Although I had a couple of Major Matt Mason toys when I was young , I never got back into collecting them when I was older. One figure I never owned was the Action Man - sized Captain Lazer.
I recall a huge Matt Mason display in a toyshop window in Southport, but it was before Captain Lazer joined the team. I saw adverts for it in my comics, but for me introducing aliens into the mix just didn't fit in with the 'proper' space exploration theme of Matt Mason that mirrored the American space race of the sixties.
The Cap was a real white elephant in the Matt Mason line, being several orders larger than all the other figures, even the alien Scorpio. He may have been intended as a stand a lone toy and had been drafted in, due to the similarity in the 'laser' effect weapons that were also used on the standard range Firebolt Space Lazer vehicle, but as a toy, he was pretty lame. Mattel used the basic model many years later as an addition to the Battlestar Galactica line, producing a black Cylon Centurian figure (sans armour) with flashing eye and weapon. The other figure in the line, the Colonial Warrior, looked like Captain Lazer's younger brother on his day off, with a similar stupified expression and a beige tabard. The backpacks for both figures powered the weapons and effects. Although they were much better than the 3" figures by Mattel, they were again, slightly odd in that they were largely incompatible with any other toys in the line. Bill
I didn't realise the larger Mattel Cylon figure was based on Lazer, Bill, but I suppose that's a common practice for toy manufacturers. It reminds me of Ideal's S.T.A.R. Team range which was based on earlier toys and figures.
I did like the MMM aliens, Calisto and Scorpio, and had the latter, but wouldn't have gone for Captain Laser as he was too human looking and oddly big.
Never had this either. Not sure I even saw it in shops at the time.
ReplyDeleteI recall a huge Matt Mason display in a toyshop window in Southport, but it was before Captain Lazer joined the team. I saw adverts for it in my comics, but for me introducing aliens into the mix just didn't fit in with the 'proper' space exploration theme of Matt Mason that mirrored the American space race of the sixties.
DeleteThe Cap was a real white elephant in the Matt Mason line, being several orders larger than all the other figures, even the alien Scorpio. He may have been intended as a stand a lone toy and had been drafted in, due to the similarity in the 'laser' effect weapons that were also used on the standard range Firebolt Space Lazer vehicle, but as a toy, he was pretty lame. Mattel used the basic model many years later as an addition to the Battlestar Galactica line, producing a black Cylon Centurian figure (sans armour) with flashing eye and weapon. The other figure in the line, the Colonial Warrior, looked like Captain Lazer's younger brother on his day off, with a similar stupified expression and a beige tabard. The backpacks for both figures powered the weapons and effects. Although they were much better than the 3" figures by Mattel, they were again, slightly odd in that they were largely incompatible with any other toys in the line. Bill
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise the larger Mattel Cylon figure was based on Lazer, Bill, but I suppose that's a common practice for toy manufacturers. It reminds me of Ideal's S.T.A.R. Team range which was based on earlier toys and figures.
DeleteI did like the MMM aliens, Calisto and Scorpio, and had the latter, but wouldn't have gone for Captain Laser as he was too human looking and oddly big.
ReplyDelete