I set up a mini battle between Mego die-cast action figures of Marvel Comics' The Incredible Hulk and D.C. Comics' Superman. Some of the photos came out good but it was tough to get them in good action poses without the scale looking too far off or just getting them to balance well enough. Hulk is 5.25" while Superman is 5.5" and he also has a broken thumb on his right hand.
You may recognize the background from my Colorforms post and video as I'm using The Amazing Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk Colorforms Play Set along with a couple LEGO street panels for the base. More information on the Mego figures can be found at the Mego Museumwebsite. The colors vary between photos as I chose different settings when editing them.
Superman Arrives
Superman knocks Hulk down who then punches the wall in anger.
Superman should not have landed... Hulk smashes him into the wall!
(I like the first photo but you can see the table as the background slid backwards.)
Hulk puts Superman through the wall!
Superman takes the offensive!
An accidental image that kind of makes it look like they are moving...or it's just a terrible photo.
Hulk wins...
...or maybe Superman wins? Most likely the Man of Steel does prevail.
Colorforms were created in 1951 by Harry and Patricia Kislevitz of New York. If you're unfamiliar with Colorforms, they are a toy where users build a scene with plastic pieces that stick to a plastic-coated cardboard background. In 1957 the first set to feature a licensed character was released; that was Popeye and many, many more followed. Colorforms boxes are usually around 8" x 12" while there are some larger deluxe sets and other variations. The Colorforms brand has changed hands a few times and is currently owned by 9 Story Media Group.
All the images below basically show everything you can see in the video so if you just want to see the sets you can skip the video. Also, there are a couple repeats as I've shown The A-Team and Batman Colorforms previously though I did take a new photo of each. One thing I forgot to mention in the video was Presto Magix. Although it is best known for its products where you use a pencil to permanently attach pieces to a scene, it made a similar product to compete with Colorforms. Presto Magix had some great licenses too, like Star Wars and Transformers.
Booklets
Dress-Up & Traditional Sets
Stand-Up Play Set
I do have a few unopened sets from the '90s as well that fit into some of my collections. Ren & Stimpy is a bit odd for myself to own since I've not seen much of the show but I did read a few issues of the comic book. The others are comic book related as I did collect Batman and X-Men things during that decade.
The A-Team was an action-packed television show that aired on NBC from 1983-87. It followed four former members of an Army special forces unit that were found guilty of a crime they didn't commit. Of course, they escaped military prison but were then on the run and each week as the team traveled around North America in a GMC van they helped out civilians that were in need of help that the law couldn't or wouldn't provide. John "Hannibal" Smith (George Peppard) is the strategist and leader of the team; Templeton "Face" Peck (Dirk Benedict) is the con man that can get the team whatever they need; B.A."Bad Attitude" Baracus (Mr. T) is the muscle/driver/mechanic who refuses to fly; and H.M."Howling Mad" Murdock is the crazy helicopter pilot. Sometimes a fifth character would help out the squad, including reporter Amy Allen (Melinda Culea), reporter Tawnia Baker (Marla Heasley), and special effects expert Frankie "Dishpan" Santana (Eddie Velez).
In 1984 Galoob released a series of action figures based on the show that were slightly altered versions of its 1982 toys called General Patch and Evil Enemy (basically G.I. Joe vs. Cobra). Galoob made 3 3/4" action figures of the team and generic bad guys that are very similar to Hasbro's G.I. Joe. Even the enemies have snake names: Cobra, Viper, Rattler, and Python. Those were sold in four packs, with vehicles, and in a "Combat Headquarters Set" which is what I have, though I'm missing some of the accessories. Six inch figures and a larger Mr. T doll were made by Galoob as well. Also, like G.I. Joe, The A-Team got a train set from Tyco and a variety of other products popular licenses of the '80s often had, such as Colorforms, a board game, comic book, die-cast vehicles, walkie talkies, and trading cards. Although The A-Team may feel like a relic of the past, the franchise has been brought back a coupe times somewhat recently with a 2010 movie that has a similar story as the TV show but doesn't feature any of the original actors aside from post-credits cameos by Dwight Schultz and Dirk Benedict. Plus, just a couple years ago an A-Team pack was actually released for the LEGO Dimensions video game that includes a B.A. minifigure and the van.
Here are photos and scans of the items that appear in the video above:
Combat Headquarters Set
This is a set from Galoob that includes the four 3 3/4" action figures and a variety of accessories. A few items are not pictured, including a sandbag wall, bazooka, detonator, raft oar, and American flag. I'm going to drop a link here for a website that has some good information on the Galoob toys and photos with the packaging: Toy Mania.
B.A. Baracus 6" Action Figure
B.A. is one of five six inch figures Galoob made.
ERTL and LJN Battery Operated GMC Vans
The LJN toy is a Rough Rider, not a Stomper which I completely flubbed in the video.
The A-Team Colorforms Adventure Set
The A-Team Board Game
Parker Brothers' A-Team game puts B.A. front and center as he is the only character to appear on the board and in the deck of cards. However, he isn't playable as the pieces are Hannibal, Face, Murdock, and Amy. The objective is rather odd as the team is helping a soft drink company recover its soda formula from a madman with an island fortress.
Puzzle and Maze Book
Rubber Stamp Set
This set from Stampos includes four stamps but Face is excluded and replaced with a second B.A. stamp.
The A-Team might have been my favorite show as a kid, though I always enjoyed Magnum P.I. and Knight Rider quite a bit as well. All of the primary characters and their actors are great. Murdock, played by Dwight Schultz, was my favorite character and the actor later had a recurring role on Star Trek: The Next Generation, another one of my favorites. I'm a big fan of Mr. T too who was an icon in the '80s as he also appeared in Rocky III and WWF wrestling, had his own cartoon, and there was even a Mr. T breakfast cereal. He had a reality TV show in 2006 called "I Pity the Fool" that had a very positive vibe but it didn't go beyond six episodes. It's too bad that show didn't last as it was a breath of fresh air, especially when it came to reality TV.
