I remember getting a pair of 'Hit Stix" for Christmas around 88/89. The gimmick was that they had a little amplifier and you were supposed to be able to play them in the air. It was impossible to not miss a beat! I also remember the Pogo Ball being fun occasionally.
I loved Captain Power. Especially the VHS tapes you used with the toys. As far as forgotten toys, Robotix. I loved that they had motors, and the commercials had the synthesized voice saying "Robotix!" I wished lego, constructs, Robotix, erector sets, etc. all worked together.
I was 100% all in on Captain Power. My parents hated the line, but I scrimped and saved to buy the relatively expensive ships/playsets myself. I also had a huge pile of Construx, which, for some reason, I used exclusively to build buildings for my Super Friends to destroy. The only toys carried by the hardware store my Dad hung out in were the Starriors, so I had a huge chunk of that line (and I loved them). I had a weird version of the Mighty Men toy. Mine was called "Little Van Go", and instead of creating monsters or superheroes, you assembled the plates to make pictures of custom vans. It was super weird, and I have no idea where it came from, meaning it was probably a hand-me-down from an older cousin. I spent hours making low-resolution images of 70's conversion vans.
6:24 I’m 50 years old and I still say “the power of the future is in your hands” I couldn’t remember where I got that from until now, and I never had the toys I just remembered the commercial I guess. On that same nit I still say/sing “Zack, Zack, he’s a Lego maniac” lol
My sister and I had Monster Maker and fashion plate. We had endless fun swapping plates with each other and make really crazy creations. The planes didn't fit into each other set but we made do. They need to bring that back
No the pain of both matter of fact I wound up running across 2 constructs pieces when sorting through Lego of mine the other day literally like 2 days ago. The pain depending on the piece could be about equal although some pieces worse than others especially a certain Lego pieces. And yes I have seen plenty of discussions online about which is the most painful Lego piece to step on and I'm pretty sure what are the Batman helmets might be up toward the top even the old Two by Two by Two brick is a contender. I remember usually when I step on a Lego piece I'd make this horrendous sound that I could not reproduce otherwise and yeah you almost couldn't breathe for a second all you can do is basically suck in air and sometimes no sound would come out when you almost scream or try to that is seriously
Starriors and Captain Power….nice. Still have some of the toys. Spinjas I always wanted to get but by the time I found out about them they hadn’t been available for years. 😢 This at least explains why Mega Bloks turned into Mega Construx. I don’t remember that line yet I feel I should since it was right around my childhood….interesting.
There was an automobile version of the monster maker called something like "Little Van-Go's" where you used 3 different plates to make a custom van. A friend of mine had the monster & the van one, otherwise I probably wouldn't remember them.
There are so many more wonderful forgotten toys from my childhood: Sectaurs, Crystar, Chubbles, Dungeons & Dragons action figures, Wrist Racers, Stomper 4x4, Blackstar, Penny Racers, Key Cars, Tyco Cliffhangers, Creepy Crawlers, thanks for the nostalgia
Thank you for watching! Wow, you listed a ton of great forgotten toys there. I myself (Tony G.) had Sectaurs, Crystar (just Crystar, nothing else from the line), lots of Stompers (love them!) and Creepy Crawlers.
Construx was one of my favorite toys as a kid, great building set, hours of fun and imagination. I think this one mostly went away because of Legos, they were more plentiful, came in a variety of colors, had more diverse play sets and themes, and tended not to wear out as quickly(the plastic connecting joints would often break or wear down over time).
@@timebaby3 That was very likely the case, though Construx was just better if you were wanting to make bases or vehicles for use with your action figures.
@@RetroDaze very true, but I found them best for making vehicles, especially space ships, since many of the sets had a space theme to begin with and came with little astronaut figures.
Great list. I had a bunch of Starriors growing up. I also had Captain Power, though that came as a gift. Recently I got to meet Captain Power himself at JoeFest this year. Got a signed photo and a replica of the badges they wore to power up in the field.
@@RetroDaze Well, it was his first convention appearance in roughly 20 years, and quite a few people did stop by the table to talk with him. He was great to talk with and my brother even has his email to further communications with him.
My brother and I had a couple of the Starriors toys, as well as a neighbor. We often played together, and shared each other's characters. My neighbor also had the Mighty Men plates, which first developed my interest in creating my own superheros. I'm not a professional comic book artist, and I'm self taught, but still to this day, enjoy creating my own superheros. And it all started with these Mighty Men plates. And I've been trying to remember for years now, what it was called that first kicked my Interest, off. Thank you for the nostalgic look back. 🙂👍
My grandparents had an old box of construx that I remember playing with whenever we would go to their house to visit. I’m guessing they were my uncles when he was little. Had some good memories just messing around with them in their basement around Christmas time.
Welcome aboard CDR! Thank you for checking out the video! Construx definitely had a lot going for it in terms of versatility and longevity of play. You could do so much with the sets.
Construx was a massive part of my childhood! I made racecars, construction vehicles, spaceships and starfighters, transforming robots, boats, castles, bases, guns, fantasy weapons, shields, and armor! I once made my own Ghostbusters proton pack and ghost trap!
I had a bunch of these! Construx were a huge hit with my brothers and I well into the 90s. I loved Captain Power and was crushed when it ended, but the Mighty Men Monster Maker was a shock of nostalgia! I played with that thing for ages.
I remember having a few Starriors. The brown one with the drill and that purple one with the saw blade. They were perfect with gijoe adventures as a kid! Had a couple zoids too. Those captain power figures were actually decent. Had captain power. Kmart had all that stuff and usually ended up on clearance. And this kid loaded up back then!
I had Spinjas, I believe it was the orange battle box set. I do remember one of them looking like a corn on the cob. As for the bonus toy, man... I haven't thought about that for like 35+ years! I loved that figure drawing set, I used to add armor and weapons to them and make them more unique. It's amazing how just seeing something can bring memories that were long buried.
It truly is. Smells as well! Glad we could bring The Mighty Men & Monster Maker back to the forefront of your mind. It inspired us to get creative, and for some it was their first introduction to their love of illustration.
The pile of random 80’s toy parts is so relatable! Several years ago, adult me was in my parents’ attic & found a tin container full of mystery weapons, armor, broken parts, etc. I made it my mission to find a rightful home for every piece!! After lots of online sleuthing, identifying & listing on eBay - I’ve helped unite lost parts with collectors for all, except an unidentified handful!! Pieces from: Micronauts, Sectaurs, GI Joe, GoDaiKin, Transformers, Starriors, Power Lords, etc!!
I had the mighty men and monsters toy. It was actually really good for someone who couldn't draw squat. The first thing to do was learn how to follow the lines with the crayon so you got only the outlines on the paper and not a fuzzy blob. After a while I gave it to a friend of mine who was even more interested in drawing comics. He loved it to death..
@@RetroDaze my brother still has his. I remember being disappointed that the weapon he came with didn’t look like the one on the show. The only Captain Power toy either of us ever had.
I remember Starriors, though not specifically by name. I think I had the good guy one with buzz saw, and I specifically remember the bird things that flip over and turn into a speeder. I also loved my Mighty Men and Monster Maker. Pretty sure I gave that away or something. Wish I still had it.
I remember Starriors Wastors. I love how you get to wind up and activate their lasers, saw blades, screws, etc. It's a shame it didn't last long because of the Go Bots and Transformers line. I also didn't know it was based on a Japanese toy line called Zoids.
I had a ton of Construx. I got them for Christmas & my birthday multiple years. My friends & I had so much fun building our own stuff. Most of my Construx survived & my 2 sons played with them too.
The Powerman ones I remember because I had a friend that had one of the toys and VHS tape. Tried it once and it was not very accurate with where the things hit, but I imagine that is because the VHS does not register hits from the light gun, but the light gun did pick up on hits from it. An interesting toy that made me wonder if my jet with detachable flightstick would work for it. Spoiler, it wouldn't, it was not a light gun.
OMG, I had two sets of the Mighty Men & Monsters Makers!! I was probably a bit too young to fully understand how to use it, but totally remember how cool those designs were!!
@@RetroDaze Yes, but we didn't watch the show over cable, we had the VHS tapes. I would imagine the blinking lights could be affected by broadcast quality? I don't think the show was on for very long.
Wow 😮!! Your video has helped me identify more 80’s toy parts I have… So far, including: the little construction driver from Construx and the small yellow side guns from Starriors. Thanks!!
Construx was a good mid point between Lego and Technix when I was young. At that point Technix was much more advanced than today. Contrux was awesome for unstructured building and could build almost anything. I built helicopters, buildings, scuba gear, rifles, space craft, glasses, planes, and even a stand to sell gum. Thanks for showcasing it.
New subscriber here, I've been really enjoying these "Forgotten Toys of the 80s" videos! That was the best breakdown and presentation of the Captain Power line ever! I have a decent collection of ships and figures including a sealed in box Interlocker and also a boxed Power On Station with CP fig ... Fantastic videos and I can only imagine how much work went in to producing these! Thanks RetroDaze and I look forward to more awesome content! 😁
Thank you so much!!! Very glad you enjoyed the coverage of Captain Power. There was a great deal of money and effort put into that Captain Power TV show and toy line. Really wish it would have been a bigger success and went on for a few more years.
I had a lot of the Starriors line, though until this video I forgot what there were called. The armored battle-station, Deadeye and Hotshot were my favorites. My younger brother had at least one of the Captain Power jets and a few of the VHS tapes. I had the mighty men and monster maker kit and also loved that one, it really helped when I starting drawing at a young age.
I had Robot Man!! My mom bought it for me at a small chain store, one of those stores that sold everything. From clothing to school supplies, to toys I actually, accidentally (under line that!!) Found my 🤖 Robot Man. It was in the the basement, in the cupboard. I opened the door-and, SLAMMED it!!-laughing, it was a day before my 9th birthday. My though..what's she laughing at?? 😮-Then she realized-I found my birthday present!! So, I got it a day early. The following year, I got a Cabbage Patch Kid with a "dummy" in its mouth. My mom half-assed wrapped it..and-put it on the top shelf in the spare room, where I couldn't get into it..or see it. She learned her lesson!!😅
I LOVED my Constructs! They were an endless form of entertainment for me as a child... Lots of little pieces sacrificed to mom's vacuum cleaner though... 😂😂
I'm so late to the party, but I had a Robot Man doll as a kid and I loved him so much. I remember the heart on his chest opened up to reveal (I think) a four panel interface, but only one panel was a real button. That's how the theme song was played. Also, my older sister had the Fashion Plates. I was only mildly into that tho
Construx were an amazing toy for the time. I built so many things with them when I was young. For example, I was a huge Doctor Who fan in the 1980s and I actually used the construx toys to build a working Tardis console. Its moving central pillar was motorized and driven by the power pack and motors provided in some of the kits. For children with an imagination these were amazing toys that you could build all sorts of things from. Other than Motu it is the strongest toy memory from my childhood.
I loved my set of Construx and I used them all the time as a kid. I built ships, space stations, laser blasters, race cars and lots of other things. It was an awesome toy!
8 of my family members and I packed into a van and drove from Michigan to Mississippi to see other relatives. I brought my Spinjas on the road trip. They were a great time killer.
Subscribed. I remembered watching the first pilot commercial for “Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future”, as it aired as a commercial within a commercial, or rather, it was made as an “interruption of a commercial” and a “message from the future” given by Captain Power himself. I had only the figure of Captain Power and I also remembered the TV shows, too. The last episode I remember watching was one of Power’s soldiers sacrifices themselves and I was shocked and saddened that it happened.
Thank you for subbing! But yeah, the TV show was really well done, and the million dollars per episode is apparent. Too bad season two didn’t make it to production.
So I think you might have gotten one thing wrong, Mega Construx to my knowledge isn't supposed to be a rebirth of the Construx toy line, but rather a rebrand of their mega bloks line, that's why they look like Legos. Construx was a great line and came with some great figures, most rare is the lizard man figure only released with their T-Rex kind of creation. Sadly Construx don't hold up overtime the plastic gets weak and breaks easily now days.
I don't remember the Captain Power TV show but I remember the VHS tapes - we'd play with those. The Monster plates were sold through the 80s - that commercial was from the 80s. I had that and my sister had the fashion plates one. Many hours coloring with those things
We had Robotman comic strip in the San Jose Mercury News, San Jose, California. I had forgotten about it until watching this video. It was a good strip back in the day.
Monster maker I never got me into drawing but remembered it from when I took an archeology class in high school. My private school I attended had that class and the teacher used the monster maker as a hands-on approach on learning how to stone rub.
Thanks for making this! I had a few of these toys. I was describing Starriors to someone earlier, and they had only the vaguest recollection of it. Speaking of "forgotten toys," I sometimes feel like I'm the only one who remembers Robotech Robolinks, haha
I think they were going for a combination of LEGO and Transformers. Essentially, little robots that transformed into blocks, with a bunch of guns, wheels, and wings to use as accessories. In Japan, I believe the line was called "Combination Warrior Blockman," and had nothing to do with Robotech/Macross.
A funny thing about me was I rarely got toys, but I frequently consumed the expanded universes if comics and animated series. I read the Starriors conic (I still have the whole series) and loved the Captain Power TV show! Though am I misremembering the series ending an issue early? Either way, now you have me wondering about these Starrior mini comics that I've never read!
I still have my Spinjas- I wish I'd been able to get more when I was a kid. I had a bunch of Construx sets too- I had a spaceship set that that had light-up pieces and a battery pack, I always thought that was pretty cool. I remember building a kind of glove with a hook on a string at the end, like I was going to swing my arm and grab things with the hook, then reel them in. I also had the Robot Man doll, I must have seen it in the store and just impulsively asked my parents to buy it for me, because I don't remember knowing anything about it outside of it being this doll that I had. I remember running back inside to get it once because someone was going to take a picture of me and my friend and in the moment I thought "WAIT this needs my stuffed guy in it."
Me and my brother were nuts with captain power, we had lot of sets, main ships n all, the tapes, and we would eagerly await using them on show every Saturday lol, was great for the time IMO, I remember I started to get so into shows story, that I would vhs tape episode, so I could re watch 2nd time without shooting at screen so I could pay attention better lol, we even had like the dress up battle armor stuff where we became characters playing
Captain Power was a pretty cool line I used my Lord Dread and Soaron a lot with my Joes. Starriors I had a lot of them they were pretty cheap to get at Kay Bee back in the day.
I second Bone Age as a previous commenter already mentioned. I'll also add the Super Naturals made by Tonka I think. And the most obscure toy line I can think of. The Gammasite Parasites made by Matchbox.
I still have a rubbing plate kit that I got for like my 8th birthday called little van goes. You can create variations of tricked out 1980s style vans.
Great Video! I don't know if Construx, Captain Power or Starcom from the part one video are really forgotten though. Mega Force is one Forgotten Toy line I would like seen covered , but that may be early 90s.
Megabug Gladiators. Now, they were released in 1979, but they were by far some of my favorite toys growing up. I had all three: scorpion, spider and dragonfly.
In 7:25 1600,ΔΡ The price tag in this is from greece counting for 1600 Δραχμες-drachmas for us back then,also the two red lines above & below shows the label was from our classic price tags which stuck in the boxes everywhere destroying the original box as well!!! 😅 In today's currency in euros we have is 4.696 in dollars 4.93! Back in the day i don't remember those or had any,they are truly toys that were forgotten as we say here,maybe i came across from them,their name rings some bells but i was into joes allot & playmobil back then! 😉 Awesome video man thanks for sharing this is really awesome i really love those bits and tats!
Oh man! I had quite a few Starriors as a kid. These days I just have the mini-comics, the Marvel comics mini-series, and the books that used to have records with them. I had several Construx sets, including some of the military ones. I would build for hours with them, making bases and vehicles for my other toys. I remember even making a version of the Tigersharks airship since I thought that was cool, but a toy version didn’t exist. I definitely had the Mighty Men & Monster Maker. I would swap the plates around so much and make up stories for my creations.
What a great Video.... I remembered all of these except Robot Man... Sadly, I never owned any of them - But I remember them! I do think I used to come across Construx at Primary School... And sadly, Captain Power never took off here in the UK. I do remember teh toys being released, but I never had any interest in them!
The history of Jim Meddick's Robotman comic strip is incredibly fascinating. In the beginning, the strip was just one prong of the company's attempt to turn Robotman into a multimedia sensation in the vein of Strawberry Shortcake, Rainbow Brite, etc. In the beginning, the strip was about Robotman living with a human suburban family. Most of the gags were about Robotman's bafflement with human culture, or Robotman being in love with electrical appliances. Then after a few years, they had stopped making the Robotman toys and videos, and the comic strip was the only thing left. At this point, Jim Meddick (having no corporate oversight aside from his syndicator, and probably assuming that the strip could be cancelled at any minute) turned Robotman into a sci fi parody strip. Robotman would travel through space and time, meeting characters like Mr. Spock. Eventually, the strip would settle down a bit, with Robotman moving in with an inventor named Monty. The focus of the strip then became Monty's wacky inventions, and his sad-sack personal life. Robotman would continue to appear as the straight man of the strip, until he was replaced (for various behind-the-scenes reasons) by an alien named Mr. Pi and the strip was renamed "Monty". It's a real shame that "Robotman" strips (especially from his creative peak in the 90s) are so inaccessible these days. The earlier (pre-2001) strips aren't archived online, and there were precious few book collections. There are a couple books covering the earliest strips of the 1980s, but only two books were released in the 1990s. "Cyberpunktrek" has selections from the period when Robotman was a wacky sci-fi parody strip, and "Primary Crullers" collects highlights of the "Robotman and Monty" era.
@@daviddalrymple2284 Thank you, David, for that wonderful look back at Robotman’s roots. We greatly appreciate that. It is unfortunate that he didn’t quite catch on like the other characters he was meant to emulate the success of.
I owned and have great memories of the first four-most of them probably sold at a yard sale for much too little (I though nobody remembered Spinjas!). I never had any Robotman merch, but I recall loving the design, plus watching the cartoon and reading some of the comics. Alas, that Monster Maker set was before my time (a bit much in 1978 for a 2-year old!), but I recall the girl's fashion version in the 80s. I wonder if anyone else remembers Squarbles, the square marbles? Literally little heavy cubes you shot at each other with a spring-loaded device.
I had Captain Power and Construx. For Construx I even had the giant glow in the dark space set. I also had some Zoids and the Starrior Sawtooth, though I always wanted the giant cobra shaped battle station.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
I remember getting a pair of 'Hit Stix" for Christmas around 88/89. The gimmick was that they had a little amplifier and you were supposed to be able to play them in the air. It was impossible to not miss a beat! I also remember the Pogo Ball being fun occasionally.
Both of those were for sale in a local vintage toy store some years ago.
Same here!!! I can still feel the plastic and see the bright colors in my mind
I loved Captain Power. Especially the VHS tapes you used with the toys. As far as forgotten toys, Robotix. I loved that they had motors, and the commercials had the synthesized voice saying "Robotix!" I wished lego, constructs, Robotix, erector sets, etc. all worked together.
Loved Robotix as well! You’re right, the ads with the “Robotix” tagline were cool when we were young.
I was 100% all in on Captain Power. My parents hated the line, but I scrimped and saved to buy the relatively expensive ships/playsets myself.
I also had a huge pile of Construx, which, for some reason, I used exclusively to build buildings for my Super Friends to destroy.
The only toys carried by the hardware store my Dad hung out in were the Starriors, so I had a huge chunk of that line (and I loved them).
I had a weird version of the Mighty Men toy. Mine was called "Little Van Go", and instead of creating monsters or superheroes, you assembled the plates to make pictures of custom vans. It was super weird, and I have no idea where it came from, meaning it was probably a hand-me-down from an older cousin. I spent hours making low-resolution images of 70's conversion vans.
Using Construx as a battle area for action figures is perfect!
Now that Little Van Go toy needs to be Googled. We must see this.
@@RetroDaze I Googled after making this post. It appears the actual name was "Little Van Goes". Not sure I got the pun as a six-year-old.
Nah that would have gone right over our heads.
6:24 I’m 50 years old and I still say “the power of the future is in your hands” I couldn’t remember where I got that from until now, and I never had the toys I just remembered the commercial I guess. On that same nit I still say/sing “Zack, Zack, he’s a Lego maniac” lol
That Lego maniac tune was impossible to get out of your head! 😆
Man I loved Spinjas, they worked so well! I remember having crazy battles at school with these toys.
They were very fun! It kind of carried over into Beyblades. The fun of the spin top battles.
Cptn. Power show was surprisingly deep and dark, loved my Dredd throne lol.
Makes one wonder what they had in store for season two before it was cancelled. 🤔
My sister and I had Monster Maker and fashion plate. We had endless fun swapping plates with each other and make really crazy creations. The planes didn't fit into each other set but we made do. They need to bring that back
😂 I can only imagine how some of those must have looked.
Always Great Content? Thank you for the 80' upload! 👍🏻🇺🇲
People who complain about legos have never stepped on a Construx rail or blue square.
@@believein1 😆 They don’t know true pain.
My god the pain, my kids play with my old sets
No the pain of both matter of fact I wound up running across 2 constructs pieces when sorting through Lego of mine the other day literally like 2 days ago.
The pain depending on the piece could be about equal although some pieces worse than others especially a certain Lego pieces.
And yes I have seen plenty of discussions online about which is the most painful Lego piece to step on and I'm pretty sure what are the Batman helmets might be up toward the top even the old Two by Two by Two brick is a contender.
I remember usually when I step on a Lego piece I'd make this horrendous sound that I could not reproduce otherwise and yeah you almost couldn't breathe for a second all you can do is basically suck in air and sometimes no sound would come out when you almost scream or try to that is seriously
D4
This😂
I had one of the Starriors with a saw in his chest. He was pretty cool, I don't know why I didn't get more. Had the Mighty Men and Monster Maker too.
One cool aspect of the Starriors we don’t really mention is that you could swap body parts on them.
Starriors and Captain Power….nice. Still have some of the toys. Spinjas I always wanted to get but by the time I found out about them they hadn’t been available for years. 😢
This at least explains why Mega Bloks turned into Mega Construx. I don’t remember that line yet I feel I should since it was right around my childhood….interesting.
Yeah, Construx sure did change over the years. From an erector style building toy into Legos, basically.
There was an automobile version of the monster maker called something like "Little Van-Go's" where you used 3 different plates to make a custom van. A friend of mine had the monster & the van one, otherwise I probably wouldn't remember them.
Yes! Someone else commented on that as well! Seems like there was quite the variety.
There are so many more wonderful forgotten toys from my childhood: Sectaurs, Crystar, Chubbles, Dungeons & Dragons action figures, Wrist Racers, Stomper 4x4, Blackstar, Penny Racers, Key Cars, Tyco Cliffhangers, Creepy Crawlers, thanks for the nostalgia
Thank you for watching! Wow, you listed a ton of great forgotten toys there. I myself (Tony G.) had Sectaurs, Crystar (just Crystar, nothing else from the line), lots of Stompers (love them!) and Creepy Crawlers.
Construx effin' RULED. It was one of my favorite toys as a kid!
You could do sooo much with them!
Construx was one of my favorite toys as a kid, great building set, hours of fun and imagination. I think this one mostly went away because of Legos, they were more plentiful, came in a variety of colors, had more diverse play sets and themes, and tended not to wear out as quickly(the plastic connecting joints would often break or wear down over time).
@@timebaby3 That was very likely the case, though Construx was just better if you were wanting to make bases or vehicles for use with your action figures.
@@RetroDaze very true, but I found them best for making vehicles, especially space ships, since many of the sets had a space theme to begin with and came with little astronaut figures.
Gosh I love zoids so much.
Zoids definitely went on to greater popularity than Starriors ever had.
I will never forget Captain Power. I loved that toy, I loved the show, and I loved that VHS!
It had plenty of fans and good money behind it. It should have been a bigger hit really.
Great list. I had a bunch of Starriors growing up. I also had Captain Power, though that came as a gift. Recently I got to meet Captain Power himself at JoeFest this year. Got a signed photo and a replica of the badges they wore to power up in the field.
That is awesome! Bet he never thought he’d be signing autographs as a result of that show nearly 40 years later. 😆
@@RetroDaze Well, it was his first convention appearance in roughly 20 years, and quite a few people did stop by the table to talk with him. He was great to talk with and my brother even has his email to further communications with him.
My brother and I had a couple of the Starriors toys, as well as a neighbor. We often played together, and shared each other's characters. My neighbor also had the Mighty Men plates, which first developed my interest in creating my own superheros. I'm not a professional comic book artist, and I'm self taught, but still to this day, enjoy creating my own superheros. And it all started with these Mighty Men plates. And I've been trying to remember for years now, what it was called that first kicked my Interest, off. Thank you for the nostalgic look back. 🙂👍
It is our pleasure Jeff! So glad we could help with that. Thank you for sharing those memories.
My grandparents had an old box of construx that I remember playing with whenever we would go to their house to visit. I’m guessing they were my uncles when he was little. Had some good memories just messing around with them in their basement around Christmas time.
That’s awesome that these toys enjoyed a second life with you during the holidays.
I had some of those Starriors(Zoids)... wish I still did!
Starriors deserves a rerelease by a company like Nacelle!
Starriors were great!! I still have issue # 1 of their comic book on my eBay!!
Fellow toy collector here, wow! Awesome video! I had so many Construx as an 80’s kid! Would play with those forever
Welcome aboard CDR! Thank you for checking out the video! Construx definitely had a lot going for it in terms of versatility and longevity of play. You could do so much with the sets.
Yes! Definitely hours of fun! Now I race Hot Wheels on my channel for fun! @@RetroDaze
Construx was a massive part of my childhood! I made racecars, construction vehicles, spaceships and starfighters, transforming robots, boats, castles, bases, guns, fantasy weapons, shields, and armor! I once made my own Ghostbusters proton pack and ghost trap!
That’s awesome! Some super creative uses there!
I had that Construx helicopter! Wow. I had forgotten all about that.
Glad we could help jog your memory of that!
I Remember all of them, had some of them and still have a few. I have one Starriors and a couple Captain Power toys.
That’s awesome! Do they still work?
Yep. The Jet XT-7 is in working order. Other than that I have a Capt. Power figure. And my little Starrior pull back still rolls.
Ah, the Monster Maker! Just had a flood of memories trigger when I saw that one. Thank you!
It is our pleasure Micah! The Mighty Men & Monster Maker was the beginning of a love for illustration for a lot us.
I had a bunch of these! Construx were a huge hit with my brothers and I well into the 90s. I loved Captain Power and was crushed when it ended, but the Mighty Men Monster Maker was a shock of nostalgia! I played with that thing for ages.
Very glad we could spark a few memories in this one for you! All of these were great fun.
I remember having a few Starriors. The brown one with the drill and that purple one with the saw blade. They were perfect with gijoe adventures as a kid! Had a couple zoids too. Those captain power figures were actually decent. Had captain power. Kmart had all that stuff and usually ended up on clearance. And this kid loaded up back then!
Starriors actually would have fit in well in a G.I.Joe play session. Pretend they are man-sized robots created by Cobra to take out the Joes.
I never owned any Captain Power toys but I rented the videos once. They were surprisingly well acted!
@@StephenDoner And well produced. The company put plenty of cash behind the show.
I had Spinjas, I believe it was the orange battle box set. I do remember one of them looking like a corn on the cob. As for the bonus toy, man... I haven't thought about that for like 35+ years! I loved that figure drawing set, I used to add armor and weapons to them and make them more unique. It's amazing how just seeing something can bring memories that were long buried.
It truly is. Smells as well! Glad we could bring The Mighty Men & Monster Maker back to the forefront of your mind. It inspired us to get creative, and for some it was their first introduction to their love of illustration.
The pile of random 80’s toy parts is so relatable! Several years ago, adult me was in my parents’ attic & found a tin container full of mystery weapons, armor, broken parts, etc. I made it my mission to find a rightful home for every piece!! After lots of online sleuthing, identifying & listing on eBay - I’ve helped unite lost parts with collectors for all, except an unidentified handful!! Pieces from: Micronauts, Sectaurs, GI Joe, GoDaiKin, Transformers, Starriors, Power Lords, etc!!
Well done sir! We salute your efforts.
I had the mighty men and monsters toy. It was actually really good for someone who couldn't draw squat. The first thing to do was learn how to follow the lines with the crayon so you got only the outlines on the paper and not a fuzzy blob.
After a while I gave it to a friend of mine who was even more interested in drawing comics. He loved it to death..
Yeah, depending on your skill with using it, the figure could end up turning out fine or looking like an absolute mess.
I had and LOVED Constructx. I enjoyed as much as my Lego.
You could do so much with them, including create vehicles and bases for your action figures!
I owned 2 Starriors figures, both long gone, and still have my 2 Spinjas sets. And they still work!
That’s awesome! Which Starriors did you have?
@@RetroDaze The brown and tan one with the drill (he featured in all the comics) and a white and blue one that had twin buzzsaw that scissored.
Captain Power's greatest contribution to pop culture was teaching J. Michael Strazinski how to do low budget television.
He cut his teeth on He-Man a bit as well.
@@RetroDaze And Real Ghostbusters.
Soaron “digitizing” people was legitimately terrifying. I absolutely wanted one of the good guy’s suits, though!
Imagine finding one up for auction somewhere!
@@RetroDaze my brother still has his. I remember being disappointed that the weapon he came with didn’t look like the one on the show. The only Captain Power toy either of us ever had.
Did it at least work correctly?
I remember Starriors, though not specifically by name. I think I had the good guy one with buzz saw, and I specifically remember the bird things that flip over and turn into a speeder. I also loved my Mighty Men and Monster Maker. Pretty sure I gave that away or something. Wish I still had it.
Starriors had a great variety. Too bad it didn’t find more success.
I LOVED Starriors! I had the “snake base” and used it for my GI Joes because my parents wouldn’t get me the Cobra Command center
Not a bad stand-in!
Being from the UK, I wasn't familiar with the majority of these toys but still enjoyed watching :-) Everyday is a school day!
Thanks again for watching Jayme!
I had Deadeye and Cricket.
Very cool.
Though the remote control feature was rather limited, I loved that toy.
Yeah, there weren’t a lot of control options, but it was cool to be able to fire the discs with it.
I remember Starriors Wastors. I love how you get to wind up and activate their lasers, saw blades, screws, etc. It's a shame it didn't last long because of the Go Bots and Transformers line. I also didn't know it was based on a Japanese toy line called Zoids.
I loved Starriors. My little brother had many, and I think I messed with them more than he did.
How about Robotix??
Excellent toy line! A few folks have suggested it.
I had a ton of Construx. I got them for Christmas & my birthday multiple years. My friends & I had so much fun building our own stuff. Most of my Construx survived & my 2 sons played with them too.
That is awesome! Passing down the fun to the kids.
The Powerman ones I remember because I had a friend that had one of the toys and VHS tape. Tried it once and it was not very accurate with where the things hit, but I imagine that is because the VHS does not register hits from the light gun, but the light gun did pick up on hits from it. An interesting toy that made me wonder if my jet with detachable flightstick would work for it. Spoiler, it wouldn't, it was not a light gun.
Ahh… rats. Worth a shot though (no pun intended, lol).
Starriors’ lack of popularity, toy line cancellation and eventual fade into obscurity is a damn crime.
Agreed. They were a lot of fun and being able to swap out body parts made them even better.
Had Zoids. Loved them
OMG, I had two sets of the Mighty Men & Monsters Makers!! I was probably a bit too young to fully understand how to use it, but totally remember how cool those designs were!!
They inspired a lot of creativity for some kids.
Me too ... surprising how much play value I got out of that thing.
Every kid on my block had Captain Power, they were AWESOME.
Did it work like it was supposed to for you?
@@RetroDaze Yes, but we didn't watch the show over cable, we had the VHS tapes. I would imagine the blinking lights could be affected by broadcast quality? I don't think the show was on for very long.
Wow 😮!! Your video has helped me identify more 80’s toy parts I have… So far, including: the little construction driver from Construx and the small yellow side guns from Starriors. Thanks!!
Awesome! We’re gonna get them all identified before it’s said and done.
We got the Starriors base at a discount store, and it was amazing. It was very easy to adapt it for other toy lines.
Yes! Especially lines like M.A.S.K. And Dino-Riders!
Construx was a good mid point between Lego and Technix when I was young. At that point Technix was much more advanced than today. Contrux was awesome for unstructured building and could build almost anything. I built helicopters, buildings, scuba gear, rifles, space craft, glasses, planes, and even a stand to sell gum. Thanks for showcasing it.
Wow! You definitely were taking advantage of the versatility of Construx! Nice.
New subscriber here, I've been really enjoying these "Forgotten Toys of the 80s" videos! That was the best breakdown and presentation of the Captain Power line ever! I have a decent collection of ships and figures including a sealed in box Interlocker and also a boxed Power On Station with CP fig ... Fantastic videos and I can only imagine how much work went in to producing these! Thanks RetroDaze and I look forward to more awesome content! 😁
Thank you so much!!! Very glad you enjoyed the coverage of Captain Power. There was a great deal of money and effort put into that Captain Power TV show and toy line. Really wish it would have been a bigger success and went on for a few more years.
I had a lot of the Starriors line, though until this video I forgot what there were called. The armored battle-station, Deadeye and Hotshot were my favorites. My younger brother had at least one of the Captain Power jets and a few of the VHS tapes. I had the mighty men and monster maker kit and also loved that one, it really helped when I starting drawing at a young age.
The Mighty Men & Monster Maker was a great way to kickstart our creativity and art skills.
I had so many Construx, forgot all about Monster Maker. Thank you for uploading this! Also had a pile of Gobots, bunch of Starriors, good times.
There were so many great toy lines… it’s unfortunate that more didn’t really catch on. Some of the less remembered lines were so fun and well made.
I had Robot Man!! My mom bought it for me at a small chain store, one of those stores that sold everything. From clothing to school supplies, to toys
I actually, accidentally (under line that!!) Found my 🤖 Robot Man. It was in the the basement, in the cupboard. I opened the door-and, SLAMMED it!!-laughing, it was a day before my 9th birthday. My though..what's she laughing at?? 😮-Then she realized-I found my birthday present!! So, I got it a day early.
The following year, I got a Cabbage Patch Kid with a "dummy" in its mouth. My mom half-assed wrapped it..and-put it on the top shelf in the spare room, where I couldn't get into it..or see it. She learned her lesson!!😅
@@NikkiDeJonge We could be quite the little detectives when it came to scoping out gifts. 😆
I LOVED my Constructs! They were an endless form of entertainment for me as a child... Lots of little pieces sacrificed to mom's vacuum cleaner though... 😂😂
That blasted vacuum was always lurking around... just waiting to rob you of your favorite playthings. A creation of pure evil! 😆
We use to build armor and weapons out of ours and my brothers and I would have battles
I'm so late to the party, but I had a Robot Man doll as a kid and I loved him so much. I remember the heart on his chest opened up to reveal (I think) a four panel interface, but only one panel was a real button. That's how the theme song was played. Also, my older sister had the Fashion Plates. I was only mildly into that tho
Construx were an amazing toy for the time. I built so many things with them when I was young. For example, I was a huge Doctor Who fan in the 1980s and I actually used the construx toys to build a working Tardis console. Its moving central pillar was motorized and driven by the power pack and motors provided in some of the kits. For children with an imagination these were amazing toys that you could build all sorts of things from. Other than Motu it is the strongest toy memory from my childhood.
@@jaredjurkiewicz4006 That would have been epic to witness! A Tardis console from Construx! So cool.
Spingas! We had those and I totally forgot about them. We'd gamble for Jolly Ranchers with those things 😃
😆 That was some serious wagering!
@@RetroDaze Ha yes!
Monster Maker was the best toy ever! Thousands of sheets of paper as I tried to find the perfect combinations.
Many more trees were sacrificed once Monster Maker hit the shelves. 😆
I loved my set of Construx and I used them all the time as a kid. I built ships, space stations, laser blasters, race cars and lots of other things. It was an awesome toy!
@@mariox20 It really was! Construx were great for using with all your other toy lines.
Do u remember Kinects?
I still have my construx. Those were so much fun I spent hours with those.
Those building type of toys made for endless possibilities and endless fun.
8 of my family members and I packed into a van and drove from Michigan to Mississippi to see other relatives. I brought my Spinjas on the road trip. They were a great time killer.
Didn’t lose any in the cracks of the seats? 😆
@@RetroDaze O yea! That was half the fun looking for them haha.
"Starriors" is what I came here hoping to find! Could not remember that name!
Awesome! Happy to be of some service. 😊
Subscribed. I remembered watching the first pilot commercial for “Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future”, as it aired as a commercial within a commercial, or rather, it was made as an “interruption of a commercial” and a “message from the future” given by Captain Power himself. I had only the figure of Captain Power and I also remembered the TV shows, too. The last episode I remember watching was one of Power’s soldiers sacrifices themselves and I was shocked and saddened that it happened.
Thank you for subbing! But yeah, the TV show was really well done, and the million dollars per episode is apparent. Too bad season two didn’t make it to production.
So I think you might have gotten one thing wrong, Mega Construx to my knowledge isn't supposed to be a rebirth of the Construx toy line, but rather a rebrand of their mega bloks line, that's why they look like Legos.
Construx was a great line and came with some great figures, most rare is the lizard man figure only released with their T-Rex kind of creation. Sadly Construx don't hold up overtime the plastic gets weak and breaks easily now days.
Thanks for that info William! Agreed, the plastic could be a bit brittle over time.
I don't remember the Captain Power TV show but I remember the VHS tapes - we'd play with those. The Monster plates were sold through the 80s - that commercial was from the 80s. I had that and my sister had the fashion plates one. Many hours coloring with those things
They were great fun, but you ended up wishing there were expansions that you could buy that had more plates!
Spent so many hours building with constructs.
@@davidbelanger7278 There was just so much you could do with them. Endless cool things to build.
I'm in the second half of my 40's and I still have a Spinjas set (the green one) that my kids still play with occasionally.
That’s awesome! There’s nothing like sharing the fun of a childhood toy with your own kids.
The live action Captain Power show was so dark in its themes. I loved it as a kid.
@@mrcat3493 It was really well produced as well. Everything you could ask for in a kid’s show.
Robotman/Monty was a strip in my local newspaper I always loved. Such good memories.
@@waspinator5361 Where was this? What paper?
@@waspinator5361 Where was this? What paper?
@@RetroDaze I'm in London, Ontario, Canada so it was in our newspaper "The London Free Press." ☺
We had Robotman comic strip in the San Jose Mercury News, San Jose, California. I had forgotten about it until watching this video. It was a good strip back in the day.
Had Construx back in the day, as well as Popoids. Anyone remember those?
Popoids? Hmm. May add this to our list!
Monster maker I never got me into drawing but remembered it from when I took an archeology class in high school. My private school I attended had that class and the teacher used the monster maker as a hands-on approach on learning how to stone rub.
That’s such a cool memory and creative use of the toy!
I never knew about that Mighty Men Monster Maker, I would have loved that when I was 9!
There were other, similar ones, but they all seem to be mostly forgotten today. But they were so cool!
My older sister and I had a couple or these including the doll one, we had so much fun with them!
Thanks for making this! I had a few of these toys. I was describing Starriors to someone earlier, and they had only the vaguest recollection of it. Speaking of "forgotten toys," I sometimes feel like I'm the only one who remembers Robotech Robolinks, haha
Robotech is definitely memorable but what was the Robolinks version?
I think they were going for a combination of LEGO and Transformers. Essentially, little robots that transformed into blocks, with a bunch of guns, wheels, and wings to use as accessories. In Japan, I believe the line was called "Combination Warrior Blockman," and had nothing to do with Robotech/Macross.
Ahh okay. Gotcha.
I had Starriors and played with them till they fell apart. Good times. Cut-up is the one I remember the most.
They had several great figures, and to be able to swap out parts was a fun feature.
I remember construx vagely. What appealed to me was the clean design of the parts.
You could make so many cool things with them, including bases and vehicles for your action figures!
A funny thing about me was I rarely got toys, but I frequently consumed the expanded universes if comics and animated series. I read the Starriors conic (I still have the whole series) and loved the Captain Power TV show!
Though am I misremembering the series ending an issue early? Either way, now you have me wondering about these Starrior mini comics that I've never read!
I also watched the Robotman special, too.
Definitely check out the mini comics. Not sure how closely they tie to the comic series.
I have the yellow spinjas set. They were indeed pretty fun.
Still are if you can get your hands on them!
I still have my Spinjas- I wish I'd been able to get more when I was a kid. I had a bunch of Construx sets too- I had a spaceship set that that had light-up pieces and a battery pack, I always thought that was pretty cool. I remember building a kind of glove with a hook on a string at the end, like I was going to swing my arm and grab things with the hook, then reel them in. I also had the Robot Man doll, I must have seen it in the store and just impulsively asked my parents to buy it for me, because I don't remember knowing anything about it outside of it being this doll that I had. I remember running back inside to get it once because someone was going to take a picture of me and my friend and in the moment I thought "WAIT this needs my stuffed guy in it."
@@NoctemOUT 😆 We had so many toys from lines that we weren’t familiar with, like Robot Man, that just got mixed into play with other toy lines.
Me and my brother were nuts with captain power, we had lot of sets, main ships n all, the tapes, and we would eagerly await using them on show every Saturday lol, was great for the time IMO, I remember I started to get so into shows story, that I would vhs tape episode, so I could re watch 2nd time without shooting at screen so I could pay attention better lol, we even had like the dress up battle armor stuff where we became characters playing
Awesome memories! Great idea to record the episodes. 😆 It would definitely be hard to concentrate on a story while shooting at the screen. 😆
Construx was amazing. I never had the Real Ghostbusters Firehouse as a kid, cause I'd make my own with Construx.
Yes! Why buy one when you can make all your own bases!
Captain Power was a pretty cool line I used my Lord Dread and Soaron a lot with my Joes. Starriors I had a lot of them they were pretty cheap to get at Kay Bee back in the day.
Both of those toy lines were actually very cool and top quality stuff. It’s unfortunate that neither found success enough to continue on.
I second Bone Age as a previous commenter already mentioned. I'll also add the Super Naturals made by Tonka I think. And the most obscure toy line I can think of. The Gammasite Parasites made by Matchbox.
Wow! Now that Gammasite toy is one that definitely fits with the "forgotten" theme, if it was even ever discovered in the first place by most folks.
I had Construx and Captain Power toys as well. I remember all these toys
Awesome! Both toy lines were a lot of fun and had some great features.
I still have a rubbing plate kit that I got for like my 8th birthday called little van goes. You can create variations of tricked out 1980s style vans.
We’ve had a few others mention that kit. Seems to have had some fans out there.
I wanna say that car themed version and the clothing one stuck around a bit longer that the monster one.
Great Video! I don't know if Construx, Captain Power or Starcom from the part one video are really forgotten though. Mega Force is one Forgotten Toy line I would like seen covered , but that may be early 90s.
We will add that to our list! We may do a third someday.
Megabug Gladiators. Now, they were released in 1979, but they were by far some of my favorite toys growing up. I had all three: scorpion, spider and dragonfly.
Wow! These need to be Googled.
In 7:25 1600,ΔΡ The price tag in this is from greece counting for 1600 Δραχμες-drachmas for us back then,also the two red lines above & below shows the label was from our classic price tags which stuck in the boxes everywhere destroying the original box as well!!! 😅 In today's currency in euros we have is 4.696 in dollars 4.93! Back in the day i don't remember those or had any,they are truly toys that were forgotten as we say here,maybe i came across from them,their name rings some bells but i was into joes allot & playmobil back then! 😉 Awesome video man thanks for sharing this is really awesome i really love those bits and tats!
Thank you so much for watching and sharing that info with us!
I LOVED Construx!
Damn! Mighty men and monster maker!! Haven’t thought of it in 40 years or more…
Well we do enjoy bringing back some forgotten memories! Nice.
Still have my Mighty Men and Monster maker kit along with Little Van Goes.
@@scotth4713 That Little Van-Goes keeps getting mentioned! It must have been fairly popular.
Oh man! I had quite a few Starriors as a kid. These days I just have the mini-comics, the Marvel comics mini-series, and the books that used to have records with them.
I had several Construx sets, including some of the military ones. I would build for hours with them, making bases and vehicles for my other toys. I remember even making a version of the Tigersharks airship since I thought that was cool, but a toy version didn’t exist.
I definitely had the Mighty Men & Monster Maker. I would swap the plates around so much and make up stories for my creations.
@@StarJoes Very cool! Seems like almost everyone who had some Construx sets were using them to create bases and vehicles for their action figures.
What a great Video.... I remembered all of these except Robot Man... Sadly, I never owned any of them - But I remember them! I do think I used to come across Construx at Primary School... And sadly, Captain Power never took off here in the UK. I do remember teh toys being released, but I never had any interest in them!
Many of them didn’t enjoy success on either side of the pond. StarCom was maybe an exception.
The history of Jim Meddick's Robotman comic strip is incredibly fascinating. In the beginning, the strip was just one prong of the company's attempt to turn Robotman into a multimedia sensation in the vein of Strawberry Shortcake, Rainbow Brite, etc. In the beginning, the strip was about Robotman living with a human suburban family. Most of the gags were about Robotman's bafflement with human culture, or Robotman being in love with electrical appliances. Then after a few years, they had stopped making the Robotman toys and videos, and the comic strip was the only thing left. At this point, Jim Meddick (having no corporate oversight aside from his syndicator, and probably assuming that the strip could be cancelled at any minute) turned Robotman into a sci fi parody strip. Robotman would travel through space and time, meeting characters like Mr. Spock. Eventually, the strip would settle down a bit, with Robotman moving in with an inventor named Monty. The focus of the strip then became Monty's wacky inventions, and his sad-sack personal life. Robotman would continue to appear as the straight man of the strip, until he was replaced (for various behind-the-scenes reasons) by an alien named Mr. Pi and the strip was renamed "Monty".
It's a real shame that "Robotman" strips (especially from his creative peak in the 90s) are so inaccessible these days. The earlier (pre-2001) strips aren't archived online, and there were precious few book collections. There are a couple books covering the earliest strips of the 1980s, but only two books were released in the 1990s. "Cyberpunktrek" has selections from the period when Robotman was a wacky sci-fi parody strip, and "Primary Crullers" collects highlights of the "Robotman and Monty" era.
@@daviddalrymple2284 Thank you, David, for that wonderful look back at Robotman’s roots. We greatly appreciate that. It is unfortunate that he didn’t quite catch on like the other characters he was meant to emulate the success of.
Construx was my favorite toy as a kid!
Such a fun building toy.
I owned and have great memories of the first four-most of them probably sold at a yard sale for much too little (I though nobody remembered Spinjas!). I never had any Robotman merch, but I recall loving the design, plus watching the cartoon and reading some of the comics. Alas, that Monster Maker set was before my time (a bit much in 1978 for a 2-year old!), but I recall the girl's fashion version in the 80s.
I wonder if anyone else remembers Squarbles, the square marbles? Literally little heavy cubes you shot at each other with a spring-loaded device.
@@snukastyle Oh wow! That is definitely a new suggestion. Need to look those up!
Thank you. I had the starriors armored battle station as a very young kid. I barely remember it, and have been trying to find info on it.
The base that looks like a brown snake?
I had Captain Power and Construx. For Construx I even had the giant glow in the dark space set. I also had some Zoids and the Starrior Sawtooth, though I always wanted the giant cobra shaped battle station.
Here’s hoping that Starriors makes some kind of comeback. Perhaps Nacelle will get on that. They seem to like bringing back obscure toy lines.
There was also Supernaturals and Visionaries.
I loved Visionaries!