Force Friday special, Raging Nerdgasm opens up Theater Luke

Raging Nerdgasm #363 - Beetlejuice transforming crypt

Raging Nerdgasm opens an old ass toy - The Frankenstein from Tales From ...

The Strange Circumstances Regarding the Future War and the man/bull/robot Kromium

The Future War is a strange time. It was the 90s, Kenner was making tons of money with toys based off of R rated movie franchises and while they had done what they could to extend the lifespan of Predator and Aliens but were stuck between a rock and a hard place with how to prolong the Terminator's shelf life. Terminator 2 was pretty cut and dry at the end, the T-800 had successfully stopped Judgement Day by eliminating the T-1000 and then doing away with himself and the artifacts from the first Terminator movie. But Judgement Day is not over! It would be 12 years later that we would learn that Judgement Day is just as unstoppable as the concept of death and taxes, it's coming and all you can do is push it back. So, lets say you are the creative minds at Hasbro and you are trying to create a way to push Terminator action figures past the concepts of Secret Weapon T-800 (the secret is his face and chest rip off the expose a crotch cannon), glowing T-800 endo-skeleton, Power Claw T-800 and blast apart T-1000 (that one is actually cool so strike that comment)? You come up with a flashy series known only as the Future War, AKA: a good excuse to repaint five figures and repurpose a cancelled Chuck Norris Karate Commando figure.

This is the Future War, a strange time that somehow still exsists past the time of the events of Terminator 2: Judgement Day. These are the adventures of the friendly T-800 fighting the likes of bronzed endo-skeletons, bondage suited man / machine hybrids and a strange man/bull/robots. I'm not one to be overly critical but you can tell they sort of pulled this idea out of their ass. If the line had more than 2 totally new figures I think we all would have bought into the hype of the Future War but this wasn't happening. It must have left it's mark though, a novel was written and released back in 2003 titled T2: the Future War but after scrolling through it I see no mention of Cyber-Grip or Kromium. I don't think it was popular enough to get an Oprah book club sticker but I think mention of either of those two characters would have given it a shot at a nomination. I don't own it personally but a local book shop had it in the 5 for a $1 junk novel box, not worth the 20 cents to bring it home.

While Cyber-Grip was a repurposed prototype from an unproduced series 2 of Chuck Norris Karate Commandos, Kromium was a full new original figure. Boy is it original. I like it because it looks like what a kid would design if you told him or her to draw a very scary robot. Skull face, bull horns, flat armored shoulder pads, chest and torso that is supposed to give the illusion of being wider than the basic figures, anti-tank shoulder spikes, hip mounted double barrell machine guns, wider and thicker arms and legs than your average T-800 and the whole damn toy gets bigger with the push of a button and a tug at the figure's hands and feet. Kromium stands right at 5 inches in his primary form but extends to 6 inches in a quick transformation. The design evokes a general feeling of "So this is what the devil would look like if he was a robot." You would have to wager that if Kromium was a sentient robot he would wonder why his creator hated him enough to make him a veritable Minotaur of the Future War.


The sculpt on the head is what gets me, it's almost too good. I have an admitted soft spot for skeleton action figures, it's probably why I think I own a few of this figure. The rest of the toy outside of the head and hip mounted machine guns is kind of lost on me. I know when this was new I was all about owning it but it really does show what kind of inspired designs conqueored at Kenner in the 90s. The Aliens series had xenomorphs based on gorillas and crabs, the Predators hailed from lava planets and had spiked tails that flung discs across a living room with ease and Terminator 2 had Kromium. Enough said, the figure is still fairly cool even though it's silly by today's standards. Maybe if I'm lucky enough, NECA will recreate Kromium in their Terminator line up. And by "lucky enough" I mean "pester and annoy them".

Raging Nerdgasm presents our top 9 favorite figures of all time

Tom Khayos and Raging Nerdgasm present our top 9 favorite action figures of all time. Why top 9? Because we like to do one less than the competition (I’m lazy and besides I consider the 10th spot what everyone else adds in the comments).

Number 9

MMPR Green Ranger

MMPR came out when I was about 12 and had a massive impact on me. I was old enough to be involved in a real toy craze. My mother and I hunted before and after school and on the weekends for new MMPR toys I didn’t have. I focused on the larger 8 inch Rangers and Evil Space Aliens but eventually fell into the 5 inch line as well. Then came the zords and low and behold, if you wanted Tommy the Green Ranger, you had to buy the DragonZord. Now this was double jeopardy for me, a figure I needed for my Ranger team and he shared my first name.

The Green Ranger was really no different than the other five I bought already in those awesome triangular boxes, just the different helmet and the real kicker; the golden chest plate. Those first few episodes where Tommy debuted you knew he meant serious business, no one walks into a scene wearing golden shoulder and chest armor and expect to blend into the background. He was a serious bad ass and had one objective, destroy the Rangers. The DragonZord was an awesome piece to bring home and crack open right away. By the time I got one, Tommy was already a good guy and sort of the leader of the MMPR but he was still kicking the Ranger’s asses in my world.

I loved the color combination of green and gold. Like Pimp Don “Magic” Juan says, “Green is for the moneys and gold is for the honeys.”

Number 8

Slush Head (Kalimarr)

This was a hard decision, I’ve always really liked Slush Head. Not that he isn’t my favorite figure from the line but I recently got my own Sagitar figure and have to say if I had him during my adolescence, he’d be the figure I’m talking about now. I was always a bigger fan of the New Adventures of He-Man. Swords and sorcery were never my thing, space mutants and technology always had my attention. Granted, both cartoons were pretty bad even though many of you still hold them in highest regards but I always dug the New Adventures more than Masters of the Universe.

Slush Head had that different look; a big fishbowl on his head full of an unknown liquid a little thicker than basic water, two silver robotic tentacles, great scaly textures along his exposed arms and legs and some really fantastic dark turquoise armor. Slush Head had really good articulation for his time and the helmet was “sealed” so none of the viscous fluid could escape. The New Adventures line was full of some really inventive characters especially coming hot off the heels of the original series that made He-Man into the multi million dollar franchise it is today. The integration of technology and mutants made for some really well detailed figures. Were they as detailed as the cartoon that inspired them? Nope, but they made a decent attempt to get the likenesses close enough to pass the inspection of your average 6-10 year old in the late 80’s. But, He-Man figures weren’t known for being show accurate.

Slush Head was always a stand out figure and in my opinion got high marks for both detail and play value.

Number 7

Gripptogg from Power Lords

Even as a kid growing up in the 80s, I wasn’t aware of Revell making anything other than model kits. The series was full of some of the most bizarre aliens and monsters I had seen my whole life and I didn’t really discover the series till it was long gone from store shelves. I would have loved to have seen something other than the usual Masters of the Universe and other kind of boring fantasy lines on the shelves as a kid. I’m guessing they really didn’t get enough of a push by the stores or even their production company themselves. I did one day at the flea market come across one of the most peculiar 6 inch figures I had really ever seen.

Being the early 90s, there was no such thing as an internet database to research toys, so I had to rely on the talents of those with more experience than myself. Finding out the figure’s name was Gripptogg was cool, I just called him four arms. Learning about Power Lords made me want more of them and I accumulated a few over the years. Now only lacking 3 single figures and the Volcan Rock play set, I feel very accomplished due to the fact the figures don’t show up often. All these accomplishments aside, Gripptogg holds a special place as the first figure that launched me head first into learning about a seldom mentioned line.

My Gripptogg’s seams were never sealed shut so my figure had the annoying habit of falling apart. He’s since been glued together.

Number 6

Hot Head from TMNT

TMNT was the first toy series I actively pursued. I was a casual collector my whole life and still now I buy what I come across and can’t say I hunt down things specifically but TMNT was the exception to all that. Every month there was new mutants, both good and bad, to add to the collection as well as different representations of the four turtles. I hunted down every new mutant I could find and spent my allowance and chore money I did. I’d even go into debt with my parents, bartering future chores for a TMNT figure so I didn’t have to leave it behind. With focus like that, I got figures people search for today like Hot Spot, Scratch and Dino Shredder.

Every TMNT figure I own I don’t think I could part with but there’s a select few that I’ve bought duplicates of and Hot Head is one of them. How can you go wrong with a red dragon humanoid with an extending neck? Now picking Hot Head out of the few hundred figures they’ve made wasn’t easy. I really liked Mutagen Man, Baxter Stockman, Wingnut and Screwloose, Muckman, General Tragg and Triceratron. Hell, I have a Super Shredder on the card with Kevin Nash’s autograph but I’d have to save him for a collection of my favorite possessions with cool stories. Hot Head was just inventive, everything attached to the TMNT line had something to do with an actual animal hybrid. Outside of Mer Dude, he may be one of a short list of fantasy creatures added to the ranks of TMNT.

I wasn’t even aware of Hot Head’s extending neck until like a year after I bought him. I was pulling him out of a box by the head and it surprised me. Very coy Playmates, very coy indeed.

Number 5

Joker from Mego’s World’s Greatest Super Heroes

I’ve always been a big fan of the Joker. The comics made him Batman’s most unrelenting arch nemesis and the 1989 movie really made him the most over the top villain who wasn’t suffering from insanity, he was enjoying every minute of it. Jack’s performance of the Joker really cemented my love for the character and I sought out all the toy representations I could afford. I stumbled into Cesar Romero’s performance too and found it just as compelling as Nicholson’s but more campy and fun and blood and bullets and laughing gas.

Mego was another one of those great lines I didn’t have the luxury of growing up with. I was too late to even experience the death and clearance of Mego. I got bits and pieces of Mego dolls over my whole life collecting. Every so often I’d luck out and get a doll right at complete but I’d end up selling it or trading it. I wasn’t much for the Planet of the Apes line and the only complete Marvel one I owned was Spiderman and everyone owned Spiderman. One day toy hunting I ended up in an antiques mall and got lucky by stumbling into a Mego Joker. Dead mint like he just got taken out of the box and just $35, a very fair price.

Number 4

King Kong Bundy from WWF LJN

King Kong Bundy wasn’t just one of my first LJN WWF figures, he was my first concealed blunt weapon. The figure had to be not only the biggest of the WWF line but also the heaviest. The whole LJN line was durable, sure the paint might smudge but unless you dragged them behind a vehicle or let a dog get at them, they’re probably still around today. With him I broke a window and knocked out a cousin in a heated argument. He was the only LJN WWF figure I owned during my childhood, I think the only reason I bought him in the first place was I’d never had a toy that heavy before and it intrigued me.

I can’t even tell you much about King Kong Bundy’s career unless I wiki’d it, to me he was just an iconic wrestler in a black singlet. I was always more of a Hogan or Macho Man fan but I didn’t own one of those till I was nearly an adult.

Number 3

Hacker from Centurions

This one was really hard because how can you have Hacker without Doc Terror? I’m brave enough to split up this dynamic duo of evil and confess my love for one over the other. Hacker had a cooler name, both in a sense of being related to computers and chopping people to bits. I like the color blue and he’s right at 90% blue. I prefer his helmet design over Doc Terror’s and his selection of weapons even though they are interchangeable. And, I like the fact that under the helmet Hacker looks like Sloth from the Goonies.

Unlike Doc Terror, Hacker’s chest is full exposed. Either he’s got something to show off or he’s the bravest person on a battlefield where lasers are flying and crap is blowing up all around him. Hacker’s helmet had horns, enough said. Finally, Hacker’s cyborg half is called Legion and we all know Legion doesn’t forgive and Legion doesn’t forget. All around a cool and underrated figure.

It wasn’t till recently I got my very own Hacker figure. I find myself at my desk with him more often than Doc Terror, subliminally he’s my favorite among the two of them.

Number 2

Kenner’s 16 inch Alien

The first action figure I owned, no joke. My mom bought it for me at a yard sale and I couldn’t have been more than 6 months old. I’d drag it and my teddy bear everywhere with me, the cutest and strangest thing you’ve ever seen. With all the controversy made over this toy I wish the people who pushed to get it pulled from store shelves could have seen me playing with mine like it was my best friend in the world. With the failure of the large Alien, Kenner scrapped all intentions they had for making a 3 ¾ inch line of figures which while I had no idea at 6 months old still made me wonder what could have been. It wouldn’t be till the 90s when we’d see the Alien franchise rear it’s head again in action figure form.

While the 90s Kenner line was mostly laughable with Alien hybrids of everything from crabs to rhinos the large figure based off the 1979 movie was all business and no fluff. It was so scary and based off of one of the most twisted sci-fi movies of it’s time, parents and activists made it their job to have it pulled from respectable toy store shelves. I have older toy collector friends who recall seeing them after the recall at discount retailers stacked chest high for ⅓ the original price and eventually disappearing due to a huge interest in overseas buyers from Japan. Most unique thing about him was the action feature of the striking 2nd jaw and his sheer size made him a cool toy to play with.

Even when I went through periods of not having many toys displayed in my living space, the 1979 Alien was always out and made for a really chilled conversation piece that could turn even the most anti-nerd into a big kid.

more photos here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ragingnerdgasm/sets/72157629991748724/with/7311896804/

Number 1

Callisto from Major Matt Mason

I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s, well displaced from the toy heaven I always looked back at fondly of the 60’s and 70’s. I’m not saying the era I grew up in didn’t have great toys (TMNT really molded me into a savvy shopper, going for the best of what the line had to offer.) I’m just saying I would have really dug being able to buy Star Wars figures with my allowance or getting Micronauts for Christmas. One of the great lines I really wish I had more of was Major Matt Mason. Major Matt Mason was an awesome series of rubber, bendable astronauts and a couple of aliens along with their space equipment which made for some really awesome display shots in magazines and personal collections.

I got my first taste of Major Matt Mason (and after typing that I feel like I shouldn’t have but I’m going to roll with it, Raging Nerdgasm keeps it raw) at a flea market junk bin. Now to get one of the main astronauts would have been really cool but I got Callisto, friend of the Matt Mason crew. He had no accesories and his paint was peeling off but all of the wires inside the figure were intact. What a find and only fifty cents back in the late 80s! Granted, I knew more about what it was than the dealer I bought it from but I didn’t care, I had a piece of one of my holy grails of toy collecting. Callisto stayed by my side most of my life till I misplaced him during a move 3 years ago. Luckily I found him again in a sock drawer, apparently I protected him so well even I had no clue where he was. I’ve also added Matt Mason himself to my collection in the last 2 years, scored for a meager $15 bucks. I may never get the opportunity to add more of this line to my collection but I’ll always be proud of the two pieces I have in my possession.

I always like Callisto because he was cooler than your average bendy and the translucent green head always reminded me of apple flavored Jolly Ranchers.   

more photos of Callisto

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ragingnerdgasm/sets/72157629991748724/with/7311896804/

Anakin Skywalker on tri-logo card by Kenner 1983

(credit goes to Wizard of X for this amazing photo)

Power of the Force was the most unique series created by Kenner for the Star Wars figure line. The line was rich with characters that barely had more than 15 seconds of screen time, which was a rarity since Star Wars was a line driven by main characters instead of perifial characters. This line was a fanboy's dream come true because by this point we all had 5 different Lukes, 5 Leias, 4 Hans and (of all characters) 3 Landos! Each figure came with a alluminum collector's coin that corresponded to the character in the package. This was Kenner's attempt to breathe a little life into the license by adding some unqiue figures to the series, unfortunately this line came out in 1985 and it was Kenner's last time out with Star Wars till the mid 90's when they attempted to revive it with bendable rubber figures. Dubbed as the last 17 in many circles, the Power of the Force line was responsible for such great additions Han in Carbonite, Amanaman, Yak Face, Imperial Dignitary, Luke in Storm Trooper disguise, Imperial Gunner, Barada, EV-9D9 and today's topic; Anakin Skywalker.

(today's catch, it may be a little rough but it's seen things man.)

Anakin came to me on a Tri-logo card. Tri-logo cards were released overseas and displayed the title of the line in English, French and Spanish. Most of the time the back of the card was incomplete; either the figure count on the back wasn't consistent with the character that was attached to it or some of the figures were blacked out on the back. Some tri-logo figures did hit US stores near the end of Star Wars' run as the dominant force in the toy aisles, unfortunately a good portion of these figures hit clearance on damaged cards (card cut in half, the non-English phrases blacked out with magic marker or smashed bubbles). The one I picked up wasn't in too bad of condition, the buble is cracked and coming loose on the right side but the card is in perfect condition with no yellowing, wrinkling or warping. The figure inside is totally mint, without a single flaw and I doubt it's ever been touched since 1983.

(acted better than Hayden Christensen in 3 minutes, 'nuff said)

The ghost of Anakin Skywalker was one of my favorite scenes from Return of the Jedi because it made no sense at all. We all knew (before the prequels came out) that Darth Vader was “more machine than man” and probably looked nothing like Sebastian Shaw. But, if you suspended disbelief for a second you could imagine that if Anakin hadn't been corrupted by the Dark Side of the Force, this is what he may have looked like. A smiling old man in grey and white robes who brought balance to the force (which is true if you think about it. It went from 100's of Jedi vs 2 Sith to 2 Jedi vs 2 Sith, whatcha' think about that?). Anakin has the basic Kenner five points of articulation and even though it's a really monotone figure the colors are very rich.

(yub yub indeed!)

Super Sized Death Squad Commander from Gentle Giant

I have been on the fence about the new large scale Kenner Star Wars figures from Gentle Giant. Mostly because of the hefty price tag that accompanies them. At near $80 a figure, who can afford to buy the whole set or bleed it out at one figure a month? Granted, they are a nice and showy piece of Star Wars memorabilia but I wouldn't pay more than $50 a figure. Then comes the daunting task of finding prime display space for the figures or storing them to avoid damage. Needless to say, I had avoided even getting into the collection until I found out about the website THWIPSTER.COM

(selling the hype, one crummy cardboard display at a time)

THWIPSTER.COM is a discount website that has a constantly revolving supply of discounted toys, comics and other related merchandise. The prices are incredible and shipping is cheap, if you don't shop them you should really start. I noticed one day I had missed out on getting a great price on the Obi Wan Kenobi from this set, by the time I had moved money around from one account to another it had sold out and never got restocked. But, since they got in one at an amazing price I figured only a matter of time before another one would grace their page. Two days later they'd restocked, but with the Death Squad Commander. While this isn't exactly my idea of how I wanted to test drive this line, it was an inexpensive venture that I knew I'd be able to get more that my money back if I decided it wasn't my thing.

(the fake excitement is just as grating now as it was 30 years ago)

Cheap shipping equals weeks of waiting for your product. While I don't mind, part of me wanted to know if I made the right decision. When it finally got to my door and I opened the box, I was immediately hooked. The figure is on a very well done oversized reproduction card with resealable bubble. The outer bubble is made of a sturdy plastic and the card itself is printed on a semi-gloss heavy card stock. Inside the bubble, the figure is snugly encased in it's own custom tray and secured with twist ties. While in the package, the figure can be either stood up on a shelf or hung on the wall from the already punched pegholes.

Once out of the package, the first thing noticed is the figure is completely hollow. This is why I don't think the figures are worth much more than $50 a piece. Overall, the quality of the figure is top notch. Really well painted, no flaws I noticed on mine at least. Tight joints that will hold their pose while displayed on a shelf or lightly played with. The only complaint I had was the gun; to me it just looked too chunky, like they got the scale wrong but I could be mistaken. While holding it, you forget you've got a 12 inch figure. The size is very pleasing, I mean the commander's helmet is almost the size of an infant's cereal bowl.

(give 'ems a kiss love)

Final opinion on the line, get the characters you like and don't buy the whole set unless you get a good deal. Shop websites for daily deals like THWIPSTER.COM and TOY SALE BOAT on facebook.

Centurions Ace McCloud flashlight from Kenner

Centurions: Power X Treme was a half hour American cartoon brought to us by Ruby-Spears and animated in Japan by Sunrise in 1985 as a 5 part miniseries with was followed up by a 60 episode season in late 1986. Comic book legends Jack Kirby and Gil Kane contributed to the design and concepts of the show and some of our favorite voice actors of 80's cartoon lent a hand at bringing the characters to life. Kenner brought the world of Centurions to toy store shelves and DC Comics provided a comic book series that was sold all over the world.

Centurions was a great series of 8 inch scale action figures with the ability to “plug” in upgrades to take on any challenge, much like the TV show. The line was comprised of 3 three heroes(Ace McCloud, Max Ray and Jake Rockwell), 2 villains (Hacker and Doc Terror) and about a dozen or so add-on kits to make taking on challenges on land, in the sea or in the air easier. About 32 holes lined the heroes jumpsuits where you could mix and match upgrade pieces, giving a sense of creativity to any kid who played with them. It was such a hit at retail that Remco (famous for knock-off toys) made their own version called Man-Tech. It Never had a chance and only lasted a few months at retail before hitting clearance.

Along with full sized figures, Kenner made a series of 3 ¾ inch figures outfitted with flashlights or binoculars. The figures themselves were almost identical to their larger counterparts with only a few exceptions. I think it could have grown more popular if they had pushed the 3 ¾ figures harder with actual mission specific attachments. Mind you not every figure in the set was as cool as Ace McCloud here, the Doc Terror figure really blows since the flashlight is permanently stuck in his chest.

Ace McCloud here is the perfect scale to slide into a GI Joe or Star Wars battle. Poseable at the shoulders and hips, the figure loses articulation at the elbows and knees which is the only place this figure fails. Ace still has all the ports on him the 8 inch figure does , which makes me think where this line could have gone at a smaller scale. The red rocket backpack takes 1 AA battery and is wired to the lamp head, which will plug into the figure wherever you can find a hole. The only other minus I’ve found about the figure is the lack of removable helmet, but depending who you are is the real deciding factor whether this ruins the toy for you. All things considered, it's a really cool pocket-sized interpretation of the figure that kids of the 80's could have taken with them everywhere.

5 Best action figure cases ever!

Once upon a time when I was a wee little nerd nugget, I never owned a collector's case for any of my action figure lines. I was too cheap to spend allowance money, chore money or waste space on Christmas list to ask for one. I always thought they were awesome, but I had more pressing matters like getting that new Batmobile....because last years model didn't match the new movie version. I kept them in shoe boxes, tupperware or (my favorite) a tacklebox I got from my dad one year when he noticed I was having issues storing my figures. I put stickers on the outside of it and painted the whole thing black, but it wasn't the same.

Honestly I was a young adult before I owned a collector case from any line. At a convention I bought a beat up C3PO case in a junk bin for $5. After the first one I was hooked. I loved the fact I could store figures in their own separate cubby and all the artwork and detail. Soon after C3PO I had the Darth Vader case, then the lazer rifle, the bandoleer strap and then I set my sights on getting the ones from all the other line of toys I owned.

I give you the top 5 action figure cases of all time, in no particular order.

Battle Bones

(epic box art)

(shockingly, one that's still in one piece)

Battle Bones goes down as my most favorite case I wish I still had. Bought at a collectibles store in the late 90's for what back then seemed like a small fortune ($20) considering most of my He-Man collection came out of .50 cent bins at the flea market and clearance racks at Lionel Playworld. For the longest time it sat on a very prestigious spot atop the highest shelf in my room until one day I decided to bring it down for a closer inspection. As I brought it down from Mt Olympus, the whole body snapped in half. I think it was the first time I swore aloud in my mother's house while she was home.

(the kid in the commercial does Skeletor's voice pretty well)

It was this great bone color which made it seem like it was more than a figure carrier but some sort of museum piece. Battle Bones had places among the ribs to snap figures into place (12) and the mouth of the mighty beast opened so you could place all of your figure accessories there for safe keeping. The whole thing was topped off with a handle so a child could triumphantly tote along his small army of Masters of the Universe figures. Needless to say it was only plastic and I have older toy collector friends who had the pleasure of owning one shortly after it was made and they said it was the  most brittle thing they'd even seen made for a toy line.



Star Wars Lazer Rifle case

Now this was an amazing figure case. It was both a role play toy and a place to stash your figures in between play. Kenner had a way of making some really nice cases that were just as much fun to display on their own as they were useful in cleaning up and storing my collection. The figural bust cases of Darth and C-3PO were just as much fun to hang up as decoration like the vinyl cases were There was such amazing artwork on each case that I couldn't just stow them away under my bed. On a side note, there was always talk of a third case (Storm Trooper or Snow Trooper) but I cannot find the artwork I once saw to confirm or deny it's existence, even in prototype form.

(most of the vinyl cases had two releases, one with movie clips and one like this with mostly artist drawings)

(loved the JCP catalog)

The rifle case was sturdy like the Darth and C-3PO cases and big enough that a child could have used it to pretend they were fighting the Empire along side the other rebel troopers. It held over a dozen figures with the basic cubby system and black plastic bar across the middle from the previous cases listed. Also it had a storage compartment to place any weapons you were afraid of loosing. The rifle had a scope on the top of it that actually had a cross hairs in it and it doubled as a handle to carry the case.

Super Powers Comic Book case

(if you didn't know Superman's origin by this point, you should probably stick with the Star Wars figures)

(if you look closely you can see Batman's parents die everytime you play with your toys)

The Super Powers case was misleading at first glance. Just about every figure line in the 80's and early 90's had its own vinyl carrying cases but this was more than that. The outside of the case looked like a book and looked totally wicked awesome on a shelf with the spine reading "VOL 1". Inside the case was rigid plastic and nothing like the competition's cases where they gave you flimsy plastic trays to fit your figures into. On the inside front and back flaps were single column origin stories of your favorite DC Super Heroes. The case  fit about 10 figures and had two storage drawers for accessories.

GI JOE APC

(box art)

GI JOE gave kids of the 1980's an army they could easily store under their bed. Now, you could just buy a basic vinyl case from Hasbro or you could buy the APC. The APC was a troop transport vehicle that doubled as a carrying case. This six wheeled behemoth could carry up to 20 Joes under it's camouflage canopy to raid the Terrordrome or you could secure the figures in their restraints and pull out the handle (concealed as the back bumper) and carry the troops into battle next door.

M.U.S.C.L.E. Battlin' Belt

(M.U.S.C.L.E. men garbage can grab bag)

(there ain't enough room for the two of us)

When Mattel brought the Kinnikuman line to America and renamed it M.U.S.C.L.E., the only thing they kept about the line of these kinkeshi figurines was that they were wrestlers. Mattel decided that the original figure case, a Ramen Man figurine with a huge "Mardi Gras" head, was just a little impractical and wouldn't have the selling power on American shelves. So Mattel created a wearable championship title belt complete with compartments for you figures (only 10 out of the over 200 figures) and a ring (albeit very small) in the center of the belt. Also the belt was the M.U.S.C.L.E. championship belt, which means to wear it you had to have defeated humanoid walruses, giants hands and living buildings.