{"id":7049,"date":"2011-01-11T05:38:04","date_gmt":"2011-01-11T05:38:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thisblogrules.com\/?p=7049"},"modified":"2011-01-11T06:32:40","modified_gmt":"2011-01-11T06:32:40","slug":"top-ten-action-figure-vehicles-of-the-1980s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thisblogrules.com\/top-ten-action-figure-vehicles-of-the-1980s\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Ten Action Figure Vehicles of the 1980’s"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Before the 1980s, vehicles were relatively scarce for action figure toy lines. This was mostly because most action figures of the era were 8\u201d-12\u201d tall, so in-scale vehicles were expensive, both for the producers and for the consumers.<\/p>\n

But that all changed in the late 1970s when a little company called Kenner came up with the idea of shrinking the figures for their newest license, Star Wars, to 3.75\u201d. There had been 3\u201d-4\u201d lines before then, but Kenner was the first company to fully embrace the advantages of the scale, creating dozens of vehicles based on the immensely popular Star Wars films. This led to an onslaught of vehicle-based toylines of the 1980s. This is a list of some of the best action figure vehicles of the 1980s. (To find out how I made my selections, see the note at the end of the list.)<\/p>\n

10.) Tron Light Cycle (Tomy, 1982)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"light_cycle\"<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the most iconic vehicles of the 1980s was the Light Cycle, from Disney\u2019s techno-fantasy film Tron. Sleek and curved, leaving solid virtual walls (how\u2019s that for an oxymoron?) in their wake, the Light Cycles had a futuristic vibe that was half cyberpunk, half Art Deco.<\/p>\n

Tomy produced toys based on the film, including the Light Cycles. You could fit one of the neat, translucent action figures into the cockpit. The Cycle could then be sent flying across the floor by pulling a ripcord. You had to use your imagination for the walls, though.<\/p>\n

9.) A-Team Tactical Van (Galoob, 1984)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"ateamvan2\"<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are a few things about The A-Team that people will always remember: Mr. T, Murdock\u2019s severe mental issues, Hannibal saying he loves it when a plan comes together, and The Van. The distinctive black GMC van with the red stripe and spoiler was the pride and joy of Mr. T\u2019s character, B.A. Baracus.<\/p>\n

Galoob made a 6\u201d and a 3.75\u201d line of A-Team figures in the mid-80s, and for the smaller line they created a version of the van. What it lacked in action features–other than a removable top for access, it was pretty bare-bones–it made up for by being the freakin\u2019 van from the A-Team. It also came with a B.A. Baracus figure, which meant that with one purchase you could own all the really important A-Team toys.<\/p>\n

8.) TMNT Party Wagon (Playmates, 1988)<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were the last great toy fad of the 1980s, sweeping He-Man, Transformers, G.I. Joe and the rest aside in their turtle-y conquest of the action figure market. The Playmates toy line debuted in 1988, just as the cartoon was becoming a hit.<\/p>\n

The Turtles\u2019 main mode of transportation was the Party Wagon, a.k.a. the Turtle Van. Like most of Playmates\u2019 vehicles for the TMNT line, the Party Wagon was packed with features. It came loaded down with guns and bombs, featured a spring-out door and a flip-open top so that all the Turtles could be placed inside, and an armored windshield could flip down to protect the driver. The Van appeared in most episodes of the cartoon, and so it was the must-have vehicle from the toy line.<\/p>\n

7.) Super Powers Batmobile (Kenner, 1984-5)<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n

Many of the vehicles in Kenner\u2019s Super Powers line, such as the \u201cJustice Jogger\u201d and the somewhat dirty-sounding \u201cDelta Probe One,\u201d were made up just for the toy line. But one indispensable vehicle was the Batmobile.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s interesting to note that twenty years after the end of the 1960s television series, the show\u2019s famous Lincoln Futura-based Batmobile was still influencing the comics and toys: you can see it in the Kenner Batmobile\u2019s sleek angles and twin bubble canopies. The toy also featured a pop-out battering ram, a grabbing hook on the back, and oddest of all, pop-up headlights. To many collectors, this is still the best toy Batmobile ever made.<\/p>\n

6.) Ghostbusters Ecto-1 (Kenner, 1986)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like the General Lee and KITT, the Ecto-1 was one of the most iconic cars of the 1980s. Built from a 1959 Cadillac Meteor, the Ecto-1 was the Ghostbusters\u2019 trusty steed in their battle against the paranormal.<\/p>\n

Kenner produced an Ecto-1 for their toy line based on the Real Ghostbusters cartoon. Unlike a lot of toy vehicles in the 1980s, Kenner\u2019s version was a fair approximation of the film version, though it had a number of added features not seen the movies, such as a \u201cblasting seat\u201d on top and a claw that came out the back to capture ghosts. Like the Turtle Party Wagon or the Batmobile, your Ghostbusters toy collection just wasn\u2019t complete without an Ecto-1 to get them where they need to ghost. I mean, go.<\/p>\n

5.) M.A.S.K. Rhino (Kenner, 1985)<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n

M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) was an interesting cartoon and toyline. It featured a special task force of real American heroes who drove normal-looking vehicles that could transform into weapons of war. So basically, Kenner was trying to cash in on the two big brands of their rival Hasbro by combining them into one Reese\u2019s Peanut Butter Cup of a toyline.<\/p>\n

Most of the M.A.S.K. vehicles were pretty cool, but the biggest, baddest one of all was the Rhino. It was a big-rig truck that converted into a Mobile Defense Unit, complete with a battering ram bumper, smokestack cannons, an ejector seat, an ATV, and a freakin\u2019 huge missile launcher. It also came with two figures, Matt Trakker (who was recently honored with a new G.I. Joe figure) and Bruce Sato.<\/p>\n

4.) Masters of the Universe Dragon Walker (Mattel, 1984)<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n

There was no shortage of innovative action features throughout the Masters of the Universe toyline, both among the figures themselves and the vehicles. But for many fans, the most memorable vehicle was the Dragon Walker.<\/p>\n

This big green vehicle was powered by a small motor. While a MOTU figure rode in the \u201cdragon head\u201d on top, the head itself slid down a track until it got to the end, and then the entire bottom of the vehicle would swing around, advancing the whole thing forward. While this is obviously the most ridiculous, impractical mode of transportation ever conceived, it worked, and that\u2019s what kids loved about it. The fact that the tiny motor emitted a constant, ear-splitting whine didn\u2019t hurt its appeal to kids, either (though I imagine parents could have lived without it).
\n
\n3.) KITT (Kenner, 1982-3)<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n

Perhaps no other car says \u201cthe 1980s\u201d better than the black Trans Am that played the part of KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand) on Knight Rider. There have been many toy versions of KITT over the years, but the best version in the \u201880s (and possibly of all time) was Kenner\u2019s 1\/12 scale version.<\/p>\n

In addition to featuring open and closing doors, a movable steering wheel, and a 6\u201d Michael Knight figure, KITT also spoke a number of phrases from the show. The Michael figure may have looked more like an albino tree frog than David Hasselhoff, but let\u2019s face it, no one cared about the figure–KITT was what\u2019s important here, and Kenner delivered in spades.<\/p>\n

2.) G.I. Joe SkyStriker (Hasbro, 1983)<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n

Jets are awesome. Little kids instinctively understand this, long before they watch Top Gun or Aces: Iron Eagle III. Jets were everywhere in kids\u2019 toys in the 1980s, such as the well-known \u201cSeekers\u201d from the Transformers toy line (Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker). But the mother of all jet toys was the SkyStriker.<\/p>\n

The SkyStriker was based on the F-14 Tomcat, the same fighter jet featured Top Gun. This thing was huge: remember, a 4\u201d action figure could fit in the cockpit. It featured retractable landing gear, removable bombs and missiles, folding wings, and a cockpit ejection seat. It wasn\u2019t just a great G.I. Joe toy–it was probably the best jet toy of the era. And it sold for only $15! That\u2019s $30 in 2009 dollars (though that\u2019s only accounting for inflation, not rising costs for plastic and foreign labor).<\/p>\n

In real life, the F-14 was retired a few years back; a new SkyStriker would most likely be an F-22 or an F-35. Are you listening, Hasbro?<\/p>\n

1.) AT-AT (Kenner, 1981)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"atat-catalog\"<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hasbro recently released the mother of all Star Wars toys in their new AT-AT, which towers over the vintage version. However, it\u2019s important to note that in 1981, that vintage AT-AT was just as impressive to young Star Wars fans as the new one us today.<\/p>\n

It was huge, standing nearly a foot and a half tall. It was fully poseable, including the legs and neck. It had light-up guns and doors that could be opened on the cockpit and sides. It was a status symbol, the standard by which all young kids with Star Wars collections were judged; if you had an AT-AT, chances are you were the most admired kid on the playground.<\/p>\n

NOTE: For this list, I came up with a few ground rules:<\/p>\n

-I only selected toys from the 1980s, i.e., no toys made before 1980 or after 1989. So the Millennium Falcon and the X-Wing fighter are out (1978 and 1979), as is the TMNT Technodrome (1993).<\/p>\n

-I excluded \u201canimal\u201d vehicles like Battle Cat, Tyrantisaurus or Dino Riders. They could make up an entire list of their own.<\/p>\n

-There are no Transformers on the list, because most of them are vehicles, so it sort of defeats the purpose of the whole thing.<\/p>\n

-After some thought, I decided to exclude \u201cvehicles\u201d that are really more like playsets, such as the G.I. Joe Defiant Space Vehicle Launch Complex or the U.S.S. Flagg. The Defiant and the Flagg have been on enough top ten lists.<\/p>\n