RetroBlasting concludes its Super Powers feature with a look back at the Kenner action figure line from 1984-1986! #RetroBlasting #SuperPowers #SuperFriends #Kenner
yup and McFarline toys did just that, only these ones don't have the old action features the original ones do, they do have a lot of characters that weren't in the original line or were canceled in the original line such as Robin (Jason Todd), Nightwing, Deathstroke, Peacemaker, Green Lantern (John Stewart), and a few others I can't think of
I played so much with mine. I was lucky and had so many of them. When I grew up, I gifted them to my little cousin and he also played just as much. I am glad they brought joy to so many kids
The superman vehicles do make sense, as he uses them when he's weakened by kryptonite. In that tv era, there were few other ways to weaken the man of steel, so these vehicles could get alot of mileage in your family room!
This brings back so many wonderful memories my parents bought me the entire super powers action figures including the Hall of Justice for Christmas 1985 one of the best Christmas I ever had.
I owned the Lex-Soar 7 and I remember being pretty impressed with it. As a bonus, you get a hunk of Kryptonite with it that you could probably put in the Hall of Justice play set.
I had the full first run of the '84 line in December of that year, including the HoJ and vehicles. My parents had a penchant for display, and it was MAGICAL. A year later, my folks managed to get a huge chunk of the '85 line, including the Darkseid vehicle, which gave me my very first muscle cramp ever. I loved that collection, and I took very good care of them. We went looking for that later figures everywhere we went. I'll never forget the coup of nabbing Martian Manhunter at a bowling event, of all things. At the time, he was really hard to find where I was. Of all my toys, the loss of those is the one that hurts the most.
Mike and Melinda, great video! I remember getting a new Super Powers figure every time I went with my mom to K-Mart. A Super Powers figure and a Slurpee from the snack bar. Great memories.
I'm sure the exclusion of the Invisible Jet was because... Well... It's invisible. Whenever I needed a way for her to get around I'd just pose her as though she was sitting down and my imagination would do the rest
On the show (well before the toyline, so they used the Corgi toy car design) he needed it when creatures from the Sun working with Luthor turned the Sun red. I think there was another episode where Superman needed it because he lost his powers, too, but I can't remember it. Not sure what the comic reason was but I think it showed up there, and was homaged in the excellent Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures In The 8th Grade miniseries.
I just remember it having these stupid hands that came out of the side. It seemed like they sent a pair of 1st-graders out for an hour to work on it and that's what they came back with. I just never bought the idea of Superman needing a vehicle to do anything because of his seemingly unlimited power.
RedBengal That was the point (at least in stories). Superman LOST his powers and the threat was big enough that he needed a vehicle. I didn't say it was good but that was the reasoning. I think it looks cool, but I agree that it's odd for Superman to need a vehicle, especially Golden/Bronze Age Superman.
This is my favourite RetroBlasting video ever! I love the Super Powers Collection and the folks at RetroBlasting did an amazing job with this video as they do with all of their videos. Michael and Melinda are the best!
I just rematched this video again. It is still one of the very best. I will never forget that visit to K-Mart with my mom many moons ago. I found a Flash comic I liked and she let me get it. As we walked around the store to complete our shopping, I kept admiring the ad on the back cover of the comic. It was for the Kenner Super Powers Collection. It was so captivating, and really made me want to get the figures. It wasn’t until a short time after this and another visit to K-Mart when I finally found the figures on the shelf. The first one I grabbed was Aquaman and the rest is history. Such great memories, rekindled in such a positive manner thanks in part to RetroBlasting and these wonderful videos. Thank you, Michael and Melinda!
I couldn't afford Super Powers (GI Joe maxed the budget) so reinvented the line via the Fisher Price Adventure people with small party balloons draped over their heads for masks and various tricks for capes and wings. My neighbor had the Super Powers line, and we intermingled them by calling my line the JSA (the Earth 2 Justice Society of America).
I started collecting Action Figures in 1994 when my son turned 4 with Super Powers! Despite the line ending in 1992 our local Toys R Us still had quite a selection of Super Powers and, surprisingly, even a few leftover Secret Wars figures. I still have maybe 3 of each left. About 2002-2004 the Action Figures became my hobby.
Yes, I'm watching this again. I think I like to see videos of you diggin' in boxes. Dig in more boxes. It makes me want to dig in boxes. Also I recommend watching kids diggin' in boxes. I Love watching them light up with joys.
The Killerman Murphy Show unfortunately he can't due to the fact that there is just too many projects in the works at this time he would like to do it at some point but to be honest he just doesn't have the complete set right now but be assured that as soon as he does it is on the list of reviews he wants to do although it's very long down the list so for now you will just have to do with the super powers reviews sorry hope that answers your question and as always have a great retro day
Man, I totally missed out on these guys in my youth. These are amazing! Also I can understand Superman with a space transport. While he can fly through space by himself, I could imagine a pressurized cabin would be far more comfortable.
Great review! I just subscribed. I just found the ITW Super Powers figures on EBay. They have the characters that Kenner Super Powers did not create. They have Batgirl, Catwoman, Man Bat, Santana, Huntress, and many more.
I absolutely love this feature. Sometimes, I still wish I had collected these when I was a kid (Darkseid was the only one I was able to get my hands on), but I am fortunate and happy DC Universe Classics came along. These videos are a great tribute to that era of DC.
Me too. The Dc Universe Classics line enabled to me to more or less complete my Super Powers collection with the figures that I had been missing for a long time. Also, DC Universe Classics are cheaper and that helps. Granted they're not the same scale, but getting them with better articulation and better paint jobs is excellent IMO.
"Holy Re-Boot, Batman!" I seriously laffed out loud at that one... that pun was so bad it was awesome! Well now every time I make my Braniac figure kick, I'm gonna be compelled to say "this is how THIS computer boots and re-boots".
While I didn't grow up with these This history of the show and toy line is still super interesting Poor poor Cy, dc just never knows what to do with him. I do love his interchangeable cannons, it's a feature every Cy figure should have
Oh Thank you. I finally know more about the Blue Bat Mobile! I loved playing with the switches and catching figures with the rear catcher. But it was my dad's and I was only allowed to play with it a little. Good news it's still in great condition because it was barely played with.
I disagree on the Lex Soar 7 it was awesome, with the grabby claw feet and the kryptonite was the macguffin for many of my own play times. Super well made. LOVED IT!!!
Another wonderful episode you guys! I remember borrowing my friend's Superman figure once. After about a week of playing I gave it back to him at school. He went on to say "Oh thanks! I forgot that I lent him out." He proceeded to throw him as high as he could in the air screaming "SUPERMAN!", and as the toy came down he missed catching it and the head broke off. I just shook my head and walked away.
I think this was the most entertaining video so far!! Firstly, poor Vader not even being able to "thumb" a ride and then the dancing Mike! Please tell me Melinda was filming and in fits of giggles. Finally, more Brainiac as previously promised to me. Thanks a million for a fantastic video.
Amazing - great memories! I had the Supermobile as a kid. Can vividly remember getting the Joker figure and taking it with me to local hotel that night as we went for a family meal. Good times.
Boy, if those are the toys you grew up with, you certainly did a fantastic job of maintaining them. Either you or somebody was one careful little kid! Thanks for the video.
Very nice. It's obvious both of you (let's not forget Kirby and Sasha) are really enjoying what you are doing. And that's a pleasure to watch each time.
Another fantastic video review. I have to say though, as a 4 year-old who received the Supermobile for my birthday, I was ecstatic. It meant that you could use the front to punch through lego walls and the underside could grab villains. I just figured Superman wanted a break from flying through space. Same goes for when Superman flys in the Javelin during Justice League TAS.
My brother and I had Green Lantern and Aquaman. We had loads of GIJoe, Transformers, Star wars, some gobots, MASK, HeMan and various others (voltron etc). All of our toys fought "Christmas wars" against each other in our basement. The 2 lone Super Powers guys were the leaders of each army: "Lantern Force" and "Aqua Force"
I've had the judo chop Robin (where you pinch his legs not hit the yellow switch) When I got him he was missing his arm that doesn't chop, so I made one of out clay and baked it, then did a clear coat of nail polish, and that's how he's sat on a shelf for over 15 years :) one of my favorite pieces I've done even though it looks like he stuck his left arm shoulder deep in a hornets nest XD just nostalgic of my middle school customizing days
They even made darkseid size scaled appropriately. Great line. They re did the green lantern figure later for the Robin Hood Kevin Costner toy line. It would be cool if Kenner did an updated version of this
Great video, I used to have a few of the "Super Powers" figures, well technically from Toy Biz's line "DC Comics Superheroes" line. I had Superman, The Flash, Lex Luthor, Mister Freeze, The Riddler, and The Penguin. I had a Wonder Woman for a little bit, but it broke to easily. They were pretty cool figures for the time. There was also a similar line with the 1989 Batman movie as well as a line of Marvel Superheroes. Action Figures were so simple back then. Also kudos for that dance scene, those figure sure looked like they were getting jiggy with it.
12:39-- I swear I did see an invisible jet toy within the Kenner/SP toy lineup sometime in the year 1986-- it was in the catalogue behind WW's action figure pack, along with the Supermobile and Bat Mobile although the Bat Copter was not shown at all. That much I still recall then as a 9-year old kid.
I was disheartened to learn the Tower of Darkness prototype meet its demise during Hurricane Sandy, in the basement of its designer Rich Roland. It was one of those 80s toy prototypes I had always hoped would be found.
I had the Supermobile. It protected Superman from stray Kryptonite, Red Suns, and Orange Suns. Know your comics! It was from the comics! And a giant spider should never be anywhere near Superman! lol
You know what would've been an amazing vehicle? Brainiac's iconic skull ship. Give it a handle on the underside, a green lid that comes off, a trap door to jettison intruders, and a command chair among other features, and it could've been the Millennium Falcon of the Super Powers line.
People always call out the spider-mobiles, but it was a real thing in the comics, and It even plays a major part in Old Man Logan as the super-powered car they get around in.
Oh, thank you for not sugar coating the reason Cyborg didn't come when the show was still on! I believe the same thing happened to Clamp Champ in the Master of The Universe line too!
But they did release a Cyborg figure in the second run...was it racism or simple economics based on sales? I mean Kenner was no stranger to action figures sales at that point, having released the Star Wars line which included many black characters!! Maybe they were like not racists, but then later got REALLY racist, but then got over it a few months later? LOL Seriously...Way off base. Stick to facts and not personal lame beliefs.
