Toy Review: Fisher Price Adventure People X-Ray Man and X-Ray Woman

1982 rolled around, and I was in the golden age of my toy-loving childhood.  This was smack in the middle of  the Star Wars merchandising revolution, Mego was importing the Micronauts from Japan (called Micromen there), Masters of the Universe was hitting its stride, and Transformers was right over the horizon.    In the middle of all this was Fisher Price - that venerable old toy maker - trying to figure out how to capture the hearts of boys everywhere in the midst of all that Sci-Fi glory.  Luckily for them, they had gotten in on the ground floor of the small action figure market that was just beginning to surface.  For sure, many people will remember Star Wars as their gateway into collecting 3-3/4 inch action figures, but Fisher Price was ahead by a couple years on Kenner, releasing their first Adventure People set in 1975.

However, Star Wars was not without its influence on the figures that came later.  Fisher Price did venture into Science Fiction land with a variety of Adventure People toys.  Mostly, these were sets that included vehicles and figures to go along with them.  The themes of these sets were always non-violent, and mostly focused on exploration, with some occasional meetings with alien beings.  Two of these are the subject of today's review - the X-Ray Man and X-Ray Woman.

Released in 1982, these two figures were packaged as individually carded toys, and were not included in any sets.  They are actually recolored figures of male and female wetsuit divers, and this kind of re-use of molds was not uncommon in the Adventure People line.  Both had hard plastic transparent green torsos, clear green  vinyl arms and legs, and solid green heads.  I suppose the idea of being able to see through their skulls might have been considered to be somewhat scary to kids at the time.  

The eyes were just simple yellow dots, and the chests were printed with some form of robotic controls.  

I think I can honestly say that their hair represents the only instance in which I might appreciate the color periwinkle.  I guess androids like puffy hair.

The torsos were really quite transparent, though the vinyl was a bit more cloudy.

Almost all Adventure People figures are sculpted with the left arm and hand turned so as to be able to grip a steering wheel.  The left legs are usually made so that the toys look as though they are beginning to take a step forward.  These designs gave the figures a sense of dynamism that the actual articulation lacked.  The heads are on a nice ball joint that allows them to look at their toes, but sadly, the arms and legs are on simple swivel joints.

Stepping outside for a moment, you can really see how these figures react in bright light.

These two were very cool additions to the Adventure People space sub-line.  I remember having a lot of fun with these, especially given that with their size and styling, it wasn't at all a stretch to place one of these in an X-Wing and go zooming around the room.  Good old simple toys that fired up the imagination were just my cup of tea - in 1982 and today.

Toy Review: Masters of the Universe Classics He-Man and Battle Cat

Just about any kid who grew up in the 1980s remembers the powerhouse character He-Man from the Masters of the Universe toy line.  While not quite as popular as Star Wars, the MOTU toys rivalled Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for space on most boys' birthday and Christmas wish lists.  First released in 1981, the line spawned multiple television shows, a live-action film, as well as subsequent toy lines, including the Masters of the Universe Classics.

The original line consisted of a series of toys whose component parts were often re-used to form other figures.  For example, there is a trademark furry loincloth with studded leather belt that was used across the majority of the male characters in the line.  Likewise, legs, arms, and torsos were often the same from figure to figure, with only plastic color or paint applications showing differentiation from one to the next.  Heads were almost always different, though.  Characteristically, the line was focused on a swords and sorcery vibe, but with technological elements thrown in as well, which gave it quite a different feel from other toy franchises at the time.  

In 2008, a new line of MOTU toys was introduced.  These figures were created in such a way as to mimic the feel of the original line, but with much-improved articulation.  More detailed paint applications and a slightly larger size (original figures were around six inches tall where these were seven inches) differentiated these figures further from the earlier toys.  Still manufactured by Mattel, these new Masters of the Universe Classics (usually shortened to MOTUC) toys were marketed towards the "adult collector" and were not sold in stores, being only available via the web.

Oddly, the subject of this review, He-Man, was not the first toy released in the line.  That honor went to King Grayskull, a supposed forebear of He-Man.  It was a smart marketing move, though, as this "preview" figure brought the fans to a frenzy of anticipation for the release of He-Man himself.  He-Man was released in December of 2008, and the toy line has continued ever since, with new figures released each month.  

He-Man comes with the full set of gear that his original counterpart did - a battleaxe, shield, trademark X-shaped harness, and, of course, the Power Sword.  The sword was made famous in the original television series as the magical device with which Prince Adam could transform into He-Man, while uttering the phrase "By the power of Grayskull, I have the power!"  However, I was one of the lucky ones to have had MOTU toys a full year or so before the TV show ever aired, so I have always been more enamored of the axe that he carries in the minicomics that came with the original toys.  Eventually the sword becomes his primary weapon, but I've always preferred the axe.  

The MOTUC He-Man has much the same look as the original, with bulging muscles, clean-shaven face, and slightly shaggy blonde hair.  The character is somewhat reminiscent of a Frank Frazetta creation.  In fact, there is an old rumor (incorrect, though) that the original He-Man toys grew out of Mattel's failed attempt to create Conan the Barbarian figures to tie in with the 1982 Arnold Schwarzenegger film.

This new He-Man's facial features seem to be a merger of the look of the original toy and the character from the television show.  I think they did a fine job making the face quite recognizable as a proper He-Man.

The sculptors did a fine job integrating certain of the joints on the figure into the character's musculature.  

However, elsewhere the joints are plainly visible, such as at the knee and elbow.  Here you can see how the Power Sword can be carried on He-Man's back.

Speaking of weapons, all three of his accessories are very similar to the original, just manufactured with additional detail and paint applications.

The lower legs feature multi-directional joints in the ankle, and a swivel joint where the boots meet the rest of the leg.

There's a waist joint here, and the legs are are also on multi-directional joints.  The furry loincloth is somewhat flexible in order to allow for greater leg movement.  Paint application is a bit sloppy on mine, and this is one of the criticisms I have for the entire line.

Speaking of paint, on each of these figures there is a slight airbrushing of paint to enhance the musculature.

The hands are nicely sculpted, and there's a joint where the hand meets the wristband.

All these various joints allow for a fairly wide range of motion and ability to pose the toy.

Like on the original toy, He-Man's harness can be removed.  Basically, these were like dolls for boys, so the various accessories could be swapped from figure to figure.

This more clearly shows the "ab crunch" sort of joint that exists on almost every figure in the line.  

He-Man had an unusual steed - a giant green and orange striped cat called Battle Cat.  The 80s toy was actually just a repainted version of a tiger from Mattel's earlier "Big Jim" toy line.  That battle cat had no articulation to speak of, though with his armor on, He-Man was able to sit astride him.  This updated toy was  released in 2010, and, unlike its earlier counterpart, features joints galore.

Battle Cat's armor has been spiffed up a bit with some subtle paint applications.

Every part of Battle Cat is covered with furry detail.

Just as with He-Man, some of the joints could have been integrated better.

The saddle armor and helmet can be removed.

I think Battle Cat is more fearsome looking without the armor.

He even has a joint along the midsection of his body.  The proliferation of joints makes for fairly natural posing.

The saddle is sculpted in such a way to allow He-Man (or most any other MOTUC figure) to sit without the loincloth getting in the way.  

Battle Cat's saddle also provides loops on either side where the Power Sword can be carried.

My few criticisms aside, this is a fantastic update to the toys I loved as a kid.  Great attention was paid to making these clearly recognizable as He-Man and Battle Cat, and the updated articulation and paint applications make the toys really stand out on a shelf.  Whereas most toys in the Masters of the Universe Classics line are only available on the day of sale or through online retailers, these two are always able to be purchased at MattyCollector.com.  

Toy Review: Fisher Price Adventure People Alpha Interceptor

It's time for something a little different.  Today's review is of a nearly thirty-year old Fisher Price toy.  From around 1974 and for the following decade, Fisher Price produced three inch sized figures and playsets under the "Adventure People" line.  This line had no particular focus, starting with early sets like "Rescue Truck", "Daredevil Sports Plane", and "T.V. Action Team."  These toys hit the street before Star Wars action figures did, and were the first such toys that I could remember.  Eventually, though, Fisher Price had to get on the space bandwagon, as Star Wars was just steamrollering its way through the toy market, and those who didn't adapt were going to be left in the dust.

So, a few years later, one birthday, I opened up a present to find inside the Fisher Price Alpha Interceptor.  Unusually, I was completely surprised by this toy, never having seen it in any catalog at any point (yes, this was quite a long time before the Web, and obsessive fan-boys poring over Internet toy rumors).  I had a few of the other space Adventure People sets, and I was extremely happy to have received this one as well.  Tearing into it, I noticed that it was being sold as an "Adventure Kit."  In this case, all that meant was that it didn't come completely assembled already.  One had to grab a phillips-head screwdriver and put a very small number of parts together.  Still, that and adding stickers made it more than just a fun toy to play with.

The Alpha Interceptor was a medium-sized space vehicle, with a slick design.  Unlike many contemporary space-toy makers, Fisher Price actually managed to avoid recycling space toy ideas that were floating around a decade before.  As nice as the Major Matt Mason toys were, in a post-Star Wars era, that design sense was just no longer fashionable.  The toy featured a main ship body, and a smaller patrol-type craft that could separate from it.  

The cockpit could seat the single male astronaut figure that came with the set.  Note the positioning of the arms and hands on the figure.  This was pretty standard for Adventure People  action figures, and it allowed them to grip control sticks or steering wheels in the various vehicles the figures came with.  

The designers went out of their way to add interesting little bits of detail here and there like this recessed engine compartment.

Normal for the day were stickers like these that added to the look of the toy.  Nowadays such a toy would feature these graphics printed directly on the plastic surface, but not so then.  This particular one was likely "factory applied," but most of the rest needed to be placed on by hand.

Quite a few thrusters adorn the rear of the vehicle.  It was definitely built for speed.

I remember feeling as if I could use the Alpha Interceptor along with my Star Wars toys.  The design seemed perfectly in-line with them.

The underside is where you can see the screws I've mentioned above.  Despite the model-like need to assemble the parts, this was definitely a toy, with rigid plastic and built for rugged play.

Here's the smaller patrol craft separated from its larger carrier.  In the above photo, you can see also that the smaller craft was able to rotate 360 degrees when seated inside.

Cockpit details were many, but were left unpainted or adorned with stickers.

If you were lucky, you'd manage to get the stickers on nice and straight.

A neat feature that Fisher Price added was a simple space walk tether made of stiff, but flexible plastic.  It had a + shape at the end designed so that each point of the shape could be inserted in a hole on the surface of the vehicle. 

The other end of the tether could be inserted into the back of the astronaut.  This gave a fairly convincing impression of the astronaut floating in space.

The astronaut himself is a standard "three and three quarters" sized poseable action figure.  Articulation is limited to shoulder and hip joints to allow the figure's limbs to move forward and back.  Having arms positioned to drive a vehicle is pretty cool - at least when actually in the vehicle - but they look somewhat awkward otherwise.

The transparent helmet faceplate cannot be removed or opened, so there is no possibility of head movement.  The ends of the binocular-like protrusions originally had gold chrome accents.  Sadly, this specimen is lacking in bling.

Silver painted gloves and black accents have seen better days, but this only means this toy actually got played with!

It's hard to tell, but the soles of the boots were painted silver as well.

The astronaut's backpack had some gold and silver chrome accents as well.  These ones have fared a bit better, and the big printed three is perfectly intact.  Generally, vacuum-metalized plastic doesn't hold up too well to prolonged handling, but I think most kids would agree that it looks pretty cool.

Some older Adventure People toys got awfully loose at the joints, but our astronaut still can hold a pose and stay stable in it, even if all he's doing is sitting down.

Unfortunately, as a collector wanting to go back and maybe pick up a few old sets for the sake of nostalgia, the Adventure People toys are quite expensive these days.  Sets that probably went for about fifteen to twenty dollars in the mid 70s are now sold for more than a hundred dollars on Ebay.  Ah well, maybe one day I'll tire of robots and monsters enough to trade them in for a few more of these.  Hmmm, probably not, but it sure is nice to have this little bit of my childhood waiting there for me and my kids in my toy room.  I remember the Adventure People with great fondness, and thank my loving parents for a nice birthday surprise that I still remember to this day!