Computer Warriors: Romm (w/ PC Board)

 

While I have a lot of fond memories of 80's & 90's toys, Computer Warriors is not one of them. I vaguely remember seeing this line, but with it's short life space (it ran from 1989 to 1990) and no animated series to accompany the toys, I'm sure I'm not the only one that doesn't have a strong connection to this line. That isn't a dig meant towards this line as it does have some great designs. I'd love to dive deeper into the series, however price and availability are issues.

The premises behind the series is decent, but the real star of the show are the toys themselves...well at least some of them. I don't have the cool computer, Pepsi can or even the transformable soccer ball. The only sealed example I could find (and afford) was one from the basic series with that being Romm and his transforming PC Board. The artwork used on the packaging was beautiful and really painted a great picture of what it would be like to play w/ the various toys. Like with a lot of 80's toys, there was a small bio for the character on the back of the packaging.

My first impression upon removing the toy from it's aging blister card was a little underwhelming. The PC Board (that transforms into a glider) was made of a very thin plastic. You'll notice it's gold and yes, it does suffer from GPS (Gold Plastic Syndrome). Shortly after I finished taking these pictures part of the board snapped in half. This is a known issue with old gold plastic so I should have thought to handle it with more care.

In addition to the included Romm figure, there is a small gray blaster and an additional piece that holds the figure in place when in glider mode.

One side of the PC Board has pre-applied stickers that gives it a rather convincing look of circuitry, while the back of the board has molded details. The board is rather small and made of thin plastic, but overall it looks pretty decent. There are small ports on each side that allow the two included accessories to be attached when in glider mode.

The small harness can be attached the bottom of the board allowing the Romm figure to be attached. I assume this was more for storage so that everything could be kept in once place when not in play?

Transforming the PC Board into glider mode is rather simple, just rotate each side down and out to for the wings. Attach the harness to the middle and the gun onto the tip. For the most part, Romm fits snugly into the harness. When handling/transforming the toy, just be mindful of those "hinges" on each side as they can become brittle.

Romm here is the heroic leader of the Computer Warriors faction. All of the Computer Warrior figures are just 2 inches tall with 4 points of articulation - shoulders/legs. The back of the figures are made to look like computer circuitry. I had some photos to show this detail, but they got corrupted as I took these images years ago.

Overall I like the idea behind this line. There were some great toy lines back in the 80's that featured smaller figures (Dino-Riders, M.A.S.K. all come to mind) so I liked the smaller play pattern. Of course I'm also a fan of transforming toys so had this series had better exposure and possibly some sort of media tie in (there was an animated VHS "series" released) then maybe more kids would have been on board? 

If you are in the market to acquire some Computer Warrior toys, packaged and sealed specimens can be found on eBay, but be prepared to pay for some of the larger sets.

WWE Basic Collection Series 1: Batista

This is a first for Random Toy Reviews today. I often review toys from lines of which I grew up playing with, but today I'm going to venture into a type of action figure that I've never played with as a kid or even owned. Wrestling figures. Today we're going to take a look at one of the figures from Mattel's newly acquired WWE licensed series 1 action figure line. If you are like me and wondered how Mattel would handle the WWE super stars as compared to Jakks Pacific (the last company to hold the license) then take a few moments as we look at Batista!

I gotta say that I really like the packaging...well at least the front. The blister card is rather slim in design and allows a good view at the wrestler depicted on the back of the card. The back of the card however is another story. I understand Mattel's desire to want to sell other figures, but the cross sell is a little overkill here. There is only one small picture of the actual product and it is at the bottom of the card. Usually the item you're buying is largely depicted on the card with the thumb nail like pictures of the cross sell items across the bottom. Yeah it really isn't that big of a deal, but it still bugs me some.

Upon the first time picking up on these packages I was surprised to notice the air holes on the sides of the blister bubble. The first time I had ever seen this done was with Mattel's very own Masters of the Universe Classics line. I'm guessing this is geared to the collector's who don't want to open their figures, but worry that the plastic could degrade and break down inside the package without proper air flow. Personally I think that idea is silly. I understand the desire to collect figures and not open them (I have all of the Cobra figures from the 25th Anniversary G.I. Joe series carded, in display cases on my wall @ home), but the idea of the plastic deterating inside the package? I'm sure though to a lot of fans and collector's alike the air holes are a welcomed addition to the packaging. You can also see a small action shot if you will of the product printed on the small piece of cardboard insert.

Here you can see Batista freed from his plastic & cardboard prison. My first impression of the figure is that he seems pretty solid and the likeness is fairly spot on. I know that Dave Batista is a very chiseled athlete, but the sculpting of the muscles on this figure just seems to rigid and stiff. The tattoos resemble the real thing which really surprises me. The red used for his outfit is too bright in my opinion and that really takes away from the overall presentation.

Just take a look at the detail on the large tattoo that covers the majority of Batista's back. Amazing. Kudos to Mattel for giving this as much detail as they did. Too bad this detail can't be seen while packaged as I think this could be one of the figure's strong selling points.

As I mentioned earlier I thought Mattel did a fantastic job capturing the likeness of Batista in plastic form...especially in the face. While the figure may not be as bronze or oily as Batista on a episode of Friday Night Smackdown, they were able to capture a lot of his facial features down to his signature gotee. Having never bought or paid much attention to the Jakks Pacific figures in the past it's hard for me to comment or make comparisons, but I'm going out on a limb and say the likeness of the Mattel figures is much greater to the athletes than what was produced in the past.

What good is a wrestling figure you may ask if you can't pose it in a number of ways? Well I'm happy to report that this figure isn't lacking in the articulation department. I count 20 points of articulation to be exact. The head and rotate a full 360 degrees as well as up and down. The arms can rotate 360 degrees at the shoulders, biceps and wrists. Both the elbows and the wrists also bend back and forth. You can rotate the figure 360 degrees at the waist. Legs are articulated at the waist, but can only be moved back and forth. Knee joints bend as well as the ankles. The feet can be swiveled 360 degrees as well. There isn't any toe articulation as seen in other 8 inch scale action figures...but I like that. It gives the foot a more solid look and stable base. Batista's right hand is sculpted in manner which would give you the idea that he could hold something while the left hand is sculpted in a more open position. I'm also happy to report that the plastic used for the elbow and knee pads is made of a soft flexible plastic so it doesn't hinder the articulation in those areas. The knee pads on my figure do slightly move up and down, but for the most part are fixed into place...they are not removable.

I'm a sucker for action figure stands and I'm happy to see more stands included with the toys. The stands are rather simple, made of black plastic with the now classic WWE logo recessed in the center of the stand. There is one peg that firmly rests in either peg hole on the bottom of the figure's feet. Also included is a thin cardboard name that clips into the front of the stand. While I feel this was a cost cutting measure versus stamping the names on each stand it still is a nice little touch. I just foresee these name tags easily being lost or damaged down the road.

I grew up watching wrestling with my grandfather and older brother. Many of my memories of my grandfather include gathering at his house to watch the then quarterly pay-per-view events. We watched more NWA/WCW growing up, but I remember the flashly WWF broadcasts back the in the day. Flash forward to 2010 and it's clear to see that the WWE hands a firm grasp on the professional wrestling genre. I can see from a business perspective why Mattel wanted to jump in the ring (no pun intended) and manufacture wrestling toys, specifically WWE toys. I'm sure this will be a cash cow for Mattel if they continue to make the figures as they have with this newly released series 1. All in all I have to say that I'm fairly impressed with Mattel's take on the 8 inch scale wrestlers. The attention to detail, articulation and overall likeness of the characters are handled very well and I'm sure the WWE loyal will appreciate this and gobble up just about everything that is released. Will I buy any more of these figures? I doubt it, but that isn't because the figures lack quality. If you are a die hard wrestling fan I believe you will like what Mattel has done with the license. As for me, I'll just stick to watching wrestling on TV and stick w/ my other action figures.