#270 M.A.S.K. – BUZZARD with MILES and MAXIMUS MAYHEM (1987)

This boxed vehicle will introduce an entry dealing with M.A.S.K. packages and box artwork. As said in previous M.A.S.K. entries, we have to distinguish between vehicles and figures/ action packs.

Vehicles, like this one were available in red boxes. These had many different sizes, from the tiny boxes of the small motorbikes or small playsets to huge boxes from the biggest vehicles or the “Boulder Hill”. Buzzard comes in a small/middle-sized box.

The boxes were decorated with great artwork in the front, depinting the vehicle or playset “in action”, plus a small picture of the driver (or drivers) included on the box. The design of the box, with the white letters, logo, red background remained almost unchanged though the years, so a M.A.S.K. box is completely recognizable.

There are slightly differences between American and European boxes, although both use the same artwork. The most interesting difference is that US boxes include in the back a picture of the actual toy with all features explained, while in European boxes, and due to the different countries in which the toys were distributed: the back of the box is identical to the front of the box only in other languages. One side includes the descriptions in English, French and Dutch, while the other side is in German and Italian.

The sides of the box were used to explain more in detail the action features of the toy, this time with a picture of the actual toy. In this case there are three pictures at each side: complete car, splitted car and action feature of the middle part of the car (jet).

Figures were available without vehicle in double-packs, or in single packs with some accessories (similarly to what later happened with Dino Riders). In this case, both double packs and accessory packs were available carded in blisters. The only exception to this rule was T-Bob with Scott Tracker, that was available in the U.S. in a blister card, but in a box in Europe. This was the smallest box in the whole collection.

And now let’s check the contents of the box. Each box was packed in a different way, but in general lines we always find a folded cardboard that keeps the biggest parts of the vehicle apart from each other. All parts are packed in with-scotch-tape sealed plastic bags, and the figures are packed apart in sealed plastic bags together with their masks, but in two different “compartments”.

Vehicles came with a sheet of stickers, plus instructions. Also included is a poster-catalogue with nice dioramas showing the toys available in each wave.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: BUZZARD with MILES MAYHEM/ FLEXOR and MAXIMUS MAYHEM/ DEEP FREEZE (Ref. 37340)
• Toy Line: M.A.S.K. (Wave 3)
• Year: 1987
• Company: Kenner (U.S.A.)
• Size of the vehicle: 9’’ or 23 cm
• Size of the figures: 2½’’ or 6,5 cm