Oldschool awkward

[ctc]

So;

I was thinkin' about old toys, and it seems to me that there were a lot with playability limiters. Stuff like not being able to hold their weapons properly, or accesories that fell off during play. Or unfortunate joints that made them take weird poses and ensured they'd NEVER fit into a vehicle.

Anyone else notice this?

Don C.

[Meule]

Product safety or quality control wasn't as high on toy makers' lists as it is now. Many of my childhood toys failed or even broke after using them just once or twice

[johnnystorm]

I don't remember really even caring about it as a kid. Captain Action held his sword ok, and as far as guns, most of the fighting was done by yelling at the top of your lungs and a great deal of head-on smashing of two figures together.

[generic]

Yeah, it bothered me as a kid. I remember breaking a couple of action figure thumbs trying to put their guns in their hands. For the most part, it wasn't a problem, but there were a few figures that really bugged me. I think the 12" G.I. Joe with the Kung-Fu grip was an early example of a well thought out and useful hand design (and Caption Action too, actually). Then later on, the Masters of the Universe figures were designed to hold their accessories well, but those guys had pretty much one pose. Regardless of poseablilty or how well they held their weapons, I loved my Star Wars figures!

[fallensaviour]

I know I snapped off more than one thumb on my lion rock dudes.

[kryptosmaster]

I know I snapped off more than one thumb on my lion rock dudes.

You know, every time I get a beat up Mego or filthy action figure I can't help but wonder what kind of kid played with it. Was it like that bad kid from Toy Story who tortured his toys? I know I accidentally broke a few things and yes, I PLAYED with my Megos so they do have their fair share of playwear but I cannot for the life of me remember ever snapping off a hand, busting a knee joint or breaking a thumb. I did lose a couple Kung-Fu grip fingers off GI Joe but that was due to constant flexing. My later Megos I took better care of and those still look pretty nice today.
Action Jackson must've really got down & dirty as those are usually the ones I find the most beat to hell.
Rich

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

Yeah; broken thumbs were a problem. I remember when the 3.5" GI Joes came out with the swivel arm battle grip.... I replaced all my old ones with new mostly 'cos the plastic was more flexible and the thumbs didn't break so much.

Micronauts had a lot of problems. The pins would wear down and not hold so good. (We'd wrap 'em in masking tape.) Some of the figures were fragile too. (I'm looking at YOU; Time Traveller!) The problem seemed more pronounced 'cos they were always my faves and got played with to death. AND rebuilt often. (I still have the green Space Glider my grandpa got me on my 8th birthday. He's been repainted a few times and is currently a delightful shade of John Deere green. Maybe I should make him a baseball cap to go with it?)

The He-Man guys are another good example. I HATED the pose 'cos there wasn't a lot you could do with them. I would have MUCH preferred the new ones.

Don C.