Nostalgia is a hell of a thing, and the late 1980s and early 1990s are the hot era right now. Many popular 1980s franchises are undergoing a second wave of popularity in 2019, and modern audiences are rediscovering some of the coolest toys that kids back then had.
For this Toy Tuesday roundup, we’re going for throwbacks — new versions of some of the greatest franchises of the Reagan era, made with modern materials and manufacturing to be even cooler. Here are our picks for the best 80s throwback toys.
Zoids Shadow Fox
Model builders in the Me Decade were uniquely blessed when TOMY brought their Zoids line over to the United States. Although these mechanical dinosaurs and other animals had tie-in anime series in Japan, they never got the same over here (although the UK were lucky enough to get some comics, some written by a young Grant Morrison). We just had to use our imaginations to figure out which of them wanted to kick each other’s ass. Amazingly, Zoids are still being made, and they’re still super dope. Check out this Shadow Fox, which has a ton of joints for poseability and some serious weapon loadouts.
Sideshow Collectibles He-Man Statue
Mattel’s hunky barbarian line was one of the runaway successes of the 1980s, knocking out figure after figure with the same body types, just different heads, accessories and paint jobs. The beefy action figures were perfect for smashing against one another, but don’t try that with this fine art statue from Sideshow Collectibles. Standing nearly two feet high from the base of the pedestal to the tip of Prince Adam’s sword, it’s a rad tribute to the franchise. Not much in the way of poseability or customization, but you can remove the cape if you want.
Funko Garbage Pail Kids Adam Bomb
When Topps released the first pack of Garbage Pail Kids in 1985 to spoof the uber-cutsey Cabbage Patch mania, they were an instant hit among the budding sickos of the Reagan era. The stickers, depicting chubby-cheeked cherubs exploding, melting and otherwise being ravaged by grossness, were hotly traded on playgrounds around the world for the next few years. Real heads know the insanely weird live-action movie that was made in 1987 as well. Funko is a perfect match for the franchise, and they’ve given us this jumbo-sized 10-inch figure of early mainstay Adam Bomb, exploding cranium and all.
Mezco Mumm-Ra Figure
One of the most iconic arch-villains of 80s cartoon television was Mumm-Ra, the blue-skinned cadaver who menaced the Thundercats week after week. By reciting an incantation, he transformed from a skinny bandage-wrapped wraith into a buff physical powerhouse. This insanely cool figure from the masterminds at Mezco is actually a pair of them – one for each phase of his transformation. Lots of high-quality detailing on these, from the tattered cape the brutish form wears to the bandages dangling from his wrists. Third Earth will never be the same once you unleash this dastardly foe.
WWE M.U.S.C.L.E. Things
Based on the Japanese Kinnikuman cartoon, M.U.S.C.L.E. Things were an unlikely fad in 1985 when they first hit the States. Diminutive flesh-colored figurines with no moving parts, they let you use your imagination to play out body-slamming action with a horde of unusual characters. In the modern era, Mattel bought up the license but took it in a very different direction, bringing other franchises in to a mash-up of cosmic proportions. One of our favorites is this like of classic WWE (or, as our 80s friends remember it, WWF) superstars like the Iron Sheik and the Ultimate Warrior.
Transformers Masterpiece Megatron
If we’re going to talk about the dominant franchise of the 1980s, it would be hard to argue against Transformers. The Japanese shape-changing robots took America by storm in 1984 and held strong in multiple incarnations through the decades. The versions of the characters that most people are closest to are the Generation 1 takes, and Takara Tomy’s Masterpiece line recreates their styling with incredible updates. Their take on the evil Decepticon leader Megatron makes up for the original toy’s janky styling, coming super close to the cartoon’s design while maintaining full transformation capabilities.
Lego Voltron
Another Japanese franchise that made big waves in the States, Voltron was a syndicated anime about five pilots of space-traveling lions that could unite to form one of the most badass robots in television history. We can’t begin to express the sheer glee we felt when the Lego Ideas program picked the design by Leandro Tayag to go into production. Bringing the five lions to life in Lego form is a childhood dream come true, and this set — which numbers over 2,000 pieces — gives you everything you might want in terms of design and creativity.
DX9 Cy-Kill Figure
The Gobots were always kind of country cousins to Transformers — smaller, less intricate, and clunkier. But that doesn’t mean the designs didn’t have potential, and toymaker DX9 brought it into the modern era with this updated version. Instead of a tiny motorbike, this big beast measures 7 inches high in robot form, with lots of fine detailing including badass spiked wheels and weaponry. His vehicle form is just as cool, ready to rip through good guys with manic abandon. Here’s hoping the company makes more of the same down the line.
Scarlett Bishoujou Statue
Both sides of the G.I. Joe — COBRA conflict had their distaff representatives. The bad guys had the malevolent Baroness, while the Joes were lucky enough to fight alongside the crossbow-toting counter-intelligence agent Scarlett. This battle-ready redhead was a black belt at age 15 and graduated with a law degree before enlisting. Once she was brought aboard the Joe team, she proved her worth in skirmishes around the world. This anime-style statue from Kotobukiya is based on illustrations by Shunya Yamashita and a sculpt by Takaboku Busujima and will look incredible on your display shelf.
Quarter-Size Pac-Man Arcade Cabinet
Typically we don’t allow video games in these Toy Tuesday roundups, but it would be wrong to flash back to the 80s without any mention of Pac-Man. The dot-gobbling yellow disc was the iconic figure that made video games a household name, and arcade machines gobbled quarters by the ton. If you always wanted a Pac-Man machine in your home but don’t have a ton of floorspace, this 1/4 scale reproduction is perfect. Fully functional, running off of the original arcade ROM with plywood housing and period-accurate decals, it’s powered by a micro USB cord so you can take it anywhere.
Kidrobot Jason Voorhees Madballs
The decade saw a spate of gross and grody toys that pushed the envelope of good taste, and one of our favorites was Madballs. Created by AmToy in the mid 80s, they became an unlikely hit that spawned a cartoon series, comic book and more. Each of the soft foam balls was sculpted and decorated with monstrous and bizarre features, and when indie toy manufacturer Kidrobot brought the line back in 2016 they followed up the original characters with some new designs patterned after some of the horror world’s greatest icons. Like this one, with the hockey masked visage of Friday the 13th killer Jason Voorhees, another 80s baby.
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