"Glenn spoke to me about doing a Top 5 list quite a while ago. I told him instantly that I was really keen to do one. But when it came time to put my list together I couldn't even come up with a Top 50 Toylines that I own, let alone a Top 5 toy list. He told me to just pick 5 that I really liked and that we could do several of these lists, which made it a little more manageable. So here are 5 that I'm really keen on. There is no order for them."
5) Torosaurus (with Gunnur and Magnus) by Tyco (Dino Riders)
"Released by tyco in 1988 this was the one and only Dino Rider I had as a kid. It was given to me by a family friend and oh how I loved it. Sadly this is not my childhood one, but it is a perfect example of the toy. As a kid I was fascinated by the light up "lasers" under the claw-like opening armour and the walking action. Nothing has changed, it still gets me stoked. Another thing I find really interesting is the way Tyco re used the same body for this dinosaur, the Triceratops and the very rare Pachyrhinosaurus."
4) Ghostbusters Buggy by Schaper (Ghostbusters)
"Released by Schaper in 1986, this toyline is often overlooked due to the popularity of the Real Ghostbusters. I'm into both properties but particularly drawn to this one because of the car and the Ghost Command. The Buggy could do everything, lift up with the wheels on stilts, turn into a plane, turn into a boat and also a submarine. And it could talk, not always great as it was very opinionated. It was a pretty cool old jalopy and had a neat rat rod style. Unfortunately it's a very fragile toy and most of the action features are generally broken. This one is perfect and it's a real treat when I pull it out of the cabinet and use the action features."
3) Panthro by LJN (Thundercats)
"Released by LJN in 1985 this is the earliest toy that I can remember owning. He went everywhere with me. The Nunchuks were so radical with the cats claws on the end, it inspired me to tie some sticks together and hit stuff with them. Of all the Thundercats, Panthro was my favourite, he was the toughest but also the smartest. The only thing I don't love about this figure is the squatted leg pose, which from good sources, was done to make Lion O larger and more appealing. I always display him on a little bit of foam which lifts him up to the size he should of been. I'm hoping that the new Mattycollector range corrects this."
2) Radiation Ranger by Playmates (Toxic Crusaders)
"Released by Playmates in 1991 there are several points that draw me to this figure. The Environmental craze was very influential on my childhood and life. I'm an absolute sucker for faceless Armybuilders, this one pictured is one of 18 loose complete ones I have. I'm extremely fond of the sculptor of these figures, David Arshawsky's work. I have so, so many of his pieces. And lastly I just love the aesthetics of the figure. As was common in the whole line, there are always differences in the paint jobs. Various fluorescent green "slime" splatters are all over the figure. The cool magenta hoses that connect the backpack to the helmet. Glow in the Dark mines and the holographic looking visor top it off for me."
1) Mutagen Man by Playmates (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
"Released by Playmates in 1990, it's hard to pass up this awesome TMNT figure for my list. I really like the throwback to the mid 80s Gross Out era of toys. The exposed organs, which are the remains of Seymour Guts, again sculpted by my favourite toy maker are just awesome. Add to that a clear body, (I've always loved clear toys that you can see the internal workings on) Purple hoses and the ability to fill the chamber with Ooze or water to float the body parts around in and this toy is close to perfect. It should have come with two hoses like I've photographed but instead it came with one presumably to keep costs down."
