AUSRETROGAMER

The Pop-Culture E-Zine

You are here: Home / Archives for retro toys

retro toys

Celebrating 40 Years of Masters Of The Universe

By

We have posted a fair bit about Masters of the Universe lately, so we thought why not do it again! Well, the MOTU franchise is celebrating its 40th year, so there’s that too!

Following the official Masters Of The Universe social channels (Facebook, Twitter & Instagram) has been a trip down nostalgia lane for us folks who had (still have) their original MOTU action figures and accessories.

Some of the posts that the MOTU social media team shares are funny and cool, but it’s the stop-motion posts that grab our attention – just like this latest one (created by Stuntpuppets), where Beast Man takes on He-Man (after beating down Man-At-Arms) in a one-on-one Beast-Brawl!


source: MOTU on Facebook



An Amazing Retro Gaming Donation

By

When we first started ausretrogamer over a decade ago we never imagined that our little corner of nostalgia would capture the attention of people around Australia and around the world.

Over the years we have had readers contacting us to donate their wares, usually due to our genuine love of retro gaming and the preservation of classic games and consoles, plus no one wants to send stuff to landfill – it’s a win win!

A few weeks ago we were contacted by Mike, an avid reader of our site, who asked if we would be interested in his donation of classic consoles, computers and games. Mike sent us a photo of some of his goodies, and we must say, our eyes lit up at the vastness of the collection he was going to donate.

We finally met up with Mike late last week and the big surprise was that he had way more amazing stuff to donate than what was in the initial photos. We were pleasantly surprised and found it totally humbling that someone would generously give away their items to be preserved and enjoyed – which we will! The best part of this donation was meeting Mike and having a great conversation about games, systems and life in general – which is totally priceless.

We haven’t gone through all of the items Mike donated to ausretrogamer, but we thought we would share some photos of this amazing collection – scroll slowly to take in all the nostalgia!

Many thanks to Mike for his generosity, these will be cherished.

all images owned by & copyright of ausretrogamer



Amazon’s Retro Zone: All Retro. All The Time

By

While the big news is of Amazon arriving Down Under, we were more excited about their new Retro Zone!

Amazon has curated their best of the best retro gaming items, from console, games and toys, to clothing and books! Oh yeah, there is plenty of Sega, Nintendo, Square Enix and Atari gear too!

So what are you waiting for, go and hit up the Amazon Retro Zone now!

More Retro than you can poke a stick at!

The heavy hitters of retro gaming are all there! Wait, where is Commodore?

image source: Amazon Retro Zone

 

Masters Of The Universe Affinity

By

MOTU_Title_altIt is no secret that I am a huge fan of Mattel’s original Masters Of The Universe (MOTU) toy series. I have been a fan since I first encountered the MOTU action figure line at my local Treasureway store (similar to Target / Kmart) in 1983. I remember being mesmerised by the He-Man figure in a big blister pack emblazoned with the MOTU logo. However, $15.99 was a lot of money in 1983 and it was going to require a big effort to convince mum I needed this toy. I got to work (in convincing my mum) and just a few weeks later I was the proud owner of my very own He-Man, but on the back of the packaging were the other figures in the series and I knew I had to have more – and just like that, I was hooked!

My ingenious (as I thought at the time) plan to expand my MOTU collection involved the argument that I needed an even split between ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies’ to be able to play out my (imaginary) battle on Eternia (a.k.a. the couch). I continued to collect more original MOTU action figures over the years, and although I never completed the set, I was very grateful for and thoroughly enjoyed playing with the figures I had.

Fast forward three decades, and my original MOTU collection is proudly displayed in the home office. I am so glad I kept the action figures all this time – they provide an important link to my childhood, a time where my imagination took me to wondrous places in the universe, thanks to Masters of The Universe.

The most powerful toy line in the universe!
MOTU_1

Yo DJ, spin that MOTU wheel!
MOTU_8

Cel shenanigans
MOTU_2

In the most powerful club in the universe!
MOTU_3

The MOTU story books (latter ones became comics) were damn awesome!
MOTU_4

Very hot MOTU wheels
MOTU_5

Show-bag full of MOTU weapons of mass fun!
MOTU_6

Man-At-Arms vs Skeletor!
MOTU_7

The most awesomest books in the universe!
MOTU_9

Don’t get bored playing Monopoly. Play to save He-Man!
MOTU_10

Laser blasting with the man with Man-E-Faces
MOTU_11

Evil lurks in many corners. Watch out Hulk!
MOTU_12

Great pants Brutus! Oh wait……
MOTU_13

Trouble setting up Castle Grayskull? Don’t worry, this scary looking He-Man will help!
MOTU_14

Oh, so that’s how the labels are applied!
MOTU_15

The showcasing rig
MOTU_16

Giddy-up Cringer! Oops, I mean Battle Cat!
MOTU_17

 

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Minicomic Collection

By

MOTU_Title

As a kid growing up in the early ’80s, I spent my time playing with action figures, in particular, Mattel’s awesome Masters Of The Universe range. The MOTU figures came with pack-in minicomics (mini-story books), which I loved reading as soon as I busted them out of the packet. I loved “The King Of Castle Grayskull” mini-story book that came with my original He-Man!

Fast forward thirty plus years, and guess what, I still get giddy with excitement when I see any reference to the classic Masters Of The Universe series. To my delight, there is going to be a hardcover MOTU collection book which will feature sixty-eight U.S. story releases, including all mini books/comics from the ’80s Masters of the Universe line, the ’80s Princess of Power line, and the ’80s and ’90s He-Man line, plus an introduction to the minicomics in the current Masters of the Universe classics toy line!

With over 1000 pages of minicomics and interviews with the original comics creators, do yourself a favour, pre-order the “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Minicomic Collection” book now! It will definitely take you back so you can relive the illustrated adventures that fueled your imagination!