3" Dino-Riders Awesomeness

I had a lot of toys growing up in the 80's, but none of them were Dino-Riders. I vividly remember the toys, the cartoon, even the comic book that Marvel released under the Star Comics imprint! I loved the concept. What little boy didn't like dinosaurs growing up? I've often looked at Dino-Rider toys for sale on the secondary market, but their (usually) high cost always deterred me from making a purchase. Well I finally got my hands on some Dino-Rider toys, well at least the action figures.

I found a nice handful of figures floating around the 8 boxes of toys I purchased about a month ago. I've been so busy cleaning up the Generation One Transformers and their parts for my eBay store, that I shoved all the non-TF stuff off to the side. Wanting to mix things up a bit I grabbed one of the bins I had already separated and immediately went for the Dino-Rider figures.

From left to right:

Fang, Mako, Sludj, Kraw, Krulos, Snarrl, Termite, Six-Gill

I also found a handful of the human Valorian characters, but let's face it those guys are boring compared to villains, the Rulons! These figures stand about 3 inches tall, just bigger than your M.A.S.K. action figures. These small figures sport knee articulation as well as the standard neck, arm and leg. The figures are loaded with sculpted detail. Combine that with the various animal types and the Krulons are some great looking villains. I was tempted to keep a few of these guys, but I've got enough toys as is! That said I didn't want to miss the opportunity at sharing these figures here on the blog before they are off to their new home(s).

Krulos is the ruler of the Rulons. He is a frog like creature and wears a dome like helmet. From my research this is the series 2 version of the figure, originally available in a two pack. In the cartoon he was voiced by none other than Megatron Frank Welker! Krulos does have a little more heft than some of the other Rulon figures.

Fang is a member of the Viper clan. His leader, Rasp, is always trying to usurp the throne from Krulos. This is a pretty cool looking figure. The hooded snake head looks great, but I'm not wild about the metallic gold jump suit. It appears many of the Viper clan figures share this same mold, just with different colors. He was originally available in series 1 as part of a two-pack w/ Mercury.

Mako is a member of the Sharkurr clan, lead by Hammerhead. This was always one of my favorite action figure molds from the series. The head sculpt alone is pure win. He was original packaged with the dinosaur, Monoclonius.

Sludj is a strange creature, so strange I'm not sure what animal he is modeled after. He's very cool though and has a look all his own. He was original available in series 2 as part of a two-pack with the Valorian Mind-Zei.

Kraw is part of the crocodile like characters. This guy is loaded with detail, from the scales on his arms and legs to his fierce looking teeth. I believe this guy is basically a grunt however. He was originally available in series 2 as part of a two-pack with the Valorian Graft.

Snarrl is another member of the crocodile clan and another grunt from what I can tell. He and Kraw share the same mold, just with new colors. The red "turtle neck" and yellow "leg warmers" however here look awful. He was originally available in series 2 as part of a two-pack with Ursus.

Termite is a member of the Antmen clan. For whatever reason this figure just doesn't do anything for me. I guess I prefer humanoid sharks and crocodiles over humanoid ants! He was originally available in series 1 as part of a two-pack with Boldar.

Six-Gill, love that name, is also a member of the Sharkurr clan. I can't find any information for this character so I'll assume he also is a grunt type character. Sharp looking figure, even with the gold pants. He was originally available in series 1 as part of a two-pack with Orion.

These are some great looking figures and it really makes me want to explore more of the Dino-Riders toys, but I'll have to practice some restraint and stick to what I know best, Transformers.

Oh, alright.  I guess I can share a few of the Valorians since I've already mentioned them. This is Questar, leader of the Valorians. This figure seems slightly bigger than the others I have...odd. The figure just seems bland to me. Maybe it's the silver headband he's wearing that turns me off. In the cartoon he was voiced by none other than Bumblebee Dan Gilvezan! This figure was originally available in series 2 as part of a two-pack w/ Krulos.

Mind-Zei is a blind warrior that has a sixth-sense. In the cartoon he often helped Questar by giving him advice on how to handle whatever he faced. He is also Serena's grandfather. This toy reminds me a bit of Alex Sector of M.A.S.K. Being that he is blind I also think of Lynx-O from the Thundercats. This version of the figure was originally available in series 2 as part of a two-pack with Sludj.

This is the aforementioned character, Serena, grand daughter of Mind-Zei. I believe she is the only female figure released in the line. She has the ability to heal others and also sense when others are in trouble...kinda like a Spidey sense! She is voiced by Noelle North, more famous for her role as Slouchy Smurf. She also voiced Vivian Montgomery from the first JEM mini-series. This version of the figure was originally available in series 2 as part of a two-pack with Skwirm. This must be a hard to find figure or just highly sought after. Within 5 minutes of listing her on eBay as part of my new store, she sold for $20! Maybe I had her under priced, hmmm?

The 80's produced a lot of great ideas and toys. It's a shame more of these toys are readily available for lower prices as it appears the Dino-Riders line would have been a blast to play with. I'm glad I at least had the chance to experience the figures first hand.