As an older kid, Dr Durant's gurgled screams at 10:50 as Maximillian shredded him through the book gave me the Heebee Jeebees that has imprinted on me to this day as one of the more horrific cinematic deaths of that time.
I liked the toys from Black Hole. The biggest problem was the lack of weapons, which is how the Palomino crew fights their way out. The Palomino would have opened up the playability of the figures too. It also looked like an evolution of the moon lander. They spent too much money on electronic offerings and not enough on what made Star Wars toys sell, the figure/vehicle interaction combined with good guys beating the faceless bad guys. I'm sure many thumbs were broken trying to fit SW blasters into Black Hole figures' hands. The Twin Pod Cloud Car made a great Black Hole blaster.
I had a Vincent that I broke one of his legs off, Dad used two parts epoxy to glue it back on, sort of a big glob just holding it together. I was really young for this movie and only remembered the robots. Shows how great the robots were.
“Radio controlled Vincent…you can scare the cat!”. What’s even more amusing is that the cat in the commercial is clearly being startled by someone off screen abs not the toy. I actually went straight for Maximillian when he appeared in Woolco in 1980. I think he was Vader’s bodyguard. Very cool design. Skipped the Earnest figure.
Another excellent installment focusing on a vintage line near and dear to my heart. Very tough call on what unmade toy I’d want to see materialize from the cosmic recesses of the Black Hole. The Palomino and RC V.I.N.CENT are way up there, as is that killer side arm from the Marx catalog, but if the powers that be saw their way to making that old school vinyl playcase of the Cygnus (complete with wonderfully funky, off-model graphics a la their U.S.S. Enterprise), well, that would be a joyous thing.
Watching this, I realized my only memory of this film is really a feeling of profound disappointment. I recall all of the hype. I recall being thrilled at the photos and the designs. I then only remember the disappointment while watching it in the theater. I couldn’t tell you anything about the plot or anything else beyond that. I love these videos and this one certainly tells a story of movie making as well as toy making.
10:32 as soon as you said that, I knew _exactly_ what scene you were speaking of. Max: "Hey Tony! There's a fly on your chest! Now hold still and let me get that for you..." 12:35 easy.. either the remote control VINCENT or the Palamino toy holder. You can't go wrong with robots or spaceships, especially in the early 80's.
Man, I love The Black Hole. I had a few of the figures as a kid. And I do wish they had been able to make more of them. I actually would have liked that play set. I tended t make up my own stories for my toys and that would have worked out nicely. But the one I think I'd have liked the most would have been the remote-controlled VINCent. I always wanted one of those 80's robots like that. Omni-Bot, Maxx Steele, etc...The gun might have been cool, but I had my Cloud Car for that.
This vid's a homerun. I had a Magnetic Max for a few years, but sold it a few years back. Hope to get another one someday. Max was perfect for the magnetic figures. Super high quality vintage toy. I think I'd take the carry case Cygnus or the remote control Vincent from the unproduced stuff. I've got a 1984 Asian Suppliers (or something like that) catalog with an ad for the programmable Vincent knock off.
Awesome video Brian!!! Unfortunately, I was never able to see the movie when it came out, but it's just as well, because it would've gone right over my head as I was only four at the time. I did have a coloring book that gave a vague impression of what the movie was about, but missed out on the toys. Over the years, I've seen the Maximilian figure pop up at numerous toy shows, but the other figures don't seem to be as available. When I finally did get to see the movie I was almost 30, and could appreciate it as a slightly camp amalgam of The Poseidon Adventure, Star Wars, and an Ingmar Bergman existentialist film. And boy, is Maximilian a cool looking robot! Alas, I'll never be able to get ahold of Radio Controlled Vincent, but The oddball knock off ''Axlon ''Compurobot'' is cool little place holder.
That Reinhardt, to quote a known podcaster, "Batshit Crazy". I still wonder to this day, what was the execs at Disney thinking. I loved the movie as well, Brain I remember your story of seeing it in the theater. I was getting over the flu when I saw it as well. But the theater was much more memorable. My Mom took me and my cousin, we were admiring the removable armrests(they were not supposed to do that) and the screen did have some rips. But it was a memorable experience, I would love to see BH on a big screen again. I do hope you have the blue ray. There is one thing to notice in the film. Looking out the window at the Cygnus model. You'll see a disk on the model, that's where the tower is supposed to be. But they used a shot that's behind the model, it looks great. But it's one of those little things, I tend to notice. As far as toys, I would have loved the Palomino version of the Verdibird. And of course the rc talking Vincent, I really wanted a Sir Galaxy back in the day. But Vince would have been better.
I think if they'd used artistic license with the figures, vehicles and playsets by making aliens and locations not shown then they'd have drawn in more kids. I only saw the Whitman comic adaptations, but maybe someone out there at the time had the beginnings of an extended universe to take inspiration from? If not, its a shame Mego didn't rush to create it themselves. Star Wars' and Star Trek comic lines sure did.
The best hand held game from 79-80 is, no question, Blockbuster by Microvision. Whenever I see people playing games on their phones I remember that great toy.
Hard to say which I'd have wished for. I wasn't big into The Black Hole, but I got few of the figures to use alongside by Star Wars toys. That's kind of what I did as a kid. What my sister and I did when I had my Mego figures, and she had her Hasbro Charlie's Angles ones. We mixed and matched and made one big shared universe. With that in mind... I'd like to say The Palamino, since having another ship with room for more then one action figure was always appreciated when I was a kid. Buuuut.. I'd probably have gotten a lot more use out of the Cygnus bridge. I wouldn't necessarily have used it as the Cygnus, since I wouldn't have had a toy of it, but another bridge playset like the movie Enterprise or Kenner's Darth Vader's Star Destroyer would have been welcomed. Maybe because I watched too much Star Trek, a lot of my games as a kid began and ended on the bridge of a ship. I'm not sure who's bridge it would have been, but I'd have definitely used it with my figures.
Still on the hunt for my childhood BOB... "Protect me from Maximilian" is a truly weird line...I haven't done much research into the production, but a lot of the second and third act in the film feels cobbled together from 2 different movies. I'm not sure if they ever made up their minds about what the film was ultimately supposed to be about. The last 10 minutes are pure acid trip.
12" Harry Booth figure. Disproving the belief that Ernest Borgnine's scariest role in this era was as The Devil in The Devil's Rain. One close-up at a time.
@@BrickMantooth THAT'S who it reminded me of! It makes perfect sense now! Ya know something, Brian? You should write a book on this sort of thing. Maybe a magazine? Call it Toy Zayres, or Toy Woolcos, maybe? (This joke only works if you're familiar with the Chicago-heavy department store chain Venture, incidentally.)
Love the Black Hole! I think between my brothers and me we had most of the figures. That playset would have definitely been on my wish list. Also would have loved one of those laser guns. Always liked that design.
Escape from the Black Hole set is likely identical to the Hot Wheels Scorcher Chamber set that came out the previous year. I wonder if Mego decided not to go with it if they saw that the Scorcher Chamber sold poorly. I for one would have enjoyed it.
I think for myself it has to be the following: 1) Radio-controlled V.I.N.Cent, 2) Palomino Spaceship. I absolutely loved this video, watched it several times over already, definitely one of your best! What a wealth of brilliant Black Hole commercials too - the quality of the Palomino Spaceship one is just amazing! Regarding the 3 3/4 figures, I wish I'd been able to get hold of the Cygnus Humanoid figure, as my friend and I made replicas of them using Star Wars figures, plasticine and silver / gold chocolate wrapper faces to make enemies for our Micronauts figures! Finally, absolutely loved (and laughed a lot at) the Cygnus Bridge reenactment with Isaac cameo, just brilliant. Still have my 43 year-old Maximillian figure to this day, the sole survivor from all those years ago... great times.
I would have liked to seen a V.I.N.Cent RC robot made, even though it would have been a snowball's chance in hell of me getting one. Robot toys were and always have been my favorite.
Great video and awesome recreation of the bridge scene! Well done, Brian. Like you, I was hugely into The Black Hole when it came out and I wish more of these toys had been produced. I think I only ever managed to get a VINCENT action figure, the book and record set, some colouring books and some Shreddies pencil holders. Thanks for sharing all the catalogue images and for doing such an awesome job!
I was aware of the figure range, but had no idea the line went any further then that. What a pleasant surprise to see the line was diversified in foreign markets! The unproduced portions of the line are especially heart breaking. I do very much hope that fan produced Palomino finds its way into the Plaid Stallions collection. Yet another wonderful video in the powerful Plaid Stallions style!
This was a really great look back at some of those classic toys, games, and other oddball items for this Movie. I remember the movie so well. We went to Southridge Mall Theater to see it. It was a really unique movie too. Maximilian was a really "unique" creation. I really love these look back videos on toys that we either had, wanted, or ?? So many childhood memories, so many experiences that these toys can remind us of, and can make you feel as if you're back there. I really miss those days, those times, and all of those toys that were so much fun. Back then kids didn't need 📱📲Smartphones📲📱💻💻Laptop💻Computers💻💻, or 500+ channels and/or Streaming services. We had ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, and one or two other Non affiliated network channels. We had the Atari 2600, but most of all, we had this...... our IMAGINATION!! With that we created worlds, places, events, races, and any number or wild ideas and other necessities.
The hardware store down the street from me had all of these figures, as well as Buck Rogers, Star Trek TMP and some Battlestar Galactica Adamas, Starbucks and Imperious Leaders. sitting on a clearance rack for at least a year and could not get rid of them, even at a discount. I got them to use with my Star Wars figures and expand my adventures. Some time ago, my dad found the carry case these were in in the garage and gave them to me and I was so unimpressed with them, I sold them all on eBay... including MAX, Vincent, The Cygnus robot sentries, Twiki. They didn't bring much money then, either. LOL. I wonder if Marty Abrams has nightmares over these lines?
I still love this movie even though the last few scenes were just odd compared to the rest of the film. As for the toys....I had Vincent and Maximilian. I wish I still had them. Out of all these things you showed, I have to say the playset is the one I would have liked as a kid. Even if it was made from thin plastic.
I had a Dan Holland and sentry robot figure. I always loved the white uniforms that they wore, and if I remember correctly, the robot’s pistol fit into a little hole in the holster, which I thought was the coolest thing when I was a kid.
Did you have as much trouble as I did trying to get the pistol to fit in his hand, though? The pistol had a massive grip and the Sentry Robot had those little Micronaut hands. At best he could stick his thumb through the trigger guard.
@@ChapMeifan wow, yeah, I do remember that now that you mention it! I think I left the pistol in the holster and used a blaster from another toy line, probably Star Wars or GI Joe. The memory is a little fuzzy, after 40 years!
I love this stuff, I would have to go with a Cygnus bridge playset. I like to think in my toy universe that the Cygnus passes through the Black Hole intact into the Star Wars universe to do battle against the Rebels with the robot sentries piloting those Laserscope fighters (Black Hole versions of course).
Wish it was available when I was a kid I didn't think of this as being a Star Wars attempted clone of the earlier. Felt the same way about Battle Beyond The Stars and Battlestar Galactica 1978.
My brother built the Cygnus model, and painted it painstakingly so that it look like the interior was lit. It came with a tiny Palomino to scale of course to the Cygnus. I played with that for hours and hours.
It didn't make sense to produce a Cygnus bridge set because it would have to have been stocked with Humanoid figures, and they generally weren't available to most markets.
I know a lot of people love this movie. But sorry to say.. I have never made it to the end. I have Disney Plus and a week age I tried again. Still did not happen. And I really like Ernest Borgnine a lot!! He was Mermaid Man in SpongeBob ...So Funny. He won an Oscar for in 1955's Marty. Great vid dude!
I really think it's important to see this as a kid. Not sure I'd feel the same about it if I hadn't. PS Borgnine always adds to anything he's in, a fantastic actor.
Saw it in the theatre, but don't have very many memories -- aside from Ernest Borgning turning out to be the traitor. Looks like it had a pretty good cast -- but I wasn't familiar with any of these actors at that time. The Black Hole wasn't a very kid-friendly movie, so no idea why they wanted to make toys of it. I seem to recall the spaceship looked pretty good -- so I could see making that, but not the characters.
The only Black Hole item I had in 1979/80 was coloring books. Which I enjoyed! I really wanted the Mego figures! I did get a bunch of Star Wars figures though! Thanks for these videos and bringing me back to 1979 when I was 6 years old and watched The Black Hole and Star Trek The Motion Picture in December 1979! My whole family are Sci Fi geeks! Thanks for your amazing videos!
This video encouraged me to pull out my Black Hole figures of which I only have 4 left BUT I still have the humanoid figure! I knew he was worth something but I'm learning more as the night goes on. Thanks for posting!
Thanks for sharing this video. As a kid, I would've loved to have had a U.S.S. Palomino ship, the Cygnus playset, and the dual laser pistol if they had been made. The Palomino and the Cygnus are two of my all time favorite sci fi ships. The film is a favorite guilty pleasure of mine. Btw, hilarious remake you did of the death of Dr. Durant. Love it. Did you know that Dr. Durant died three different ways across three different mediums? Of course, in the film, he is killed by Maximilian's cutter tools. In the Alan Dean Foster movie tie-in novel, Maximilian kills Durant with a shot from one of his laser arms. In the Gold Key comics adaptation, Dr. Reinhardt personally shoots Durant in the back with a dual laser pistol.
@@BrickMantooth I remember the novel was a good read as a kid. One thing I could not understand about the Gold Key comic adaptation though was why they drew some of the characters so radically different from their live action versions. In the comic, Dan and Charlie had longer hair. Dr. Durant had curly hair and wore glasses. (Heh...having read the comic before I ever got to see the movie, I imagined Dr. Durant having some kind of French accent, which then made me laugh at my presumptuous self when I got to hear my cousin's Disney story record from the audio of the film....I never got to see the movie until maybe 1981.) I don't really remember how they did Harry Booth, but Reinhardt was almost spot on, IIRC. If I also recall correctly, when the novel described Maximilian shooting Durant with a laser, the description was "...like a hot knife through butter." I could be wrong...I read the novel in '79, and have not been able to find any reprints of it.
As a kid, VINCent was far cooler to me than R2-D2 because I could understand what he said. Got all the figures from the SEARS catalog including the Humanoid which seems to sell for a bazillion dollars now. I remember when the Black Hole was on the news as Disney was trying to bring the video tapes to Canada but Canada customs denied them entry as customs agents were convinced, based on the name, that it was a porn movie. Still, I had a lot of fun with these figures when I was a kid. Maximillian is still on my shelf as is VINCent. The movie was ....ok. No Star Wars but it had its moments. The final scene of Reinhardt and Maximillian merging in Hell was just bizarre and I think I blanked that memory out until just now.
I had The Black Hole bed sheets, pillow cases and bed spread. I dont know wat I was thinking as a child. I didnt even have any of the figures at all because watchng the movie as adult, well it doesnt hold up very much. I think my cousins had some of the figures and maybe The Palomino set. that Cygnus bridge set did look cool.
I loved the Black Hole but never got any of the toys. I did see the crew figures quite frequently at discount stores, but Star Wars always won out. It really seems to me that someone at Disney interfered in the final edit of the film, because the last half is pretty disjointed and seems to have lots of material missing.
79 was tough star wars was still a Juggernaut and as an answer to the competition kenner started it's gimmick off mail away figures like bona fett as we'll as marketing empire the black hole was a great line but the movie like star trek was aimed more at adults. Than kids I guess Buck rogers offered the only real competition but was buried in a sea of star wars cash ins as well as Lucas using his power to go after anything set in space
Some pretty diverse neat designs that it's too bad the movie didn't do better. Sure you can say they were aiming more at a disaster film but Disney was really a victim of timing on the trend that was just about to happen with Star Wars. It's funny I like the bleak sci-fi of the 70s but find the modern dark approach incredibly annoying Ie. they need to lighten up already. :\ I'd still be looking for the big Vincent robot today if it had ever come out heh. I think that would have sold just fine regardless of the film box office, it's a cool robot toy period. ;) A story about disproportionate hype, my sister kept hinting that she got me something special for my birthday, I was at a fever pitch to see what it was...it was a Black Hole cereal bowl. I cried from such disappointment. ^_^
I still have a Maximilian and a battered Vincent figure, had them for most of my life, I’m just missing the little clear plastic stands so they can’t actually stand up. As a kid my Maximilian figure would be my Darth Vader’s second in command, many Rebels met their end at his hands/pincers.
Did those kids put a wastebasket in the window to simulate a black hole? Wow. I love that kind of imagination.
" protect me from maxamillion ............... " I had totally forgot about that line, absolute gold.
10/10 for the dramatic re-enactment. Plus bonus points for Isaac.
ALWAYS ! LOL Best non-sequitor, preposterous action figure cameo in RUclips history !
The recreation of Dr. Durant's murder was so well done!
Kidding, I nearly peed myself.
As an older kid, Dr Durant's gurgled screams at 10:50 as Maximillian shredded him through the book gave me the Heebee Jeebees that has imprinted on me to this day as one of the more horrific cinematic deaths of that time.
It is definitely one of the scariest I'd seen at the time.
Yeah, that was pretty intense, even for Disney's first ever PG rated film.
The actress that played Kate McRay, died like last week. RIP .
I liked the toys from Black Hole. The biggest problem was the lack of weapons, which is how the Palomino crew fights their way out. The Palomino would have opened up the playability of the figures too. It also looked like an evolution of the moon lander. They spent too much money on electronic offerings and not enough on what made Star Wars toys sell, the figure/vehicle interaction combined with good guys beating the faceless bad guys. I'm sure many thumbs were broken trying to fit SW blasters into Black Hole figures' hands. The Twin Pod Cloud Car made a great Black Hole blaster.
I had some if not all of the action figures. I liked the soldiers, VINCENT, BOB, and of course Maximillian.
The replica playsets are truly amazingly well done
That glimpse of the Black Hole Hell haunted me as a youngster.
I had a Vincent that I broke one of his legs off, Dad used two parts epoxy to glue it back on, sort of a big glob just holding it together. I was really young for this movie and only remembered the robots. Shows how great the robots were.
the robots were cool. i was confused who was who. of course, the badies frightened me. i thought theyd be friendlier like star wars droids.
The funky music from the Palomino Spaceship commercial should have been enough to sell tons of this vehicle.
Seriously! Love the 70s cop show vibe of that music!
10:15 That Replica and Scene are great!
Great video! An underrated Disney classic for sure.
thanks and I agree.
“Radio controlled Vincent…you can scare the cat!”. What’s even more amusing is that the cat in the commercial is clearly being startled by someone off screen abs not the toy. I actually went straight for Maximillian when he appeared in Woolco in 1980. I think he was Vader’s bodyguard. Very cool design. Skipped the Earnest figure.
I’d have LOVED for that toy gun to have been made! As kids, we thought the double pistol design was so cool!
My jaw dropped at the mention of a never produced Buck Rogers remote control Twiki.
Somewhere I have a photo of it.
Another excellent installment focusing on a vintage line near and dear to my heart. Very tough call on what unmade toy I’d want to see materialize from the cosmic recesses of the Black Hole. The Palomino and RC V.I.N.CENT are way up there, as is that killer side arm from the Marx catalog, but if the powers that be saw their way to making that old school vinyl playcase of the Cygnus (complete with wonderfully funky, off-model graphics a la their U.S.S. Enterprise), well, that would be a joyous thing.
Watching this, I realized my only memory of this film is really a feeling of profound disappointment. I recall all of the hype. I recall being thrilled at the photos and the designs. I then only remember the disappointment while watching it in the theater. I couldn’t tell you anything about the plot or anything else beyond that. I love these videos and this one certainly tells a story of movie making as well as toy making.
The Cygnus really could've used a bartender.
10:32 as soon as you said that, I knew _exactly_ what scene you were speaking of.
Max: "Hey Tony! There's a fly on your chest! Now hold still and let me get that for you..."
12:35 easy.. either the remote control VINCENT or the Palamino toy holder. You can't go wrong with robots or spaceships, especially in the early 80's.
Man, I love The Black Hole. I had a few of the figures as a kid. And I do wish they had been able to make more of them. I actually would have liked that play set. I tended t make up my own stories for my toys and that would have worked out nicely. But the one I think I'd have liked the most would have been the remote-controlled VINCent. I always wanted one of those 80's robots like that. Omni-Bot, Maxx Steele, etc...The gun might have been cool, but I had my Cloud Car for that.
This vid's a homerun. I had a Magnetic Max for a few years, but sold it a few years back. Hope to get another one someday. Max was perfect for the magnetic figures. Super high quality vintage toy. I think I'd take the carry case Cygnus or the remote control Vincent from the unproduced stuff. I've got a 1984 Asian Suppliers (or something like that) catalog with an ad for the programmable Vincent knock off.
Awesome video Brian!!! Unfortunately, I was never able to see the movie when it came out, but it's just as well, because it would've gone right over my head as I was only four at the time. I did have a coloring book that gave a vague impression of what the movie was about, but missed out on the toys. Over the years, I've seen the Maximilian figure pop up at numerous toy shows, but the other figures don't seem to be as available. When I finally did get to see the movie I was almost 30, and could appreciate it as a slightly camp amalgam of The Poseidon Adventure, Star Wars, and an Ingmar Bergman existentialist film. And boy, is Maximilian a cool looking robot! Alas, I'll never be able to get ahold of Radio Controlled Vincent, but The oddball knock off ''Axlon ''Compurobot'' is cool little place holder.
That Reinhardt, to quote a known podcaster, "Batshit Crazy". I still wonder to this day, what was the execs at Disney thinking.
I loved the movie as well, Brain I remember your story of seeing it in the theater. I was getting over the flu when I saw it as well. But the theater was much more memorable. My Mom took me and my cousin, we were admiring the removable armrests(they were not supposed to do that) and the screen did have some rips. But it was a memorable experience, I would love to see BH on a big screen again. I do hope you have the blue ray.
There is one thing to notice in the film. Looking out the window at the Cygnus model. You'll see a disk on the model, that's where the tower is supposed to be. But they used a shot that's behind the model, it looks great. But it's one of those little things, I tend to notice.
As far as toys, I would have loved the Palomino version of the Verdibird. And of course the rc talking Vincent, I really wanted a Sir Galaxy back in the day. But Vince would have been better.
I think if they'd used artistic license with the figures, vehicles and playsets by making aliens and locations not shown then they'd have drawn in more kids. I only saw the Whitman comic adaptations, but maybe someone out there at the time had the beginnings of an extended universe to take inspiration from? If not, its a shame Mego didn't rush to create it themselves. Star Wars' and Star Trek comic lines sure did.
Fantastic video! Those commercials are incredible!
Glad you like them!
The best hand held game from 79-80 is, no question, Blockbuster by Microvision. Whenever I see people playing games on their phones I remember that great toy.
A great underrated fiction 4 sure
Hey, you won my contest last week. Need your address, please send it to kid70s@gmail.com
@@BrickMantooth what’s it take to win something?
Mmmmhhh......Some prototypes looks very familiar to me.....
Great video, Brian ! And the Isaac guest-s.t.a.r. was TOP !
I figured you'd recognize a few faces ;)
I had that radio controlled Vincent. Loved it. Lost it somewhere along the way.😃😝
Hard to say which I'd have wished for. I wasn't big into The Black Hole, but I got few of the figures to use alongside by Star Wars toys. That's kind of what I did as a kid. What my sister and I did when I had my Mego figures, and she had her Hasbro Charlie's Angles ones. We mixed and matched and made one big shared universe. With that in mind...
I'd like to say The Palamino, since having another ship with room for more then one action figure was always appreciated when I was a kid. Buuuut..
I'd probably have gotten a lot more use out of the Cygnus bridge. I wouldn't necessarily have used it as the Cygnus, since I wouldn't have had a toy of it, but another bridge playset like the movie Enterprise or Kenner's Darth Vader's Star Destroyer would have been welcomed.
Maybe because I watched too much Star Trek, a lot of my games as a kid began and ended on the bridge of a ship. I'm not sure who's bridge it would have been, but I'd have definitely used it with my figures.
Still on the hunt for my childhood BOB... "Protect me from Maximilian" is a truly weird line...I haven't done much research into the production, but a lot of the second and third act in the film feels cobbled together from 2 different movies. I'm not sure if they ever made up their minds about what the film was ultimately supposed to be about. The last 10 minutes are pure acid trip.
Yeah, I never understood that line either. How was Kate supposed to protect him from a killer robot?
lol, they went all 2001!
@@pertukvery rare toys 😮 I’got only 3 robots on GIG models
@@pimuce the 3.75" figs were pretty good quality
@@pertuk i don’t believed that palomino was sorted
Super out of this World video Brother. Makes Me want to find some Black Hole vintage toys 😀👍❤🌎🎉🎉🎉👏👏👏👏💯💯💯
12" Harry Booth figure. Disproving the belief that Ernest Borgnine's scariest role in this era was as The Devil in The Devil's Rain. One close-up at a time.
Believe it or not the Tomland Yeti action figure is based on Borgnine in the Devil's Rain. You can't unsee it!
@@BrickMantooth THAT'S who it reminded me of! It makes perfect sense now! Ya know something, Brian? You should write a book on this sort of thing. Maybe a magazine? Call it Toy Zayres, or Toy Woolcos, maybe? (This joke only works if you're familiar with the Chicago-heavy department store chain Venture, incidentally.)
@ 10:15 is all kinds of awesome !... and you know why... LOL
I still have my Vincent figure from my childhood.
Love the Black Hole!
I think between my brothers and me we had most of the figures.
That playset would have definitely been on my wish list.
Also would have loved one of those laser guns. Always liked that design.
I'm with you on the Palomino I would love to had that as a kid. Great stuff as always. I love The Black Hole so much.
Escape from the Black Hole set is likely identical to the Hot Wheels Scorcher Chamber set that came out the previous year. I wonder if Mego decided not to go with it if they saw that the Scorcher Chamber sold poorly. I for one would have enjoyed it.
That bridge playset would work very well in so many settings- Star Wars, Star Trek, BSG, even GI Joe.
Oh dear lord! The reenactment! : D
I think for myself it has to be the following: 1) Radio-controlled V.I.N.Cent, 2) Palomino Spaceship. I absolutely loved this video, watched it several times over already, definitely one of your best! What a wealth of brilliant Black Hole commercials too - the quality of the Palomino Spaceship one is just amazing! Regarding the 3 3/4 figures, I wish I'd been able to get hold of the Cygnus Humanoid figure, as my friend and I made replicas of them using Star Wars figures, plasticine and silver / gold chocolate wrapper faces to make enemies for our Micronauts figures! Finally, absolutely loved (and laughed a lot at) the Cygnus Bridge reenactment with Isaac cameo, just brilliant. Still have my 43 year-old Maximillian figure to this day, the sole survivor from all those years ago... great times.
Great reenactment too😁
Thanks! 😁
I need to know how Issac from The Love Boat ended up on the ship.
'Cause he's "Outta sight !"
Always wanted a BH Tony Perkins with lifelike "I'm being eviscerated " action.
I think he liked it in real life.
You better hope Junkman Toys doesn't steal your content. He has done it to so many others.
I would have liked to seen a V.I.N.Cent RC robot made, even though it would have been a snowball's chance in hell of me getting one. Robot toys were and always have been my favorite.
Great video and awesome recreation of the bridge scene! Well done, Brian. Like you, I was hugely into The Black Hole when it came out and I wish more of these toys had been produced. I think I only ever managed to get a VINCENT action figure, the book and record set, some colouring books and some Shreddies pencil holders.
Thanks for sharing all the catalogue images and for doing such an awesome job!
Thank you so much, ah Shreddies Pencil holders that brings me back to the 4th grade.
I was aware of the figure range, but had no idea the line went any further then that. What a pleasant surprise to see the line was diversified in foreign markets! The unproduced portions of the line are especially heart breaking. I do very much hope that fan produced Palomino finds its way into the Plaid Stallions collection. Yet another wonderful video in the powerful Plaid Stallions style!
This was a really great look back at some of those classic toys, games, and other oddball items for this Movie. I remember the movie so well. We went to Southridge Mall Theater to see it. It was a really unique movie too. Maximilian was a really "unique" creation. I really love these look back videos on toys that we either had, wanted, or ?? So many childhood memories, so many experiences that these toys can remind us of, and can make you feel as if you're back there. I really miss those days, those times, and all of those toys that were so much fun. Back then kids didn't need 📱📲Smartphones📲📱💻💻Laptop💻Computers💻💻, or 500+ channels and/or Streaming services. We had ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, and one or two other Non affiliated network channels. We had the Atari 2600, but most of all, we had this...... our IMAGINATION!! With that we created worlds, places, events, races, and any number or wild ideas and other necessities.
I might watch "Star Team" for the costumes, but *definitely* if the Juul Haalmayer Dancers appear in several numbers.
This video reminded me of how I used to fashion my own Black Hole gun utilizing masking tape and cotton swabs, lol.
I used the twin pod cloud car.
I wish the STAR and Humanoid figures were more readily available, I'd love to have them in my collection....
Another excellent article Brian. True to my heart!
I laughed out loud when I saw Isaac from The Love Boat on the bridge playset! Truly awesome.
The hardware store down the street from me had all of these figures, as well as Buck Rogers, Star Trek TMP and some Battlestar Galactica Adamas, Starbucks and Imperious Leaders. sitting on a clearance rack for at least a year and could not get rid of them, even at a discount. I got them to use with my Star Wars figures and expand my adventures. Some time ago, my dad found the carry case these were in in the garage and gave them to me and I was so unimpressed with them, I sold them all on eBay... including MAX, Vincent, The Cygnus robot sentries, Twiki. They didn't bring much money then, either. LOL. I wonder if Marty Abrams has nightmares over these lines?
I still love this movie even though the last few scenes were just odd compared to the rest of the film. As for the toys....I had Vincent and Maximilian. I wish I still had them. Out of all these things you showed, I have to say the playset is the one I would have liked as a kid. Even if it was made from thin plastic.
I had V.I.N.Cent and the ordinary Sentry robot. Fantastic little figures !
Mego or not, I really want that sentry laser!
Oh, me too!
I had a Dan Holland and sentry robot figure. I always loved the white uniforms that they wore, and if I remember correctly, the robot’s pistol fit into a little hole in the holster, which I thought was the coolest thing when I was a kid.
Did you have as much trouble as I did trying to get the pistol to fit in his hand, though? The pistol had a massive grip and the Sentry Robot had those little Micronaut hands. At best he could stick his thumb through the trigger guard.
@@ChapMeifan wow, yeah, I do remember that now that you mention it! I think I left the pistol in the holster and used a blaster from another toy line, probably Star Wars or GI Joe. The memory is a little fuzzy, after 40 years!
I love this stuff, I would have to go with a Cygnus bridge playset. I like to think in my toy universe that the Cygnus passes through the Black Hole intact into the Star Wars universe to do battle against the Rebels with the robot sentries piloting those Laserscope fighters (Black Hole versions of course).
Wish it was available when I was a kid I didn't think of this as being a Star Wars attempted clone of the earlier. Felt the same way about Battle Beyond The Stars and Battlestar Galactica 1978.
My brother built the Cygnus model, and painted it painstakingly so that it look like the interior was lit. It came with a tiny Palomino to scale of course to the Cygnus. I played with that for hours and hours.
A 12 nich Sentry Robot would have been really cool
Loved the Black Hole need to get that on Blu ray Thanks
It didn't make sense to produce a Cygnus bridge set because it would have to have been stocked with Humanoid figures, and they generally weren't available to most markets.
Grate job. Very interesting.
Really wish the second wave got a wider release, of course the cool characters were the ones they got stingy with.
Love the reenactment ;-)
thanks!
I remember the figures. Why didn't they sell the weapons? Generic space toys like this having been selling for generations.
The Kill-O-Zap laser gun used in BBC Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy looked very similar to the Black Hole laser guns.
Oh now I gotta see, been a while.
Cool channel and video! Thanks! Subbed!
thank you!
I’m sure I had a Vincent but that’s probably it.
I know a lot of people love this movie. But sorry to say.. I have never made it to the end. I have Disney Plus and a week age I tried again. Still did not happen. And I really like Ernest Borgnine a lot!! He was Mermaid Man in SpongeBob ...So Funny. He won an Oscar for in 1955's Marty. Great vid dude!
I really think it's important to see this as a kid. Not sure I'd feel the same about it if I hadn't. PS Borgnine always adds to anything he's in, a fantastic actor.
@@BrickMantooth I find it funny that Roddy McDowall as V.I.N.CENT and Slim Pickens as B.O.B. were uncredited in the movie. Do you why?
Saw it in the theatre, but don't have very many memories -- aside from Ernest Borgning turning out to be the traitor. Looks like it had a pretty good cast -- but I wasn't familiar with any of these actors at that time. The Black Hole wasn't a very kid-friendly movie, so no idea why they wanted to make toys of it. I seem to recall the spaceship looked pretty good -- so I could see making that, but not the characters.
The only Black Hole item I had in 1979/80 was coloring books. Which I enjoyed! I really wanted the Mego figures! I did get a bunch of Star Wars figures though! Thanks for these videos and bringing me back to 1979 when I was 6 years old and watched The Black Hole and Star Trek The Motion Picture in December 1979! My whole family are Sci Fi geeks! Thanks for your amazing videos!
appreciate the kindness, glad you enjoyed!
I have the replica Palimino and the bridge .You will not regret getting it !
someday
@@BrickMantooth It'll be a great day. ,👍
This video encouraged me to pull out my Black Hole figures of which I only have 4 left BUT I still have the humanoid figure! I knew he was worth something but I'm learning more as the night goes on. Thanks for posting!
Thanks for sharing this video. As a kid, I would've loved to have had a U.S.S. Palomino ship, the Cygnus playset, and the dual laser pistol if they had been made. The Palomino and the Cygnus are two of my all time favorite sci fi ships. The film is a favorite guilty pleasure of mine. Btw, hilarious remake you did of the death of Dr. Durant. Love it.
Did you know that Dr. Durant died three different ways across three different mediums? Of course, in the film, he is killed by Maximilian's cutter tools. In the Alan Dean Foster movie tie-in novel, Maximilian kills Durant with a shot from one of his laser arms. In the Gold Key comics adaptation, Dr. Reinhardt personally shoots Durant in the back with a dual laser pistol.
Oh wow I knew of two of those but never read the novel. So weird!
@@BrickMantooth I remember the novel was a good read as a kid. One thing I could not understand about the Gold Key comic adaptation though was why they drew some of the characters so radically different from their live action versions. In the comic, Dan and Charlie had longer hair. Dr. Durant had curly hair and wore glasses. (Heh...having read the comic before I ever got to see the movie, I imagined Dr. Durant having some kind of French accent, which then made me laugh at my presumptuous self when I got to hear my cousin's Disney story record from the audio of the film....I never got to see the movie until maybe 1981.) I don't really remember how they did Harry Booth, but Reinhardt was almost spot on, IIRC. If I also recall correctly, when the novel described Maximilian shooting Durant with a laser, the description was "...like a hot knife through butter." I could be wrong...I read the novel in '79, and have not been able to find any reprints of it.
I had the 3 robots: Vincent, Max, and Centurions. But I always wanted the dome-faced Humanoids, and Old Bob
o..m...g...i would have BEGGED for RC Vincent!!! That is AWESOME!!!
loving the isaac cameo!
Loved the re-enactment
As a kid, VINCent was far cooler to me than R2-D2 because I could understand what he said. Got all the figures from the SEARS catalog including the Humanoid which seems to sell for a bazillion dollars now. I remember when the Black Hole was on the news as Disney was trying to bring the video tapes to Canada but Canada customs denied them entry as customs agents were convinced, based on the name, that it was a porn movie.
Still, I had a lot of fun with these figures when I was a kid. Maximillian is still on my shelf as is VINCent. The movie was ....ok. No Star Wars but it had its moments. The final scene of Reinhardt and Maximillian merging in Hell was just bizarre and I think I blanked that memory out until just now.
The remote controlled V.I.N.Cent... would have loved one.
VINCENT was awesome. Loved that figure when I was a kid. VINCENT and R2 were buddies in my kid mind.
I had The Black Hole bed sheets, pillow cases and bed spread. I dont know wat I was thinking as a child. I didnt even have any of the figures at all because watchng the movie as adult, well it doesnt hold up very much. I think my cousins had some of the figures and maybe The Palomino set. that Cygnus bridge set did look cool.
I would have bought those! I love that movie, gogo Ernst borgnine
I loved the Black Hole but never got any of the toys. I did see the crew figures quite frequently at discount stores, but Star Wars always won out.
It really seems to me that someone at Disney interfered in the final edit of the film, because the last half is pretty disjointed and seems to have lots of material missing.
I think they started production with an ending. Seriously.
Pretty sweet kill in that Book and record set
I had Vincent and maxamillon. I wish I still had em
I really want that palamino and the bridge
Is that Isaac from Love Boat on your bridge?! Lol
He's the channel mascot.
79 was tough star wars was still a Juggernaut and as an answer to the competition kenner started it's gimmick off mail away figures like bona fett as we'll as marketing empire the black hole was a great line but the movie like star trek was aimed more at adults. Than kids I guess
Buck rogers offered the only real competition but was buried in a sea of star wars cash ins as well as Lucas using his power to go after anything set in space
Brick Mantooth? I see we have a fellow Anchorman fan among us! :P
i have this movie on CED, the art makes it worthy of having. I never had a CED player. I do have a Laserdisc player.
Some pretty diverse neat designs that it's too bad the movie didn't do better. Sure you can say they were aiming more at a disaster film but Disney was really a victim of timing on the trend that was just about to happen with Star Wars. It's funny I like the bleak sci-fi of the 70s but find the modern dark approach incredibly annoying Ie. they need to lighten up already. :\
I'd still be looking for the big Vincent robot today if it had ever come out heh. I think that would have sold just fine regardless of the film box office, it's a cool robot toy period. ;)
A story about disproportionate hype, my sister kept hinting that she got me something special for my birthday, I was at a fever pitch to see what it was...it was a Black Hole cereal bowl. I cried from such disappointment. ^_^
Great video! Is that Isaac from The Love Boat on the bridge of the Cygnus?
The only figure I had was Vincent and he played in my Star Wars universe.
I still have a Maximilian and a battered Vincent figure, had them for most of my life, I’m just missing the little clear plastic stands so they can’t actually stand up. As a kid my Maximilian figure would be my Darth Vader’s second in command, many Rebels met their end at his hands/pincers.