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.
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.
My love for vintage toys and other collectibles has forced me to purchase some pieces most people wouldn't touch. I look at a yellowed Stormtrooper or a box of unstrung GI Joes as an opportunity, there's a story behind that toy discarded in that box. Someone loved it greatly and forgot about it in a flash. Recently at the Tampa Comic Con I ran across a table with a vintage 12 inch Stormtrooper standing at attention on a table, but it was already noon.
"Why is it there?" I wondered as I neared the table.
"They probably want a ton for it, might as well keep walking. I might miss out on something cool if I stop and ask about it, besides I already own two of them. What the Hell am I going to do with three? Oh look, it's mustard yellow. That is some serious sun damage, I wonder how much they want for it?"
The booth was run by Kensho Comics out of the bay area, nice bunch of people that were really enjoying the show and had very reasonable prices on everything on the table. Much to my surprise the trooper was only $5, I think they were equally shocked that I didn't dicker with them over the price. As we introduced ourselves, I mentioned my Facebook group (Raging Nerdgasm) and the fact I consider myself a toy historian and restoration buff. Discussing my techniques, we exchanged business information and I left with the figure tucked under my arm and my mind racing with what I needed to do to bring this figure back from almost 35 years of neglect.
Getting the figure home, I assembled my list of supplies. A gallon tub, two bottles of hydrogen peroxide, an oven bag ( newly introduced to me by my loving wife) and a paste of my own concoction. Putting the figure in the bag, I added both bottles of hydrogen peroxide until the figure was fully submerged. After the figure is fully submerged, I pushed all the air I could out of the bag, tied it off and placed it in the gallon tub. Next is the most important thing, a sunny spot to put it in for 12 or more hours. The heat isn't the important thing, it's the sunlight. The peroxide and sunlight is important in reversing the yellow "aged" look.
Roughly two days later (it's Florida here, so most sunny days are soon followed by rain....even in the middle of November) I pulled the figure from it's basting bag and give it a rinse. The Stormtrooper now looks surprisingly clean, not mint by any means but certainly not the mess it was when I bought it. A few treatments with the homemade paste (don't mix chemicals boys and girls unless you are a professional and don't get this stuff on colors because it will fade the crap out of them) and I feel I've done everything that can be done to this figure without damaging it. I've gone from a junk piece that a collector wouldn't look twice at, to a piece that is suitable for even some of the pickiest Star Wars fans. The white is fresher looking, there is absolutely no fading on the black paint or the fabric string to hold the trooper's gun and a little Mop & Glow Future polish in a pinpoint dispenser to tighten the wrist joints and it's ready for display or to be sold somewhere down the line.
Some things to remember-
Don't mix chemicals, it's seriously dangerous if you don't know what you are doing.
Always work in well ventilated areas, fumes get overwhelming quick.
Use the simplest techniques first, once you've gone to far you can't reverse your results.
and most importantly
These are old toys, anything that's too white or clean is going to get some weird looks or a lot of questions.
Vintage toy collecting usually centers
around one thing, nostalgia. That feeling you get by looking at your
toys through the eyes of a five year old, a reminder of a simpler
time; a sense of comfort in the not-so distant past. I have watched
myself go through certain stages of toy collecting over the year and
I see the same pattern in many other collectors around my age. Now
this pattern isn't exact an science, not everyone goes through the
same evolution. If you will, my observance of the vinatge toy
collector's gradual evolution.
The loose collector- The loose
collector will buy just about anything out of the package, no matter
what state of condition it's in. Most of the time it's just to say
“I've got that figure.” or to brag “I got that for a quarter!”
Many times the loose collector will be found digging through bins
upon bins of loose figures at garage sales, comic book stores or
flea markets. They can be identified by the amount of small bills
and loose change they carry to purchase their goodies, and they
aren't beyond trying to haggle a fifty cent toy down to a quarter.
They look at it as filling a hole in their collection, no matter the
condition as long as the price is right. They also rarely have what
would be considered “formal” display space. Most of their
collection will occupy a desktop near a computer or a box very much
like what it was found in.
The loose/complete collector- The
loose/complete collector is always looking to upgrade their
collection so they have the closest to mint condition figure that is
available. They've grown slightly snobbish of their older ways and
will refuse to buy a figure that they feel will need to be upgraded
in the near future, regardless how cheap it is. Granted, when
applicable, they will still look for the best deal available but in
a pinch will spend what it takes to crown their collection with that
one piece (the feeling is ten fold when that piece completes an
entire line). The loose/complete collector displays their treasures
with pride on a media shelf, sometimes in diorama scenes complete
with action poses. Often this type of collector will stuff toys that
just don't fit the new, more sophisticated tastes in a box. Out of
sight, these toys will not sully the presentation of the collection;
because a dirty/loose/incomplete toy is nothing to brag about. This
collector is also of the same mind to often buy 2 of everything they
can afford so they can branch out into a carded collector,
decorating the walls with their finds ( double points for having 2
of a chase figure, one loose and one packaged).
The carded collector- This
collector has completed almost every line in their collection and
has decided for the ultimate upgrade, to attempt to collect carded
examples of any figure they can get their hands on (as long as the
price is right). Collecting carded figures can get seriously
expensive. While a loose Star Wars 1977 Storm Trooper may cost $5
loose, $10 loose/complete, a carded one (depending on the style of
the card) could run upwards of $75 or even double that. This
collector starts off small, with a cross between what they can
afford and what they like the collection eventually grows into a
nice representation of carded examples from every line they can get
reasonably. This collector may set themselves goals so they have
that one figure that other collectors envy them over. Such as, an
involved Star Wars collector might have a Yak Face but this collector might go the distance and purchase a carded one (double points for an unpunched card with a clear blister). Occasionally this collector is of a certain mindset
to upgrade an entire line of figures to carded examples and sell
their loose figures to fund this venture.
None of the above is set in stone and
there is no real age range where these frames of mind set in. While I
collect figures across several lines, I'll often buy what many would
call a substandard figure to fill a gap in a collection but leave
myself open to trade up for a better figure in the future. If I'd
been picky over all these years I would have never amassed such an
impressive collection. My bragging rights would have been really slim
and most people wouldn't even know who Tom Khayos is.
The 1990's was a great time for boys
toys, boys toys based on PG-13 and R rated properties. One series
stood out for most visually interesting concepts and the most
absolutely nuts premise , Aliens from Kenner Toys. The premise for
the Aliens figure line was that if a facehugger could mate with it,
then you'd have a new species of xenomorph. And by mate I mean make
sweet love to it's mouth-hole. After the facehugger is done laying
his eggs in your abdomen( I say his because even though it lays eggs,
he still made you his bitch during the process), the hatch lings
gestate and feed on your internal organs until it blows through your
ribcage like a shotgun blast. This usually renders the host animal
dead and the xenomorph will eventually mature into a bipedal
humanoid/cockroach hybrid. I'm guessing they were banking on the
hopes that if the facehugger had other animals to select for hosts,
the end result would be a hybrid of the xenomorph and the host.
(they come in flying too?)
(the production quality of the live action was on par with Photon, not too shabby for 30seconds)
(best one ever made, buy one now if you don't own it)
(the topic of discussion today)
This gave us such memorable creations
such as (I'm hamming it up, but you know this by now) gorilla
aliens, crab aliens, scorpion aliens, mantis aliens, dog aliens,
snake aliens, bull aliens and rhino aliens. In some of those cases, I
want to see a National Geographic TV special as to how some of these
monstrosities come into existence. And no, just because the Alien was
dubbed a King or a Queen doesn't mean the facehugger made sweet love
to a queen or king's tonsils.....necessarily. It's a hive system, like ants or bees function. Anyways, over the series' shelf
life only 3 versions of the queen alien were made; a flying queen, a
movie accurate one that came with the hive playset and the basic
assortment Queen Alien.
(simple xenomorph from Aliens)
(behold, the horrors created by the hands of toy designers making an R rated movie fun for kids)
(TV raised your sorry ass better than your own parents)
The basic assortment came on a large
blister card and retailed for roughly $10. The figure has 10 points
of articulation, stood 7 inches tall and had two action features; swinging tail action (by
pressing a button on the hip) and secondary mouth attack (by pressing
a soft rubber cushion on the back of the head, under the crest). The
detail on the figure was a notch above what you might expect for
Kenner, but sadly some of the more basic Aliens had better sculpts.
Impressive to me was the swivel articulation added to the Queen's 3rd
set of hands located in the center of it's chest. The figure also came
with a pretty much useless queen chestburster, which was a long dark
hunk of plastic that looked like HR Gieger's walking cane. I know the
Alien from the movies is traditionally black and glistening but this
figure could have benefited from some dry brushing. Honestly if I
don't have the lights on in my display case, she blends into the
background. There's a small amount silvery gray pigment mixed into
the black plastic used to make it, but it does nothing to really
highlight the figure. And simply, the figure looks absolutely nothing
like any of the Queen Aliens portrayed in any of the eight or so
movies across the Aliens or Predator saga.
Outside of Jakks Pacific, Hasbro held
the WWF (and I will call it the WWF till the day I die, FU tree
hugging panda cuddlers.) license for the 2nd longest that
any company held it. It might actually be a tie between Hasbro and
Jakks but when it comes down to it, nothing is more nostalgic than
those heavy rubber wrestling figures from LJN. Near their 4th
line of basic figures, LJN released two oversized wrestlers; Hulk
Hogan and Rowdy Roddy Piper. Both figures were over the 12 inch mark
and featured five points of articulation and had cloth clothing
accessory ( Hogan's “HULKAMANIA” shirt and Piper's Kilt)and a
title belt. LJN figures, both these large figures and the smaller
rubber ones, had really decent likenesses considering this was 20
years before digital scanning was refined and used widely. Sometimes
it's almost amazing to think someone hand sculpted these since other
figure lines of the same era were made in the same fashion but never
looked as good as these figures did.
(1984 LJN TV AD)
(1990 HASBRO AD)
This video won't post but watch it and try not to laugh
I was never a huge Pipper fan (not
until I got older and really liked his half senile rage fits) but
being a native of the Tampa Bay area, Hulk Hogan was my idol. He told
me to eat my vitamins, drink my milk and say my prayers; am I right?
People like my mom and dad remembered when he played in a local band
and when he first started lacing up his boots at local exhibitions as
Terry Boulder. I grew up avidly watching WWF on Saturday evenings,
Hulk Hogan's Rock & Wrestling was part of my Saturday morning
cartoon watching schedule and one of my first VHS tapes was the first
Wrestlemania. It really wasn't till about 2006 that I stopped
watching WWF altogether. The stories got stale and boring and the
action in the ring got lame. I turned to King of Trios along with
other non-mainstream wrestling promotions to get my fix for pro
wrestling.
(still makes me smile to this day)
(suck on that WWE)
Also, these titans I had admired as a
child had grown older as I had. They'd seemed immortal when I was
younger, the harsh reality had set in that they weren't.
(watch the Hulkster age before your very eyes)
It wasn't till recent history that I
actually bought the large scale Hulk Hogan and even more recent
history that I got the cloth shirt to put on my figure. When I got
Hogan he was a real mess. Covered in paint smudges and stray marks
from permanent marker, I furiously attacked him with Mr. Clean magic
erasures and cotton balls soaked in nail polish remover. The previous
owner had branded the bottom of the Hulkster's left foot with his
name, like any other possessive little boy would that has
younger/older brothers. The cloth shirt was obtained in a trade with
a fellow from one of the message boards I visit along with the more
recent large scale Hulk Hogan from Jakks Pacific (which I sold a while back but really happy to have it in my possession again). I'm only a title
belt away from completing Hogan, but it's been a fun scavenger hunt so
far and I'm looking forward to finishing it.
