As folks might know, I’m rather fond of Rack Toys, particularly ones made by Azrak-Hamway International or AHI for short. AHI had a really great ten year run with both the Marvel and DC Superheroes. However, their major output was Batman toys, mainly because he has so many toys himself. This collection showcases some items that I’ve never actually seen before.

These Batman Super Klobbers are the first thing that caught my eye. These are essentially a knock-off of “Socker Boppers” with Batman on them. They are very rare; I’ve seen exactly one set of Superman, Batman and Spider-Man during my toy-hunting lifetime. One of the things that I truly enjoy about Rack Toys is the art direction which appears to “Do whatever you want!” I miss that time; this is a wonderful and hilarious swipe on Neal Adams. The other artwork also takes from Infantino and Murphy Anderson. 

These parachuting figures are an obsession of mine, I love the last version Batman card (top middle). As evidenced by his absence, Robin is the hardest figure to find in the set.

AHi Batman Rack Toys

Bat vehicles were a sold seller for AHI for a decade and there are some real hidden gems here. My personal favourite is the UK Jotastar version of the Bat Copter (Top Right). It’s not known if JotaStar bought these from AHI or just their factory. 

I also love the Orange variant of the Bat Cycle. AHI was known for releasing toys in what my friend Corey calls “Test colours.” I’ve seen bright blue phasers and red Space:1999 stun guns. It was the wild west back then.

AHi Batman Rack Toys

The belle of the ball for AHI was the batmobile; it still sells! The card art for these varies as much as its shape; what I love about this is that they don’t look related; every single one is its own unique and beautiful design. Each card is made to catch your eye and well, to see them like this is overwhelming and amazing. 

About Heritage Auctions:

The Ultimate Batman Collection auction contains 621 lots dating from the 1940’s to today. The bulk of the collection comes from the 1960’s and 70’s and contains a wide range of original Batman items including action figures, tin toys, trading cards, comics, posters, food packaging, models, puzzles, games, and so much more. Also included are many incredibly rare and one-of-a-kind pieces like dioramas by Hot Toys, original artwork by Walt Howarth, and several items that may be the only of their kind left in existence. The collection also reaches far into internationally-released Batman items as it was primarily collected 1970’s and 80’s by a well-traveled collector based in the UK. There are few vintage Batman collections that could rival the extensive nature of the one represented in this auction.

Please visit Heritage Auctions for More.

Mego Meet 2023 will become part of Power-Con August 11-13 in Columbus, Ohio. Greater Columbus Convention Center
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Do you miss print toy magazines? I sure did; that’s why I created Toy Ventures. A full-colour print magazine that celebrates toys from the 1960s to the 1980s. It features collector guides, interviews and even some satire. We’re on issue 10 now but still have a limited supply of our back issues; please visit our Shop for more information.

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The cover to the 1974 AHI Catalog is one of my favourites in my entire collection, simple, colourful and so joyous.

The World Famous Super Monsters were the result of AHI scooping the action figure license from rival toymaker Mego. According to Mego President Marty Abrams, Mego simply stopped negotiating and developed their own generic monster line.

For more on the Mad Monsters, check out this episode of Toy-Ventures

Click here for the double-page spread.

Sky Diving Parachutists and friction batmobile would be a staple for the company for a decade.

Toy-Ventures Issue 1 is a guide to Azrak-Hamway International and features Super Monsters, Batman, Planet of the Apes, Star Trek and Space:1999. You can get it at the Plaid Stallions shop.

The remote control super streaks were released but are quite rare and expensive these days.

AHI 1974 Catalog

The many forms of the Batmobile would prove to be one of AHI’s best-selling items.

The Super Friends Buggy has Aquaman at the wheel! The Joker VS Batman Race Track has some really fun graphics.

f

AHI 1974 Catalog  Flintstones

I have never seen the Flinstones racing set in the wild, I wonder if it was produced.

Raggedy Anne and Andy were likely meant to appeal to slightly younger children.

These 12″ Wild West figures are a tough set to piece together and don’t seem to get the attention they deserve.

I can’t help but notice an Ideal Zeroid knock-off in the top. Sarge was AHI’s take on Fighting Yank which was Mego’s take on GI Joe!

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5 Awesome Things on eBay this week

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Toy-Ventures this week takes a look at the 1980 dealer catalog for Azrak-Hamway International (AHI for short), this is one of the last years for AHI as they were absorbed into REMCO (and later on Jakk’s Pacific) but this is a wonderful year full of rack toys based on the Marvel and DC Superheroes, Star Trek, KISS, Lost in Space, the Universal Monsters. So many crazy items!

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Mego Knock Off Headquarters– The leading group discussing 70s dimestore goodness, we talk vintage toys, not others!

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Time to celebrate the fun Rack Toys made by Azrak-Hamway International based on “Star Trek”, sure they’re lower cost items but there isn’t any tell-tale “Label Slapping” going on, you can tell these are Star Trek items off the package!

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