MAXx FX

[LonnieFisher]

They were only $5 at a local discount place back in the day. I bought a lot of them. Most are long gone now. And none are packaged anymore. Just so you know, the parts make great pieces for 1/6th scale customs!! I made a few G.I. Joe custom Freddy figures.

[ironman1188]

Another tale of potential that was too easily wasted.

[Saroyan]

Some of those proto monsters are F@#$%#$@ awesome! One the one hand, I hate that they never got made- on the other hand I'm relieved they never got made- so I don't have to search for them!!!

[PoorMansJB]

Turns out that Matchbox ran this series straight into ground at the starting gate.

While Krueger might have been a poor choice for Matchbox to lead with, I've always blamed over-reaction by religious groups to that character for killing Maxx before he ever really got rolling ... as opposed to concept or marketing (though one reason I never really cared for Maxx was that the base character was so generic and Ken-like).

I recall around this same time a campaign against Masters of the Universe products for their tempting of children into worshipping false gods.

What with interest in Krueger, et al, never completely dying out, I could see a relaunch succeeding. On the other hand, in the intervening years Universal has gotten much more protective of its properties so licensing of Frankenstein, Dracula, etc. could be a show-stopper.

Outside the toy line -- that is, the comic book and so on -- there was much more emphasis on the backstory of Captain Action himself (which I believe is also the case with the current revival) and it would be interested to see Maxx relaunched with some kind of history ala Lon Chaney (or Dick Smith or Rob Bottin); for whatever reason I had always imagined Maxx was someone along the lines of the Bryan Brown character in the movie F/X (in part because that was released in the same year as Maxx).

[palitoy]

While Krueger might have been a poor choice for Matchbox to lead with, I've always blamed over-reaction by religious groups to that character for killing Maxx before he ever really got rolling ... as opposed to concept or marketing (though one reason I never really cared for Maxx was that the base character was so generic and Ken-like).

If you read Mel's account of what happened, it's more Matchbox's fault than anything. The religious groups were upset (rightfully so IMO) with the marketing of a plush Freddy to children, not so much Maxx. Matchbox did a kneejerk move and killed both products.

It was unwise to lead with Freddy but downright stupid to make a plush of a child killer. The adult collector community wasn't recognized then.

[MIB41]

In this day and age, it would be no big deal. But back then, toys were still considered to be primarily a kids market. The collectors were not figured in yet. In many ways this was a toy ahead of it's day.

[bizzaro megomauler]

a shame... this line would have become legendary.

[Jason73]

I remember seeing the Freddy figure when I was in my late teens. I really wanted one but at the time felt I was too old for toys.

[darkmonkeygod]

a shame... this line would have become legendary.

Oh yeah. The lack alone of that first assortment pictured on the package is a great loss for toys, but once you get into the whole story of it, it's just a stunning shame. Mel's original idea, a smart update of the superhero concept with the special effects expert as the main character with a cybernetic villain would have been a later-day Captain Action. Then Matchbox being willing to spend the money to pad out the concept with such wide licensing? Lightening in a bottle to my mind. I honestly think this could have reinvigorated so many character brands and predicted what we've seen come to pass by a number of years.

This line more than any other is the one I wish I could see ALL the production work from. We're so lucky that Mel kept records of his concepts and creations and is willing to share them, much less that he is the genius he is. Now if only some of the people involved in the later production would come out of the woodwork...

[MIB41]

The late 80's and early 90's were a pretty tough time on the action figure industry. Even Star Wars was a struggling line at that point. I think the excesses of the figure market in the 70's and 80's had run their course and were hitting a dry spell. Plus kids back then just had a different attitude about toys. Lets face it. This was a period when liking any kind of toy was viewed as pretty uncool. This was the peak of the MTV age. So any digression from that established image did not go over well with kids. You were either a pre-schooler watching cartoons or a young adult trying to find your night life with the proper soundtrack. This figure just came at the wrong time.

[HumanWolfman]

This line was ahead of its time and would have been amazing had it survived. I would kill for that werewolf!

JF

[Nostalgiabuff]

were the bodies used still marked Mego?

[Enik24]

If only I had that creature and Alien...

[darkmonkeygod]

Many know how you feel.

[Toy Talk]

I have two of these in my collection, one open and one packaged. By far he is one of the coolest pieces I have. It is a real shame the line was killed the way it was.