By the end of the Real American Hero era, the blueprint concept had become an afterthought. Rather than being printed on the back of the instruction sheet as a dedicated item, some were stuck on the first page and others left off entirely (I’m looking at you, Cobra Rat!)
While it’s a shame to see the idea watered down, I still love the callouts and the craziness of justifying the sometimes sci-fi elements of these vehicles.
Over the years, we've not covered one of the most integral elements of the 1980s Joe toys: blueprints. These little extras, printed on the reverse side of vehicle/playset instructions were yet another tool in Hasbro's world-building arsenal. If a kid were so inclined they could pore over the more technical…
Continuing on from yesterday, I neglected to mention the inspiration for going back to coverage of a catalog, and specifically the first year. When recording a recent Flag Points episode, I was struck by memories of the Christmas catalogs of old, sometimes also known as Wish Books. I would spend…
As a kid, I had a problem with the old Falcon glider. Mine didn't really fly all that well, and was fragile as all get out. I think I threw it only three or four times before a rudder broke off. As an adult collector, I would love to have…
That is a pretty weak blueprint, but I guess young kids would still get the idea. The effort that Hasbro put into the early blueprints always gave me a feeling that I was learning something about the machines. The more realistic callouts introduced me to Sidewinder & Sparrow missiles and the differences in large caliber cannons.
That is a pretty weak blueprint, but I guess young kids would still get the idea. The effort that Hasbro put into the early blueprints always gave me a feeling that I was learning something about the machines. The more realistic callouts introduced me to Sidewinder & Sparrow missiles and the differences in large caliber cannons.
It really takes you out of the illusion of real blueprints when it actually mentions “Windchill figure.”