1979 Kenner Megabug Gladiators Catalog
Described by Kenner in 1979 as “Combat vehicles of the future….half insect, half-machine” Megabug Gladiators were perhaps just too ahead of their time.
That’s pretty much the only reason I can think of to justify why this cool toy line of insect tanks wasn’t a hit with kids. Had it been spawned in the 1980s, Megabugs would have likely gotten an animated series to support the concept and would have been a bigger hit.
As it stands, it’s one of those toylines that deserves more fanfare, for being one of the most creative concepts of the decade.
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I have zero recollections of these! They so far under my radar that they must have been underground.
I had the dragonfly when I was a kid. It was packed with play features, a winch in the ‘head’ that you could operate by turning the compound ‘eyes’, suction cup feet, and the middle legs that closed/opened by pressing a button on the back that could clasp the green bomb or a 3 3/4 inch figure.\
Never bought the other two toys though.
I think Thundarr fought that scorpion-car once.
I don’t remember these at all from when I was a kid…. and I would have lost my mind over them! I wonder if there wasn’t some distribution hiccup, and poor exposure is why they didn’t go over. They’re very Thundarr-esque.
Don C.