#434 MC TOY – TOYOTA MR-2, TOYOTA HILUX SR5, NISSAN MID-4 and MAZDA RX-7 (1986 and 1987)

I am showing today four MC Toy cars which represent Japanese models. You can review my previous articles in which I explained some facts about MC Toys here (#390) and here (#391), or you can click on label MC Toy to see everything published about this brand.

I bought these four many years ago and have never been used, that’s why they’re mint. These models look absolutely great. From the perspective of the European collector they’re interesting models, since they’re models which have only been manufactured as a toy by brands like Tomica, and therefore they were difficult to find.

TOYOTA MR-2 (Ref. 8619) and NISSAN MID-4 (Ref. 8737)

MC TOY - TOYOTA MR-2 (Ref. 8619) and NISSAN MID-4 (Ref. 8737)

TOYOTA HILUX SR5 (Ref. 8621)
 

MC TOY - TOYOTA HILUX SR5 (Ref. 8621)

This model was equipped with a different type of wheels made only for a few models. It also has some fragile plastic parts behind the cabin, that are sometimse missing.

MAZDA RX-7 (Ref. 8738)

MC TOY - MAZDA RX-7 (Ref. 8738)

Note the nice tampography work in all four models. Although it was not perfect yet, it was much better than the work of their competitors.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: TOYOTA MR-2 (Ref. 8619), TOYOTA HILUX SR5 (Ref. 8621), NISSAN MID-4 (Ref. 8737) and MAZDA RX-7 (Ref. 8738)
• Scale: 1:64 (approx.)
• Year: The two first digits in the reference number indicates the year of design and manufacture, so: 1986 and 1987.
• Company: MC Toy (U.S.A./ Macau)
• Size: approx. 3’’ or 7 cm

#433 HASBRO’S WWF – BIG BOSSMAN #2, SGT. SLAUGHTER, EARTHQUAKE and TYPHOON (1992)

Big Bossman #2 (with nightstick)

Big Bossman was available in the first wave, but not in the second, so this would be his second (and last) appearance as a toy. The first figure is not very appretiated by wrestling fans, since it depicts a too fat Ray Traylor. This second figure is much better done and looks much more like the real wrestler. The figure came with a stick, which is different from the one released with version 1, so if you´re a very scrupulous collector, you should pay attention to this. The move from figure version two is also an already known one. It is not my favorite, but still a nice move since it can be played with bent elbow (punch) or straight arm (sweep).

Sgt Slaughter (Robert Remus) 

Something I never understood, how is it possible, that such a unsympathetic character was based on one of Hasbro´s G.I.Joes. The character is the G.I.Joe team drill inspector, a very hard guy, but one of the heroes nevertheless. However, the wrestler was more like a villian. The figure is very nice and very different from the rest of characters, with a complete unique cast. The figure performs an attack with both arms at the same time.

Earthquake (John Tenta) 

Earthquake was another heavyweight wrestler, it was pretty amazing watching this type of wrestler in action. Earthquake was a rather nasty wrestler at the time, for his enmity with Hulk Hogan. The figure has a classic mechanism, in which it performs an attack with both arms at the same time. In previous waves, "dick" wrestlers (André the Giant, Akeem and Dusty Rhodes) had another mechanism, which proved to be very fragile, so from wave 3 on, this feature was not used in any figure more. The outfit chosen for the figure is the one used as part of the "Natural Disasters" tag-team.

Typhoon (Fred Ottman)

Typhoon is the same wrestler, who was previously named Tugboat. In his first years, Tugboat was a good friend of Hulk Hogan, but at some point they became enemies. Later he formed the "Natural Disasters" tag-team with Earthquake, which was quite successful. This figure is identical to Earthquake except for the head.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: BIG BOSSMAN #2, SGT. SLAUGHTER, EARTHQUAKE and TYPHOON
• Toy Line: Official WWF (Wave 3)
• Year: 1992
• Company: Hasbro (U.S.A.)
• Size of the figures: 12 cm

#432 HASBRO’S WWF – TEXAS TORNADO, BRUTUS "THE BARBER" BEEFCAKE #2, MR. PERFECT #1 and KOKO B. WARE (1992)

Texas Tornado (Kerry Von Erich)

This figure was the first one released with both arms straight, although the elbows are articulated. This position allows to perform the famous "Tornado Punch", which usually knocked out rivals. The wrestler was also a bit of a secondary, but with an impressive body and a very amazing way of fighting.

Brutus the Barber Beefcake #2 (with black shears) (Edward Leslie) 

The barber already had its figure in wave 1, and this one is its second and last version. The figure performs the classic punch and includes a pair of scissors, made from the same cast than the version 1, but with black handles, instead of red. The plastic seems to be a bit worse, and cracks easily. The very few black shears I have seen were missing a handle, like the one in the pictures.

Mr Perfect #1 (Curt Hennig)

Mr. Perfect had the gimmick of being the perfect athlete. To me, he was never especially sympathetic. He was first released in wave 3 in yellow trunks. A later version would feature his blue outfit. This figure also performs the classic punch action, and the other arm is bent, so the figure can also grab the heads of other figures.

Koko B.Ware (with Frankie-parrot) (James Ware) 

One of the most sympathetic wrestler in the early nineties was Koko B. Ware. Although his fame was short, many people remember him for his funny attitude and way of fighting, and moreover, for his parrot Frankie. As a solo wrestler was not very successful. Later, he teamed up with Owen Hart in the "High Energy" Tag-team, although this team was neither a very successful one. The figure performs the classic jump action, and includes the parrot "Frankie".

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: TEXAS TORNADO, BRUTUS "THE BARBER" BEEFCAKE #2, MR. PERFECT #1 and KOKO B. WARE
• Toy Line: Official WWF (Wave 3)
• Year: 1992
• Company: Hasbro (U.S.A.)
• Size of the figures: 12 cm

#431 HASBRO’S WWF – HULK HOGAN #3, MACHO MAN #3, ULTIMATE WARRIOR #3 and GREG “THE HAMMER” VALENTINE (1992)

The next three entries will be devoted to the figures released in the third wave of Hasbro´s Official WWF toyline.

The third wave, as it happened with the second one is a mixture of already released (5) and new characters (7), although this time there are no new action features. All features have already been seen in previous figures. Since there is not much information to add to what I have said in previous entries, I will just go figure after figure describing them. There are 12 figures, so I will present 4 figures on each entry.


Hulk Hogan #3

Hulk Hogan must be in each wave, since he was the most popular wrestler back then. That means, if a child missed all figures until that moment, he could always start his collection with a Hulk Hogan. In this case, Hulk comes with one of his Hulkster t-shirts, and a quite simple move. The position of his arms brings some extra playability to the figure.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage #3 

The same applies to this figure, Macho Man was also among the most popular wrestlers, that´s why the character Randy Savage also made it to have a figure in each of the three first waves. The only difference to Hulk Hogan or the Ultimate Warrior, is that Macho Man #3 is identical to Macho Man #2, except for the name on the trunks and the accesories. This figure has "Macho Man" on trunks, and no accesories, while the figure released one year earlier has "Macho King" on trunks, plus a crown and a sceptre.

Ultimate Warrior #3 

Maybe the second most popular wrestler at this time, this character also managed to get three figures in three waves. This figure has a brand new mechanism, never seen before, in which the figure features some punches when the figure is pushed down (each feet activates one arm). This feature provides great playability, but has the inconvenient that the cast is relatively simple, without articulations.

Greg "the Hammer" Valentine

This wrestler was also quite a famous one in the US, although it wasn´t either one of my favorites.The figure was planned to be released one wave earlier together with Honky Tonk, as the tag-team "Rhythm and Blues", but the figure was modified and delayed until wave 3. The figure has the punch/sweep action feature.

 

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: HULK HOGAN #3, “MACHO MAN” RANDY SAVAGE #3 and ULTIMATE WARRIOR #3 and GREG "THE HAMMER" VALENTINE
• Toy Line: Official WWF (Wave 3)
• Year: 1992
• Company: Hasbro (U.S.A.)
• Size of the figures: 12 cm