My pal Matt has decided to share another cool monster rarity this Halloween season. This time, it’s the very rare 1970s Tuscany Studios Universal Wolf Man statue. Take it away Matt.

“Tuscany Studios Was based in Chicago, and produced statues similar to Esco, but instead of being made of chalkware, they were solid plaster. They stand a little bit taller than Esco statues, and are quite a bit heavier. They made statues of Dracula, the Wolfman, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The Jekyll and Hyde reversible statue is an interesting amalgam of different interpretations The Wolfman is my favorite of the lot. And fits in perfectly next to his Esco cousins.”

“Compared to their Esco brethren, Tuscany statues are harder to find. The legend goes that the owner of Tuscany Studios was a devout Catholic and brought his parish pastor to his studio. As the story goes, the priest was highly disapproving of the theme of monsters which seem to support devilry, and so the owner of Tuscany Studios stopped production on the monsters, and destroyed the molds, alas. To me, nothing says 1970s monsters quite like chalkware statues”

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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.

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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.

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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!

You can now subscribe to Toy-Ventures magazine, never miss an issue and be insured a pre-order premium every time. 

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

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This newly acquired Toys R Us flyer fromn 1980 is possibly one of the best I’ve ever picked up, it just reminds me of being a ten-year-old kid and it’s loaded with incredible toys, oddly enough not a huge amount of Star Wars content, which is OK by me.

Those fourth prices of DC Comics Treasury editions from the mid 1970s amazes me, I love those books with all my heart.

 Get Toy-Ventures Issue 2 now!

The Little Professor is still in my kitchen junk drawer

Oh ENTEX Space Invaders, how I loved thee.

Alligator was actually based on the movie of the same name, 1980 was a great year for “Games based on Rober Forester movies” 

That Fiddlesticks Superhero set is something that comes up a lot in the PlaidStallions mailbox. Nobody remembers it.

Elastic Mickey Mouse by Mego is now famous thanks to some Meme I think I had a hand in. The Incredible Hulk work bench is “Krusty the Clown” levels of selling out Bruce….

Crazy Foam is so my jam.

Oh Presto Magix! Awesome!

The Cosmic Clipper is a model kit by Airfix, who released a whole range of cool spaceships that looked like they were from Space:1999.

Reggie Jackson’s Bat Away Pitching Machine really got out there.

My dad bought that father and son set, what a treat fighting someone three times your size! Remember when Kramer was in the kid’s karate class, it was like that…

Toys R US Catalog from 1980

Toys R US Catalog from 1980

I love this page to pieces and I do remember some shops over ordering Yoda until it was the only Star Wars figure they had.

Toys R US Catalog from 1980

Toys R US Catalog from 1980

PlaidStallions Toy-Ventures Magazine #2 is now available and it’s been called “not only an entertaining read, but it’s also an impeccable work of reference” by PopCult.

FACEBOOK GROUPS FROM PLAIDSTALLIONS

Pod Stallions is one of the most fun groups on Facebook.

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

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Toy-Ventures concludes “Monster Month” with a look at one of the coolest Monster toy lines of the 1980s, the Remco Monsters! We talk about its origins, both waves and it’s foreign releasing.

Check out the Monsterizer Commericial here:

Join our Facebook Group “Mego KOHQ” here:
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Get issue 1 of Toy-Ventures Magazine here:

PlaidStallions Toy-Ventures Issue One (September 2020)

Limited Edition Gift Sets Available Now!
Rather than crowd fund the next issue of the magazine, I thought I’d whip up these gift sets full of merch we’ve created in the past. Just that thing for the retro fan in your life. Thanks for indulging me, more content soon!
OUR STORE: http://www.megomuseum.com/odeon/store/products/

PlaidStallions Toy-Ventures Magazine #1 is now available and it’s been called “not only an entertaining read, but it’s also an impeccable work of reference” by PopCult.

BETTIE PAGE RETRO FIGURE KICK STARTER IS LIVE

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One of the bigger explosions in the seventies was the rise of the homemade craft kit, which no doubt was brought about by the hippie movement of the 60’s..

Children across America were making macrame (guilty!), rug hooking (guilty!) and happily making Christmas tree Candles (My father must have worried about me).

One of the bigger players in all of this was a company known as Rapco, who had the good sense to create licensed Candle sets of the Universal monsters, who wouldn’t want a Frankenstein or a creature candle? I want one right now!

I think the Frankenstein bust looks a lot like Glenn Strange. Like anybody who collects monster goodies, I would love to own these….

Famous Monsters candles, now that’s some manly candle making. I wonder if anyone sells copies of these? I’d love to grab a bunch. Note that you got a bonus Monster in the form of the Mummy in the four-pack. My four favorite monsters all in one set, sweet.

Spin Art and the Rain Gardens.

The infamous Plasticast! Just like Cynthia used on Jimi Hendrix!

Interest in bottle cutting probably waned around the same time we all started using plastic, not as much fun and no damnded good at holding a candle…..

PlaidStallions Toy-Ventures Magazine #1 is now available and it’s been called “not only an entertaining read, but it’s also an impeccable work of reference” by PopCult.

Join the Mego Knock Offs Facebook Group!

The post 1975 Rapco Catalog- Universal Monsters Hobby Kits- Famous Monsters appeared first on PS.