I am always amazed at what turns up when I search internationally for my favorite toy lines. Not long ago, this involved contacting folks around the globe or traveling and perusing toy shops. Thanks to the internet and international eBay, we all have a shot at finding items that our home countries didn't offer. I... Continue Reading →
Being a longtime Marvel zombie, I was overjoyed when I found out Fin Fang Foom was going to be a part of the Iron Man toyline. I think his inclusion gives an indication of just how deep into the Marvel mythos Toy Biz was digging by the mid-90s. Fin Fang Foom was originally a creature... Continue Reading →
The initial series of X-Force figures was a case of characters being ripped off the comic page, whether long-standing or newly introduced. G.W. Bridge was the latter, first introduced in X-Force issue 1, released in the summer of 1991. Oh, what a time to be alive! That was the summer I graduated high school. Damn... Continue Reading →
Alter ego figures make for interesting variants on our favorite heroes. From Mego in the 70s to Kenner in the 80s and 90s to the current trend of often maskless movie adaptions, having a super hero in his or her civilian guise opens up more play patterns for kids. It also gives us old folks... Continue Reading →
By the third series of the Marvel Super Heroes line, Toy Biz had begun to branch out into what would seem now to be a true obscurity. However in 1992, Deathlok had starred in his own limited series as well as an ongoing monthly. I'm guessing Toy Biz chose him not only due to recent... Continue Reading →
Repaints! I love 'em. From Star Wars to GI Joe, I've always collected the redecorated versions of each line. I don't see them as a waste, in fact I really like the variation that some molds can produce. Toy Biz was unafraid to repaint characters during the 90s, although they usually focused on the big... Continue Reading →
Morph would seem to be, at least on the surface, an annoying throwaway character. If you just take the X-Men cartoon's first two episdoes, he is grating and bites the dust before the two-parter ends. However the writers brought him back later in the serues , and his story ultimately made for some pretty good... Continue Reading →
My toy collecting history runs in distinct phases, and I find it interesting that as I get older, I tend to revisit them all. Some have never faded completely, like Star Wars and GI Joe. Others have come and gone in waves of interest, sometimes returning like the tides over years. For instance, I've collected,... Continue Reading →
Here’s the audio along with accompanying slides of our recent GI Joe/Transformers lineage panel. We think there’s some intriguing connective tissue between the two properties, and the Microman/Mego connections are fascinating to me. Big thanks to Page for co-presenting, and to Dave and Twitziller for their always valuable insight. Slide images via microforever.com, hisstank.com, vectis.co.uk,... Continue Reading →
The Toy Department crew presented a panel at Planet Comicon Kansas City back in 2016, and took attendees on a whirlwind tour of the history of action figures. From ancient times to the modern day, we tried to cover it all in just 50 minutes. Of course, if we gave your favorite toys short coverage,... Continue Reading →
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