Remembering a certain toy

nihilyst · Tue 03/08/2010 21:15:34

Hey,

in the last days, I remembered an old toy I once had, but I can't for heavens sake remember what it was called or which company built it. I live in Germany, but perhaps it was known in other countries as well.

It was a model of a gas station and a volcano (or a mountain) beside it. There was a road, too, I guess. The idea was that you could transform the gas station and the volcano into some kind of military base. The gas pumps would turn into turrets, and the top of the volcano would transform into some dome with machine guns all around. There were several small cars you could buy, but I don't remember them well. I don't think it was part of Micro Machines or Matchbox franchise, but I could be wrong here. Any idea what I'm talking about? Any pictures? I just can't find out what it was.

Do you still have any children's toys? Do you find yourself playing with your kid's LEGO fortress? Disuss

Calin Leafshade · Tue 03/08/2010 21:47:38

a friend of mine once had little dolls that you could turn upside down and lift their skirts and they looked like cupcakes.

Their underwear even smelt of cupcakes.. which didnt seem weird to me at the time...

Tuomas · Tue 03/08/2010 22:00:02

I remember small car platforms, like puzzle pieces you could add to each other. Every piece was at around 10x10cm and had a road in front and a building there. I had a pizzaplace with a ramp and a gas station with some ramp stuff too, I guess... But I don't believe they were micro machines, the cars were much more plain and less well done like, white and orange with a coloured stripe going from the hood to the roof to the trunk. Once you put the pieces together you could drive from one to another via the road there. I don't remember if you could change them or anything, so I'm not sure they were the same.

Most of my toys are still there back home. And as I have a little brother who's 10 and a little sister who's 8, we often play with our old legos, matchbox-autos... turtles action figures no more, they're too old for them, but they're still there somewhere

Darth Mandarb · Tue 03/08/2010 22:09:12

M.A.S.K!!

I used to love M.A.S.K... I can still sing the theme-song!

edit - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh11NDMHVl0&feature=related

So nostalgic!! Spectrum's got such super vision!!

Calin Leafshade · Tue 03/08/2010 22:11:44

Muh Muh Muh MASK!

Always riding on venom's tray-ay-ail!

Andail · Tue 03/08/2010 22:44:58

Quote from: Calin Leafshade on Tue 03/08/2010 21:47:38
Their underwear even smelt of cupcakes.. which didnt seem weird to me at the time...

Woah, I sense a potential sig quote

nihilyst · Wed 04/08/2010 11:32:38

@Darth: That's it! Strangely, I don't remember M.A.S.K. at all. But that's it. Thanks

Darth Mandarb · Wed 04/08/2010 16:13:59

It was called M.A.S.K here in the states 'cause it was an acronym for Mobile Armored Strike Kommand which I'm sure doesn't translate into German the same way! It was probably called something else there which would explain why you don't remember it!

I tried wikipedia to find what it was referred to in Germany but couldn't seem to locate the information

Calin Leafshade · Wed 04/08/2010 16:20:59

Anyone remember this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCpMl8UK1SY

It's kinda dark for a kids cartoon.

GarageGothic · Wed 04/08/2010 16:21:52

It was apparently shown briefly on German TV during the summer of 1987 under the title M.A.S.K. - Die Masken, and there was also a German comic book version as far as I can tell (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.A.S.K.).

Monsieur OUXX · Fri 06/08/2010 14:51:56

MASK was massive in France, there was an avalanche of US merchandising toys. I had some of the second "mask" generation, after they pimped up the vehicles (with the missiles-luncher truck carrying a formula one), while my neighbour had some of the first generation (Venom's helicopter and that-guy's bike). Hours of fun! I still have them in my parent's house somehwere.

About the "Spiral zone", it was a strange cartoon with no real background, just guys fighting in a futuristic world/dimension. For some reason, the crappy French opening (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bblm30ydHT4) was imprinted forever in my brain (lyrics, music and all), as well as the monobikes, while I hated the rest of it.

evenwolf · Fri 06/08/2010 16:13:11

M.A.S.K. was badass. It was like Transformers meets GI Joe.

Those were the days of the good GI Joe action figures too. The ones with reliable metal joints.

The best playsets I remember: Ewok village, Ninja Turtle Sewer/ Tetradome, Gi Joe Rolling Thunder / Cobra Terrordrome / Aircraft carrier / Shuttle, Wayne Manor / Batcave (there's been tons of them now)

of the ones I owned, I had the most adventures with this:

Somehow I never got to play with this:

Looks like it could engage your imagination, but honestly it looks a little boring. Did anybody else have that one friend with a GI Joe room? But he never let you play with them without overseeing your every move? In fact he would realize the toy you pick up is the one he wants to play with most? EVERY TIME?

Dualnames · Fri 06/08/2010 17:03:35

All the kids in my neighbourhood had watched Voltron and kept talking about GI Joe in school. Then I talked about this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvsJaIUZb5s (The reason I got my guitar lies on 0:38)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy-H-KJRYbw (Long Version!)

It still blows my mind to the day!!

Some of you may remember this great one too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NpgsUOKQs8 (POLE POSITION!)

Also people great EPIC. Yeah, we've all seen it, eah, but shut up :
ROBO-TECH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VmsDHfvI0s

vict0r · Tue 17/08/2010 21:15:35

Holy fuck Dualnames. Thank you soooooo much for reminding me of Saber Rider!! I used to rock out to that theme song as a kid..

Mr Jake · Wed 18/08/2010 20:51:42

I <3'd this. A few years ago when I worked in the co-op they had a bunch of them randomly found at the back of a warehouse, was so tempting...

Chicky · Thu 19/08/2010 12:39:30

Quote from: Mr Jake on Wed 18/08/2010 20:51:42

I <3'd this. A few years ago when I worked in the co-op they had a bunch of them randomly found at the back of a warehouse, was so tempting...

Then Blue Peter did an awesome DIY ripoff

Atelier · Thu 19/08/2010 12:42:48

Phemar · Thu 19/08/2010 18:51:13

Anyone remember micro machines?

Nikolas · Tue 24/08/2010 17:10:00

Yes, nostalgia levels hit red already.

But I still can cringe at every single cartoon of back then (and the toys), when I see them today! Yikes they were ugly, very premature, etc... Yikes!

Ryan Timothy B · Tue 24/08/2010 18:00:40

Oh wow, Phemar. I had that same Micro Machines box. Lots of those cars seem to be the same as what I had too!

Damn those things were fun! Those and G.I. Joes; the small ones with the elastic waist and completely jointed limbs.