So what happened to those Last Starfighter Prototypes anyway?

You may recall that we had featured the amazing, never produced figures from Galoob's proposed Last Starfighter toy line a while back on this blog. 

Well, they've been sold but the good thing is, you can visit them anytime you like.

I was contacted by Mike, the owner of Batcave Comics and Toys in Santa Rosa California. The last starfighter figures are now on permanent display all together at his shop for everyone to enjoy. He bought them from the original owner who was just about to separate them.

So, if you're in the area, I highly advise you to visit Batcave comics and toys and visit a little bit of toy history.

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Get the expanded digital edition of Rack Toys here.

The Last Star Fighter Prototypes Found

This past week I got one of those emails that I just absolutely live for and that is from the owner of the hand painted set of prototype figures for the Last Star Fighter. Pictured about is the original catalog page we showed here. 

Originally proposed by Galoob, these figures never saw light of day, probably due to the film's lackluster box office (it's a good movie too, I saw it opening weekend). It haunts collectors such as myself a little and that's why this image and the following story made me smile.

More after the Hyper Jump!

Electronic Bowling

We thought Electronic bowling could never get better but  eventually it would become sentient and wipe us all out.

Mall of Justice wants your photos and stories click here!

The Top Ten cancelled toys of the 70s/80s

As much as I enjoyed my childhood, it sometimes pains me to think of the stuff we didn't get, for whatever boring grown up decision. Sure, some of these licensed wouldn't have sold and could have forced the companies into risky financial positions but baby Brian wants his toys dammit!
Here are the top ten cancelled toy lines that I personally weep for at every occasion:
Disclaimer: There may be some figure lines not included, this probably intentional as like all of my lists, it's a little biased. I try to be fair.,

10: V LJN planned to make action figures based on the television series V but somehow it stalled and never totally happened.

Why it Hurts It may just be my teenage crush on Jane Badler and her red spandex talking but "V" is just so seriously under-serviced in merchandise, especially when you consider the impact it had.

9) Galoob The Last Starfighter line In the race to find the next Star Wars Starfighter was probably the closest to the concept (well at least when you look at stuff like Krull or Dune), the movie did good but not great at the box office (which is still a mystery to me) so Galoob chose not to go forward with these beautiful items.


Why it Hurts Not only are the figures nice but Galoob wasn't stingy with the character selection, this movie deserved these toys.


Read the whole list here The Top Ten cancelled toys of the 70s/80s

Galoob Infaceables

Even though my toy buying was waning considerably by 1984 (sadly I was getting more into Doctor Who paperbacks than girls) I do admire some of the cool gimmicks used to spawn action figures at the time..

Take for example Galoob's Infaceables line, a series of Heroes and Villains whose faces changed into horrible beasts. The Infaceables didn't rock the toy world (probably due to the lack of animated series) but they're kind of a fun, typically mid eighties SciFi/Fantasy toy line. Also, dig the vehicle names, "Incredible Thrasher" is my new screenname on my Wii Active game...:

Visit the Gallob Infaceables Page Here

More Cool Concepts

Galoob A Team Catalog

In 1984, Galoob toys launched an exciting line of toys based one of the bigger surprise hits of the decade. The A Team was a loud, fun and somewhat cartoony adventure show that had adults laughing and children everywhere captivated. It makes perfect sense that this motely crew would become part of a merchandising phenomenon.

With the movie coming out and all the new merchandise, it felt like a good idea to take a look at what had come before.

Click on the images below to see larger pages with descriptions:

Visit the 1984 Galoob A Team Catalog Here

Another kind of "A Team"

Galoob Mr. T Catalog

In the early 1980s, a gentle, gold chained covered giant came into our households and told us to read the bible and drink our milk and in doing so, captured our hearts. Mr. T was exactly what Reagan era America was looking for, a straight laced tough guy whose look hinted at rebellion.

The ensuing "T Mania" storm was hard and fast with merchandise pouring out everywhere, riding the crest of this was Galoob, who made one of their smarter decisions in captilizing on America's unlikely sweetheart:

America was never the same.

Click Here to Check out the 1984 Galoob Mr. T Catalog

And don't worry, it's completely hack joke free, no mentions of "Pity" or "Fool", that's a promise I stand by.

Another Man of Action:

The Last Star Fighter Action Figure Line

Seeing as the film was released on Blue Ray and DVD this week, I thought it would be fun/sad to take a look at the action figures we got screwed out of when the film was in theatres.

As the Star Wars franchise started to slow down with the finality of "Return of the Jedi", Hollywood scrambled for another big Science Fiction franchise and "The Last Starfighter" looked like it was the one. The movie tied in America's love of video games with an honest to goodness space adventure, it was also the first movie to use CGI effects. Licensors lined up, Atari had video games ready, Marvel did a tie in comic and Galoob was ready to unleash a line of action figures. Sadly the film was a disappointment and the line never saw release, here is what we missed out on.

Click Here to Visit the PlaidStallions Last Starfighter Gallery

More Space Action Figures: