The
late 1970s and early 1980s gave the world two unique versions of the Flash
Gordon mythos. The first was
Filmation’s animated series Flash Gordon, which ran on Saturday
mornings from 1979 to 1982, and the second was Dino De Laurentiis’s big-budget,
live-action spectacular from 1980 starring Sam Jones and Max Von Sydow.
I
loved both incarnations of the famous comic-book character, but only one of the
versions had a full array of toys manufactured to go with it. That version was the animated TV series, and Mattel obliged kids of all
ages with a line of small action-figures and vehicles from this production.
In
total, eight Flash Gordon action figures were released by Mattel, including
Flash, Ming the Merciless, Dr. Zarkov, Captain Arak, Lizard Woman, Prince Thun,
Beastman and Vultan.
Alas,
no action figures of Dale Arden, Prince Barin or Princess Aura were ever produced,
which is a shame. Princess Aura, as I
recall, was one of the most popular characters with my buddies…for reasons you can probably guess.
Except
for those oversights, Mattel’s action figures were unusual because the
characters didn’t all possess the same, familiar, cookie-cutter
body-types. For instance, Dr. Zarkov’s
figure was actually portly, and overweight around the (beer?) gut, which is a
quality that seemed revolutionary to me as a ten year old kid. A fat, out-of-shape action figure!
Each
of the figures also came with a small white accouterment like a laser gun or
staff of some type, and some of the characters were more difficult to find (Vultan)
than others (Flash).
In
terms of vehicles, the Mattel line featured a giant inflatable rocket -- which is an amazing toy, honestly, that I
featured here in a retro-toy flashback -- and Ming’s shuttle.
Ming’s shuttle is a bit disappointing because it’s just a light redress (and re-color) of the cockpit of Flash’s rocket. The decals are flashier and all (emblazoned with the name “Ming”), but you can’t hide the fact it’s not a new toy. The ships in the actual series were quite cool, so it would have been great to see those used as the prototype for the toy.
Ming’s shuttle is a bit disappointing because it’s just a light redress (and re-color) of the cockpit of Flash’s rocket. The decals are flashier and all (emblazoned with the name “Ming”), but you can’t hide the fact it’s not a new toy. The ships in the actual series were quite cool, so it would have been great to see those used as the prototype for the toy.
I
remember a couple of things about Flash Gordon from this era. The first is that I was disappointed that the
live-action movie had no toys released with it, especially because the costumes
and characters were amazing to behold. I always wanted a Klytus action figure, in
particular.
Today,
these Mattel Flash Gordon figures – mint in
box – show up regularly on E-Bay for 100 or 125.00 dollars apiece, which is
absolutely ludicrous. The inflatable
rocket costs even more money, which is also a shame, because mine sprung an air
leak when I showed it to Joel about a year ago…
Joel, like you as a boy, I liked both Flash Gordon productions. You are correct there should have been toys from the 1980 movie. As a boy during that era it was frustrating to search toy stores and never find any toys or models. I agree the Filmation 1979-1982 animated series did have spaceships that were quite cool. They should have sold toys or models of the animated series Aerial Navy Imperial Flyer(yellow) and the same design Ming’s Aerial Navy Royal Imperial Flyer(white). If they did they might have been inflatable too. I still have the animated series Ming action figure from back then and it‘s box card. The animated series Dr. Zarkov’s inflatable rocket ship toy was nice because it looked like the one seen in the series. I suggest you put a simple patch on your leaking one. Amazing that you found those action figures for one dollar each back then, it must have been an exciting find.
ReplyDeleteSGB
I loved that Flash Gordofn toy the sold with the Defenders of the Earth cartoon series...which came out around the mid 80's, pretty cool series if I recall correctly, Ming the Merciless was the villain of the show (of course). I also loved this old cartoon from the 70s, and that cheesy movie with the Queen soundtrack, I love that movie to death exactly the way it is. These old ads and toys look awesome.
ReplyDeleteCool!
ReplyDeleteMost of the figures did not come with an accessory. Flash and Ming had a blaster. Thun and Lizard woman had a spear. Vultan had wings. Beastman, Dr. Zarkov and Captain Arak came with no accessories! What was Mattel thinking!
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