Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The Many Uses of Fleer Candy Lockers !! (Besides the Candy)

Back in the 70's / 80's candy was bountiful. Sugary candy came in all shapes and packages.

It was great to be a kid.

Fleer packaged candy in many different packages; coffins, fire hydrants, peanuts, lunch boxes ...

One of the most useful were the lockers !!

candy locker

After devouring the candy, they became storage for GI Joe equipment !!

candy locker

One of the cooler features were the tabs on the sides (red arrows).
Snap them together and .....


Ya got a whole row of lockers !! Having them linked together made them less vulnerable to toppling over, and created a whole bank of them ! To top it off, they are very detailed, with opening doors and shelving on the inside. 
 

I am a big fan of sugary candy (PEZ, Smarties, etc) and all these little "boxes" of candy were, and still are, my absolute favorites. These lockers were plentiful. When I got the GI Joe Headquarters they were a fixture of the rear where the storage was:


I made a locker room back there for extra weapon storage. Its amazing the kind of things that kids think of. You have these plastic candy lockers and what do you do with them ? Put the Joe's weapons in them and include them into your play !

 
Got something to add ? All are welcome to leave a comment !

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Dreadnok Buzzer takes the Fisher Price Adventure People Motorcycle for a Ride !!

In the late 70's and early 80's, Fisher Price was producing one of the iconic action figure lines of our time: "The Adventure People." The Motorcycle Racing Team (#356) is perhaps one of the best items they managed.


The set comes with the driver, a passenger, the motorcycle and sidecar. Each piece is tremendous. These figures are well made and durable so putting them to serious play was always an option. The figures could always be incorporated into other 3 3/4 play, as they are generic enough to fit any option. The motorcycle is awesomely detailed, but it is difficult for figures with no leg articulation to ride it. The sidecar is perfect and the footrest at the bottom does a good job of keeping the passenger intact through serious riding.


One of the coolest features of this set is the driver. His knees are articulated and he is in a bit of a saddle pose to allow a perfect fit on the bike. Both hands are posed palms down to allow him to grip the steering wheel, which pivots and directs the motion of the motorcycle.


Of course once I got Dreadnoks, the motorcycle was transferred to Buzzer, who was my favorite of the pack. The motorcycle is a perfect fit and allows him to wreak havoc with his chainsaw !


If you can't tell I am a big fan of the Adventure People. They were my main toys before Star Wars, and then GI Joe. The best thing about them is how they were so easily incorporated into my GI Joe universe. These guys were used as cannon fodder, smugglers, couriers, assassins .... all kinds of roles ! The bike got used along with the RAM and the C.H.i.P.s 3 3/4 motorcycle as the Dreadnoks main rides.
 
I remember setting up a dirt track in the garden (the one where I lost my "Mickey" Cobra Commander) and riding this sucker all over it, doing tricks and jumps and whatnot. The figures and motorcycle were built so you could just hose em of and had no problems. Even the Joes would start to rust around their screws if you kept getting them wet. These figures are perfect for outright play or in tandem with any other line, which is one of the reasons why it is truly an Icon of the Action Figure legacy.
 
Got something to add ? All are welcome to leave a comment !