That Darn SWAT Kat

As promised, here's a closer look at my one and only SWAT Kat: Razor!

I know nothing about this guy. Off to Wikipedia!: "Jake Clawson (alias: Razor) (voiced by Barry Gordon) - The smaller member of the SWAT Kats, who is a mechanical genius. He designed the various gadgets and advanced weaponry used in the Turbokat, and he serves as the radar interceptor and weapons control officer, or RIO, in the Turbokat. He is a martial arts master. He is the more measured, and restrained, of the two kats. In "Razor's Edge" he lost his self-confidence in his fighting because he had "hurt" two pedestrians, but recovered from this upon discovering it was a set-up by Dark Kat. He loved the late night show with David Litterbin (a pun on David Letterman). His catchphrase is "Bingo!"

In fact, I know nothing about SWAT Kats in general. I don't think I've ever seen an episode. I had never seen an action figure either before spotting this guy stranding all alone at the Flea Market, although I immediately recognized him as a SWAT Kat. Because my cartoon and toy knowledge transcends mere human awareness.

I was walking past a Flea Market 'stall;' which was just another couple and their stuff, and saw this guy standing on a table near the back. Which was sort of surprising as there weren't any toys otherwise. I stepped in, picked him up and asked how much - the lady said 'fifty cents.' I got change from my dollar and moved on surprised to finally have seen (and now to own) an actual SWAT Kat.

Razor is minty fresh and while he hasn't any weapons or accessories, I had to have him for the novelty of a toy/character I had never seen before and the whopping fifty cent asking price!

He's also is surprisingly well built. Made by Remco in 1994 (which amazes me, as I had no idea Remco was still making action figures in 1994!) the paint apps are a bit limited but the sculpt is detailed, the figure is a nice heavy solid plastic and he even has metal pegs holding his elbow and knee joints together!

Basically a TMNT inspired 'also-ran,' SWAT Kats may be fondly remembered by some but they went completely under my radar when they were released as both toy and toon in the early nineties.

There were only four toys released: Razor, T-Bone, Dr. Viper and Dark Kat. A complete Razor would have included a crossbow type weapon, but with those teeth and claws, I'm pretty sure he can handle any threat without it! MEOW!

Flea Market Finds :: SWAT Kats and Horde Trooper

This past weekend's flea market haul was small but powerful. A Remco SWAT Kat named Razor and a Horde Trooper by Mattel.

I know Horde Troopers are pretty hard to come by, and I've never seen a SWAT Kat in person before, so I consider these great finds!

Tune in for future posts featuring these guys in more detail soon!

Mighty Crusaders

Back in 1984 toy manufacturer Remco released a series of superhero action figures based on little known Archie Publishing superhero properties. Many of these superheroes were old forties 'also-rans,' making them pretty unique on the '84 scene and something my now 36 year old self would have been all over like four color ink on newsprint.

Alas I had no idea these guys existed back then, I only discovered the existence of these toys in the internet age. But thanks to the magic of the swap meet, I now own two of them!

First up is The Fox. Originally debuting in 1940 and probably my favorite of all the Mighty Crusader toys because of his Batman-esque vibe, news photographer Paul Patton used his alter ego to get sweet shots of crimes as they happened (sounds like a familiar friendly neighborhood wall crawler, doesn't it?)

His costume is pretty straightforward and simple and reminds me a bit of Wildcat.

Fox's chest symbol was the head of a fox in his original comic art, but it has been highly stylized/simplified for his action figure debut.

The second figure I found is the Buzzard. Buzzard reminds me a lot of Spider-man villain The Vulture, another balding old man with flight capabilities. The Buzzard (and Fox for that matter) originally came with a load of sweet accessories, but sadly both of the ones I found came with nothing. Not sure how difficult it would be to rectify that (probably not very) but they are still pretty cool as they are, so I'll probably not sweat it.

According to MightyCrusaders.net, Buzzard did not make his debut until 1985, so maybe he was created first for this toyline and later appeared in a comic book? I don't know, I'm no Mighty Crusaders expert.

Regardless, these are pretty fun little guys and of course I got them on the cheap - $3 for the pair!

Whenever I would see these toys online I assumed they were the size of original Masters of the Universe figures based on the similarity of their construction. But these guys are actually only about 4.5" tall, making them a little more fun in their cute, compact size. They do sport an action feature, a spring back fist for superhero punches! Aw yeah uppercut!

He's a cold hearted snake, look into his eyes...

...oh oh, he's been tellin' lies!

Among last weekend's MOTU swap meet haul was my third (still haven't posted about my second) Remco Warrior Beast!

This guy's official name is Snakeman. Those guys at Remco were freaking geniuses!

His head sculpt is actually pretty cool, too bad there's nothin by way of paint application except the yellow in the eyes.

He came with a sword in his hand but I don't think it's original to the toy. You tell him.

He's also got an epic tail. Looks like mine has been attached with a screw or something, so it's likely a repair job. Other than that Snakeman is in great condition and a nice addition to my growing Remco Warrior Beast army. Not bad for four bucks!