HE-MAN: KIND OF!

 I do love a good knockoff and a mega hit like Masters of the Universe spawned many a tacky He-Man. Here's a few I've seen this year.

Do you have any?

I bet kids loved them at Christmas!

*

Slender legs 

[possibly a Galaxy rider]

Barbarella's angel!

I thought that was a Christmas tree in the bag! Its battlecat!

Don't look into his eyes!

Civil War? Dressed like that?

More like Arm and Hammer!

LOST MASTERS

I'm working on something at the present time ....from my past you might like to put across to your readers.....it has been found in my "archives"....thought it had been lost....but survived from the early 2000's.....

....."Masters of the Universe"......I was involved with the re-launched Toy Range back then....and also with the Comic that came out.....that lasted a year or so.....

.......anyway when I was doing the pictures for the Range to appear in the comic....I also did something interesting with the range....

.....I created the outline for a comicbook story using the action figures....images were taken on model sets and a script produced ....the comic with the "photostory" never was released....went into a box...."lost"....but now I have found it and going to put it on my website as a free to view webcomic.....in early 2024....

.....have mentioned that on "Twitter" yesterday and got over 800 views in a couple of hours....so looks like some fans will be looking in on my site shortly to see the story, the original images and some updated new ones will be coming along with the story........ - some of the originals unfortunately not in a good state anymore .

Anyway....some previews attached, your readers might like to see them....and in the early part of next year will send you some more from the updated elements from the story .

Will keep in touch ....have a good Christmas!

Regards 

Richard Dixon

TPD STUDIOS - LANCASHIRE , ENGLAND .

www.richard-dixon-tpd-studios.co.uk

MASTERS OF THE HALLOWEEN UNIVERSE!

Hi Woodsy.

Just finished this display in time for Halloween. I have a bunch of spooky action figures that look like they have really been hitting the gym! So I decided to put them in Castle Grayskull/Snake Mountain with some Halloween lights and scenery.

Enjoy!

-BrianF 

 Monster Base 

 NJ USA

THE SQUAT THICKENS: BIG THIGHS AND BENDED KNEES!

 I'm enjoying looking for and finding knockoff wrestlers from the 80's and 90's at the mo.

In fact any action figure with those classic Masters of the Universe big thighs and bent knees wherever possible or if not, obvious wrestler knockoffness.

With a little patience at boot sales the bendy fellas give themselves up. Its great fun tracking them down and more often than not there are always one or two at a sale and its reassuring to come home with a result.

Here's a bundle I've recruited this year.

Back row LtoR: Tall Redpants and Boley wrestler,

Middle row LtoR: American gladiator, unknown bended soldier, headless Hulk Hogan, soft rubber Galaxy Beast Warrior

Front Row: Lion-O Thundercats miniature

Have you got any He-squatters or wrestling cheapos readers?

VIRGIL ABLOH'S MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE

I love this toy photo, which I saw on Robb Report [what is that?]

These look like modern re-issues of MOTU figures - Skeletor and friends? -  but its the golden lighting in the shadow that I like so much.

Do you like it?

LOOEY'S BATTLECAT

This is a great book of art toys based on the Battlecat project and features many lovely works including stuff by my wife and I!

https://www.thisisnotatoystore.com/product/the-battle-cat-project-book/1058?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=true

I'm working on action figure joints, some Gatchaman Phoenix die-cast restorations and my Henshin Panther repair.

Oh, and I'm doing monster stuff for a Web horror series!

Watch this space!

Looey

OZ

THE GREAT BRASS BATTLECAT MYSTERY

Like me, many of you will know that Mattel's Big Jim orange Tiger was recycled to create ...

... the green Masters of the Universe Battlecat.

but you may not know about its brass 'battlecat' relative.

I certainly didn't when I first saw one in Bradford's 4everetro shop, priced £125.

 It was complete mystery to me!

The friendly proprietor explained that they were basically fancy goods, which had turned up on brass ornament market stalls years ago.

Looking further into this mysterious feline I found, well, a LOT of them!

There's a whole cattery of ornamental tigers and looking at the many online discussions/ videos and listings its clearly fascinating to many toy collectors and MOTU fans.

For example, below is a 'Siberian tiger' I found pictured on Etsy. Looks like the Battlecat to me!

Here's is a Chinese tiger ashtray.

Here's a Chinese panther.

and here's a plastic tiger.

This classic tiger pose seen on all the above appears to be everywhere when it comes to toys and fancy goods. The MOTU cat is just one of them.

So, is the brass tiger a copy of the Mattel Battlecat or simply a very moggy coincidence?

What do you think readers? Can you shed any light on this feline?

Do you have a brass cat on the mantlepiece?

KING KONG SHERMAN

 The Missus and me wandered round a modern toy shop looking for Star Wars figures last week.

There weren't any but there were lots of Kong and Godzilla toys. I was surprised there were so many. Its a relatively old film now isn't it, Kong V. Godzilla?

There were also modern carded Masters of the Universe figures, reduced in price, together with fancier exclusive boxed Masters toys too.

I can imagine these MOTU toys are hard to shift now. Is there anything on the TV to back them up in the UK? A cartoon?

Just last Wednesday I was looking at a huge collection of original MOTU figures at a car boot sale and even handled a few. As my daughter is an Eighties child I am simply drawn to Eighties toys.

Here's my own original loose figure collection I sold in 2009.

We ended up buying a Thor headed Pez in the toy shop for Junior's birthday bundle.

Hitting the charity shops I saw this big tank.

First impression from a distance I had thought it was a Palitoy Sherman for my beloved Action Man and my heart rate rose. It wasn't. The modern solid plastic soldier figure put me off looking properly, although an Action Man might well fit in the hatches. 

New stuff leaves me genrally cold. If its not oldish - up to about 1990 - I tend to walk past. Are you like that? is it an age thing?

Here's a Palitoy Sherman recently on Ebay for comparison.

In an antiques emporium I saw this Space 2501 Meccano boxed set, which I thought looked good. Meccano isn't my thing but I know some readers liked and like it. Is is a set you had?

VINYL MASTERS

 

I thought Wow! when I saw this old 45's case online.

Masters of the Universe no less!

I've never seen it before but I love those MOTU graphics!

Did you have a record case?

[is tote an American term?]

MASTERS OF MARS

 

These guys arrived at Junior's house on his birthday.

Playmobil Mars Mission and Masters of the Universe.

That space station could almost be Triang SpaceX!

Do you have a space station?

ARTO'S DATED BATTLE CATS

On MOTU Battle Cat versions, thought of sending you these pics for comparison. The upper one is marked (c) MATTEL, INC. 1976 TAIWAN whereas the lower one (c) Mattel, Inc. 1983 MALAYSIA. The green colour on the 1976 version is a bit lighter.

Arto

MADSAKI

MADSAKI

MILLIGAN'S MILL DOWN AT THE BOOT SALE

Its half term so I'm on leave and that means Car Boot Sales! Well, at least one today.

Not a huge one in terms of vintage toys but there's always a few things around.

The funniest thing I saw was an Aladdin figure holding a small grey Thunderbirds pistol! I assume that was for encouraging the genie to work harder!

The most interesting item was a large plastic K-9 issued by the BBC. It may have been a remote control toy but there was no console with it. It didn't look that old and I couldn't find a date underneath. I imagine that there are modern versions of this toy and this may have been one of those.

The seller said that the two ariels it had were hard to find in that condition. The side panels were taped on and the seller said it didn't work. I was sorely tempted but my skills are not up to fixing Doctor Who's inactive dog pal. I left it.

Have you experience of K-9 toys?

There was also a huge bundle of Masters of the Universe buildings: at least two Castle Greyskulls and the other dark purple one who's name I forget, along with a handful of figures. All is a Tesco bag. £35. Again, too much for me and I said goodbye to He-Man.

As usual there were lots and lots of die-cast cars and my Missus spent a handsome pound on a smart Matchbox Speed Kings dragster for me called Milligan's Mill. Its dated 1972 and one I never had I don't think, but I had similar cars as a kid. The body lifts up and a small plastic brace flips up and keeps the bonnet high so that the engine is exposed. 

Mine is similar in condition to this one I saw on Ebay. Have you got one or any other Speed Kings?

TOYS I HAD TEN YEARS AGO

A glimpse of treasures I once had in my loft on the 11th September 2008. Four days later I started this blog!

What a Christmas morning these toys would make!

All part of my Ebaying and Toy Fairing back in 2008.

A MOTU boxed set - I think it was the Slime Pit - I found mint boxed at a car boot and a He-Man Starship Eternia I bought in a roughed-up box from the clearance shelves of Toys R Us. On top is a boxed Captain Laser I bought as an investment for my toy fair stall from Ebay back in its early days in the UK.

In the bottom shelf is a tinplate remote-controlled James Bond DB5 I found amongst dumped furniture in a German street in 1981.

Next to it is a large mystery action plastic VW Beetle from a boot sale I think.

I think the two games are Risk and Railroader. I adored finding games at boot sales more than anything.

I think the Beetle is all that's left now ten years later!

Have you had any of these readers?

A Space Fighter's Pet: Tyconus Rochon: What?

I saw this strange beast on Ebay last year.

The Tyconus Rochon!

I see a figure in the small bag but would this toy work for other action figures like Masters of the Universe or even Star Wars?

Anyone know the Tyconus Rochon's story?

The Radio Shack Space Walker: What's That All About?

In my mind Radio Shack are a strange toy company. On the margins really where remote control is king. 

Saying that, I was surprised to see this vintage Space Walker by Radio Shack on Ebay last year. 

It has a sort of Masters of the Universe look to it on the box art!

The toy itself really does scream MOTU and Thundercats and I assume Radio Shack wanted to cash in on those two hugely successful action figure lines without explicitly saying so. Maybe even Star Wars but it looks too big to have a Kenner figure stood up in the hatch.

Do you agree readers?

Anyone got a Space Walker?

In a moment of cross-dimensional zeal I have just pictured Major Matt Mason stood in it too! How about that?

did hawkman inspire he-man?

Hawkman is an old superhero from the Forties.

Here he is in DC's first Hawkman in the Sixties.

I couldn't help noticing old Hawk's emblem.

It reminded me of The Thundercats from the Eighties.

Here's Hawkman's emblem.

Here's Thundercats'.

And what about that X-belt the bare-chested Hawkman wears?

I reckon He-Man swiped that idea straight of his super toned back!

What do you think readers?

Coincidence?

*

[pictures: Wikipedia]

LOFT PROFITS: HE MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: BUT ARE THEY SPACE TOYS?

One of the biggest toy lines of the Eighties, He-Man and MOTU as it's known to collectors, was a joy to find at boot sales. Usually it would be brace of fine loose figures and very occasionally a boxed toy like the Slime Pit or the Fright Zone. If you found the Eternia Playset you could retire! I'm still working.

MOTU toys were often nuzzling up against Ghostbusters and Thundercats stuff and, aside from the ubiquitous Star Wars merch, the three of them formed the holy trinity* of 80's action figure lines and would appear downstream at the same time at boot sales a few years later. Anyone else collect MOTU readers?

* Ninja Turtles and GI Joe could also be seen as Eighties biggies but for me it was the three lines I mention. Which were the big 80's toys for you readers?