Do you remember...part 2

In one of my earlier posts, I blogged about how my old friend gave me his old box of old toys which sparked my interest to try and re-collect some of the old toy lines.
This led me to rediscover other 80's toy lines which were part of my childhood but have been forgotten.
I am back with a few more so relax and take a walk down memory lane with me.

Dino Riders

Dino Riders was a new toy line that was created by Tyco in 1988 and had a cartoon television to promote the toy line.

Dino Riders is basically a battle between the good  Valorians and the evil Rulons on prehistoric Earth.
The Valorians was a super human race while the Rulons were a mixture of humanoid creatures. Once on earth, the Valorians befriended the dinosaurs while the Rulons brain-washed them.

For the toy line there were 4 series.
For the larger dinosaurs, they had motorized walking action and the head could sway sideways.
The design and details of the dinosaurs were so good that the Smithsonian Institution contacted Tyco to reproduce the dinosaurs for their "Dinosaur and other Prehistoric Reptile collection". Of course minus the Valorians and Rulons.

Like all 80's toys, the packaging was awesome!

The Infaceables

The Infaceables was a 1984 toyline by Galoob in which the characters could change their faces to animal faces through the use of vacuum suction.

When you extend the upper portion of the body, air would inflate and deflate the rubber face to complete the transformation.I would love to see the transformation but just couldn't find any video on it.

The whole toy line was based on this action feature and after time kids got tired of it and the toy line died with it.

Sectaurs

Sectaurs: Warriors of Symbion was a line of action figures released by Coleco in 1985.
On a planet, somewhere in space and time, called Symbion where a genetic experiment fails, insects and arachnids grow to frightening proportions and the inhabitants taking on the characteristics of the insects and arachnids.
The inhabitants "tele-bonded" with the insects / arachnids and shared each other's pleasure and pain.
Yup you guess it, the insects (Heroic Sectaurs of the Shining Realm) are the good guys battling the arachnids which are the bad guys (Evil Sectaurs of the Dark Domain).

In the toyline, the figure and the insect companions were packaged together. Some of the companions were large enough for the Sectaurs to ride and you could place your hand inside a glove  that made up the lower body of the insects to manipulate the legs and an action feature.

The characters, even the good guys, look particularly creepy with their insect eyes...
Pity the other characters who bonded with the smaller insects.

Captain Power

Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future was a science fiction television series, merging live action with animation based computer-generated images. The toy line was produced by Mattel and during each episode there was a segment that included visual and audio material which interacted with the toys.

I am not sure if Captain Power debuted in Singapore because I don't remember using the toy to interact with the show...and I am very sure I would have whined to do so....haha

Mega Force

The Mega Force toy line was produced by Kenner in 1989. The line was based on two factions, Triax and V-Rocs fighting against each other. Think micro machine but military style. One major pro of this toy line is the huge rolling fortress and flying command centers which the smaller planes and tanks could fit into.

The smaller vehicles are made from metal and painted while the larger vehicles are made of plastic.

One of the areas that attracted me to this toy line was the box art. At the back, they had the cross section of the vehicles. Today, I still get all excited when I see cross section pictures of military (fiction or real) vehicles.
When this toy line came up I was around 13 years ago, an age where interest in toys starts to decline, but I was so into cross sections of military vehicles ( I even started a sketch book of cross sections of tanks and big fortresses I created) that this toy line really caught my eye.

Construx

Fisher-Price introduced Construx in 1983. Construx are unique building parts that snap together allowing children to build large and strong items than can be played with. Construx includes lots of action parts such as wheels, pulleys and hinges allowing children to build everything from movable bridges to realistic spaceships.

The only thing I remembered about Construx Space Series was that the good guys (Star Force) had spaceships made from white beams and glow in the dark pieces while the Alien Series had black beams, glow in the dark pieces and purple tinted panels.
I remembered watching the advertisements and can still roughly remember the jingle..."Contrux...you build the Alien...you build the Star Force, (each sold separately), challenge the Alien...hurray the Star Force...they glow...Contrux!"
Damn! Everything you need to know about the toy line is on that one jingle.
See it for yourself.

GoBots

The Gobot toyline was based on figures produced by Popy of Japan (later Bandai), named Machine Robo. In 1983, Tonka decided to import the line into America after realizing Hasbro was doing the same with Takara's Diaclone and Microman's Micro Change lines, which became Transformers after crossing the Pacific.
Although they were often considered a poorer cousin to Transformers as the design and transformation were usually pretty lame, these little robots hold a special place in my childhood.

Always on the lookout for Gobots, these are some of the Gobots I have in my collection.
They are mixture of Tonka and Bandai's versions. Those with packaging are the Bandai's MR version while the loose ones are Tonka's version.

MR 22: New Shinkansen Robo

Popy had already issued a bullet train inspired Machine Robo figure in 1982, with Shinkansen Robo.
In 1983, the series under Banda, a second bullet train was released under the new name New Shinkansen Robo (how imaginative). It was the 22nd figure in the series.

It never made the Gobots line under Tonka as bullet trains were not well known in the West.

MR 10: Fire Robo or Pumper (Tonka)

This is one of the earlier Gobots, the 10th figure from the series.
Pumper alternative mode is a fire engine.
Pumper has a very small accessory which is his handgun.
In his alternative mode, the handgun is attached to the ladder as a water hose and in robot mode it is his handgun.
So technically, Pumper's weapon is a water gun...hmmmmm
Due to its size, it is usually lost and rare.

MR 18: Trailer Robo or Road Ranger (Tonka)

A common Gobots however it has a nice color scheme of blue and red which makes it more attractive.
In alternative mode, it is a truck with trailer. Some of the smaller Gobots can sit nicely on the back so it is quite cool.
Think poor cousin of Optimus Prime.
In robot mode, its bulky appearance does not make it as attractive but heck it has the 80s feel!

MR 25: Eagle Robo or Leader 1 (Tonka)

One of the more famous and recognizable Gobots, the leader of the Guardian (the good guys), it transforms into an F-15 Eagle.

MR 02: Battle Robo or Tank (Tonka)

One of the lamest Gobots but I love it.
This is one Gobot I remembered having as a child.
A cheaper alternative my parents gave me when I wanted a transformers.

It transforms into some futuristic looking tank by just going into a fetus position (haha).
There is no attempt to hide the arms as they just hang out at the side.

In robot mode, it is hard to dislike Tank. He looks cool and strong.

MR 05: Steam Robo or Loco (Tonka)

Loco is a perfect example of a simple transformation that works.
By swinging in and locking his legs to the chest and pushing the arms in, you get a nice looking train.

Overall, Loco looks good both in alternative and robot mode.

MR 01: Bike Robo or CY-Kill (Tonka)

Probably the most popular Gobot and the more pricey one with all the 3 accessories.
He even turned up in a few cameo in some Transformers comics.
In his alternative mode, the motorcycle design looks nice.

He looks even cooler in robot mode, with the tires attached to his shoulder.
However I just can't get out of my head that the top of his head is actually the head light.
Imagine when CY-Kill gets an idea, the top of his head will light up!

Overall, these are figures from my childhood and they bring back good memories.
I will continue to source for more Gobots to increase my collection.