This
week, I want to remember the action figures from the series themselves.
Nine
were released all together, including Buck, Twiki, Wilma Deering, Killer Kane,
Ardella, Dr. Huer, Tiger man, Draconian Guard and Draco.
If
you watched Buck Rogers in the 25th Century on television with
any regularity, you’ll immediately pick up on some of the discontinuities
between the program and the toys.
Specifically, Pamela Hensley’s character was named Ardala, not
Ardella. And Kane -- a character played by both Henry Silva and
Michael Ansara – was never referred to by the nickname Killer Kane.
Finally
of course, King Draco appeared in the pilot/movie for about twenty seconds and
was never seen again on the series. Not
even once.
Despite
such problems, I always enjoyed these three-and-three-quarter inch action figures. They could fit easily inside the Land Rover,
the Draconian Marauder and the Starfighter, and in general looked a great lot
like their video counterparts. The figures’
drawbacks included the fact that they came with no accessories, not even laser
guns or helmets.
I
still remember seeing Buck Rogers in the 25th Century in
theaters. Afterwards, my parents took me
to a Toys R Us store to buy me two action figures. I was able to find Buck and Twiki and was
pretty happy about it. Our next stop was
a carpet store and while my parents shopped, I flew Buck and Twiki around the huge
store filled with rolled-up rugs.
In
short order, however, Buck’s interior elastic snapped, and the hero came apart
into many pieces. The very first night I had him! Buck’s “accident” left me only with Twiki…which
was a big disappointment.
The astronaut
had survived five hundred years as a popsicle only to spontaneously combust in
a carpet store.
When
we arrived home, my Dad glued Buck Rogers back together, but the poor guy was never
quite the same, being now unable to move his hips.
How
could he teach my Princess Ardala figure how to boogie?
John I loved the Mego Buck Rogers In The 25th Century toys too as a boy in 1979. However, like you the inferior design of the “action” figures were disappointing. John, your parents treated you to an awesome day seeing the film plus buying Buck and Twiki at Toys R Us. However, you made the boyhood error of taking Buck & Twiki to an extremely hostile environment of the carpet store planet. I had similar problems with these action figures by visiting the dangerous world of the backyard lawn planet. I remember a friend’s father saying Kenner would have made these to last as he performed reconstructive glue “surgery” on several of them.
ReplyDeleteI think that the pilot “Awakening” which was first a 1979 feature film release was the high point of the entire series before they changed things for the series. The Buck Rogers In The 25th Century (1979) film established that there was only one Inner City/New Chicago on a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland Earth and Colonel Wilma Deering was top officer in charge of Earth’s defense. The film established that Earth’s defense included a planetary Defense Shield[forcefield] that encompasses the entire globe that not even a Draconian Star Fortress could penetrate. Unfortunately, these were all changed in the series including the ruling computer council that only Dr. Theopolis was kept for season 1 and by season 2 Wilma was reduced to just another crew member on the Searcher.
I consider both the Buck Rogers In The 25th Century (1979) film and the Flash Gordon(1980) film the best live-action adaptations of these characters. The Filmation Flash Gordon(1979-1981) animated series and late aired (1982) animated pilot film are the best animated adaptation of this character, plus the 1979 animated series action-figures were extremely fun to play with too.
SGB
Hi SGB,
DeleteWe share a love for those toys, as badly disappointing as they were in terms of construction and durability. I always really loved Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and wanted more accurate toys. I would have loved a Hawk figure, and a Searcher model, among other items. :)
I agree with you that a great deal changed from the pilot to the series. I had really hoped to see Buck trying to rediscover some of his past by exploring Anarachia, the land outside New Chicago. I think they made a big mistake ignoring that aspect of the character. That said, I understand why the decision was made to take the adventure to outer space. It was two years after Star Wars, and certainly, it seemed like a safe move.
Like you, I was deeply disappointed with the diminishing of the Wilma Deering character. She started out as a superior officer and a very strong person. And by the end of it, she was just Lt. Uhura or Mr. Sulu, on the bridge of the Searcher.
Great comment.
And I also love the Flash Gordon animated series from the same era (and those toys...).
best,
John