#1070 GAMA - GAMA-MINI VW1302 (Ref. 898) (around 1978)

Gama cars are great, as you could see in previous entries. They are also difficult to find, as they were not intended as toys, but as adult collector pieces. That is maybe why they are so rare to spot. 

I cannot recall anymore where did I buy this one, but it probably was in december 2018. It is not in its best shape, but I liked that the previous owner decorated it with "5" and "3" stickers to make it resemble Herbie, the famous movie-star. If it was mint, it would be a great collectable, as it represents one of the most iconic cars of all time. 

The model is made in 1:43 scale and has opening doors. Despite the paint chips, it still has all four lights, which seem to be fragile. Other nice feature are the realistic hubcaps and the suspension of its wheels, which makes the car very comfortable to move around.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: VW1302 (Ref. 898)
• Scale: 1:43
• Year: Around 1978
• Company: Gama (Germany)
• Size: Around 9 cm

#1069 BUDDY L – SPIDER´S CAR (SECRET WARS, SPIDERMAN) (1986)

Buddy L was another big American toy company from the 1920´s on. As it is usual in these cases, the company went under many names and owners over the years, and disappared sometime in the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. They were focused on tin and metal vehicles, being their most remembered works a series of metal vans and trains in larger scales. 

The parent company of Buddy L was called Moline Pressed Steel Company (founded by Fred A. Lundahl in 1910). This company produced fenders and body parts for the automobile industry, being their main customer the McCormick-Deering (farm implements) and the International Harvester Company (trucks). 

In 1921, the Moline Pressed Steel Company started selling toys, because Mr. Lundhal wanted to make a toy for his son. He took a piece of steel from the scrap pile and built an steel miniature truck (based on an International Harvester). Nice story.  The truck was so well-done and durable, that shortly afterwards, the company started selling toys made of pressed steel under the brand „Buddy L“, „toys for boys“.  Some were small such as this one presented here, but others were big and sturdy enough to allow the kids to ride on them, or to be pulled around.

The company was very popular during the 1920s until the great depression. Their toys were offered in the Marshall Field´s department stores or in the F.A.O: Schwarz toy stores.

The next owner was Henry Katz and Company, who bought the brand Buddy L from Molene Manufacturing Company in 1941. In 1976 is was sold again to Richard Keats, a toy designer and long time employee of Buddy L. In 1978, the company was based in Clifton, New Jersey. In 1990, Keats sold Buddy L again to SLM international, and from here on, it was a fast decadence the company suffered until it disappeared in the 2000s.

The toys from the 1920s to the 1960s are rare and valuable pieces, but with the increasing industrialization of the manufacturing process, the Buddy L Toys were manufactured in great numbers and sold for cheaper prices (also introduced plastic parts in the 60s). Being so sturdy, many have survived until today in such a great shape. The toy I am presenting today belongs to the late 90s, when their production was being carried out in Japan or Macau in order to compete with the toys from Hong-Kong and China. That is why the car is rather simple and has a lot of plastic parts. 

Still it is a very interesting toy, considering it has a license from Marvel´s Secret Wars. The car originally came in a set of four pieces, including also a van, a helicopter and a motorbike, all with Spidey´s stickers. But there was at least another set in which this car was decorated with Dr. Doom colours and stickers, the Van with Dr. Octopus´, the motorbike with Captain America´s, and the helicopter with Wolverine´s. These two sets are today scarce, and rare collectibles in their original box. Still the individual toys can be purchased for almost no money, let´s say around 10 US$/piece or even less.

This car is in an excellent shape with no cracks on the plastic parts, opening doors and very little or no use. The stickers are also excellent. Very cool!

FACTS AND FIGURES: 

• Name: Spider´ Car
• Scale: Around 1:38
• Year: 1986
• Company: Buddy L (U.S.A.)
• Size: approx. 12 cm

#1068 BATMAN (TOY BIZ) - BATMAN vs. BOB THE GOON (1989)

Not many entries dealing with Batman in the more than 1.000 reviews that I made so far. And the most important figures of them all were missing... until today.

These were the very first action figures released after the movie directed by Tim Burton and premiered worldwide in 1989. The movie was a huge success, and there were all kinds of merchandising available: t-shirts, promotions, different types of toys and also action figures.

pic: dcinthe80s.com

The collection started with these golden blisters, but there were not many characters available. Beside Batman and Joker, only Bob the Goon was available. An interesting choice, since the character does not have a leading role in the film. Maybe the toymaker thought that Joker needed some companion, as the rest of the initial released included only vehicles and playsets for the hero. The Batcave, the Batmobile and the Batwing could be purchased separately, but Joker only had his fellow companion Bob.

The figures came with some action feature and articulation in the knees, legs, arms and head, as well as some action accesories. They are not very durable, they often show loose limbs, but if they have not been played, they look great and are a good addition to any collection.

Batman figure has the bat-rope hidden in hi belt, that can be extended to “climb” to a higher surface, as well as a batarang, something that resembles a gun and the black cloak made of cloth. Although today might seem a bit crude, the face sculpt is not bad for 1989.

Bob the Goon feature is a kick with one of his legs, The leg can be loaded and stays in “standing” position until a button in the back is pushed, then the leg moves forward and hits whatever it is on its way. The figure includes a black hut, a gun (very similar to G.I.Joe's Shockwave) and a knive. The same can be said about the head sculpt, wich, by the way, was produced in two variants, in which the hair is different.

The line was, of course, later extended with more vehicles: The Batcycle, the Joker cycle, the Joker Van. Also some more DC figures were made and sold under the brand DC Comics Super Heroes still in 1989. This line included Robin, The Penguin. Mr. Freeze and The Riddle, together with Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Hawkman, Two Face and Lex Luthor. This other collection shared the same blister style but was kind of separated from the Batman collection. Still the three figures from Batman appeared also in the blisterpacks of DC Comics Super Heroes from 1991. Many of these characters resemble very much the Super Powers figures made by Kenner some years earlier. I have several of these figures in my collection, as well as other vehicles.

If you consider the two lines as one or prefer to keep them separated is up to you.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: BATMAN and BOB, THE GOON
• Toy Line: BATMAN
• Year: 1989
• Company: Toy Biz (U.S.A.)
• Size of the figures: 11 cm approx.

#1067 MATCHBOX vs. MAJORETTE – BMW 3.0 CSi/CSL (1973 and 1976)

These two miniatures are based on almost the same car. The BMW 3.0 CSi was the street version while the CSL was lighter and prepared for competition (the „L“ means „Leichtbau“ or „light construction“, both of them had 200 HP and were really fast.

 

Majorette´s reproduction is really fine, and it even came with opening doors. It was available between 1973 and 1979 in so many colours that I will skip a list of variants. They came also with different types of wheels. I have currently two in my collection. One in metallic red, the other one in blue. Both are in good shape, although with some chips in the paint. The construction of the roof is a bit fragile, note that the blue model has a little displacement, it was probably stepped on sometime in the past. This blue model carriese the oldest type of wheel. 

Matchbox version was copyrighted in 1976 and was sold between that year and 1981. The reproduction is slightly broader, specially in the arches over the wheels, what makes it look more like a sports car. The orange version is, by far, the most common, as it was sold during the whole lifespan of the cast.

There were other versions available, like the rarer white and green Polizei version made for Germany only, or the white and red version with 123 stickers (kind of emergency vehicle) produced between 1978 and 1979, or the even rarer S. Manhalter version, made for Austria only as a promotional item. This model is made in white and has a sticker on the back with a signature. The front sticker is the same as in the orange model. It is very rare, and, if mint in its box is being traded in 2025 for around 400-500 euro on the internet. Of course, this model is not mint, but I am sure I didn´t pay more than 1 euro for it (wherever I bought it), so I am happy to discover another rarity in my collection.

FACTS AND FIGURES: 

• Name: BMW 3.0 CSi and BMW 3.0 CSL
• Scale: Around 1:64
• Year: 1973 and 1976
• Company: Majorette (France) and Matchbox (United Kingdom)
• Size: approx. 7 cm

#1066 TEDI/HAPTIME - UNNAMED NINJAS AND SAMURAIS (2024)

 
I never purchase modern toys. I resisted the temptation of buying the 25th anniversary G.I. Joes, any Masters of the Universe which were not the original line or any other reissue so far, but when I saw these ninjas and samurais in 3.75 inches size at TEDI, I had to get a complete set of them.

They were released in all TEDI stores in Europe in April 2024, and they were very scarce. I saw two boxes in the store in which I most usually visit. The next day, there were only a few figures left. One week later there was a third box for sale, and then, they were never seen again. I had to visit a second store to get a few figures that were not available in the first one.

 

It is maybe too early to say that, but there has been no reissues, and I am not sure if there will ever be another one. I guess these went undetected by most collectors, so, if somebody in the future finds them and would like to have them, they will be impossible to find. I wanted to get the box as well, but I didn´t dare to ask of "steal" the cardboard box that included all 12 figures. I now regret that, because they would have surely given me the cardboard box for free. Still, I have some pictures of the box, that I took to share the "find" with other collector friends.

 

The twelve ninjas are made out of 6 different casts. That is, there are 6 figures in two versions each. Some of them are divided in two groups: red and blue, but others figures are very similar to their variants or use other colours, so I am not sure what is the intention behind that or if somebody though a background story for them. I guess no, they are just a series of figures with randomly chosen colours (among the available ones).

 

The best of this collection is the selection of the characters plus the use of weapons. But let´s start with the figures. They have 6 articulation points: waist, shoulders, wrists and neck. The articulation on the wrists is specially important, as it allows to pose the figures with the weapons on many "combat positions" that would be impossible without them.

Among the characters we could count the classic masked ninja, a bald martial artist in kimono (very similar to the first one), a kabuki-masked samurai (I would say this should be the leader), a second samurai with the traditional dress (armour, skirt, helmet, shoulder pads...), another masked ninja with much broader shoulders (looks like the typical American action hero) and a third masked ninja with kneepads and chest that looks a bit like a soldier (especially in its green version).

I got all twelve. On a first attempt, I bought only three, and opened the boxes to check its quality and to see if I really liked them or not, and then I bought the other nine. That is why only three of my boxes are open, and the rest are not. I didn´t want to open the rest of the boxes, even though they are only closed with several strips of sellotape. I assume the golden paint is very sensitive, so I didn´t manipulate the figure very much, just to take the pictures.

The figures are unmarked, but they came with a TEDI sticker on the back. This includes some manufacturer indications and the TEDI logo. The box included a small piece of paper with a sketch of a ninja (in a rather cartoonish style, which does not match the style of the figure) and safety instructions on the back part. These instructions are written in a very small font as it has to cover all languages in which the product was available. The box also carries a sticker with the price in every market. It costed 2 euros in most European countries, or some equivalent quantity of money in other countries whose currency is not the euro.

 

Back to the accessories, each figure included one, two or even three pieces each, all of them, classic and well known martial art´s weapons. Katanas, bo, nunchuks, claws, sais... the accessory that I like most is the Asian hut (I associate it most with Vietnam), that the unmasked warrior includes. These were always the same for each model, independently of the color, so there are six sets of weapons. The "strong" ninja comes with one claw. I was a bit disappointed that they didn´t include two, but maybe I am not aware of the usage of this particular weapon. Some characters also include a non-practicable scabbard, that can be attached to the ninja´s back.  Nice details for a budget line. It reminds me of the old bootleg toys we bought in street markets, but designed and made with more modern techniques.

UPDATE: After writing the article, but before publishing it, I discovered the same figures for sale in some Asian sites (like amazon.in) under the Haptime brand. Interestingly, they were sold in several other colour variants which are different from the European ones, and highlighting some specific features which were not clear to me. I collected the pictures and will comment them here as an addition to this article.

The figures can serve as cake toppers. I usually see cake toppers more like plastic figures (no action figures), but, of course, why not?

The figures are articulated, yes, but also detachable. This is great to play that one ninja cuts the arm or the throat or whatever to the other, but it is also a risk for children. 3 and up seems a bit too young for me.

The figures are realistic, but I wouldn't give them to a toddler. The weapons are small, and the figures can be separated into smaller parts. Maybe this is hte reason why they are not for sale anymore at TEDI or in the equivalent European sites of Amazon.in. 

Unlike at TEDI, in some sites, they are sold by half-dozens, in a plastic bag containing 6 different figures. If you buy two bags, you complete your collection of twelve. The ninjas were sold under the name Ninja Warring States

These two are nice computer illustrations of the figures, showing the three white members, which are unreleased in Europe (we got three blck ones instead)

Here, again, two of the white members, unreleased in Europe.

Ninja Warrior Team is another name by which these figures are for sale. These seems to came in the same box than the TEDI models, although the graphics in the inlay paper are much cooler.

UPDATE (May/2025)

 

I just found the same figures for sale at Woolworths in Austria. The packaging is more elaborated, and the price has doubled, but they are the same. The figures are equipped with one additional weapon with respect to the Tedi series.

 

 

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: UNNAMED NINJAS AND SAMURAIS
• Toy Line: (no name) / NINJA WARRING STATES / NINJA WARRIOR TEAM
• Year: 2024
• Company: TEDI (Germany / China) / Haptime (Chna)
• Size of the figures: 10 cm approx.