The Fighting Furies were introduced in 1974 by Matchbox (Lesney) and were the creation of legendary toy design firm, Marvin Glass and Associates. The line at this time centred around a series of Pirate action figures with “duelling action” which was a lever on their backs allowing them to engage in sword play.

The Fighting Furies line enjoyed some success in 1974 and Matchbox attempted to expand the line in ’75 with a new character, a boat and two proposed playsets. 

The new character for 1975 is the Ghost of Captain Kidd and he is glorious! A ghostly glow-in-the-dark figure that reveals a skeleton image, he is the line’s benchmark figure. Sadly, he was also the last figure in the pirate range. Europe would see the Fighting Furies expand into western themes but the pirate range wouldn’t see any further growth.

The Fighting Furies longboat adventure was proposed for 1975 and looks like a lot of fun. However, it likely did not see production, a complete shame. That little octopus!

The Skull Island Playset is another tragedy of the catalogue as it never saw production. I don’t think the Phantom would appreciate those pirates in the Skull cave though, they don’t allow smoking there.  Shipwreck adventure was another vehicle that didn’t see production and I mourn that little Octopus yet again….

Check out our Toy-Ventures episode covering the Matchbox Fighting Furies line.

Matchbox Fighting Furies Gallery

Check out the PlaidStallions Fighting Furies Archive

Toy-Ventures Magazine

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That’s why we created Toy-Ventures magazine, an old-school print publication dedicated to vintage toys from the 1960s to the 1990s. Each issue is packed with never before seen images and information written by some of the top collectors. We’ve got six issues and climbing; please check our page here or visit our store.

Our newest book “Knock-Offs: Totally, Unauthorized Action Figures,” is now available. It’s 130 pages of bootleg goodness.
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Mego Knock Off Headquarters– The leading group discussing 70s Dime store knock-offs and bootleg action figures, we talk vintage toys and not others. We know the difference between Astro Apes and Action Apeman.  It’s a fun group where we talk about Lincoln International, AHI, Mighty Gary, Tomland, Bogi, Demo Man, Mortoys, and other generic greats.

5 Awesome Things on eBay this week

The post 1975 Matchbox Fighting Furies Catalog appeared first on PS.

Matchbox MAC or “Mobile Action Command” is one of the 1970s most forgotten toy lines.

That’s a shame because of how wonderful they really are. A series of quasi-futuristic vehicles that come with a nameless driver (I always pretended he was a robot), this series would run for years and was a good use of two bucks!

The Matchbox MAC toy line seemed to be taking some cues here from the Hasbro GI Joe Adventure team line. A group of jumpsuited men that were primarily interested in rescuing people, it also feels a little bit like the Thunderbirds as well. Their mountain base was the big “Christmas” item for the line and would appear in more than one Department Store wish book.

The Matchbox MAC line would see a major transformation in 1976. The figures would receive taller and bulkier figures meant to be more realistic (but some would argue didn’t fit the vehicles as well). Also, the boxes would be abandoned for blister cards, which greatly helped their sales appeal.

We’ve done an episode on Matchbox MAC for Toy-Ventures.

We also have the 1977 Matchbox MAC catalog as well.

Toy-Ventures Magazine

Do you miss toy magazines?

That’s why we created Toy-Ventures magazine, an old-school print publication dedicated to vintage toys from the 1960s to the 1990s. Each issue is packed with never before seen images and information written by some of the top collectors. We’ve got six issues and climbing; please check our page here or visit our store.

Our newest book “Knock-Offs: Totally, Unauthorized Action Figures,” is now available. It’s 130 pages of bootleg goodness.
You can get this new book via the PlaidStallions Shop , On Amazon (Affiliate Link) or on eBay (eBay Link)

Our book Rack Toys, Cheap, Crazed Playthings is now available again! Order through our Affiliate Link

Order Rack Toys 2.0 Here through our Affiliate Link►https://amzn.to/3Bkm9z1

FACEBOOK GROUPS FROM PLAIDSTALLIONS

Pod Stallions is based on our podcast and is one of the most fun groups on Facebook. Toys, Comics, Movies, TV, it’s all up for grabs and remember, you keep the glass! If you like our show, then you have found your tribe.

Mego Knock Off Headquarters– The leading group discussing 70s Dime store knock-offs and bootleg action figures, we talk vintage toys and not others. We know the difference between Astro Apes and Action Apeman.  It’s a fun group where we talk about Lincoln International, AHI, Mighty Gary, Tomland, Bogi, Demo Man, Mortoys, and other generic greats.

5 Awesome Things on eBay this week

The post 1975 Matchbox MAC Catalog- Mobile Action Command appeared first on PS.

Toy-Ventures walks the plank this week with a look at the Pirate and Cowboy figures from the Matchbox Fighting Furies. One of the more underrated toylines of the 1970s, these Mego scaled figures had a longer life than most US kids know. We also talk about Mego, Big Jim, Karl May, Marvin Glass and Sandokan! It’s a treasure chest of information and there is no Johnny Depp!

PlaidStallions Matchbox Fighting Furies Gallery is Here

Buy Toy-Ventures Magazine Here

Join Mego Knock Off Head Quarters Here;

Fighting Furies Facebook Group:

Order our book Rack Toys 2.0

Our book Rack Toys, Cheap, Crazed Playthings is now available again!

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Toy-Ventures Magazine is our newest creation, an old-school print magazine about vintage toys! Professionally laid out and written, each issue is brimming with obscure and rare toys from companies such as Mego, Kenner, Remco, AHI, and much more. Monsters, Superheroes, Adventurers, Knock Offs, Apes, and so much more, it’s in Toy-Ventures.

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FACEBOOK GROUPS FROM PLAIDSTALLIONS

Pod Stallions is one of the most fun groups on Facebook. Toys, Comics, Movies, TV, it’s all up for grabs and remember, you keep the glass!

Mego Knock Off Headquarters– The leading group discussing 70s Dime store knock-offs of Mego action figures, we talk vintage toys and not others. We know the difference between Astro Apes and Action Apeman! It’s a really fun group where we talk about Lincoln International, AHI, Tomland, Bogi, Demo Man, Mortoy, and other generic greats.

The post Toy-Ventures: Matchbox Fighting Furies appeared first on PS.

The concept is centered on the nameless men of MAC, an international rescue operation similar to the Thunderbirds, each man has his own quasi-futuristic vehicle. The combination of a 2″ figure and attractively priced vehicle lured me many times and the lack of a back story intrigued me and millions of other children worldwide. The thing I hear most about MAC these days from collectors is “I had that but never knew what they were called!”

The men of Matchbox MAC were based in a secret mountain fortress complete with three vehicles and three Mobile Action Command agents. This playset was the most expensive piece in the MAC arsenal and today it’s not uncommon to find this piece in a department store mailer box.

The Mobile Rescue Headquarters and Oceana Sea Rescue Unit (with cool shark!) were higher price point units. Note that the gun on the boat only stuns the shark.

These MAC vehicle sets were the bread and butter of the line and what most people remember, I personally had the police patrol unit and remember thinking it was from the future!

Even the military sets are devoted to rescue, one of the cooler things about MAC. I also that frogman set as a kid, I was obsessed with scuba diving.

We did a video on Matchbox MAC a couple of years back (Hey that rhymes!)

Toy-Ventures Magazine is our newest creation, an old-school print magazine about vintage toys! Professionally laid out and written, each issue is brimming with obscure and rare toys from companies such as Mego, Kenner, Remco, AHI, and much more. Monsters, Superheroes, Adventurers, Knock Offs, Apes, and so much more, it’s in Toy-Ventures.

Toy-Ventures Issue 4 is available now:
Ebay: https://ebay.us/XSS1X7
Plaid Stallions Store: https://plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop/
Amazon:https://amzn.to/3d9Q0AS

FACEBOOK GROUPS FROM PLAIDSTALLIONS

Pod Stallions is one of the most fun groups on Facebook. Toys, Comics, Movies, TV, it’s all up for grabs and remember, you keep the glass!

Mego Knock Off Headquarters– The leading group discussing 70s Dime store knock-offs of Mego action figures, we talk vintage toys, not others. It’s a fun group where we talk about Lincoln International, AHI, Tomland, and all those companies that never thought to put their name on things because….lawyers.

The post 1977 Matchbox MAC (Mobile Action Command) Catalog appeared first on PS.