#923 MEIPY - HÉROES DE LA GALAXIA - ANDROR and TARA (1985)

Last month I joined many other Masters of the Universe fans worldwide to celebrate the 35th anniversary of this great toyline in Spain. A friend of mine with a few other colleagues is writing a book about this topic that will be published soon. The title is "Yo Tengo el Poder: La Historia de los Masters del Universo en España", haven't you heard about it yet? Visit their Facebook site for all information regarding this topic, and don't miss the release!

 

Note that the book "Yo Tengo el Poder" does not only talk about Mattel's Masters, but also about other figures that bootlegged or were inspired by them, I am quite sure they will extensively cover this toyline we are going to talk about today, so if you are interested, you will be able to read more there.

I will start this time with the blister pack, reminiscent of the Star Wars movies, with a Tie-Fighter on the right side and another spaceship on the left, both in front of some unknown planets. The logo of the collection is clearly made after Masters of the Universe. The backcard shows the first 4 figures, although there is a second type of cardback that shows 8 figures, the complete collection.

Note that the figures are clearly inspired by He-Man, Skeletor, Beast Man, Teela, plus other characters that share characteristics with other Masters or characters of other movies. I own two figures, both in their blisterpacks:

Andror (Servidor del Imperio Oscuro) (Ref. 113)

Andror, the server of the Dark Empire is a remarkable character for having a fire sword and some metal armour and mask that gives him a rather menacing look. Among the first four, is the only character that does not have a clear counterpart in the Masters of the Universe world.

Tara (Reina de los Guerreros Zarka) (Ref. 114)

Tara is the only woman in the collection and comes with a sword and is wearing some kind of bikini. Interestingly, this amazon warrior does not appear in its own backcard

All figures come with exchangeable weapons and the blister is fixed to the card with staples.

These figures are very interesting, like all bootlegs are, and not much is currently known about the company. Meipy also made some other plastic figures (like the Meipy-Ñecos) and also other novelty products for kiosks like hairspins. There is an interview with the company owners in the Coleccionismo de Juguetes magazine nr. 13, but I haven't read it. Surely very interesting.

The second type of blister is this one that shows eight figures instead of four. Here we can observe the characters Zarkan (He-Man with longer hair), Serpidor (Skeletor with a reptilian twist) and Lioman (pretty much Beast Man).

Also present are Tara and three more characters. The first of this triplet is Icaron, a winged warrior the reminds me strongly of Pygar, a character in Barbarella (Roger Vadim, 1968). This character is the only one using a firearm.

Finally there are Volcam and Gladiator, two figures very similar to each other that look like a crossing between Man-At-Arms and a Roman gladiator. Volcam has a club as a weapon and Gladiator an axe.

Picture taken from coleccionismo80-90.blogspot.com

I wish I had more of these figures. If you want to see all of them, you can also visit coleccionismo80-90.blogspot.com, where Pablo has collected all blisters except one (but has this figure loose).

In my backcard somebody wrote with a pencil the price of the figure: 200 pesetas (that is 1,20 Euro). I think the price is original (I mean, it was written back in the mid or late 80s). I would say the price is quite high for such a toy, what maybe explains why they were not sold massively and are difficult to find nowadays.

Although I never saw them for sale in the 80s, they were widely available until somebody (or maybe some people) decided to take all of them from the popular auction site where they were available. Now there is none (or at least none complete with its accesory). Maybe they become valuable collectables in the next years, who knows?

Read more about Masters of the Universe in these links!

All Masters of the Universe stuff

Masters of the Universe (vintage collection)

He-Man: New Adventures

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: ANDROR and TARA (Ref. 113 and 114)
• Toy Line: HÉROES DE LA GALAXIA
• Year: 1985
• Company: Meipy (Spain)
• Size of the figures: Around 9 cm

#900 FAR MEN - GUERREROS DEL ESPACIO (Around 1985)

Here is one of the most interesting MotU "Made in Spain" bootlegs. At this point, most people will already know them, not only in Spain, but also in other countries. They have been easy to find for quite a long time already (since eBay and other platforms became mainstream), but this is starting to change, since each time there are fewer and fewer available.

The Guerreros del Espacio (lit. Space Warriors) is a short series of six figures made around 1986 by the Spanish toymaker Far Men. This company was based in Beniparrell, Valencia. I wrote several years ago a first entry dealing with another famous toy made by this brand, but at the time all information was quite uncertain.

Last year, our friends from La Cueva del Terror Podcast interviewed the founder of the company José Iniesta and his son (Kiko Iniesta, who is a great MotU fan) in one of their podcasts. The interview was focused mostly in this particular toyline, although they also talked about other products and toys. I would recommend you to listen that podcast (if you can understand Spanish) because it is great how father and son explain what they did, how did the factory work and so on.

If you cannot understand Spanish, I will summarize the most important information here:
The toy company was a spin-off of a bigger company specialized in casts (manufacturing and repair), plastic casting and other types of casting called Matrival. This company was founded in 1975 in Valencia as a small casting workshop by José Iniesta and a partner, but it is now a great company producing parts for brands like Peugeot, Mercedes, Ford, Magna…

By the beginning of the 80s the owners decide to expand their business making toys. Their first toy was a cap gun made in metal, but they had to stop production after some legal changes in 1983 following the accidental death of a boy using a similar gun from competitor Redondo. The decision to make metal guns was influenced by their partners Bullycan, since they did not want to directly compete with each other.

After that, they produced only plastic toys, like Bullycan, but initially in different scales or different types. Among the toys they produced were again some guns that shooted plastic caps (similar to bottle caps) and the famous Far-Boys, inspired at the time by the even more famous Airgam Boys.

The Guerreros del Espacio was launched shortly afterwards, around 1985. Far Men decided to make a version of such a successful figure, but with low costs. Most parts of the figure were produced by Far Men themselves, except the body part, which is hollow and needed a plastic blow molding procedure that, at the time, was not available at Far Men, so it was outsourced, just as the cards and bubbles. The figures that are decorated with some paintwork were finished and assembled in a nearby prison (by prisoners) but also in private homes mostly by housewives for an extra income.

The design of the heads is different from the ones used by Mattel. The sculptors were people very especialized in creating wood or plaster models that would later transfer into an injection cast. They were hired for that work, but they were not employees of the company. The company didn’t make any backstory or gave name to the figures.


The inspiration for these figures was clear to Mattel, who sued the company. The trial was won by Far Men, since Mattel had no copyright for their Masters of the Universe at that time in Spain.

For the following two years or so, the company was producing lots of cars, trucks and other vehicles until the concurrence in the toy sector became higher, and Far Men was finally shut down. Their owners focused their efforts in Matrival, which was growing and receiving the first orders for the automobile industry. Far Men was very small compared to the main business.

Despite producing toys under their own brand, Matrival was also producing casts for other toy companies, like Hasbro’s or M.B. One example is the Action Man toyline from the 90s. This cooperation continued until M.B. closed their Spanish branch in Riba-Roja in 2003.

Far Men sold mostly to distributors Spainwide, who then offered the toys to shops, press kiosk and street vendors who offered toys in fairs, festivals and other popular festivities.

Back to the Guerreros del Espacio, note that the packaging is barely a small cardboard (not printed at the back) that holds the figure inside of a blister bubble. Both parts are attached by means of staples, and the yellow background is actually smaller than it should be, or the figure is bigger than it should (10.5 cm tall), since it is covering the header of the blister with the name of the toyline.
This logo is already quite remarkable: it shows the two main characters, that is, a He-Man and a Skeletor lookalikes. The hero has a headband and the villain carries a horned-helmet.
In the lower part of the card, there is some legal information and the logo of Far Men.

This small card was intended to fit a larger display to be hang in the wall of the shop. Each corner was inserted in one slot, so six toys could hang on the wall while for sale, and be removed individually when sold.

There is a second type of blister, simpler, with a lighter shade of blue as background colour and without the small He-Man and Skeletor on the top corners.


The weapons included (one per figure) are also very imaginative. This one is a copy of an Airgamboys accesory (some kind of harpoon).

The body cast for Guerreros del Espacio was used for a series of American Football players with helmet, ball and a plastic T-shirt. There was even a figure of B.A. Baracus that came with metal chain on his neck. Both are very sought-after nowadays.

Out of the scope of this entry is the other MotU bootleg line with the same name but slightly bigger figures (14 cm tall) that were saled under the brand Guerreros del Universo (Warriors of the Universe). These were similar in construction, but had no waist articulation and were clearly based on MotU casts, without many modifications. My guess after listening to the interview is that the 14 cm figures came earlier than these, and both are made by Far Men (Mr. Iniesta cannot recall very well if this other line was also produced by them or not). These other two toylines were not marked in the blister with the name of the maker, so it is up to this point unclear if it was really Far Men that built them.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: (No Name)
• Toy Line: Guerreros del Espacio
• Year: Around 1985
• Company: Far Men (Spain)
• Size of the figures: Around 10.5 cm

#880 SECRET WARS - CAPTAIN AMERICA and FALCON (1984 and 1985)

It has been a long time since I didn´t write about Secret Wars. I didn´t buy any in a long time, mostly because it is difficult to find complete figures at good prices in Europe. And since eBay introduced the Global Shipping Programme, I do not buy in the US anymore (I did once, and never more).

When I saw these two figures (in a lot) I had to buy it. Obviously the most interesting figure here is Falcon. It is complete with its two wings and the falcon accesories, which are very hard to find. The figures also included shields and its paper images, as depicted in the picture.

The figures are in great shape, and are basically the same as every other figure in the row. Same cast (except the head and the modification at the back for the wings), no action feature, same accesories (shields)... not much to say about the figures. The colouring scheme is very accurate (as in the comic books).

I am not very much into Marvel comics, but both characters were originally part of the same universe. The Secret Wars series mixed characters from different universes.

I am currently missing only 3 figures and 2 accessories… (and they are not the most difficult ones) let’s see if I can get them in the next months to close this toyline. I am not so interested in the vehicles for space reasons.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: CAPTAIN AMERICA and FALCON
• Toy Line: Secret Wars (Wave 1 and 2, respectively)
• Year: 1984 and 1985
• Company: Mattel (U.S.A.)
• Size of the figures: Around 12 cms

#832 AIRGAM – BIRD MAN vs. PYTHON (Ref. 302 and 312) (1985)

 

I’ll continue the last entry with two more Airgam Comics characters, Bird Man and Python, again one member of the Superfantastics and another of the Superdiabolics. In this entry, I love both figures equally, I think the cloak both figures carry (they are different at the front) together twith the piece behind their heads are great great additions.

I’ll start with Python this time, a figure with the classic combination green with yellow and black details and an extremely cool head design, with a snake on the forehead. The boots are also interesting, since they reuse the Airgam Boys gladiator “shoes”. This figure very probably came with the pistol in the picture, although as commented in the previous entry, this information is difficult to confirm.

Bird Man, although similar in colour to Starsman, is in my opinion much better, only the cloak is already a great add-on, also the colour combination, with more blue and less red is better, and the muscles marked on the chest are small details that make this figure better than Starsman. The figure came also with a pistol, and very probably the one depicted in the pictures.

It is important to note, that, in this collection, figures have (or may have) several variants each. In the case of Bird Man, you can find this figure either with red or yellow logo on the chest. In the case of the yellow logo, the pants are mostly blue, although I have already seen a mixture of both versions (that would be a third version) with yellow logo and red pants. There are many examples thoughout the toyline, and I’ll be commenting them when I have the chance.

Bird Man with yellow logoand red pants. Recent addition to my collection.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: BIRD MAN (Ref. 302) and PYTHON (Ref. 312)
• Toy Line: Airgam Comics (Wave 1)
• Year: 1985
• Company: Airgam (Spain)
• Size of the figures: Around 8.5 cm (3.25'')

#831 AIRGAM – STARSMAN vs. DR. DIABOLIC (Ref. 301 and 311) (1985)

I have presented several figures from this toyline, probably my favorite toyline of all times, but very few of these were first wave figures. All figures from wave 2 (all I presented except Piranha) have extra swivel arm articulation as well as knee articulation.

Today I wil present two figures from the first wave, and not just two random figures, but the leaders of each faction: Superfantastics and Superdiabolics.

Starsman is obviously based on Captain America, it is a blue figure with red pants and a blue shield. The references to the American flag are not hidden, just in case you had not noticed it. It is not one of my favorite figures, because I think the figure could have been better, it is rather simple and the colours are plain and seen many times before.

I don’t know anymore which weapons came together with the figure in the blister. The shield is clear, but some carded figures seem to come with the big(ger) cannon, while others don’t.

The second figure is, on the contrary, one of my favorites. Note the colour combination purple and black, the nice pattern in chest, arms and legs and the two-part cloak, including the cool part behind the head with some long “holes”. It is truly a great design. Also the face is greatly designed with the skull on the forehead and some part of it hidden behind a purple mask. I always imagined this character may have had some damage, and that is why he hid himself behind a mask. The figure could be based in Marvel character Dr. Doom (and thus the name Dr. Diabolic). This figure came with one gun: from the three available models, the one which is depicted in his hand.

Sometimes it is quite confusing to match figure and accessories in this toyline. Unfortunately, I keep all in a box, and with the years I forgot which gun or rifle went with which figure. I tried to redo a list, but even with the pictures that can be found on the internet, it is a difficult job. I think the accessories added were most of the times the same ones, but they may vary in some occasions, since the quality control was probably not very exhaustive.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: STARSMAN (Ref. 301) and DR. DIABOLIC (Ref. 311)
• Toy Line: Airgam Comics (Wave 1)
• Year: 1985
• Company: Airgam (Spain)
• Size of the figures: Around 8.5 cm (3.25'')

#828 UNKNOWN TOYMAKER - SUMSI PVC FIGURE (Around 1985)

This bee is the mascot of the Austrian-based bank Raiffeisen-Bank. Even today, the brave and hard-working bee is still being used by the same bank in several publications for children, or in especial give-away products, like bicycle helmets or backpacks.

This figure is probably from the mid 80s, although I cannot say it accurately, as I cannot identify the maker of the figure. It is completely unmarked.

Interestingly, the figure has a ring on its back, so I assume at the time it was a keyring. I found two of these, and none had the keyring anymore, so this must also be taken as a hypothesis.

The paint work is not the best, even considering that it was made more than 30 years ago, but still a rare and nice promotional plastic/PVC figure.

UPDATE1 (Dec/2018): A different, yet very similar, model.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: SUMSI (PROMO PVC FIGURE FROM RAIFFEISEN BANK)
• Year: Around 1985
• Company: Unknown Toymaker (Austria? / Germany?)
• Size of the figures: Around 4 cm

#824 MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE – GRIZZLOR and LEECH (1985)

These two figures are two of the most recognizable and unique figures in the whole toyline. They are simply different to the rest of the figures. Grizzlor was the only furry figure made and Leech was probably the biggest and bulkier one (besides the Giants Tytus and Megator). I had the first one, and I can remember wanting to have the second, but I never got it.

I now have both, and I took them out for a dio-photo session. This could be Leech´s hideout.

Grizzlor is some furry beast, probably inspired by a bear, although with some distinctive features like fangs and red eyes. The figure came with a yellow harness displaying Hordak´s bat in red and a green crossbow, as many other Horde members had.

The figure in the pictures is the one I keep since my childhood. The hair is not so nice anymore, I got other Grizzlors in much better shape, but I traded or sold them, keeping only the one I have since the 80s.

There is rare version out there where the face of the beast is much darker, so this variant is called black-face Grizzlor. I do not have this yet, but if I ever have the chance to get it, I definitely will!
This normal version is relatively easy and cheap to find, as the rest of the figures form 1985, that were sold massively worldwide. The accessories are not difficutl to find either, so all in all, it is an affordable figure.

Unfortunately, Grizzlor had no action feature besides its furry skin. Maybe somebody had expected something more on top of that.

Leech´s feature is one of the greatest ever, although during the play it was difficult to use. Thanks to that round plastic mouth, you could attach it to some flat surface (like a window) and fix it by pushing a button in its back. The figure has an air pump inside that makes vacuum in the mouth. The air pump is probably the reason for the big size of the figure.

I like the especially designed limbs for this figure, all end with sucking pumps instead of hands and feet. The figure also had at least one variant in wich the black armband is red, and also another variant in which the figure was packaged with a brighter red crossbow (see pictures). I am still looking for the alternative armband figure, I will buy it when I have the chance.

Having so many plastic parts, Leech is a figure that won´t stand many more years. In some figures I have seen over the years, the plastic in its mouth and probably the air pump inside may harden and then break.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: GRIZZLOR and LEECH
• Toy Line: Masters of the Universe (Wave 4)
• Year: 1985
• Company: Mattel (U.S.A.)
• Size of the figures: Around 14 cm

#803 MAJORETTE – RENAULT 5 MAJORETTE MOTOR (1985)

MONTH OF THE BOOTLEG AT TOYS FROM THE PAST!

Not only small toy companies copy other bigger toy companies, sometimes it happens the opposite. The Darda Motor cars were invented in the 60s (1964) and they were quite popular in Germany.

Many years later, in the 80s, Majorette designed and patented a similar pull-back motor that was supposed to be as strong as the Darda motor. Note that the base of the car has an US patent number. Of course the motor is different from Darda´s, otherwise no patent would have been granted, but the concept is the same and the motor looks also very similar, and is used in the same way. Even the cars are slightly cartoonish, like Darda´s.

Unfortunately, I don´t know what happened with this series, only that it was cancelled only a few years after it was launched. What was the reason? Aparently, the motors were not so durable.

As it was stated in the catalogues, the motors could deliver a speed of 5 meters per second without batteries, just by pulling back the car a few centimeters.

There were 4 cars in total made, each of them in two different decorations, although other colours were added probably later, since other colours are known.

• Reanult Alpine A110
• Renault 5
• Porsche Turbo 911
• BMW Turbo

Several circuits were also made especially for this line, most of them with loopings.

In 1987, the cars were modified with  a red button on the roof that would start the car when pushed, that is, the motor could be loaded, and would remain loaded until the button was pushed, this way it was easier to use the circuits with more than one car. This series would then be called “Start Motor”.

The Motor series (or the Start Motor series) should not be confused with the “Turboom” series. This other series had the same motor, but was prepared to “explode” when crashing. We will analyse this series in some next entry.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: REANULT 5 “MAJORETTE MOTOR”
• Scale: Around 1:64
• Year: 1985
• Company: Majorette (France)
• Size: approx. 7 cm