My family moved to America in 1983. My dad always paid attention to the shows I watched. So for Christmas, instead of buying one or two toys he would buy a lot of the cheaper alternative. So I got Warlord figures and Eagle force figures with vehicles
Mike Grell didn't create Green Arrow, he was born 6 years after Green Arrow was created. He wrote and drew The Long Bow Hunters which is a famous Green Arrow story, but GA was created by Mort Weisenger and George Pap
@@spectorcreative1872 I wasn't making a point so much as just correcting the record. I'd also like to add that I am not associated with the person who posted after me.
Man this brings back a lot of memories. Got my Remco warlord figures at KB and I had all of them. They were a bit cheaper than MOTU too. They all coexisted in my toy universe in my room!
Dude, thanks so much for covering the Remco figures! They were/are great; I loved them as a kid & all the boys I knew & I would use them to supplement our MotU squads. Hercules & He-man were always having contests or battles to see who was stronger, & Deimos & Skeletor would team up to conquer the world... until they inevitably betrayed each other. It was fun. Wish I'd gotten more of them. In recent times, a company in PA called Zoloworld has bought all the old molds & done some reissues of the non-DC lines but mostly done their own characters under the banner of Realms of The Underworld.
Defunct toy company Remco reminded me of the defunct department stores (Woolworths, Cornet, Montgomery Ward, Kmart, Sears) in which I saw the action figures beging sold. I can recall where the toy aisles were in my memory eventhough those buildings have since been repurposed by other businesses or completely demolished.
I remember as an 8 year old in 1982 on my birthday running through my local toy store searching for the holy grail he-man section . Ooh happy days indeed "I want that 1 and if I have him I need him , oh and that 1 too " obviously money meant nothing to me unlike it did my parents . So 3 was my limit . I really wanted faker and prince Adam but my dad was having non of it saying its just the same one in different colors , the philistine!
I'm being real nitpicky, but Green Arrow was created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp. Mike Grell wrote Green Arrow: Longbow Hunters, which redefined Green Arrow for the late 1980s and 1990s (Green Arrow as a character had been in existence since 1941, 6 years before Grell was born). Longbow Hunters was an excellent book, but we need to give credit where credit is due.
I got the chance to meet Mike Grell a couple of years ago. He signed my first issue of Longbow Hunters, a Warlord annual, and a Jon Sable, Freelance trade.
This was an awesome video sir- very fun & informative! Thanks for doing this! I loved the shout out to the ERB Pellucidar novels which are a fun read (& audio versions are on RUclips). I am really thinking that in many ways the success of earlier toys did lean heavily on the simplicity of the item. Does a child really want 27 point of articulation or toes that can bend? Transformers & the like may be an exception. But sometimes the more complex a toy is, the less fun it is to play with (including the Tfs). MotU, Star Wars, GI Joe etc had vehicles & playsets which enhanced creative/ imaginative play.
The Remco figs were indeed pretty good quality, for what they are. The pegs used for the legs was a better system than the bands on MotU, & the heads were better secured. Mine have survived well over the years, except for yellowing.
@@victorcastle5757 Not much better. On paper the peg hips are better but back in the day, I had a Warrior Beast who's hip snapped off without much effort. Unlike vintage MOTU, there's no fix.
We never got the renco figure line here in Dominican Republic, we had an exclusive distributor for Mattel and ironically Kenner at the same time, with only two mayor stores in the country doing the toys selling, they also play the distributors part by selling original products to the only other business you could buy toys from “ pharmacies “ so it was really typical for one as a kid to love going to that place with your grand parents “ you could get your hands on a he-man or Star Wars figures if you where lucky enough .
Warlord was an awesome comic. It's also funny that you mention Remco's defense of the pose as a traditional wrestling pose without a picture of mention of their AWA wrestling line build on the same form factor, which now Mattel is going to release a "retro" style line based on those same AWA figures.
I love the Warlord comics and was also introduced to him as well from the Justice League Unlimited series! His lore was rich and exciting- I really wished Mattel could do a Warlord figure ( Gotta say that custom you showed looked FANTASTIC!!!) because the toys did look like bootlegs back in the day! I even saw them at grocery markets!
Hell yeah it would. To update the story too (I dunno why they'd have to, really) Travis Morgan could just be depicted as a combat veteran without specifying which war.
I loved all of the Masters - compatible toy lines as a kid. Knock off toy lines always made the toy universe of whatever they were copying feel bigger. One thing I always wished would happen when Maddie collectible was doing the classics line was that they would release a DC classics figure of Warlord on a Motu Classic buck, similar to the one they released for The Dark Knight.
Speaking of silhouttes... I remember on a interview with the creator of Firestorm that he said that he intentionally made the character wear the puffy sleaves costume so, that with the rest of the character´s design (flame hair for instance) , would be instantly recognizable by his silhouette.
I’ve got a soft spot for Remco. I love their Mantech line, which no one else seems to remember, but it was fun. Like a whole action figure line of Moduloks.
@@TitularHeroine No, they were taller. They were an awkward size, about on scale with the ThunderCats toys. But yeah, the purple villain guy was cool. I think my brother and I had the whole line. I still have them too. Though they were a little fragile, prone to having the pegs snap.
I was so excited when Mattel released TDKR Batman and Superman using MOTUC parts, because I just knew that we were going to get a Warlord figure that would use the same strategy and instantly fit into our MOTUC collections. I'm still bummed that it never happened, and baffled that it might have never even been on anyone's radar to make it.
Great story once again! Love the channel - my fav. Many times as a kid i would go to buy He-man figures and they were out of stock. Being a kid and not having the discipline to wait and come back, many time all I had to pick from was from some knock offs. I got Warlord and Mikola as gifts with the He-man Roton vehicle (prob cause He-man figs out of stock). Can't help but wonder if the reason these were selling at all was because Mattel could not keep up with demand. What do you think?
Just for those watching: Mike Grell didn't create Green Arrow, he was a creator ON Green Arrow, he produced the very well recieved Longbow Hunters and the 'Seattle era' of the character (which influenced Arrow) throughout the late 80s and early 90s (GA is a Golden Age hero, going all the way back to '41, Mort Weisinger and George Papp actually created him just fyi)). I've a feeling TG mispoke rather than got it wrong cos Scotty knows his DC. Also the Warrior Beasts/Lost World of the Warlord playset wasn't produced in the end (sadly).
I've always appreciated Warlord from the comics and that Justice League episode, but I never knew that he had a vintage toyline. Very cool to find out he did and makes sense that it'd be MOTU inspired.
I just asked you about this last week, and here you've posted a video already. Talk about Customer Service! Loved the video. Couple thoughts: First off, the advertisements for this line were in EVERY DC comic book in the 80's. You absolutely could not escape them. Based on the artwork used, i half expected the figures to have more of a Kenner Super Powers "look" to them. When the toys finally hit the shelves, I was pretty shocked to see they were obvious Masters clones (albeit with a more..toddler-y...look. I mean, look at those cute, pudgy hands!) So while i loved these figures, i think Remco should've ripped off the OTHER DC toy line. Secondly, gotta give props to a now extinct department store chain here in PA which had arguably the greatest toy aisle of all time: Hills! Anyone remember those guys? They always had Remco stuff, too: Warlord, Sgt. Rock, Mighty Crusaders. That place was the best. And finally, we can't forget to mention that this Warlord buck was used for those awesome AWA wrestling figures. Suggestion for a future video: We've all heard how DC went to Mattel to see what they could do for them action figure-wise, and Mattel kind of blew them off, thus leading to Kenner pitching the Super Powers line. Do any pictures or mock-ups exist of this infamous meeting? i always pictured mattel rolling out a cart of He-Mans with hair magic markered black, and capes stapled on. C'mon, Scott, dish the dirt!
I loved this! I kinda see their point with the legal argument; It would be like Lucas trying to sue everyone who ever made 3.75" figures or 5 POA, yeah?
Man, I used to see ads for The Warlord toys in the pages of my comics all the time when I was a kid, and I always wanted them to add to the ranks of my MOTU figure collection. I just really like the look of Warlord, with his winged helm and white goatee. He looked badass! One thing, you said Mike Grell created Green Arrow Scott, but this isn't the case. Grell wrote one of the seminal runs on Green Arrow in "The Longbow Hunters" arc, but GA was created by Mort Weisinger & George Papp.
Hey homie, 65 episodes? New Adventures got more love than any series except Filmation. Shows don't get that many episodes approved if there aren't viewers. NA fans seem a lot more laid back than these uppity Filmation babies, but they're out there.
@@maxheadroom4659 I hope not. Every real person I know loved Revelations. Even the people I “know” online like it. The biggest complaint we all have is 5 episodes is too damn short. Hopefully we won’t have long to wait for part 2.
I also knew Warlord from the Justice League Unlimited animation series titled, "Chaos at the Earth's Core". Episode features Green Lantern John Stewart, Supergirl, Stargirl and STRIPE. It kinda reminds me of a MOTU episode.
I had a Warlord figure as a kid too. Probably one of the few kids in my area who knew who he was before hand. Funny thing is that, even as a kid, I always thought that Mattel had sold the mold to their figures so to take even more money in. Guess now I know the reason I thought so. Thanks.
Continuing with the irony, Remco's Conan's head looks like a direct rip-off of He-Man's with the same expression. "How can you say that we're copying He-Man? Just look at Conan's face! Would such a earnest face lie to you?"
I have to be honest, even though the newer classic style he man has more articulation I like the old originals better because they don't have the distracting lines where the joints move. As a kid I always preferred star wars figures over GI Joe for the same reason. I never liked how the lines and screws on GI Joe broke up the character.
I love those Warlord figures! I own all six of them today, as a matter of fact. I loved all of the figures that were MOTU-esque because they just helped to expand my imagination and play. I used my MOTU and Warlord figures to compete with the Remco AWA wrestling figures. Wonderful, amazing times back then. Enjoyed the video, Sir. Be well and safe. ✌️
Grell was actually not the creator of Green Arrow. He revamped the character. I never got Warlord's toy although the book was great. I was poor, and I refused to have it based on that. I saved, scrounged, etc to get He-Man. Nothing made you feel poor like a knockoff.
Wow, there were so many more toylines in the 80s that I never heard of. It's kind of a shame really. Some of these look really neat. After the rule that cartoons featuring toylines couldn't also run that toy's commercials was adopted, I'm a bit surprised stuff like this didn't get the ad spot just to really pour on the salt... and sell more toys. :)
I had a bunch of Remco figures from the Warlord as a kid. They were neat, though their accessories weren't so great and their hips broke easily since they used a Y ball joint that wasn't very strong. I'm surprised you didn't mention their All Star Wrestlers line, they got their mileage out of those molds!
Cool, and because MOTU has crossed over with DC, I wonder would they ever do a Warlord crossover? Yeah, I gotta admit that it was clever for Mettel to do a Warlord figure.
Vintage Warlord comics are TIGHT! (I have a lot of this stuff in my collection: a complete Warlord and some Warrior Beasts, Blackstar, a Thundercats character, one or two of those Funko, Imperial beasts, Sungold, and so on. I ain't bragging; none of my crap is worth anything; I'm just excited!)
We didn´t have the Warlord figures in Iceland (maybe they weren´t sold in Europe at all), but I remember seeing an ad for them in some superhero comic book, which only showed drawings of them. I remember really wanting to buy Arak and I think Hercules as well and figured I´d find them next time my family would be on vacation in mainland Europe, but of course I never saw them. It was only about a year ago or so I was able to see what the figures actually looked like online. I would definitely have like to have some of them as a kid. I was a fan of the MOTU first and foremost, but I also enjoyed some of the rip-offs like Galaxy Fighters / Galaxy Warriors and they were of course cheaper to buy. Then later larger figures like Thundercats, Centurions and Bravestarr, which I´d all mix together with MOTU and their "rip-off" lines.
Interesting video! I used to read Warlord comics at my grandparents' Stuckeys store. I still have a few of them. I remember seeing the toys in a few toy aisles nack then, but was into Fisher Price Adventure People and Star Wars, not He Man type stuff. I had a friend who was though and he had a lot of them. I dont think he had any Warlord ones though.
Saw one of the REMCO monster figures I had as a kid. It's a shame Funko had so many quality issues w/ the DC Primal Age line (along w/ their other figures). That could've been a really cool line to get. I have their Panthro figure from Thundercats, and that's it.
I found later ToyLines such as Acamas' X-Changers and Remco's ManTech made great Companion Toys. They Playsets and Vehicles scaled well. In-Humanoid Monsters and Pretender Figure Shells work well too. Most kids only worries were scaling and compatibility. Gimicy Action figure bricks were left in the dirt. You can write a novel on how corporations missunstand kids.
I had a Warlord figure as well as a yellow reptilian warrior beast figure and I played with them right along heman and skeletor. I really liked warlords sword and how well he could hold it
I liked the Warlord and Warrior Beast figures. I used Warrior beasts as extra minions for skeletor. Also I think they were like half as much as masters of the universe figures at the time. I remember you could only get them at zayres, drug stores and Benny's.
So as a kid I loved my warlord figure. I also didn't realize that The Warlord was a DC property until Justice league unlimited, that was crazy to me. So thanks because I don't have an original Warlord figure but I do have a JLU Warlord figure on display. I just added a sword from a Xena figure that fits perfectly.
I actually liked the Warlord line when I was a kid, because it allowed me to have more characters to play with, along with my MOTU. Nevertheless, you forgot to mention that REMCO also used the mold to make their own AWA wrestling action figures as well with them. Heck, have you ever seen a much more buff Ric Flair action figure in your life? LOL!!! Flair never ever looked all hulked up in his life; not even in a good day. 😁😁
Love the video. I remember playing with a friend who had that long-necked alligator looking guy wondering, "What the heck kind of weird He-Man figure is that?" Now I know. ✌️♥️
A muscular human body with arms and legs-how did Remco ever come up with that?? Oh my, they must have stolen it (from God! Just like Mattel did.). I love these kinds of (historical) toy videos!!
My mother got me a Red Dragon figure that she thought was MOTU. I seem to remember the legs didn't move but I do remember it hurt like hell when my brother threw it at me because it was solid plastic. I wonder if this was Remco figure.
There's robot body for trap jaw man e faces. I had few warlord figures amongst others had one that made sparks in there chest and others with animal heads all same body type army building 80s style was good for motu realy as wanted them with it did not know was in justice league
Remco also used that body mould for their Wrestling toy line (AWA league was it?). In order to beat LJM to the market after they acquired the toy license for WWF that Remco attempted to acquire first.
I loved pellucidar novels, didn't know dc made a comic rip off of it lol. I didn't read all of the burroughs novels as I'd already read the mars series and burroughs, while fun and builder of fun worlds, burroughs novels are very formulaic
As a kid, I had the Remco Hydraz Warrior Beast - the MOTU knockoff with two dinosaur heads. Also hilariously, as a kid I had Moss=Man and thought it was another knockoff. Dunno why my kid-mind made that connection.
Wow. I so dig your channel. And that Warlord figure at the end of the video looks AMAZING! Custom? Or was that at retail? I think my next custom might have to be a Revelation Masterverse He-man base
I really like the Warlord packaging and how it looks like a comic book. However, if it's supposed to be a toy line, it doesn't work. Each character looks like their OWN toy line, despite the banner above the name.
I had one of those...the Hercules looking one. Wonder if one of my parents thought they were MOTU LOL. Please do a review of Loyal Subjects figures (MOTU especially)
@@spectorcreative1872 especially for a few years they did a ton of stuff. They had several lines of about 3” vinyl quite articulated action figures. They had a stylized larger head which was kind of their look. They did many brands like MOTU, Thundercats, TMNT, professional wrestlers, Lord of the RIngs, Aliens, etc. They were all the same scale, and you could easily swap legs, heads, hands, etc between them or different proprieties. They many times came in blind boxes and were probably considered as more as collectibles like Funko. I absolutely love them. I’ve created my own motu universe (they did about 3 or 4 waves of the original style line) but I made up over a cast of 100 with customs and new creations. Just wondered what you thought of them.
I'd love a special on this company and the team that created these..almost the toys that made us type of special. See what was going through their heads at the time.
I had warlord and arak as a child. And to be honest I didn't really see them as similar figures. The upper body portion was a bit more slender in actual human portions. Than motu to me. Especially in my early days of drawing. The motu body always came off as humped over and a bit chunky. When drawing from the figures that is. Then I leveled up and it was easy to change all that. Finally to be brutally honest. I liked the warlord characters more. I had motu characters too. But something about the warlord characters grabbed at me more. And to this day I still don't grab at the masses toys. I dig things off the beaten path just as I live my life. Blaze my own. Live and let live people.
I have enjoyed many of your videos but I can't say I've seen them all. Did you ever work on a wholly original product? What I mean is something that didn't come from an established brand. I've been doing shopping for toy drives and there was this one package with a bunch of sharks in it and I was just wondering how did they decide on that? Sorry but after watching so many of your videos I look at the toy aisle a little differently.
Was Thundercats a child of He-Man? I heard it was finished in '82 but not released until '85, which means it almost pre-dates He-Man (at least the cartoon). I had Deimos - he felt like a slightly cheaper He-Man toy.
Given that the original plan with MOTU was to only work with 3 or so body types why do you think that Ram Man got approved? I know he came along later in the line so was it just a "Well we've made a lot of money, let's do a one-off figure" or do you think given his VERY limited posability that he was cheaper to tool or maybe a combination of both?
I became a huge Warlord fan in the 90s when I found some cheap back issues. Many videos ago, you broke my heart when you revealed how he came so close to happening in DCUC. But you're just the messenger, so it's not your fault. Haha! Sadly, once DCUC ended, so did all hope of a Warlord figure happening. He's just too obscure. I don't see Mcfarlane doing him. At least I have the comics.
I had a few of these as a kid. I used to use Arak as Conan. I know I broke his leg off and it ended up superglued on. I also had the cyclops pirate shown. With that said, Green Arrow has been out since the 40's. While Grell made him popular in the 80's he didn't create him.
The Rocky 3 action figures were the same form factor, made by Phoenix toys out of Hong Kong. I have a Thunderlips (hulk hogan) and he is commonly mistaken for a Remco and that company (Phoenix toys) has very little known about them and they sort of appeared and then vanished
I am surprised that Mattel never tried to sue all of the manufacturers of the other action figure lines made on the cheap that were obviously trying to copy MOTU without hiding it. I have a Galaxy Heroes guy from the 80’s who really is meant to look like discount He-Man.
Speaking of JLU Warlord, still not sure I fully understand how adding a sword would have been cost prohibitive, which I assume is the reason it wasn’t included
![Quando Rondo - Life Goes On [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/eIf3fhMXAow/mqdefault.jpg)
My family moved to America in 1983. My dad always paid attention to the shows I watched. So for Christmas, instead of buying one or two toys he would buy a lot of the cheaper alternative. So I got Warlord figures and Eagle force figures with vehicles
That is AWESOME. Thanks for that story. My mama was like that too.
@destructarr Don't remember which figures but I do remember the cool jeep that would either go forward or reverse everytime it would hit something.
As a kid in the 80s...any toy line made lids happy
Nice! Toy memories are the best
Mike Grell didn't create Green Arrow, he was born 6 years after Green Arrow was created. He wrote and drew The Long Bow Hunters which is a famous Green Arrow story, but GA was created by Mort Weisenger and George Pap
Point taken
@@spectorcreative1872 I wasn't making a point so much as just correcting the record. I'd also like to add that I am not associated with the person who posted after me.
Warlord makes an appearance in mike's Green Arrow run. It's pretty funny to see them looking at each other like a pair identical twins.
@@justinmorgan7564 Grell was kind of like Jim Apparo on Batman in the mid 80's - everyone had the same face.
Man this brings back a lot of memories. Got my Remco warlord figures at KB and I had all of them. They were a bit cheaper than MOTU too. They all coexisted in my toy universe in my room!
The best part of imagination play
Dude, thanks so much for covering the Remco figures! They were/are great; I loved them as a kid & all the boys I knew & I would use them to supplement our MotU squads. Hercules & He-man were always having contests or battles to see who was stronger, & Deimos & Skeletor would team up to conquer the world... until they inevitably betrayed each other. It was fun. Wish I'd gotten more of them.
In recent times, a company in PA called Zoloworld has bought all the old molds & done some reissues of the non-DC lines but mostly done their own characters under the banner of Realms of The Underworld.
Nice!~
Those things are cool, too. Poking around on eBay and whatnot tho, WAY too many variants and suchlike.
Oh and, your make-believe battles with the figures sound amazingly epic. Awesome.
I clearly remember my mother giving me a warlord figure as a kid, and when I asked about it, she said "Isn't it He-Man?" lol
LOl indeed
How dare you make me wait, haha. Looking forward to this...I'm not even a toy collector, you just tell such interesting stories!
It is one of my super powers
I had the Warlord figure as a kid as well as an issue of Arak: Son of Thunder, thanks for the memories!
Nice! I wish I did
Defunct toy company Remco reminded me of the defunct department stores (Woolworths, Cornet, Montgomery Ward, Kmart, Sears) in which I saw the action figures beging sold. I can recall where the toy aisles were in my memory eventhough those buildings have since been repurposed by other businesses or completely demolished.
Not to far off
Scott, this video has much better flow, and editing than your previous videos. Great job.
Well thanks! I am glad to hear I am getting better at this.
I remember as an 8 year old in 1982 on my birthday running through my local toy store searching for the holy grail he-man section . Ooh happy days indeed "I want that 1 and if I have him I need him , oh and that 1 too " obviously money meant nothing to me unlike it did my parents . So 3 was my limit . I really wanted faker and prince Adam but my dad was having non of it saying its just the same one in different colors , the philistine!
limit of only 3!
I'm being real nitpicky, but Green Arrow was created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp. Mike Grell wrote Green Arrow: Longbow Hunters, which redefined Green Arrow for the late 1980s and 1990s (Green Arrow as a character had been in existence since 1941, 6 years before Grell was born).
Longbow Hunters was an excellent book, but we need to give credit where credit is due.
Agreed. I thought that as welI (Didn't know those specifics though; thanks!). The revamped arrow totally kicked ass tho.
Yeah I screwed up big time
I got the chance to meet Mike Grell a couple of years ago. He signed my first issue of Longbow Hunters, a Warlord annual, and a Jon Sable, Freelance trade.
@@leebirdwell7783 That kicks @$$. Awesome.
Your awesome bro. I love your channel . All the best to you , I'm glad to be in your audience .
So glad to have you!
This was an awesome video sir- very fun & informative! Thanks for doing this! I loved the shout out to the ERB Pellucidar novels which are a fun read (& audio versions are on RUclips). I am really thinking that in many ways the success of earlier toys did lean heavily on the simplicity of the item. Does a child really want 27 point of articulation or toes that can bend? Transformers & the like may be an exception. But sometimes the more complex a toy is, the less fun it is to play with (including the Tfs). MotU, Star Wars, GI Joe etc had vehicles & playsets which enhanced creative/ imaginative play.
toy history is the best history!
Funny thing is that these KOs are far more rare and expensive than the genuine article. Some might argue they are superior as well
The Remco figs were indeed pretty good quality, for what they are. The pegs used for the legs was a better system than the bands on MotU, & the heads were better secured. Mine have survived well over the years, except for yellowing.
I can see that
@@victorcastle5757 Not much better. On paper the peg hips are better but back in the day, I had a Warrior Beast who's hip snapped off without much effort. Unlike vintage MOTU, there's no fix.
We never got the renco figure line here in Dominican Republic, we had an exclusive distributor for Mattel and ironically Kenner at the same time, with only two mayor stores in the country doing the toys selling, they also play the distributors part by selling original products to the only other business you could buy toys from “ pharmacies “ so it was really typical for one as a kid to love going to that place with your grand parents “ you could get your hands on a he-man or Star Wars figures if you where lucky enough .
Yeah I don't think international distribution was a high on Remco's list
Warlord was an awesome comic. It's also funny that you mention Remco's defense of the pose as a traditional wrestling pose without a picture of mention of their AWA wrestling line build on the same form factor, which now Mattel is going to release a "retro" style line based on those same AWA figures.
OH yes the concept of Pellucidar is one of my favorites. Simms holes and all.
The Warlord He-Man Connection is the _weirdest_ entry in the French Connection saga.
Ha!
I love the Warlord comics and was also introduced to him as well from the Justice League Unlimited series! His lore was rich and exciting- I really wished Mattel could do a Warlord figure ( Gotta say that custom you showed looked FANTASTIC!!!) because the toys did look like bootlegs back in the day! I even saw them at grocery markets!
Nice
I always thought Warlord would make for a pretty epic live action movie.
Hell yeah it would. To update the story too (I dunno why they'd have to, really) Travis Morgan could just be depicted as a combat veteran without specifying which war.
Oh totally! But expensive
@@TitularHeroine true, I personally don't think they'd need to change much from the original story honestly.
@@spectorcreative1872 agreed, but it'd be worth it to see.
I loved all of the Masters - compatible toy lines as a kid. Knock off toy lines always made the toy universe of whatever they were copying feel bigger. One thing I always wished would happen when Maddie collectible was doing the classics line was that they would release a DC classics figure of Warlord on a Motu Classic buck, similar to the one they released for The Dark Knight.
WORD!!!!! 👊
I so wanted to do this!
Speaking of silhouttes... I remember on a interview with the creator of Firestorm that he said that he intentionally made the character wear the puffy sleaves costume so, that with the rest of the character´s design (flame hair for instance) , would be instantly recognizable by his silhouette.
That is a good factor to making a figure recongnizable
I’ve got a soft spot for Remco. I love their Mantech line, which no one else seems to remember, but it was fun. Like a whole action figure line of Moduloks.
I never had those but am really curious! Are they also 5.5" or at least also somewhat compatible? (I love that weird bald purple-suit villain guy!!)
@@TitularHeroine No, they were taller. They were an awkward size, about on scale with the ThunderCats toys. But yeah, the purple villain guy was cool. I think my brother and I had the whole line. I still have them too. Though they were a little fragile, prone to having the pegs snap.
So cool!
I remember having both of these figures and like two comics from the Warlord series
Nice!
I always liked that you got a Warlord figure into JLU.
And now you know why!
I was so excited when Mattel released TDKR Batman and Superman using MOTUC parts, because I just knew that we were going to get a Warlord figure that would use the same strategy and instantly fit into our MOTUC collections.
I'm still bummed that it never happened, and baffled that it might have never even been on anyone's radar to make it.
I wanted to do this as a SDCC item
Great story once again! Love the channel - my fav. Many times as a kid i would go to buy He-man figures and they were out of stock. Being a kid and not having the discipline to wait and come back, many time all I had to pick from was from some knock offs. I got Warlord and Mikola as gifts with the He-man Roton vehicle (prob cause He-man figs out of stock). Can't help but wonder if the reason these were selling at all was because Mattel could not keep up with demand. What do you think?
Part of it yet. Also just riding on the coat tales of success
Just for those watching: Mike Grell didn't create Green Arrow, he was a creator ON Green Arrow, he produced the very well recieved Longbow Hunters and the 'Seattle era' of the character (which influenced Arrow) throughout the late 80s and early 90s (GA is a Golden Age hero, going all the way back to '41, Mort Weisinger and George Papp actually created him just fyi)). I've a feeling TG mispoke rather than got it wrong cos Scotty knows his DC. Also the Warrior Beasts/Lost World of the Warlord playset wasn't produced in the end (sadly).
I most appreciate the correction!
I've always appreciated Warlord from the comics and that Justice League episode, but I never knew that he had a vintage toyline. Very cool to find out he did and makes sense that it'd be MOTU inspired.
Crazy toy world
I just asked you about this last week, and here you've posted a video already. Talk about Customer Service! Loved the video. Couple thoughts:
First off, the advertisements for this line were in EVERY DC comic book in the 80's. You absolutely could not escape them. Based on the artwork used, i half expected the figures to have more of a Kenner Super Powers "look" to them. When the toys finally hit the shelves, I was pretty shocked to see they were obvious Masters clones (albeit with a more..toddler-y...look. I mean, look at those cute, pudgy hands!) So while i loved these figures, i think Remco should've ripped off the OTHER DC toy line.
Secondly, gotta give props to a now extinct department store chain here in PA which had arguably the greatest toy aisle of all time: Hills! Anyone remember those guys? They always had Remco stuff, too: Warlord, Sgt. Rock, Mighty Crusaders. That place was the best.
And finally, we can't forget to mention that this Warlord buck was used for those awesome AWA wrestling figures.
Suggestion for a future video: We've all heard how DC went to Mattel to see what they could do for them action figure-wise, and Mattel kind of blew them off, thus leading to Kenner pitching the Super Powers line. Do any pictures or mock-ups exist of this infamous meeting? i always pictured mattel rolling out a cart of He-Mans with hair magic markered black, and capes stapled on. C'mon, Scott, dish the dirt!
All I know on that front was Mattel heavily worked on a New Gods line but dropped it to do motu
I loved this! I kinda see their point with the legal argument; It would be like Lucas trying to sue everyone who ever made 3.75" figures or 5 POA, yeah?
Likely
Man, I used to see ads for The Warlord toys in the pages of my comics all the time when I was a kid, and I always wanted them to add to the ranks of my MOTU figure collection. I just really like the look of Warlord, with his winged helm and white goatee. He looked badass! One thing, you said Mike Grell created Green Arrow Scott, but this isn't the case. Grell wrote one of the seminal runs on Green Arrow in "The Longbow Hunters" arc, but GA was created by Mort Weisinger & George Papp.
Yeah they did a great job of doing promotions
“Others, not so much.”
Poor New Adventures of He-Man never gets the love it deserves.
Nor does the new "revelations" series. I imagine it will get cancelled. Kevin Smith is getting crucified for it.
@@maxheadroom4659 I agree. With all its faults, I still enjoyed it and hope there's more.
Hey homie, 65 episodes? New Adventures got more love than any series except Filmation. Shows don't get that many episodes approved if there aren't viewers. NA fans seem a lot more laid back than these uppity Filmation babies, but they're out there.
@@maxheadroom4659 I hope not. Every real person I know loved Revelations. Even the people I “know” online like it.
The biggest complaint we all have is 5 episodes is too damn short. Hopefully we won’t have long to wait for part 2.
Well does he?
I also knew Warlord from the Justice League Unlimited animation series titled, "Chaos at the Earth's Core". Episode features Green Lantern John Stewart, Supergirl, Stargirl and STRIPE. It kinda reminds me of a MOTU episode.
Still one of my favorites
I wonder how many people questioned Scott's inclusion of Warlord in the line?
I don't recall anyone!
I'm collecting this body style now. Including motu, DC primal, the Funko horror set, and the motu/WWE crossover
A cool way to collect
Here in Argentina, in the 80's, it seems to me that Warlord did not arrive.
Interesting video.
I live in the U.S. and never heard of Warlord at all
No it wasn't really an international line
I had a Warlord figure as a kid too. Probably one of the few kids in my area who knew who he was before hand. Funny thing is that, even as a kid, I always thought that Mattel had sold the mold to their figures so to take even more money in. Guess now I know the reason I thought so. Thanks.
Not sold, just imitated!
Continuing with the irony, Remco's Conan's head looks like a direct rip-off of He-Man's with the same expression.
"How can you say that we're copying He-Man? Just look at Conan's face! Would such a earnest face lie to you?"
“Looks like?” Looks like implies similarity. I’d wager that Conan figure goes a mite bit further than that.
Well... yes
Great video as always!
Would you make one about Sun Man as he will be featured soon in the origins line?
I am working on that!
@@spectorcreative1872 awesome! I thought you might be but I just wanted to make sure 😜
I have to be honest, even though the newer classic style he man has more articulation I like the old originals better because they don't have the distracting lines where the joints move. As a kid I always preferred star wars figures over GI Joe for the same reason. I never liked how the lines and screws on GI Joe broke up the character.
I resisted buying Origins for quite a while for *exactly* that reason.
It was the swappable parts that finally snared me.
I always thought that too
I love those Warlord figures! I own all six of them today, as a matter of fact. I loved all of the figures that were MOTU-esque because they just helped to expand my imagination and play. I used my MOTU and Warlord figures to compete with the Remco AWA wrestling figures. Wonderful, amazing times back then. Enjoyed the video, Sir. Be well and safe. ✌️
Glad to hear it! Topic ideas always welcome
Grell was actually not the creator of Green Arrow. He revamped the character. I never got Warlord's toy although the book was great. I was poor, and I refused to have it based on that. I saved, scrounged, etc to get He-Man. Nothing made you feel poor like a knockoff.
Yeah I screwed up big time
Wow, there were so many more toylines in the 80s that I never heard of. It's kind of a shame really. Some of these look really neat.
After the rule that cartoons featuring toylines couldn't also run that toy's commercials was adopted, I'm a bit surprised stuff like this didn't get the ad spot just to really pour on the salt... and sell more toys. :)
Ha!
A true golden time
I had a bunch of Remco figures from the Warlord as a kid. They were neat, though their accessories weren't so great and their hips broke easily since they used a Y ball joint that wasn't very strong. I'm surprised you didn't mention their All Star Wrestlers line, they got their mileage out of those molds!
I wish I even had one!
Cool, and because MOTU has crossed over with DC, I wonder would they ever do a Warlord crossover? Yeah, I gotta admit that it was clever for Mettel to do a Warlord figure.
I thought so
Wow!!! I just learned A LOT. I didn’t know about the Balance of Hardships concept. We need more of these stories.
Working on it!
Vintage Warlord comics are TIGHT!
(I have a lot of this stuff in my collection: a complete Warlord and some Warrior Beasts, Blackstar, a Thundercats character, one or two of those Funko, Imperial beasts, Sungold, and so on. I ain't bragging; none of my crap is worth anything; I'm just excited!)
I really should read more of them! I do love pellucidar
Never knew of the Warlord Dc figure at the end! Gotta track that one down! Thanks for another fun and informative video!
Glad you continue to enjoy!
We didn´t have the Warlord figures in Iceland (maybe they weren´t sold in Europe at all), but I remember seeing an ad for them in some superhero comic book, which only showed drawings of them. I remember really wanting to buy Arak and I think Hercules as well and figured I´d find them next time my family would be on vacation in mainland Europe, but of course I never saw them. It was only about a year ago or so I was able to see what the figures actually looked like online. I would definitely have like to have some of them as a kid. I was a fan of the MOTU first and foremost, but I also enjoyed some of the rip-offs like Galaxy Fighters / Galaxy Warriors and they were of course cheaper to buy. Then later larger figures like Thundercats, Centurions and Bravestarr, which I´d all mix together with MOTU and their "rip-off" lines.
Yeah international is a whole other thing
Interesting video! I used to read Warlord comics at my grandparents' Stuckeys store. I still have a few of them. I remember seeing the toys in a few toy aisles nack then, but was into Fisher Price Adventure People and Star Wars, not He Man type stuff. I had a friend who was though and he had a lot of them. I dont think he had any Warlord ones though.
Saw one of the REMCO monster figures I had as a kid.
It's a shame Funko had so many quality issues w/ the DC Primal Age line (along w/ their other figures). That could've been a really cool line to get. I have their Panthro figure from Thundercats, and that's it.
If only. So much potential
This is where Corporate Comercialism and Consoomerism hurts the market
I found later ToyLines such as Acamas' X-Changers and Remco's ManTech made great Companion Toys. They Playsets and Vehicles scaled well.
In-Humanoid Monsters and Pretender Figure Shells work well too. Most kids only worries were scaling and compatibility. Gimicy Action figure bricks were left in the dirt.
You can write a novel on how corporations missunstand kids.
And battle each other to the death
warlord was a great comic. loved my warlord toy
I really want to read the original run
That old school Warlord fig would fit in great with the "DC Primal Age" figs.
Truly!
Mort Weisinger created Green Arrow in the Golden Age of comics.
Point taken
I had a Warlord figure as well as a yellow reptilian warrior beast figure and I played with them right along heman and skeletor. I really liked warlords sword and how well he could hold it
Very cool!
I liked the Warlord and Warrior Beast figures. I used Warrior beasts as extra minions for skeletor. Also I think they were like half as much as masters of the universe figures at the time. I remember you could only get them at zayres, drug stores and Benny's.
That is awesome
So as a kid I loved my warlord figure. I also didn't realize that The Warlord was a DC property until Justice league unlimited, that was crazy to me. So thanks because I don't have an original Warlord figure but I do have a JLU Warlord figure on display. I just added a sword from a Xena figure that fits perfectly.
It is very similar to the Pellicudar series
I actually liked the Warlord line when I was a kid, because it allowed me to have more characters to play with, along with my MOTU. Nevertheless, you forgot to mention that REMCO also used the mold to make their own AWA wrestling action figures as well with them. Heck, have you ever seen a much more buff Ric Flair action figure in your life? LOL!!! Flair never ever looked all hulked up in his life; not even in a good day. 😁😁
Oh he had a lot of appeal
I remember seeing these at the Biway here in canada , and thought exactly what you say, a bootleg motu , they looked and felt cheap
Yet they were so real!
Warrior Beasts were so cool.
Yes they are!
Love the video. I remember playing with a friend who had that long-necked alligator looking guy wondering, "What the heck kind of weird He-Man figure is that?" Now I know. ✌️♥️
An Knowing is half the knowing
I Have the power!! To watch another awesome Spector Creative episode!
Oh you certainly so lord of the sub count
@@spectorcreative1872 is that my title now?
Plz make video about Mossman,is he only of his species???
It is on the list!
The first time I saw He-Man figure in a friends bedroom he also had this Warlord toy. IMO they both came out at the same time.
Nice
A muscular human body with arms and legs-how did Remco ever come up with that?? Oh my, they must have stolen it (from God! Just like Mattel did.). I love these kinds of (historical) toy videos!!
Well maybe they looked at a mirror? ;-P
I remember that awesome episode from Justice League!
Wasn't it so cool! I would watch a whole spinoff of Skataris
Everybody wants to be He-Man
Everyone but Peter Pan
This is one of your BEST videos!
Glad to hear it! Aways love your comments
not sure how i missed these as a kid. I must have had blinders on at toys r us
Like a horse
I had all 6 of the Remco guys! My aunt thought they were MOTU & got them by mistake. 😄😄 Loved them the same.
I wish I had at least one!
My mother got me a Red Dragon figure that she thought was MOTU. I seem to remember the legs didn't move but I do remember it hurt like hell when my brother threw it at me because it was solid plastic. I wonder if this was Remco figure.
Too funny
Remco also did wrestlers with that same body style. I knew a neighbor kid that had them.
Someone should revive the Warlord toyline & comics...with the huge success of MOTU Origins the wildly popular MOTU Revelations now is the right time.
If only!
Never even saw these Remco figures as a kid but now a days I can't get enough info on these guys.
All part of toy history
There's robot body for trap jaw man e faces. I had few warlord figures amongst others had one that made sparks in there chest and others with animal heads all same body type army building 80s style was good for motu realy as wanted them with it did not know was in justice league
And now you know why!
Was there any talk if doing a Warlord homage in Classics? Helmet, weapon, etc?
No, we didn't want to step on other trademarks
Remco also used that body mould for their Wrestling toy line (AWA league was it?). In order to beat LJM to the market after they acquired the toy license for WWF that Remco attempted to acquire first.
Oh yes! They got a lot of use out of that
I loved pellucidar novels, didn't know dc made a comic rip off of it lol. I didn't read all of the burroughs novels as I'd already read the mars series and burroughs, while fun and builder of fun worlds, burroughs novels are very formulaic
I wish they would make a Tanar movie!
I love this little history tidbit, does Remco exist anymore? I had a bunch of Remco 3 3/4 figures back in the day.
Sadly no
As a kid, I had the Remco Hydraz Warrior Beast - the MOTU knockoff with two dinosaur heads.
Also hilariously, as a kid I had Moss=Man and thought it was another knockoff. Dunno why my kid-mind made that connection.
Wait, Moss Man was a real figure???
Wow. I so dig your channel. And that Warlord figure at the end of the video looks AMAZING! Custom? Or was that at retail? I think my next custom might have to be a Revelation Masterverse He-man base
I am so bad at customs! Jealous of anyone who can!!
I really like the Warlord packaging and how it looks like a comic book. However, if it's supposed to be a toy line, it doesn't work. Each character looks like their OWN toy line, despite the banner above the name.
Very weird when you think about it!
I had one of those...the Hercules looking one. Wonder if one of my parents thought they were MOTU LOL. Please do a review of Loyal Subjects figures (MOTU especially)
Loyal Subjects? Not sure what that is?
@@spectorcreative1872 especially for a few years they did a ton of stuff. They had several lines of about 3” vinyl quite articulated action figures. They had a stylized larger head which was kind of their look. They did many brands like MOTU, Thundercats, TMNT, professional wrestlers, Lord of the RIngs, Aliens, etc.
They were all the same scale, and you could easily swap legs, heads, hands, etc between them or different proprieties.
They many times came in blind boxes and were probably considered as more as collectibles like Funko.
I absolutely love them. I’ve created my own motu universe (they did about 3 or 4 waves of the original style line) but I made up over a cast of 100 with customs and new creations.
Just wondered what you thought of them.
I'd love a special on this company and the team that created these..almost the toys that made us type of special. See what was going through their heads at the time.
Very much so
I had the purple snake man from the warrior beasts line. Wish I still did.
I wish I had some of these!
I had warlord and arak as a child. And to be honest I didn't really see them as similar figures. The upper body portion was a bit more slender in actual human portions. Than motu to me. Especially in my early days of drawing. The motu body always came off as humped over and a bit chunky. When drawing from the figures that is. Then I leveled up and it was easy to change all that. Finally to be brutally honest. I liked the warlord characters more. I had motu characters too. But something about the warlord characters grabbed at me more. And to this day I still don't grab at the masses toys. I dig things off the beaten path just as I live my life. Blaze my own. Live and let live people.
I wish I had even one of them!
Azrack hamway /remco was my favorite toy maker. There universal monsters line was so awesome.
It was awesome~!
Great video I had a few of these. But my favorite was the Remco wrestling ones. The Ric Flair is one of my most prized toys.
Those were such classics!
I have enjoyed many of your videos but I can't say I've seen them all. Did you ever work on a wholly original product? What I mean is something that didn't come from an established brand. I've been doing shopping for toy drives and there was this one package with a bunch of sharks in it and I was just wondering how did they decide on that? Sorry but after watching so many of your videos I look at the toy aisle a little differently.
Yes, I developed a brand new property for Mattel but it never went all the way to market
definitely setting reminder
Nice!
Was Thundercats a child of He-Man? I heard it was finished in '82 but not released until '85, which means it almost pre-dates He-Man (at least the cartoon). I had Deimos - he felt like a slightly cheaper He-Man toy.
It was designed by former Mattel employees who left the company
@@spectorcreative1872 Really? Maybe it was made straight after but just held back until He-Man had settled a bit...
Given that the original plan with MOTU was to only work with 3 or so body types why do you think that Ram Man got approved? I know he came along later in the line so was it just a "Well we've made a lot of money, let's do a one-off figure" or do you think given his VERY limited posability that he was cheaper to tool or maybe a combination of both?
Ah, that is a video coming up!
I don't remember DC Primal Age at all; I'll have to look into it.
I became a huge Warlord fan in the 90s when I found some cheap back issues.
Many videos ago, you broke my heart when you revealed how he came so close to happening in DCUC. But you're just the messenger, so it's not your fault. Haha!
Sadly, once DCUC ended, so did all hope of a Warlord figure happening. He's just too obscure. I don't see Mcfarlane doing him.
At least I have the comics.
Yeah he made it to the B sheet and everything!
I had a few of these as a kid. I used to use Arak as Conan. I know I broke his leg off and it ended up superglued on. I also had the cyclops pirate shown. With that said, Green Arrow has been out since the 40's. While Grell made him popular in the 80's he didn't create him.
Yeah I screwed up on that credit
@@spectorcreative1872 It's all good. You're only human. Also, thanks for all the content.
The Rocky 3 action figures were the same form factor, made by Phoenix toys out of Hong Kong. I have a Thunderlips (hulk hogan) and he is commonly mistaken for a Remco and that company (Phoenix toys) has very little known about them and they sort of appeared and then vanished
Too bad this has just disappeared. Well except Origins I guess...
I am surprised that Mattel never tried to sue all of the manufacturers of the other action figure lines made on the cheap that were obviously trying to copy MOTU without hiding it. I have a Galaxy Heroes guy from the 80’s who really is meant to look like discount He-Man.
Law suits are expensive
Speaking of JLU Warlord, still not sure I fully understand how adding a sword would have been cost prohibitive, which I assume is the reason it wasn’t included
Yes. And adding a sword would have put the figure over cost
I had warlord first and got shit as it didn't have the waist punching action.
But he held a high place with my motu.
I would love to find another one.
I’m sure eBay or flee markets can provide