The first two are from 1985, and the last one is from 1986. I talk about Photon here. Some close-ups of the Karate Kid action figures are here.
I never had any of LJN’s Thundercats toys, but they look really good.
(Images via tOkKie-Pokie)
Archive for the 'Transformers' Category
Target Toy Ads, 1985/1986
Published December 11, 2015 G.I. Joe , Karate Kid, The , Lazer Tag/Photon , Masters of the Universe , Sectaurs , Thundercats , Transformers , Voltron Leave a CommentChristmas Morning, 1985: Tyco’s Transformers Electric Train and Battle Set
Published December 7, 2015 Christmas , Christmas Morning , Slot Car Racing , Transformers 1 Comment
Tyco also released a glow-in-the-dark slot car set for the Transformers, shown below. There was also a slot car set for the GoBots (Space Chase, by LJN) and Voltron (Spinout in Space, by LJN). Such was the transforming robot craze of ’84 to ’86.
1987 Collegeville Catalog: Photon, Bravestarr, The Transformers, and More
Published October 6, 2014 '80s Decor/Design/Fashion , Collegeville , Halloween , Halloween Costumes , Lazer Tag/Photon , Transformers Leave a Comment
Select pages only. See the whole catalog at Monster Masks.
Photon, believe it or not, was a short-lived live-action TV show based loosely on the game. It looks totally kooky and I wish I could get a hold of it. Lazer Tag spawned Lazer Tag Academy, an animated series that ran for one season, and also an animated movie.
The Transformers Stamp Fun Featuring the Brave Autobots (1984)
Published January 13, 2014 Make Mine Marvel , Marvel Books (Imprint) , Transformers 3 Comments
The Marvel Books imprint launched in 1982. As Jim Galton, Marvel Entertainment Group’s president at the time, explained in 1986:
The concept was to publish highly recognizable merchandise to kids… It’s a two-tier strategy, in that one element of the product appeals to the kids, and one element appeals to the parents.
The line’s tremendous success, he says, was due to a “combination of aggressive marketing and a new respectability of comic books.” Much of that “respectability” was a direct result of Marvel’s unrelenting marketing and licensing.
Dwight Jon Zimmerman got his start on Marvel Books and went on to write and edit various Marvel comic titles until becoming executive editor of Topps comics in 1992. Today he’s an award-winning author of military history books.
Bogotá-born Carlos Garzón came to New York in 1970 to work with artist Al Williamson. The duo would go on to illustrate Marvel’s Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi adaptations. The two had an unconventional working relationship, according to Marvel editor Archie Goodwin:
Unlike most teams listed in comic book credits, Al isn’t strictly the penciler and Carlos strictly the inker. They each do some of both, switching back and forth, sometimes from page to page, sometimes even from panel to panel, or even within a given panel. The end result is one smooth, high quality style, and an adaptation we at Marvel are very proud of.
Read a good interview with Garzón by Ryder Windham at the Star Wars Blog.
There was a different stamp book covering “The Evil Decepticons.” I’m looking for copies of both.
Imperial Toy Corporation: Microbots (1988)
Published August 28, 2013 GoBots , Imperial Toy Corporation , Knockoff Toys , Robots , Transformers 1 Comment
A little late to the game, aren’t we, Imperial?
The jet plane is named Wind-Cutter. Wind-Breaker and Cheese-Cutter were already taken, I guess.
UPDATE: Friend J. reminded me of a popular Galoob line called Micro Machines, so that’s got to be where Imperial got the first part of the name/idea. Here’s the commercial, which features the fastest talker in the world (according to the Guinness Book) at the time, John Moschitta, Jr.
(Images via eBay; video via SpacedCobraTV)
Marty Toy: Mighty Taka-Kanaka (1984)
Published February 21, 2013 Knockoff Toys , Marty Toy , Robots , Transformers 5 Comments
It’s not a Transformer, people. It’s a Change-Able Robot. Totally not the same thing.
Toy Aisle Zen: Voltron and Transformers (and Robotech Remembered)
Published January 23, 2013 Robotech , Toy Stores/Toy Aisles/Toy Departments , Transformers , Voltron 4 Comments
Circa 1984, when Voltron and the Transformers first appeared in the States. This shit was expensive, man. I had a couple of Gobots, the poor man’s Transformer, but by ’85 I’d moved on to the much more sophisticated Robotech.
The space opera format and those gnarly Veritech fighters had me at hello, and all the guys had mad crushes on Lisa or Minmei, or both. I vaguely recall Matchbox’s Robotech toy line, but I was moving away from action figures at this point.
I still remember the episode where Ben dies and Max, eyes closed in his darkened cockpit, makes the sign of the cross. Nobody had ever seen anything like that in a cartoon before.
Here’s the clip.
(Image via the NTFA Forums)
(Video via Malrenolds)
2 Warps to Neptune 