Space Cowboys (1999 CORPS! STAR Force)
As the years go by, I find myself drawn more and more toward the odd and unusual in my toy collecting. Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten my fill of vintage Joe, and want to explore other similar lines. The most similar line I can think of is Lanard’s CORPS!, the Joe wannabe that I’ve focused on in a few posts. The series, like GI Joe, has had its share of unusual toys in its lifetime. But the strangest CORPS! toy that I’ve yet seen hails from the STAR Force series, a sort of space exploration/fantasy hybrid that ran in the 90’s.
What can you say about a Space Cowboy? He’s a figure in a space suit riding a horse. Incredible. There have been a few space/western mashups over the years, particularly in the late 80’s, with cartoons like the Galaxy Rangers, Saber Rider and Bravestarr. Some of those space cowpokes even rode horses, but I don’t know if any rode real horses in space. That’s what I love about this toy; it’s so awesomely ridiculous that it transcends any mockery. The fact that the designers took the time to think the concept through to give the horse a breathing apparatus gives me pause. The Space Cowboy is transcendentally ridiculous. Above all else, it’s also a good toy.
The horse is quite well made, and even though it’s not articulated, is made of a very solid plastic. Think Breyer meets Star Wars by way of GI Joe. There’s nothing cheap feeling about this set, which is a nice change from some of the older CORPS! figures. A lot of the earlier Lanard figures are quite brittle, and I’ve had a few hands break off at the fingers (not at the thumbs like some Joes).
There are rare occasions when I’m speechless. This is one of them. Just enjoy the pics. They speak for themselves.
Wow. I need to go on a field trip w ya!
Okay, so we have our space cowboys here. Now where are our gangsters of love?
It is painfully obvious that I should have been spending more time in the toy isles back in 1999.
I have a bunch of S.T.A.R. Force guys which arrived mixed in with a lot of military Corps! figures but this is the first time I’ve seen this puppy. Looks like quite the original concept and one sweet conversation piece!
Whatever universe that has people spending R&D money to design a horse space suit is a universe I want to live in.
ooh. and you got the collector’s edition. i just got the kid the in the toy aisle edition. i think it’s cooler, though.
Terrific toy!
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Have to say I am gutted to see that these figures have become so rare.. I happen to have one left of a set of four once of adventure series mounted patrol corps. Its a brown horse with retro camo boomerang billy with saddles and bridles.. All my searching has led me to realize finding the same set to be impossible??
Oh man I used to love these toys when I was a kid!
The best part about them was they were dirt cheap and we didn’t have a lot of money when I was a kid so I would scrape and save and do all manner of chores and suck up to my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles just so i could make enough money to go buy three or four of these things at a time.
I even started taking them apart at one point and would mix and match the pieces to make my own “custom” figurines and play out awesome long epic adventures with them XD