Science fiction action figures are the basis for any good toy collection. My collection of Star Wars toys goes right back to the late 1970’s, and I’ll get round to posting some pictures of those in the future. Oh yes, it shall happen. Any requests, let me know.
In the meantime, I thought I’d showcase some alternative items that have been lurking around for over thirty years. These figures aren’t always mint condition, and rarely have all the accessories they came boxed with. And there are certainly no boxes (or cards) now, as they were all actually played with…
Battlestar Galatica figures
These 3 3/4″ action figures were produced by Mattel in the late 1970’s, to coincide with the release of the television show. They were obviously aiming to emulate the phenomenal success of Kenner’s Star Wars figures.
Battlestar Galactica figures
On the left of the photo is the Imperious Leader figure, all in good condition – but then other than the cloak, he didn’t have any accessories. In the middle is Commander Adama, who bears a slight resemblance to Lorne Greene. Unfortunately Adama’s cloak and gun are long gone. The Cylon Centurion is the coolest figure here, though mine has lost a lot of his silver finish. The laser gun is around however, though I didn’t use it for the picture. The Cylon was my first Battlestar Galactica toy, a present from my Dad.
There were some other cool figures produced in this line, in particular the Ovion and Daggit were great. Unfortunately I never owned either. I would’ve also loved a Lt. Starbuck, but I never saw one. Ever.
Great show, Battlestar Galactica – I love the original and the rebooted, recent version.
The Black Hole figures
Disney’s The Black Hole, however, was not that great a movie. At least not when I saw it on TV as a kid. Maybe I should try it again, to see if I was just too young to dig it.
The Black Hole figures
The action figures for this film, again 3 3/4″ like Star Wars figures – were multi jointed. As a result, the human figures were rather frail. I had a few of them, now reduced to limbless torsos.
No matter – the stars of the show were the robots, and here we have two of the best. The Sentry Robot (left) was particularly cool, with a holster to hold his pistol. I have the gun safe, so this one’s probably worth a load on ebay. Note the joints which are clearly visible.
Also, we have V.I.N.CENT – a cool design for a robot. Laser guns and big, cute eyes.
Blake’s 7 Liberator
Blake’s 7
Not an action figure – this is a Corgi toy of the Liberator spaceship from BBC sci-fi serial, Blake’s 7. You can see the Corgi stamp on the photo. Quite a cool design for a TV spaceship. I quite liked Blake’s 7 when I was a kid, and remember being surprised at the end…
I have lots of fond memories of finding and playing with these toys when I was young. They’re great souvenirs of old films, and fun times – and imagination.
