Mattel Secret Wars Catalog

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In the early 1980s, Toy giant Mego fell and released both the Marvel and DC superheroes licenses for the first time in over a decade. This was also the first time the action figure license was seperated between companies. Kenner took the DC heroes and released Super Powers while Mattel scooped up the Marvel heroes to release the "Secret Wars" toy line. Marvel followed suite with a popular mini series of the same name.

What resulted was an interesting mix of toy maker meets comics. Mattel didn't put the effort into the line that Kenner initially did, the figures suffered from recycled body parts and some were not comic accurate. Despite these flaws, many recall the Secret Wars line as a fun toy line, a number of the characters had never been seen in action figure form making them exciting to collectors at the time as well:

Click here to visit the 1984 Mattel Secret Wars Catalog


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[david_b]

Interesting backstory on the right's separation.. It makes sense, but didn't think about it too much until now. Thanks for the super post!

david_b

[Riffster]

what wasn't comic accurate? Wolvies paint scheme? Ironman was a great figure

[palitoy]

what wasn't comic accurate? Wolvies paint scheme? Ironman was a great figure

Dr Doom for one and the fact that Captain America didn't have his regular shield.

[MysteryWho]

I think Dr. Doom has to be the main offender as far as the inaccuracies go, but the strangest bit has to be how many of the figures did not appear in Secret Wars at all, particularly from the second series and foreign releases.
I read those comics when they appeared but I can't recall too much about the major players. Weren't there other characters more relevant that they should have chosen?
Oh, and the vehicles were weird (and hung around TRU for at least a decade afterwards). Otherwise, I think it was a nice set of figures.

[bizzaro megomauler]

I think Dr. Doom has to be the main offender as far as the inaccuracies go, but the strangest bit has to be how many of the figures did not appear in Secret Wars at all, particularly from the second series and foreign releases.

Because no kid in his right mind is shelling out his allowance for a Molecule Man, a Beyonder, and the Dazzler. Adult collectors, Fine they would have been all over those, but as a kid these would be as appealing as OGEODEE from Crystar. That's right, I went there OGEODEE!

[palitoy]

Yes but the Hulk, Fantastic Four and Thor were kind of oddly skipped over too.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I was one of those kids both enamored and flustered by Secret Wars. I'd much rather had a straight Marvel Super Heroes line with no gimmicks, but even my beloved Super Powers line got gimmicky by stressing the New Gods characters. It seems obvious now, but at the time, only the Super Friends/Super Powers toon and the toys made Darkseid the big baddie of the DCU.

The Cap shield offense was unforgivable. Doom did wear a suit like that toward the end of the comic series, if I remember right.

Hulk was an insanely glaring omission for sure.

Chris

[MysteryWho]

That should be the new slang for a peg warmer. "Oh man, that character is such an Ogeode, mark it down!".

[toys2cool]

i still love this line

[palitoy]

I remember seeing Kangs on shelves until I graduated college.

[boynightwing]

One of my favorite items in my collection is Secret Wars Wolverine with the package...not in the package mind you but with it. I also own Spider-man in Red/Blue and also in Black and Iron Man.
Was Thor not in the set? I have a memory of turning down Thor for Super Powers Hawkman. I was just a kid at the time and I remember my Uncle saying I should have got Thor cause he's cooler.

[david_b]

No, but both Thor and Hawkeye should have been included.

david_b

[jds1911a1]

Because no kid in his right mind is shelling out his allowance for a Molecule Man, a Beyonder, and the Dazzler. Adult collectors, Fine they would have been all over those, but as a kid these would be as appealing as OGEODEE from Crystar. That's right, I went there OGEODEE!

actually that was secret wars II

in secret wars the other major players who never saw toys were the rest of the early 80's x men, the Fantastic four, Hulk, and Thor. it was really a whose who of marvel big guns. The villains were mostly lame aside from the ones they made

[jds1911a1]

One of my favorite items in my collection is Secret Wars Wolverine with the package...not in the package mind you but with it. I also own Spider-man in Red/Blue and also in Black and Iron Man.
Was Thor not in the set? I have a memory of turning down Thor for Super Powers Hawkman. I was just a kid at the time and I remember my Uncle saying I should have got Thor cause he's cooler.

odds are if you saw thor and hawkman on the shelf together that was in the toybiz era of the early 90's