#1102 BIKER MICE FROM MARS – VINNIE vs. GREASEPIT (1993)

I presented this toyline with two of the villains, which are the first I managed to complete. In the meantime, I completed these other two figures: another villain, Greasepit, and one of the three main characters: Vinnie in its first version. The mice came with more accesories than the villains, so they are more difficult to get complete. 

They toyline is gaining popularity among collectors today, and it is often mentioned when discussing the action figures which are most sought-after nowadays. Just a few years ago, they were extremely cheap to find, but a nice complete figure is nowadays a bit too expensive for me. The few bits I have were bought some years ago for very low prices. I recall having bought a huge lot of Biker Mice (including Motorbikes) and Action Man because it included just a few bits of older collections such as StarCom for no money. When I received the huge parcel I sorted the Action Man for sale and kept the rest, although I had no Biker Mice yet. I am glad I didn´t sell them at the time, because I wouldn't have got much money for them.

Vinnie is one of the three members of the gang together with Throttle and Modo. In this collection, such as in the Ninja Turtles, all are equally important and there is no character that appears more than the other two in the cartoons. Something interesting is that the mice had an accident in which they lost the sigh (Throttle), an arm and an eye (Modo) and his face got burned off (Vinnie) and that all of them have a dark side (or, at least, darker than in most cartoons). Vinnie sometimes behaves egoistictly, is stubborn and braggs when things go well. The characters are maybe designed for older kids who would appreciate a more elaborated plot, compared to, for example, the Ninja Turtles cartoons (not the comics!)

Greasepit is the classic not-so-intelligent and clumsy bad guy, following the orders of his boss, Lawrence Limburger. It is the only evil figure to have its own motorbike, the Grunge Cycle (a tri-cycle, actually). As all the figures representing evil characters, his face is cartoonish, while the face of good characters are more human-like. For kids in a shop (in 1993), trying to choose which figure to buy, I guess Greasepit would come as number one choice for an evil character.

Opposite to the two figures presented previously on this blog, these two are very well articulated. They can bend knees and elbows/wrists, but the shoulders are articulated by means of a ball-joint, same as the legs. This adds a lot of playability to the toys, mostly considering they have to be poseable enough to sit in and drive a motorbike.

As any quality action figure, they included a series of accesories. The mice always include a helmet (safety first), plus other stuff. Vinnie comes with a claw and a metal bar, which is a choice I do not like very much, but, at least, is something original, rarely seen. Greasepit comes with a more common gun attached to a backpack/can. The cardback also included a filecard that roughly explains the background and the history of the figure.

I still have other figures and vehicles to show, but I´ll let some time pass between two entries dealing with the same toyline.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: VINNIE vs. GREASEPIT
• Toy Line: Biker Mice from Mars
• Year: 1993
• Company: Gaoob (U.S.A.)
• Size of the figure: Around 15 cm

#1101 PLAYART - ALFETTA GT (7198) and RENAULT ALPINE A310 (7265) (Around 1982 and Around 1984)

We start this entry with the Alfetta GT in green, which is a rare model at scale. It is still in very good shape. It was a very happy find in a flea market. This model was made by the Hongkongese brand in the very early 80s (or even in the late 70s), as it came with practicable doors and metallic base, something which was common back then, before the costs had to be cutted... even in Hong-Kong.

From the same series, we will also comment on the Renault Alpine A310. This model is my only boxed Playart. I exchanged it with a friend who had found several of these in an old toy shop, and I was pleased, as it is also a scarce model. I have been looking for it online and I didn´t see many of these in perfect shape. The box has the same colours as the blisterpacks and it design with plain colours and checkered flags are reminiscent of the 70s. The box comes in English and French, but I am not sure to which markets was it addressed. Maybe US and Canada or Europe. The back of the box shows an incomplete list of references, maybe some of the models had been discontinued in the meanwhile.

We know this same model by Majorette (in Police or Ambulance decorations), but in a more standard version, such as this one, it is maybe more appealing. The model was only made in white with racing stripes, the word "Champion" and RN 56. As in every Playart model of this time, I dislike the wheels used, which should represent five or six spokes.

Both models are made in Hong-Kong, but the Renault comes with some tampographies, whose style seem to be more modern, and the reference number is also higher, so I would say the Renault is slightly newer, my guess would be, from 1984 or 1985.

I have some other Playart models that you can review HERE.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: ALFETTA GT (7198) and RENAULT ALPINE A310 (7265)
• Scale: Approx. 1:64
• Year: Around 1982 and Around 1984
• Company: Playart (Hong-Kong)
• Size: approx. 7 cm