Glasslite produced an impressive series of figures and vehicles based on some of the most popular 80s TV action properties. The A-Team was available alongside TJ Hooker, the Fall Guy, Knight Rider and others. Imagine if this hall of fame assortment of toys were available in the US! My head would have exploded! As it was, I did get the
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The 1991 international catalog is a great source of the kind of diorama setups that the US pack-in catalogs had moved away from. There’s something compelling about these toys in a simulated environment. There’s an artistry that’s missing from straight studio shots against plain backgrounds. For me, the dio catalogs evoke memories of Toho kaiju films, with their painstakingly detailed
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Here’s another example of Action Force in an Argos catalog, although this time sharing a page with the A-Team and Masters of the Universe. He-Man and company appear to be a couple years behind their US release schedule. So my question to UK readers this time: were Hannibal, B.A., Murdock and Face as popular overseas as they were here in
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I’m a catalog nut, and particularly enjoy diorama setups from the golden age ads of the 1980s. I pored over the Sears, Wards and JC Penney catalogs enough to call them up from memory. As such, I’ve been on the lookout for ads that I haven’t seen before. UK department store Argos is of course unknown to me, but I
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I don’t even remember where or when I found this scan of an Eaton’s catalog GI Joe page (apologies if anyone knows where it originated) but I’m in love with the basic but dramatic lighting effects. Often these dio shots feature realistic skies to match the terrain, but this setup goes for a more evocative tone. There’s also some craziness
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This page has not only some ’86 and ’87 Joe favorites like the Tomahawk and Mobile Command Center, but it’s also got a sampling of non-Joe product. This one shows a couple of vehicles from the Gung Ho branded line. The amazing thing about these two molds is the fact that they continued to be produced into the 2000s. Also
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Dealer catalogs can be a trove of fascinating images. This page from 1987 showcases the LCV and Devilfish, each in detailed diorama fashion. When placed in such an interesting environment and lit dramatically, even the goofy LCV is lent an air of greater realism. The Devilfish of course needs no such help. Image via orangeslime.com
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The Defiant is one of the great trinity of ultra-mega-huge GI Joe vehicles/playsets alongside the Flagg and Terrordrome. To say the toy is large is an understatement. I had mine displayed in a room for a time, and it is a behemoth. Unfortunately, I stepped on the front section of the crawler and snapped off a corner. Yeah, not good.
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I remember this time of year as a kid being filled with excitement and possibility. Fall meant a return to school, as well as the arrival of a new round of Christmas catalogs. In the days before collectors’ magazines and the internet, they were the best source from which to get a sampling of the year’s top toy lines. The
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I enjoy toy catalogs. Whether Christmas fare, local circular ads or highly specific retailer and Toy Fair presentations, it all hits me in the right place. The Hasbro internal catalogs have always featured some of the best layout of product as well as (inadvertently) spotlighting interesting pre-production samples of well-known sets. For the Adventure Team’s second year, the catalog highlights
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