar Galactica, was named, although the gambling, womanising, and cigar smoking Viper starfighter pilot, and the … [Read more...]
Find and fulfill your destiny: Harry Hamlin as Perseus in Clash of the Titans!
Ahh, who can resist a 1980s blockbuster?! The 1981 version of Clash of the Titans, based very loosely on the Greek myth of Perseus, certainly had it all: epic special effects, Styrofoam sets, stop-motion monsters, and a cast boasting not only the cream of British theatre such as Laurence Olivier as Zeus and Maggie Smith as Thetis, but also a then relatively unknown young actor called Harry Hamlin in the starring role. A box office smash back in the day, it's a cult classic amongst fantasy film … [Read more...]
Colonial Warrior from Mattel’s Battlestar Galactica
Don't worry if this character isn't familiar to you. His face isn't likely to ring any bells with even the most die-hard fans of the original Battlestar Galactica TV series from 1978 either! When Glen A. Larson's short-lived sci-fi show was launched as a somewhat blatant attempt to rival the small screen success of Star Trek, and in the clear hope of cashing in on the cinematic box office success of Star Wars the previous year, Mattel won the license to produce the tie-in action figure … [Read more...]
Captain Simian and the Space Monkeys
Sometimes we need a little help from our friends, so big thanks are in order for Twitter follower @happymonkeyshoe who helped me identify this cosmic monkey when I sent out a tweet for help recently! I'd spotted him on a market stall in Rome, but hadn't the faintest idea who he might be – thanks Dyl, for introducing me to the world of Captain Simian and the Space Monkeys!The only clue to be found on this 5-inch chunky monkey is a copyright line which reads © 1995 HEI & MPI – which I … [Read more...]
Farewell to Harry Potter…! Expecto Patronum Deluxe Action Figure
Whilst fans have been gathering for days in London's Trafalgar Square to see the stars of the final Harry Potter movie Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows:Part 2 walk up the red carpet for the film's premiere, I thought it might be fun to take a look back at a Mattel action figure release from 2004 - the Expecto Patronum Harry Potter issued as part of the Deluxe Wizard Collection.8 inches tall and solidly built, this figure was part of the final action figure set to be released by Mattel … [Read more...]
Ovion from Battlestar Galactica: Insect enemy from the TV space saga!
With this 1978 Battlestar Galactica action figure of Ovion, Mattel managed to pack six points of articulation into a 3 ¾ figure. Of course, when the figure in question is an alien bug with four arms and two legs, they clearly had a head start on the articulation front! Sadly, the neck is firmly one piece with the torso, although with all those limbs I'm sure kids at the time had lots of fun with this one.Ovion appeared as part of the first series of figures, which was launched to tie in with … [Read more...]
Secret Wars: Spider-Man
Whilst Super Powers will probably remain my first choice as winners in the great superheroes action figure stand-off during the mid 1980s, when the mighty Mattel joined forces with Marvel to produce the Secret Wars line in direct competition with the DC Comics branded Kenner Super Powers product, I have to admit that I'm growing to like the Secret Wars figures more and more.Bright colours, solid sculpts and accurate comic-book costumes and likenesses made these figures popular at the time … [Read more...]