#1088 STARGATE – COL. O’NEIL (1994)

This Hasbro toy line is based on the 1994 movie Stargate, which was a moderate success at the time. The film tells the story of an interdimensional gate discovered during an archaeological excavation in Egypt. A team of U.S. soldiers and an archaeologist cross the gate and are transported from the 20th century to a distant planet that closely resembles ancient Egypt.

The movie was full of action and special effects, so it was expected to be popular among kids and teenagers. However, the success was smaller than anticipated. By then, teenagers were losing interest in action figures, so the toy line was short-lived.

Figures in the Toy Line

The collection included eight figures:

• Ra

• Anubis

• Horus (Palace Guard)

• Horus (Attack Pilot)

• Skaara, leader of the Shepherd Boys of Abydos

• Daniel Jackson, the archaeologist

• Colonel O’Neil

• Lt. Kawalsky

Vehicles and Creatures

Hasbro also released three other items:

• All-Terrain Cruiser (a military light ATV)

• Mastadge (a beast of burden with a sleigh)

• Winged Glider (an alien fighter jet)

Style and Features

All figures were made in the Kenner style, with 5 points of articulation and several accessories. They had no action features but usually included missile launchers.

For collectors today, the most interesting detail is that many accessories and vehicle parts were reused from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toy line. Hasbro had absorbed Kenner that same year, which explains the construction style of these figures.

This figure is missing a grey missile launcher and two dark grey missiles.

Character Details

• Ra – The main god of ancient Egypt. The figure came with a pharaoh hood, skirt, staff, missile launcher, and two missiles (from G.I. Joe). The artifact included was a small pyramid.

• Anubis – Came with a hood, skirt, staff, missile launcher with a unique design, two G.I. Joe missiles, and the Winged Glider artifact.

• Horus (Attack Pilot) – Included a hood, skirt, staff, missile launcher with two G.I. Joe missiles, plus the Chariot artifact.

• Horus (Palace Guard) – Came with a hood, skirt, staff, a futuristic missile launcher (not G.I. Joe), two G.I. Joe missiles, and the Sarcophagus artifact.

• Colonel O’Neil – The main character of the movie, played by Kurt Russell. The figure included a black beret, missile launcher with two missiles (reused from G.I. Joe), and a small Stargate artifact.

• Lt. Kawalsky – Another soldier. He came with a helmet, large machine gun, backpack, missile launcher with two G.I. Joe missiles, and the All-Terrain Cruiser artifact.

• Daniel Jackson – The archaeologist. His figure included a baseball cap, machine gun (same mold as Annihilator, 1989), backpack, missile launcher with two missiles, and a small black pyramid artifact.

• Skaara – The shepherd boy. He came with a rocket-firing launcher and two missiles (identical to those used by G.I. Joe in the 1990s), a head strap, and the trident-style machine gun originally used by Monkeywrench (in a darker gray than the 1987 version). His blister pack also included a small Mastadge artifact.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: COL. O’NEIL
• Toy Line: Stargate
• Year: 1994
• Company: Hasbro (U.S.A.)
• Size of the figures: Around 3’ or 7.5 cm

#1087 MASTERS DEL UNIVERSO - GUÍA VISUAL DE LA PELÍCULA

 

This book was written by a friend of mine and fellow Masters of the Universe collector (among many other toys and figures), and I had the honor of writing the prologue. It is a comprehensive compilation of all kinds of material related to Masters of the Universe, the movie directed by Gary Goddard and produced by Cannon Films.

The book spans more than 300 pages and includes press articles, magazines, posters, cinema promotional material, video and DVD releases, multiple versions of the original soundtrack in different formats, toys, photographs, and many other items you wouldn’t even imagine. The author has been collecting this memorabilia since the movie premiered in 1987.

All this material (including publications from around the world) has been compiled into a scrapbook-style volume by Applehead Team, a publisher from Spain. The book is in Spanish, but aside from the introductory pages of each chapter, it can be followed easily even if you don’t speak the language.

The result is truly impressive. When I first saw it, I couldn’t believe how well it had been put together. Within the collector community it has been selling very well, with many requests coming from Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and other countries. I believe this trend will continue for years, as it is still relatively unknown within the MotU community.

You can read more about it and purchase it here. You can also follow the author on Instagram or on his personal blog.

#1086 FOREST FAMILIES – MOUSE & RABBIT FAMILIES (Around 1989)

I presented this collection some years ago in entry #1035, where I explained everything I knew and could find about the manufacturer MC Toy and the line itself, while I showed already some figures from my collection.

 

This time, I will limit the extent of this contribution to show two more families: Rabbits and Rats, but first, let´s take a closer look to the leaflets above. It is practical to have at least one of these (they come in several formats) to check if the clothes actually match the figure or not. Maybe these were swapped with those of another figure, and, since I am a completist collector, I want the figures to be complete with all their accesories.

In the leaflet above the second scen shows the Mouse Family, while the fifth and last show the Rabbit Family. Note that the background of the image is different, so I assume the mice were made a bit earlier than the rabbits. The background corresponds to the one used in the Bear family, while the blue background images are probably the extension of the line, as they saw the first figures were selling well. These include some of the "exotic" species, mentioned in the previous entry.

And now, let´s go for the toys!

 

Rabbit family / Familie Hasi

 

Mouse family / Familie Maus

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: MOUSE and RABBIT FAMILIES
• Toy Line: FOREST FAMILIES / BÄRENLAND
• Year: Around 1989
• Company: MC Toy (Macau/ China)
  
• Size of the figures: Around 7-8 cm

#1085 SCALEXTRIC UK - B.R.M. (C72.85) (1964)

I was never interested in Scalextric slot cars from Lines Brothers for the English (and other) markets, I decided to focus on the Spain-made by Exin, Tyco or Tecnictoys). But, as a collector of toys, I sometimes get things I didn´t look for.

I got this pristine model of a B.R.M., boxed, together with a large lot of old toys from the 70s and the 80s, although this car was originally released in 1964. I guess it was sold during many years without any changes, so, maybe it was available until the early 1970s.

The model is done at a scale of around 1:32 (as most Scalextric models are) and is British green. The tip of the car is yellow, but in some other models is white. This way, two models could compete against each other if they had this small difference. 

The construction is slightly different from the other cars I have. These older models "hide" the motor inside them, so it is more difficult to oil, repair the cables or simply replace the contact brushes. This is usual in other models from this first years of slot cars, especially from the models from Lines-Bros.

The box is smaller than the ones I know from Exin. The car also looks nice, much better than I had thought, when I saw the pictures online. The detail level is similar to the early Exin models. So, nice to have it.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Name: B.R.M. (C72.85)
• Scale: 1:32
• Year: 1964
• Company: Scalextric UK (Great Britain)
• Size: approx. 12 cm