Ahoy mateys! It isn’t talk like a pirate day it’s mash-up day and I kept the best for the last (for this theme)! Let’s get to it!
Captain Power was a technological jump in toys. The action figures were pretty standard for the time, though I really liked the vac-metal armor the heroes wore. No, what was special about the toys were the vehicles and playset accessories. They were interactive and reacted to signals transmitted during the television show (live action instead of the traditional animated fare). The Power-On Platform would activate with lights and sounds at the same time that Captain Power armored up in the show and the jets could “fire” at the television targets to score points and get shot. If you took too many hits, the ship would eject its pilot and the game would be over. The story was a bleak post-apocalyptic affair where Captain Power and his soldiers of the future were resistance fighters trying to take down Lord Dread and his army of machines in the wake of the Metal Wars where man fought machines – and machines won. I believe I had all the first wave figures from the series. I also had the Power-Up Platform which was cool in theory but didn’t really do anything except have a flashing light and a neat sound effect. The jet fighters were out of my price range so I didn’t get those at the time. A friend ended up giving me his Phantom Stryker years later. The show was long gone so I don’t believe I ever really got to try the game. The show aired really early in the morning so I never did get to see all the episodes. I have the DVD set but I’ve yet to watch it all the way through.
Here’s Big Oonch as Captain Power. The line work is pretty standard, but what I feel really sets this piece apart is the colouring. I’m REALLY happy with the way he turned out. Don’t forget you can click on the picture to enlarge it.
That’s all for this week. Next week is the start of a new theme that promises to be a little simpler style-wise but promises to show my artistic roots. See you next Wednesday for the reveal!