Had this toy as a child and loved it to pieces, literally. Buck Rogers, Micronauts, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Space: 1999, the 70s offered kids a lot of incredible sci-fi.
Man this brings back memories. I don’t remember why, but I remember at one point this Star Fighter was the primary vehicle for my Bo Duke action figure.
I actually preferred the Starfighter to my X-wing as it was easier to put a figure into it and the cockpit didn't keep flipping open. Looking back, I wish I had built a fleet of these ships as they were a favorite. They were in the Sears catalog for about $14.99 which, I guess, was a lot of money back then. Great memories of this ship.
Yes somehow I ended up with the hatchet fighter that was the monogram model kit. The Buck Rogers ships I definitely wish I'd had those when I was 9 years old. Crazy part is I remember seeing them in the stores well into mid 80s in backstock.
I had one of these as a kid. I remember thinking how much more flimsy it was compared to my X-Wing. And I did, in fact, break one of the back landing fins off and had to glue to back on. That being said, I did enjoy it,
I'm glad you described it as 'One' of the most iconic space ship toys of the 70's, cuz, as we all know, the Space:1999 Eagle Transporter is THEE most iconic space ships of the 70's. ;-)
I'm really glad you keep bringing up the Fisher Price Adventure People in these videos. So many successful toy-lines from this era owe their success to Fisher Price for coming up with the idea for this figure scale and the vehicle/play-set concepts that became the standard for so many action figure lines. And as you mentioned, the Adventure People were much higher in quality and durability than anything that followed. This was a truly great line of toys that I used to play with long before and after Star Wars, Dukes of Hazard, or any of the others.
I had the Star Wars ships but this Buck Rogers Starfighter was the prize of my collection. I adored this vehicle. I'd like to get another one now as an adult. It was such a cool ship.
Had the whole line as a kid plus the star fighter. The plastic rear engine cone split on mine. Star fighter was recommissioned by me as a kid into a snowspeeder. I would jam an ESB snowtrooper rifle in the rear of the cockpit to complete the look. The painted figures in the commercial look incredible. Does anyone remember a Micronauts ad with Baron Karza on Oberon the horse’s wheeled body coming out of the sand? I KNOW I saw it, but it’s not on the mego reels. Brian, thanks for all the great content in stressful times. It’s visual comfort food
I've heard the cones can split, I don't display mine assembled for that reason. There is probably some Micronauts commercials left to discover out there, hopefully some day. Glad you're digging the content, I'm having fun making it.
I have the model kit but I so wish I could have had those Buck Rogers toys back in the day! But enjoying other people enjoying them on the Internet is pretty nice too.
This thing was huge in comparison. I always found the Marauder to be made more sturdy than this ship. Any fins, inserted at an angle, and used for landing gear, will never survive the inevitable, "why'd you step on it!!?!!" little brother! Great, great toy. Fantastic vid!
I had one of these broke the landing skid 1 day after christmas:-( Loved it though, but my favorite was the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA viper launcher. Nerf vipers slingshotting off a landing deck!
i had all the figures and broke off thumbs trying to get *any* weapon to fit in those brittle little hands, but i loved buck rogers and the articulation. i didn't have the ships, i had a starfighter model i used and my best friend had the marauder. we always coordinated our purchases so we didn't have duplicates, lol.
I'm speechless. How the heck did you find one of those birds in that kind of condition?! Everything I've ever seen on eBay has been in varying degrees of yecchh and sadness. Holy smokes. Yours looks brand new. So very impressed! Thank you for sharing it with us.
I one of these too... I loved the Buck Rogers line. I still have my original Mego figures but not the Starfighter. I remember thinking I wish the canopy had “glass”, lights and sounds just like the Kenner X-Wing. Thanx for a great video. :-)
Man I wish I would have had this one as a kid. Alas, I had only a few of the figures. Buck Rogers was my favorite show as a kid and I should have had more.
Speaking of BUCK ROGERS, any chance on seeing a video on the Draconian Carrier? You could load cardboard fighters you could shoot out with rubber bands and a pistol grip below the toy.
Your right about it being the original concept for the colonial viper. The reason for this is a) the guy who oversaw the sfx (can't remember his name) worked for ILM on Star Wars and wanted something that was original and wasn't an x-wing knockoff . b) NBC Universal who I think produced BSG for ABC though I could be wrong, wanted something more X-wing like to bring in the Star Wars fans.
In the UK there were two versions of this ship in diecast metal form, one is hotwheels size and the other is about 6 inches. I think the larger one has a button on top to retract the wings or something.
I've got all of the Buck Rogers action figures (large and small), but I have only one spaceship- the Laserscope Fighter. It has no sound, and only the red light works. The Laserscope works fine as well. I bought an extra Buck Rogers figure to keep inside the ship. You may have damaged your X-wing and TIE fighters, but I never had any to damage. I still don't! It' s something I'll eventually get around to doing. I don't have a Millenium Falcon either, but I do have a Twin-pod Cloud Car. Feeling envious?
Loved this toy ship as a kid. And I don't know if I wrote this before but I used to see Aoron Grey at the comic book convention I used to go to for years. She used to sit beside Richard Hatch, one of the nicest people dudes I've ever met. Loved seeing them. But Rich died just before they moved Wondercon to Anaheim CA. Never forgive those greedy shitheads for doing that. Great choice for review. Like the Battlestar galactica stuff too. Ooh la la.
In the studio scale model world we refer to the BR Starfighter as the Thunderfighter. As to the origin of the name I have no idea. It sounded cool so we went with it.
@@BrickMantooth Most likely it goes back to Ralph Mcquarrie. Even the guys that filmed the miniature referred to it as the Thunderfighter. This stuff is fascinating on all levels, from the show to the toys. So many stories behind the scenes.
These ships do look much better than Kenner's first offerings in the Star Wars line. Mego' Buck Rogers Directorate Starfighter and Draconian Marauder look much more proportionally screen-accurate than Kenner's Star Wars X-wing ang TIE Fighter ships. In the case of the X-wing and TIE, the wings were always too stubby. Great vid. Thank you for sharing, and for the history behind these cool looking toys. 👍👍
i was a huge fan of the show, and the toys as a kid - but with this line and the Black Hole line - i've always wondered why there weren't 5 poa like the star trek figures, which have held up way better than these.
It wasn’t an early prototype of the BSG Viper. It was the selected ship until fairly late in pre-production. It got swapped out for the three engined Viper we know because when they started doing effects work, it was felt it was too hard to differentiate from the Cylon Raider because of how they had to shoot for small screen. The flat ships with twin engines looked too similar in the most often used rear shots, and the ships had to move the same on screen. But the good news was that meant that the Starfighter (Thunderfighter?) was already fully developed and even had some production ready models waiting when they started on Buck Rogers. For Buck Rogers they reversed the look of the ships. With the good guys getting the flat ship while the Draconian Marauder used a somewhat similar profile to the BSG Viper for filming. If I remember correctly the Marauder was built around the same metal armature frame as the Vipers and had the same filming hard points. This way they simply used the same computer controlled camera movements from the Viper to generate the effects footage of the Draconian.
@@BrickMantooth When looking at the Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers ship designs it helps to understand that they were made for television, and the TV's of the day. And one of the challenges that the fresh from Star Wars effects team faced was old school classic televisions had very little sense of visual depth. The only way to really convey motion was side to side. Unlike on a Cinema Screen which due to it's size, resolution and aspect ration they could convey depth and front to back motion (ie Star Wars opening scene). So all of the BSG and BR ships were designed to convey side to side motion each in a slightly different way so as to make them distinct. The best example is the scene from the BSG Pilot that shows up in the shows opening credit, of three cylons in formation from the rear that each do a flat roll to start attacking Caprica.
Beautiful ship! I only own Twiki loose from the Buck Rogers line and more than likely that will be it! Love this ship but prices are insane on this one especially complete with box!!! Great review like always! Thanks for sharing😁👍
I did get "Killer" Kane and Dr. Huer for Christmas in 1980. I do not recall what happened to those figures. Foresight is not 20/20 but hindsite is. I should have put them in a lock box with security.
One thing that I wish had been made but don’t recall seeing was the Ranger one ship, which was a space shuttle style variant, so I wonder if that was a license problem or might have been in phase 2?
I spent my hard earned allowance on Bock, Wilma and twiki. There was no way could afford she star fighter..let alone find one. I was so sad that the faces had no paint on them! But I was a fan and I had to have them. But soon Wilma suffered the same rate as your Buck figure did...and the Dr Theophilus sticker just fell off of twiki. It was heartbreaking for me as after that I could never find them again. So I still to this day...shy away from collecting them.
You can 3D print one if these AND a 3 and 3/4 inch scale colonial Viper now. I have this toy and I love it along with the marauder. I'm still looking for the Land Rover
one guy made a cylon raider and his cylons come with a custom set of legs to sit him inside. i believe he's working on a three-seater atm. several ppl putting out the vipers, though.
@@ryanbarker5217 on thingiverse a guy made Buck Rodgers Hawks ship file for 3.75 figures! I downloaded it and after my Stargate diorama build it's on my list.
Love this ship. My all time favourite Starfighter. I had no idea the 3 3/4 one existed back in the day. I managed to snag one on eBay which I added repros to to complete. My wallet stung. I have no regrets and want another one - even if it does feel a little cheap. I vaguely recall hearing - though don't know if it's true - that both the Buck Starfighter and the BG Viper were rejected designs from Star Wars.
@@BrickMantooth It was definitely either the Viper or the Starfighter - maybe both! I can't recall where I heard it though. Might need to watch some documentaries...
I'd compare the first spaceship toys to something akin to thicker model kits, it was hard to figure out how to make all those bits not break from play and as you mentioned what to do about sharp points. Still as a toy designer I probably would at least glanced at some Adventure People vehicles. ;)
Oh, boy! This toy was a mess! Yes, it was extremely accurate, unlike the Kenner Star Wars ships, but it would never have been made today due to all the QC problems it had. That "soft plastic" the nose cones and engines were made from was so soft it split. Good luck finding an open Starfighter without cracked engines and nose cones, today. The little wings under the ship would constantly fall out and that landing gear was so fragile, I think it broke off the first week I had it. I had to use model glue to put it back together, but it never moved again. Later, I got a second one aa a slightly older kid, and even with me being gentle with it, the engines and nose cones split. DOH! Issac was always my favorite guest star on Buck Rogers, by the way.
Funny how the commercial showcased figures with painted eyes. I always wanted Buck and Wilma to have removable pistols too. That molded gun and holster always made me angry. But Buck’s thumbs would have broken anyway.
Brick Mantooth, I really wish that someone would come forward and create a vintage line of these figures, along with The Black Hole and other lines. Just not Super7.
What's your feeling on the repro starfighters being created via 3d printing? I know the starfighters are famous for broken and missing engines and nose cones.
@@BrickMantooth I'm there with you. The Mego 8 in figures have enjoyed a longer life across a broader audience since repro clothing, for something like twenty years now.
It’s probably not so much an homage, as some shared design history. Rogue One went back and made use of a lot of unused ILM and Ralph Macquarie art and designs. All of the original BSG designs were done by what became later ILM and Ralph had some small hand in it. So both ships probably trace back to some unused concept doodle Ralph or ILM did in trying to dream up Star Wars ships.
Do you remember Luke Skywalker's day Dream in the Marvel Comicbook Series STAR WARS #17 in 1978 (Still Only 35 Cents), the fighter ship that was alongside his in that daydream (From the Side view) Is what I thought of when I saw the Earth Defense Directorate Star Fighter In the Cinema for the first time. Coincidence? They are even called Star-Fighters.
Draco, who played such a huge part in the TV series. :) Wasn't he played by Roddy McDowall in the movie/pilot or am I misremembering? I have to get my DVDs out.
Draco was played by Joseph Wiseman in the movie, but his parts were cut out (he was also Dr. No - the classic James Bond villain). But for whatever reason, they still released him as a toy (I guess they had already started the toy production).
had they made one in a 3.75" scale, the viper would have been my favourite. to each their own, of course, but the viper just struck me as being a cool, sensible design, and i liked the compactness that i thought would make for a great toy.
I always wanted one so I could pretend Luke Skywalker would run across Buck out in space and they could have a epic battle between the XWing and this star fighter but I never saw one at my local Kmart or Wal-Mart 🥺
it seems all the collectibles are top dollar at the moment, but i don't know why. that's another reason why i'm going to be looking to sell my Black Series 6" soon while it's still valued for more than i paid for it.
Brick Mantooth, seriously, you have a great channel. I was born in ‘73 and your topics of discussion bring back fond memories of those pre ‘80’s toy treasures! Ultimately, the 80’s has the over-all ‘best’ toys but the stuff from the late 60’s thru the 70’s was pure magic.
yeah, pass on BSG... but pick up 'the black hole.' i think there's concept art showing how the starfighter was originally going to be the viper, so i don't think that's a rumour. i agree, mattel made a mistake by not offering ships regular figures could sit in, although the smaller scale they did make are awesome. i wish they had made an apollo and with the articulation of BR, but at least all my BSG figures still have their thumbs, which i can't say about my BR figures. on the flip side, i'm not missing any buck rogers guns....
I've said it before. If these toys had the same detail as the commercial they would of been great. Maybe one of those new toy companies will remake them and Battlestar Galactica. As a kid I loved both shows but the figures didnt compare to star wars. Even when these were in the clearance bin they were an easy pass.
oh, there are several people 3D printing BSG vipers in 3.75" scale and one guy makes a raider with a custom cylon leg set. it's been said many times already -- people are making better toys than the toy companies.
@@ryanbarker5217 The same guy is making both those toys. Robert Bergeron. I'm talking about the figures. Maybe the guy making the new classic kenner figures can do it. Smith Lord.
Here is an idea for a video. Why did matel not make vehicles for the 4" battlestar galatica line? An idiot could see the success kenner was gaving making figures and vehicles yet a giant corp like matel couldnt figure it out?
You know, something Marty Abrams said really resonates with me "Everybody thought Star Wars was a fluke". I bet Mattel was just hedging their bets on Galactica but yeah I'd love to know why. I mean to me, a Gen X kid, a figure sized Viper would have been awesome.
@@BrickMantooth yes, my point exactly. Star wars had an Xwing and tie fighter, micronaghts had an assortment of vehicles so did Buck Rodgers ever 12" Gijoe ,Barbie and the bionic man had vehicles. A viper an Raider should have been a given? How stupid do you need to be matel?
These videos are pure gold. Its 1980 and im a kid again
thank you very much, that's really nice to hear.
Had this toy as a child and loved it to pieces, literally. Buck Rogers, Micronauts, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Space: 1999, the 70s offered kids a lot of incredible sci-fi.
Awesome episode. Looks like Isaac is helping, too.
Thanks, Issac is my production assistant here, I'd be lost without him.
@@BrickMantooth Isaac, rules!
Man this brings back memories. I don’t remember why, but I remember at one point this Star Fighter was the primary vehicle for my Bo Duke action figure.
Bo Duke in the 25th Century!
Boss Draco and Rocoe P Kane are gonna get them Duke boys.
I actually preferred the Starfighter to my X-wing as it was easier to put a figure into it and the cockpit didn't keep flipping open. Looking back, I wish I had built a fleet of these ships as they were a favorite. They were in the Sears catalog for about $14.99 which, I guess, was a lot of money back then. Great memories of this ship.
I feel the same way. I never got one and they were almost blink and you missed them!
Yes somehow I ended up with the hatchet fighter that was the monogram model kit. The Buck Rogers ships I definitely wish I'd had those when I was 9 years old. Crazy part is I remember seeing them in the stores well into mid 80s in backstock.
Every video with Issac makes me happy
I had one of these as a kid. I remember thinking how much more flimsy it was compared to my X-Wing. And I did, in fact, break one of the back landing fins off and had to glue to back on. That being said, I did enjoy it,
I had to tape most of my vehicles back together.
I'm glad you described it as 'One' of the most iconic space ship toys of the 70's, cuz, as we all know, the Space:1999 Eagle Transporter is THEE most iconic space ships of the 70's. ;-)
Yeah, I would agree with you there.
She's a beauty... Always reminded me of the snowspeeder...haha Issac.
He gets around.
I'm really glad you keep bringing up the Fisher Price Adventure People in these videos. So many successful toy-lines from this era owe their success to Fisher Price for coming up with the idea for this figure scale and the vehicle/play-set concepts that became the standard for so many action figure lines. And as you mentioned, the Adventure People were much higher in quality and durability than anything that followed. This was a truly great line of toys that I used to play with long before and after Star Wars, Dukes of Hazard, or any of the others.
Oh yeah, big fan of that line.
I had the Star Wars ships but this Buck Rogers Starfighter was the prize of my collection. I adored this vehicle. I'd like to get another one now as an adult. It was such a cool ship.
I would say, you are absolutely right, time and time again, it is the spaceships that are the real stars of any space opera.
"Mego's only successful science fiction line of the late 1970s"
Micronauts: "What are we, chopped liver?"
I guess I meant to say "licensed" or "Post Star Wars" as the Micronauts were pre-Star Wars and a huge success.
(Great video by the way, I always wanted one of these! :) )
@@microbry thanks! appreciate that.
Had the whole line as a kid plus the star fighter. The plastic rear engine cone split on mine. Star fighter was recommissioned by me as a kid into a snowspeeder. I would jam an ESB snowtrooper rifle in the rear of the cockpit to complete the look. The painted figures in the commercial look incredible. Does anyone remember a Micronauts ad with Baron Karza on Oberon the horse’s wheeled body coming out of the sand? I KNOW I saw it, but it’s not on the mego reels. Brian, thanks for all the great content in stressful times. It’s visual comfort food
I've heard the cones can split, I don't display mine assembled for that reason. There is probably some Micronauts commercials left to discover out there, hopefully some day. Glad you're digging the content, I'm having fun making it.
Love that toy 😊
me too!
I have the model kit but I so wish I could have had those Buck Rogers toys back in the day! But enjoying other people enjoying them on the Internet is pretty nice too.
I wasn't allowed to have them as a kid.
This thing was huge in comparison. I always found the Marauder to be made more sturdy than this ship. Any fins, inserted at an angle, and used for landing gear, will never survive the inevitable, "why'd you step on it!!?!!" little brother! Great, great toy. Fantastic vid!
The Maurader has a design that makes it more solid but ug, the canopy is always broken. That's why i didn't include it in this video.
I had one of these broke the landing skid 1 day after christmas:-( Loved it though, but my favorite was the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA viper launcher. Nerf vipers slingshotting off a landing deck!
Yeah, that was a fun toy as well.
I didn't even know this was around as a kid. I would have flipped over it. Not that I have any tears, there was still --- Star Wars :)
I was denied buck figures as a kid but it wasn't heart breaking because...Star Wars.
i had all the figures and broke off thumbs trying to get *any* weapon to fit in those brittle little hands, but i loved buck rogers and the articulation. i didn't have the ships, i had a starfighter model i used and my best friend had the marauder. we always coordinated our purchases so we didn't have duplicates, lol.
I saw Buck Rogers and battlestar galactica in the theaters.
I wish I could say that.
Same here. Two very memorable experiences.
I'm speechless. How the heck did you find one of those birds in that kind of condition?! Everything I've ever seen on eBay has been in varying degrees of yecchh and sadness. Holy smokes. Yours looks brand new. So very impressed! Thank you for sharing it with us.
Even though I didn't have these as a kid, I loved both seasons of the series and your videos make me feel like a kid again!
That's so awesome to hear, thank you!
Parabéns pelo vídeo
thank you.
Impressive lookiing !
I think so.
I one of these too... I loved the Buck Rogers line. I still have my original Mego figures but not the Starfighter. I remember thinking I wish the canopy had “glass”, lights and sounds just like the Kenner X-Wing. Thanx for a great video. :-)
I wondered about the lack of "glass". The laser scope got it but not the other vehicles
Man I wish I would have had this one as a kid. Alas, I had only a few of the figures. Buck Rogers was my favorite show as a kid and I should have had more.
I was fan of the series as a kid as well.
It was great. I still get out my DVD set and watch it from time to time. It was my introduction to the character, who remains my favorite space hero.
@@ShadeofJeremy I just did a rewatch of the first season, it's so fun.
@@BrickMantooth Yeah, I'm about due for a rewatch myself. I could use some Buck Rogers fun about now.
Speaking of BUCK ROGERS, any chance on seeing a video on the Draconian Carrier? You could load cardboard fighters you could shoot out with rubber bands and a pistol grip below the toy.
i had the star fighter, my friend had the marauder. we coordinated our toy purchases.
Your right about it being the original concept for the colonial viper. The reason for this is a) the guy who oversaw the sfx (can't remember his name) worked for ILM on Star Wars and wanted something that was original and wasn't an x-wing knockoff . b) NBC Universal who I think produced BSG for ABC though I could be wrong, wanted something more X-wing like to bring in the Star Wars fans.
Never had the Buck Rogers Mego but I still have my Dukes of Hazzard Mego
In the UK there were two versions of this ship in diecast metal form, one is hotwheels size and the other is about 6 inches. I think the larger one has a button on top to retract the wings or something.
I remember having a gold Cylon. I think I had to mail away for it.
It was a mail in figure.
it must have come out on a card because i had one and never sent in mail aways.
I've got all of the Buck Rogers action figures (large and small), but I have only one spaceship- the Laserscope Fighter. It has no sound, and only the red light works. The Laserscope works fine as well. I bought an extra Buck Rogers figure to keep inside the ship.
You may have damaged your X-wing and TIE fighters, but I never had any to damage. I still don't! It' s something I'll eventually get around to doing.
I don't have a Millenium Falcon either, but I do have a Twin-pod Cloud Car. Feeling envious?
I remember using the Twin Pod Cloud Car as the gun from "the Black Hole"
Thanks for the great video man!
Loved this toy ship as a kid. And I don't know if I wrote this before but I used to see Aoron Grey at the comic book convention I used to go to for years. She used to sit beside Richard Hatch, one of the nicest people dudes I've ever met. Loved seeing them. But Rich died just before they moved Wondercon to Anaheim CA. Never forgive those greedy shitheads for doing that. Great choice for review. Like the Battlestar galactica stuff too. Ooh la la.
It's great stuff isn't it?
Did the Starfighter have an actual name, such as The Colonial Viper?
I had a cylon 😀 want another one , when I can 👍🏾
In the studio scale model world we refer to the BR Starfighter as the Thunderfighter. As to the origin of the name I have no idea. It sounded cool so we went with it.
Yeah i just discovered that while doing this video, couldn't find the origin.
@@BrickMantooth Most likely it goes back to Ralph Mcquarrie. Even the guys that filmed the miniature referred to it as the Thunderfighter. This stuff is fascinating on all levels, from the show to the toys. So many stories behind the scenes.
These ships do look much better than Kenner's first offerings in the Star Wars line. Mego' Buck Rogers Directorate Starfighter and Draconian Marauder look much more proportionally screen-accurate than Kenner's Star Wars X-wing ang TIE Fighter ships. In the case of the X-wing and TIE, the wings were always too stubby.
Great vid. Thank you for sharing, and for the history behind these cool looking toys. 👍👍
i was a huge fan of the show, and the toys as a kid - but with this line and the Black Hole line - i've always wondered why there weren't 5 poa like the star trek figures, which have held up way better than these.
As a kid, I really liked the articulation.
@@BrickMantooth yeah me too - made them fit in with my joes :) these days though, i like the simple aesthetic of 5 points :)
So many broken thumbs and O-rings.
It wasn’t an early prototype of the BSG Viper. It was the selected ship until fairly late in pre-production. It got swapped out for the three engined Viper we know because when they started doing effects work, it was felt it was too hard to differentiate from the Cylon Raider because of how they had to shoot for small screen. The flat ships with twin engines looked too similar in the most often used rear shots, and the ships had to move the same on screen. But the good news was that meant that the Starfighter (Thunderfighter?) was already fully developed and even had some production ready models waiting when they started on Buck Rogers. For Buck Rogers they reversed the look of the ships. With the good guys getting the flat ship while the Draconian Marauder used a somewhat similar profile to the BSG Viper for filming. If I remember correctly the Marauder was built around the same metal armature frame as the Vipers and had the same filming hard points. This way they simply used the same computer controlled camera movements from the Viper to generate the effects footage of the Draconian.
THanks for the clarification, I'm not really big on Galactica but knew I had read something to that effect.
Makes sense.
@@BrickMantooth When looking at the Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers ship designs it helps to understand that they were made for television, and the TV's of the day. And one of the challenges that the fresh from Star Wars effects team faced was old school classic televisions had very little sense of visual depth. The only way to really convey motion was side to side. Unlike on a Cinema Screen which due to it's size, resolution and aspect ration they could convey depth and front to back motion (ie Star Wars opening scene). So all of the BSG and BR ships were designed to convey side to side motion each in a slightly different way so as to make them distinct. The best example is the scene from the BSG Pilot that shows up in the shows opening credit, of three cylons in formation from the rear that each do a flat roll to start attacking Caprica.
Beautiful ship! I only own Twiki loose from the Buck Rogers line and more than likely that will be it! Love this ship but prices are insane on this one especially complete with box!!!
Great review like always! Thanks for sharing😁👍
Thanks for watching, yeah I'm shocked to see how much prices have gone up on these!
@@BrickMantooth prices are up on everything right now, but i can't explain why, particularly with everything going on at the moment.
I did get "Killer" Kane and Dr. Huer for Christmas in 1980. I do not recall what happened to those figures. Foresight is not 20/20 but hindsite is. I should have put them in a lock box with security.
One thing that I wish had been made but don’t recall seeing was the Ranger one ship, which was a space shuttle style variant, so I wonder if that was a license problem or might have been in phase 2?
I spent my hard earned allowance on Bock, Wilma and twiki. There was no way could afford she star fighter..let alone find one. I was so sad that the faces had no paint on them! But I was a fan and I had to have them. But soon Wilma suffered the same rate as your Buck figure did...and the Dr Theophilus sticker just fell off of twiki. It was heartbreaking for me as after that I could never find them again. So I still to this day...shy away from collecting them.
You can 3D print one if these AND a 3 and 3/4 inch scale colonial Viper now.
I have this toy and I love it along with the marauder. I'm still looking for the Land Rover
Yeah that did not escape my gaze, they look really cool!
one guy made a cylon raider and his cylons come with a custom set of legs to sit him inside. i believe he's working on a three-seater atm. several ppl putting out the vipers, though.
@@ryanbarker5217 on thingiverse a guy made Buck Rodgers Hawks ship file for 3.75 figures!
I downloaded it and after my Stargate diorama build it's on my list.
Love this ship. My all time favourite Starfighter. I had no idea the 3 3/4 one existed back in the day. I managed to snag one on eBay which I added repros to to complete. My wallet stung. I have no regrets and want another one - even if it does feel a little cheap.
I vaguely recall hearing - though don't know if it's true - that both the Buck Starfighter and the BG Viper were rejected designs from Star Wars.
I've never heard that before!
@@BrickMantooth It was definitely either the Viper or the Starfighter - maybe both! I can't recall where I heard it though. Might need to watch some documentaries...
I'd compare the first spaceship toys to something akin to thicker model kits, it was hard to figure out how to make all those bits not break from play and as you mentioned what to do about sharp points. Still as a toy designer I probably would at least glanced at some Adventure People vehicles. ;)
The Marty Abrams quote is over a black-and-white photo of James Bond (Roger Moore) for the set of the film Moonraker.
It's a picture of Marty Abrams with Roger Moore. I used it because it's a nice picture.
Oh, boy! This toy was a mess! Yes, it was extremely accurate, unlike the Kenner Star Wars ships, but it would never have been made today due to all the QC problems it had. That "soft plastic" the nose cones and engines were made from was so soft it split. Good luck finding an open Starfighter without cracked engines and nose cones, today. The little wings under the ship would constantly fall out and that landing gear was so fragile, I think it broke off the first week I had it. I had to use model glue to put it back together, but it never moved again. Later, I got a second one aa a slightly older kid, and even with me being gentle with it, the engines and nose cones split. DOH! Issac was always my favorite guest star on Buck Rogers, by the way.
Funny how the commercial showcased figures with painted eyes. I always wanted Buck and Wilma to have removable pistols too. That molded gun and holster always made me angry. But Buck’s thumbs would have broken anyway.
I think the holstered guns bugged me a little too as a kid but I also thought they looked cool.
Brick Mantooth, I really wish that someone would come forward and create a vintage line of these figures, along with The Black Hole and other lines. Just not Super7.
What's your feeling on the repro starfighters being created via 3d printing? I know the starfighters are famous for broken and missing engines and nose cones.
I'm ok with it personally as long as reproductions are marked somehow.
@@BrickMantooth I'm there with you. The Mego 8 in figures have enjoyed a longer life across a broader audience since repro clothing, for something like twenty years now.
I wonder if he ever repaired that Buck Rogers figure.
@5:28 -- Isaac, my man! Outta sight!
Have you ever noticed the main Rebel ship from Star Wars Rouge One looks similar to this ship? Or am I just seeing things?
I hadn't noticed at the time but totally!
It’s probably not so much an homage, as some shared design history. Rogue One went back and made use of a lot of unused ILM and Ralph Macquarie art and designs. All of the original BSG designs were done by what became later ILM and Ralph had some small hand in it. So both ships probably trace back to some unused concept doodle Ralph or ILM did in trying to dream up Star Wars ships.
@@andrewtaylor940 i can buy into that.
Issac is ready to serve drinks after each mission?
Absolutely.
You beat me to it, lol! Julie in Wilma Dearing's costume maybe?
@@bobastu hahaha maybe.
Do you remember Luke Skywalker's day Dream in the Marvel Comicbook Series STAR WARS #17 in 1978 (Still Only 35 Cents), the fighter ship that was alongside his in that daydream (From the Side view) Is what I thought of when I saw the Earth Defense Directorate Star Fighter In the Cinema for the first time. Coincidence? They are even called Star-Fighters.
I remember "Crucible"'s cover vividly but not the contents.
Draco, who played such a huge part in the TV series. :) Wasn't he played by Roddy McDowall in the movie/pilot or am I misremembering? I have to get my DVDs out.
McDowall is on planet of the slave girls but he isn't Draco.
Draco was played by Joseph Wiseman in the movie, but his parts were cut out (he was also Dr. No - the classic James Bond villain). But for whatever reason, they still released him as a toy (I guess they had already started the toy production).
Issac gets around.
He's a busy guy.
Yeah, but I'd rather have Buck's Starfighter over a Viper, X-wing, Tie, or any other, well except maybe a Gunstar. Cool review!
had they made one in a 3.75" scale, the viper would have been my favourite. to each their own, of course, but the viper just struck me as being a cool, sensible design, and i liked the compactness that i thought would make for a great toy.
I always wanted one so I could pretend Luke Skywalker would run across Buck out in space and they could have a epic battle between the XWing and this star fighter but I never saw one at my local Kmart or Wal-Mart 🥺
I had this but the wings fell off over time.
Isaac FTW!
He's our executive producer.
@@BrickMantooth it was a nice touch. It’s like he was saying “Wilma, set course...for LOVE.” And then Jack Jones enters the launch bay...
I've been stalking these on eBay lately. I lose every bid because my wallet says to me, Dummy! What are you doing? You can't afford that!
Yeah my wallet and I have that conversation on a weekly basis.
it seems all the collectibles are top dollar at the moment, but i don't know why. that's another reason why i'm going to be looking to sell my Black Series 6" soon while it's still valued for more than i paid for it.
I got the box yesterday! now I can fly the starfighter box around and look at the packaging as if its the toy. vwoooooosh
Your wallet lies.
@@haroldellis9721 evil wallet and its folds! curses
Serious injury indeed!
Oh yeah, it's a weapon.
Brick Mantooth, seriously, you have a great channel. I was born in ‘73 and your topics of discussion bring back fond memories of those pre ‘80’s toy treasures! Ultimately, the 80’s has the over-all ‘best’ toys but the stuff from the late 60’s thru the 70’s was pure magic.
yeah, pass on BSG... but pick up 'the black hole.'
i think there's concept art showing how the starfighter was originally going to be the viper, so i don't think that's a rumour.
i agree, mattel made a mistake by not offering ships regular figures could sit in, although the smaller scale they did make are awesome. i wish they had made an apollo and with the articulation of BR, but at least all my BSG figures still have their thumbs, which i can't say about my BR figures. on the flip side, i'm not missing any buck rogers guns....
i loved Buck Rogers and had every figure...and 2-3 Twiggis. BDBDBDBD
i wish they made his girlfriend. Boo-D-Boo-D
I've said it before. If these toys had the same detail as the commercial they would of been great. Maybe one of those new toy companies will remake them and Battlestar Galactica. As a kid I loved both shows but the figures didnt compare to star wars. Even when these were in the clearance bin they were an easy pass.
oh, there are several people 3D printing BSG vipers in 3.75" scale and one guy makes a raider with a custom cylon leg set. it's been said many times already -- people are making better toys than the toy companies.
@@ryanbarker5217 The same guy is making both those toys. Robert Bergeron. I'm talking about the figures. Maybe the guy making the new classic kenner figures can do it. Smith Lord.
@@magnumrex i couldn't remember his name.
i'm sure about the figs if there was a market for it to make it worth his while.
Here is an idea for a video. Why did matel not make vehicles for the 4" battlestar galatica line?
An idiot could see the success kenner was gaving making figures and vehicles yet a giant corp like matel couldnt figure it out?
You know, something Marty Abrams said really resonates with me "Everybody thought Star Wars was a fluke". I bet Mattel was just hedging their bets on Galactica but yeah I'd love to know why. I mean to me, a Gen X kid, a figure sized Viper would have been awesome.
@@BrickMantooth yes, my point exactly. Star wars had an Xwing and tie fighter, micronaghts had an assortment of vehicles so did Buck Rodgers ever 12" Gijoe ,Barbie and the bionic man had vehicles.
A viper an Raider should have been a given? How stupid do you need to be matel?
@@cuda70gt7 I agree, I mean I get not making a massive Galactica but the viper? Yeesh.
@@BrickMantooth exactly! Imagine a galactica and cylon base star play set or a Landram to fit the 4" figs.
Why matel? Why ?