Greetings retro toy fans, I'm back with Phase 3 of my Action Figure Reclamation Project. As you know from my previous articles, I have been gradually re-filling my childhood toy box by picking up loose figures I actually played with back in the day. So here's a look at the newest members of the roster.
Psycho/Future Machine, Super GoBots (1983) Tonka
Most kids my age considered GoBots to be an inferior line when compared to the amazing designs of Hasbro's Transformers, but in rare cases Tonka's robot vehicles surpassed Optimus and his crew. Such was the case with Psycho here, officially referred to on the original packaging as "Enemy Robot Show Car". However I picked this guy up at a garage sale when I was 6, so all I knew at the time was that he was easy to transform and had a wickedly awesome vehicle mode. I mean, he's got "Future Machine" printed right on him and shiny, silver circuitry stickers, SOLD!
Sy-Klone, Masters of the Universe (1984) Mattel
Sadly this Eternian hero is missing his lenticular chest sticker, but finding a pre-owned Sy-Klone where the kid didn't immediately rip that thing off to throw on his bedroom wall would require the powers of the Sorceress to accomplish. Still the guy is in great shape and since this isn't a GIF image, I should remind you that his preferred method of battling the evil forces of Skeletor was to twirl the top half of his body with fists flying like Tik-Tok from Return To OZ (you know what I'm talking about, right?). Ever notice how "Syk" here looks like a somber He-Man in a helmet crossed with a Smurf? Maybe the Klone in his name is more than just a clever pun.
Genghis Frog, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1989) Playmates
I've always been a fan of analog characters to my favorite heroes, so when Genghis Frog and his Florida swamp dwelling buddies showed up in an episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I was thrilled. They seemed like the Dukes of Hazzard version of the TMNT and they even wore hip surfer clothes, which drew a lot of attention to the fact that the Turtles went around in the nude (odd to consider isn't it?). I would often pit Genghis against one of my other favorite Southern TMNT figures, Leatherhead, in a Battle of the Bayou style encounter. If they had made a Punk Frogs spin-off cartoon, I would have been the kid coming to school with a backpack for that show without shame.
Turbo, American Gladiators (1991) Irwin
OK, this one is cheating a bit because he's still on the card, but I basically paid a loose figure price for him when I came across this American Gladiators figure at a roadside antique store. Truth be told, these figures were about as much fun to look at as to play with. My childhood buddy Erik aka The Toy Baron had a bunch of these and we would pose them as we watched the show on Saturday afternoons. Nitro was the real superstar of the group, but Turbo is a fine runner-up to represent a moment in time when a non-lethal version of The Running Man was considered wholesome family entertainment.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993) Bandai
Is this quintet of heroes not a sight to behold? These were a Holy Grail item in my collection that I thought would take years to put together on eBay, instead I was able to score all 5 of the original 8 inch Mighty Morphin Power Rangers figures complete with guns at a small town antique store in one shot. I remember when Toys R Us (RIP) locations were sold out in 1993 and individual Power Rangers could only be had for $50 a pop from secondary market kiosks at the mall. I paid considerably less than that and in doing so fulfilled a childhood fantasy that seemed totally out of reach. It's Morphin' Time at my place, so let's get our Zord-On! (get it?)
Well, that's it for this edition of the Action Figure Reclamation Project. Did you have any of these heroes, mutants or machines in your collection as a kid?
