Jab’s Builds! (Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef! Sweetums! Gonzo!)

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
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Power Lords

Post by Jabroniville »

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POWER LORDS- THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL WARRIORS:
Created By: Revell
Era: 1983

-One I've never heard of, the Power Lords were created by model-kit company Revell in 1983, and the 5.5" main figure had a gimmick where he could turn his torso around to reveal the "powered-up" side, Adam Power thus becoming "Lord Power" (so he just looks like Janus). Side character Shaya had a similar ability (the other front was hidden by a cape) and others just had standard action features. The main villain was Arkus, a purple bug-like monster. The characters were designed by Wayne Barlowe, who wrote a book on alien designs a few years earlier. The characters were empowered thanks to an alien war that had found its way to Earth. DC Comics produced a 3-issue Limited Series, and there were also a board game, video game, puzzles, and more, but it largely vanished. A line of "Beast Machines" came out the next year, but they were done by a different guy and were just torsos on tank treads (like that guy in the Reavers). Four Horsemen Studios released updated versions of the toys in 2012, and the company that makes The Toys That Made Us bought them in early 2021 with the intention to bring it back.
Jabroniville
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Computer Warriors

Post by Jabroniville »

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COMPUTER WARRIORS:
Created By: Mattel
Era: 1989-1990

-Another one I've never heard of, Computer Warriors was given only a TV pilot for a Mattel-made toyline in 1989- it's about a top-secret government computer that accidentally unleashes evil "Virus Troops" led by Megahert, which hide in everday household objects and want to rule the world by taking over computers. The antiviruses, produced by the same computer, are the Computer Warriors, led by Romm. This actually sounds a fair bit like ReBoot, which came out much later and was AWESOME, but was more based around the insides of a computer.

Romm is the "Command Program", Skannar is a virus tracker, Gridd is a "diagnostic program" (ie. medic/fixer), and Micronn is a statistical program that has access to all the data the group needs. They ride on Circuit Gliders and chase the Viruses into the real world, where everyone learns to disguise themselves as ordinary objects. These objects were of course capable of transforming into vehicles, which essentially makes the toys just Transformers rip-offs- there was a calculator that became a tank, a clock that became a "synchro-blaster", a pencil sharpener a "techno-jet", and more. Unusually, however, the objects actually WORKED. Like, it was an actual pencil sharpener. Others were Pepsi cans, soccer trophies and books.

The toys are pretty lame in terms of figures, with moving arms and legs and that's it- the villains are just gross-out mutated figures, while the heroes have blank faces and square-ish, mechanical bodies.
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Ken
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Pirates of Dark Water- SilverHawks! Mon*Star!)

Post by Ken »

Ares wrote: Fri Jan 14, 2022 4:15 pm
kenseido wrote: Fri Jan 14, 2022 4:04 pm I remember watching Silverhawks with my friend and questioning why they all had exposed skin in space. Everyone has an exposed forearm and/or hand that doesn't get covered up in space.
Given the fleshy hands are never shown to be noticeably weaker than their cybernetic ones, I think it's safe to say that their bones and muscles have likely been replaced as well, meaning its likely the flesh over said hand is artificial. That said, it's never explained why they'd need to keep a hand with artificial skin, unless it's used for identification purposes like palm scanners and the like. Or maybe it was to make interacting with normal people easier, letting them have at least one human looking and feeling hand that could be shook.
Remember, they spoke and Bluegrass played music in "space" and the sound carried. And they used wings to fly. Their section of "space" had atmosphere.
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Re: SilverHawks

Post by jcjec »

Jabroniville wrote: Wed Jan 12, 2022 6:27 am Image
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SILVERHAWKS:
Created By: Rankin/Bass Studios
Era: 1986-1988

-Largely considered a space-based version of ThunderCats, SilverHawks was created by the same people and used the same animation studio- the link is pretty obvious just from the face and mouth shapes of the characters, and the cat-like eyes of the kid character. It was your standard "Create a show to sell some toys" deal, with some metallic-sheen toys being produced. 65 episodes were made, making it a pretty standard-issue kids' TV show for the era- most of the ones that were more successful than insta-bombs or failed projects (like, say, Glo Friends), but less successful than G.I. Joe, ThunderCats, and Transformers, got that- Bionic Six, Jem & the Holograms and even The Spiral Zone among them. Generally, that indicates a LOT of faith by the production company, and a serious effort... but a show that didn't really take off that far. Just enough for syndication.

The show was essentially "Space Cops"- a quartet of heroes were given cybernetic augmentation that made them "Partly Metal; Partly Real" (this is a silly-ass catchphrase that makes adults sound stupid, but I guess fits for kids, and for the lyrics of a cartoon) so they could fly to Limbo and fight the evil Mon*Star, who had broken out of prison with his band of goons. The heroes had a vaguely anime-esque design to them (the animation studio was Japanese, which probably helped), and all had similar powers- they were mostly flying guys in armor with vague super-strength. Mon*Star and his agents had a far bigger assortment of abilities, making them seem more interesting.
I noticed that, on all of the Silverhawk builds, you didn't include points for the minion/sidekick Robo-birds that they each had.
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Re: SilverHawks

Post by Jabroniville »

jcjec wrote: Sat Jan 15, 2022 12:20 am
I noticed that, on all of the Silverhawk builds, you didn't include points for the minion/sidekick Robo-birds that they each had.
Yeah I've never watched the show, so I had no idea what the birds even did, or if all the characters even had them. I wasn't sure if anyone was gonna catch that, lol.
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The Adventures of T-Rex

Post by Jabroniville »

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Like seriously, FIVE HEROES on this show and they gave them all the exact same design.

THE ADVENTURES OF T-REX:
Created By: Créativité et Développement & Kitty Film
Era: 1992-93

-I know what you're thinking: "FINALLY! Something that takes advantage of the famously-huge crossover fandom of dinosaurs and 1920s Jass Music!". Welcome to the inexplicable T-Rex, taking place in a world of anthropomorphic dinosaurs, in which five brothers perform as jazz singers in a nightclub, while also fighting crime as science-fiction superheroes with advanced gear. The characters did imitations of celebrity voices: Jack Benny, Art Carney, Bing Crosby, Humphrey Bogart and Jimmy Durante... which brings up the question of WHAT CHILD WATCHING THIS SHOW WOULD RECOGNIZE ANY OF THOSE VOICES?!?! Like, all the 12-year old Art Carney fans were gonna be into this?

The T-Rex brothers worked for an evening gown-wearing hadrosaur lady and opposed the giant-headed crime-leader Big Boss, trying to protect Rep City from his endless schemes. They also had a little sister named Ginger. Bernie was blue and had super legs, Bruno was pink and had super-arms (Power-Lifting & Punching?), Bubba was green and had a super-tail (Strike?), Buck was yellow and had a super-mouth (Biting Damage?), and Bugsy, the leader, was in purple and had Telekinetic Eyes. Well at least they were smart enough to have the leader be the purple one.

The show was the brainchild of an American/Japanese coalition, producing 52 episodes of nonsense before dying. No toys were ever sold- it was just here for ratings, I guess.

THE BROTHERS
Role:
Jazz Singers, Superheroes
PL 8 (100)
STRENGTH
4 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+8)
Deception 3 (+7)
Expertise (Singing) 9 (+10)
Expertise (Streetwise) 3 (+5)
Insight 2 (+4)
Intimidation 2 (+6)
Technology 3 (+4)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Equipment 4 (Armor +2, Freeze Gun- Ranged Affliction 6- Strength; Dazed & Hindered/Defenseless & Immobile/Paralyzed), Improved Critical (Power), Improved Disarm, Ranged Attack 2, Set-Up, Teamwork

Powers:
xxxxxx

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Super-Powers +9 (+7 Damage, DC 21)
Freeze Gun +6 (+6 Ranged Affliction, DC 16)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +4 (+6 Armor), Fortitude +6, Will +6

Complications:
Secret (Superheroes)- The five brothers do not share their superheroic identities with the world.
Relationship (Ginger- Kid Sister)

Total: Abilities: 64 / Skills: 36--13 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 12 (100)

-The five Brothers are good singers and mid-tier superheroes- as PL 8s, they're fairly potent as a squad. Also everyone had Freeze Guns for some reason.

BERNIE- PL 8 (106): Leaping 3 (60 feet), "Kicks" Strength-Damage +3 [6]
-Bernie wore blue and had super-legs for kicking & leaping.

BUBBA- PL 8 (103): "Tail" Strength-Damage +3 [3]
-Bubba wore green and had a super-tail.

BUCK- PL 8 (106): "Powerful Bite" Strength-Damage +3 (Extras: Penetrating) [6]
-Buck wore yellow and had a super-bite.

BUGSY- PL 8 (113): "Telekinetic Vision" Move Object 6, Leadership [13]
-Bugsy was the team leader and wore purple, which is of course the best color. He was the only one with an esoteric power, using his eyes to move stuff around.

BRUNO- PL 8 (106): "Punches" Strength-Damage +3, Power-Lifting 3 (3 tons) [6]
-Bruno wore pink (pretty unusual for a male superhero) and had super-strength via his arms... not sure how he lifted stuff without super LEGS too, but whatever.
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KorokoMystia
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Pirates of Dark Water- SilverHawks! Mon*Star!)

Post by KorokoMystia »

Yeah, T-Rex is still completely inexplicably to this day. Part of it was probably trying to cash in on TMNT, but they made so many strange choices, too. The Freeze Guns make a little bit of sense in that a. they're "non-violent" (after all, this is a kids cartoon in the era of censorship) and b. Everyone's a reptile, so they're especially suspectible to it. Also makes them easier to arrest. and of course, c. so they can make a ton of terrible ice puns. "Freeze!" "He's got a cooler!" ect.
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jcjec
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Re: SilverHawks

Post by jcjec »

Jabroniville wrote: Sat Jan 15, 2022 12:32 am
jcjec wrote: Sat Jan 15, 2022 12:20 am
I noticed that, on all of the Silverhawk builds, you didn't include points for the minion/sidekick Robo-birds that they each had.
Yeah I've never watched the show, so I had no idea what the birds even did, or if all the characters even had them. I wasn't sure if anyone was gonna catch that, lol.
I remember watching the show, and enjoying it, and I even have the show on DVD, but haven't watched it in years. I think, for the most part, though, that the Silverhawks had a mind link with their birds and they acted as scouts for them. But I may be wrong. If anyone remembers more clearly, feel free to correct me.
Jim C.

I know that into every life a little rain must fall,
but why do we have to live in the flood plains?
Jabroniville
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Sky Dancers

Post by Jabroniville »

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SKY DANCERS:
Created By: Galoob
Era: 1994-95

-Sky Dancers predated Dragon Flyz, and were about winged girls that could spin via the similar ripcord mechanism. The wings were made of foam for safety reasons, but still over 100 injuries were reported from the toys, from facial lacerations requiring stitches to *temporary blindness*. Galoob eventually recalled them after "less than six years on the market", though really that's a tremendous run by any estimation. A 26-episode cartoon was released as well. It featured five characters who were students at High Hope Dance Academy under the widowed Queen Skyla, whose husband was killed his own brother Sky Clone. The characters include Angelica (optimistic, witty country-music lover who can stop time), Jade (headstrong type who can turn invisible), Slam ("Hero of Hip-Hop" and an argumentative, impatient kid who argues with Jade in a "Will They/Won't They" kind of way, and shoots a "Gravity Beam"), Cameille (modern dancer who can create shapes from clouds and is afraid to tell her rich parents she wants to dance instead of follow their careers), and Breeze (Native American kid with wind & nature powers). King Skylar turns out to have been trapped in another dimension and not dead, and is eventually freed.
Jabroniville
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DragonFlyz

Post by Jabroniville »

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DRAGON FLYZ:
Created By: Galoob
Era: 1996-97

-A mid-90s Merch-based show, Dragon Flyz was about a bunch of search & rescue operators flying on dragon-back in the 41st century, after a Cataclysm wrecked much of the world. Humans are at war with a reptilian/gargoyle race for control of the planet. The heroes live in Airlandis (one of the few Oases left in the world), and seek fuel via some crystals. The main heroes were four brothers and some allies- Z'neth (the responsible leader), Summit (the big strong guy with a temper), Apex (the girl, who is naturally a telepath) and Peak (the headstrong dumb rookie) were the siblings, and then therer's Amod (disrespectful to dragons until taught otherwise), Zarkan (generic soldier), Nora (Peak's romantic interest), and Aaron (the siblings' father). The evil Mutants are led by Dragonwing, a standard-issue cruel leader. His female second-in-command Nocturna has a crush on Z'neth and often betrays her boss. There's a hunchback (Fryte) and an evil scientist (Gangryn), plus mooks called Dramen- gargoyle-like beings.

26 episodes of the series were released, meant to sell toys that operated on a "ripcord" design- ripping the cord launches the "Dragonator" into the air via a spinning mechanism as his "wings" spread out and spin to lift him off. Galoob had a similar concept for their Sky Dancers line.
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My Pet Monster

Post by Jabroniville »

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MY PET MONSTER:
Created By: American Greetings Corporation
Era: 1986-87

-I... wow, this show only lasted for thirteen episodes? That's pretty wild for something that I remember being EVERYWHERE when it was on. In any case, My Pet Monster was another American Greetings brainchild, this one having the brilliant notion of this "Ugly Cute" monster with a bulbous nose and handcuffs that could be unlocked. These kinds of figures are even popular TODAY, and debuted in the 1980s in various forms (Boglins, Madballs, etc.)- a kind of "Gross-out" thing where they could also be seen as cute.

The cartoon was everywhere on YTV circa 1987, though- a show was released on home video featuring the main kid Max and his pal Chuckie (one of the first Asian kids I saw on TV) finding the short, blue "Monster", and running from his enemy Beastur (who, as a gigantic purple monster, looked pretty awesome and I always kinda wanted him to win). I mostly remember Alyson Court playing the "Older Sister" character she often did around this time (she's in the Madballs cartoon doing the same voice and character)- this time played up as annoying Max, but doting over "Monzie". There's also a pesky neighbor character (replacing an evil scientist who wants to use Monster for publicity).

A 22-inch talking doll was released in 2001. The property was sold to Saban in 2012, and they sold it to Hasbro in 2018- nobody's done dick with it since the '80s, though.
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Re: Jab’s Builds (SilverHawks! Mon*Star! Power Lords! T-Rex!)

Post by KorokoMystia »

I've encountered the Dragon Flyz toys before. They were cool, but..yeah, incredibly dangerous if a kid tried launching one at someone else.
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BraveStarr

Post by Jabroniville »

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BRAVESTARR:
Created By: Filmation/Mattel
Era: 1987-88

-Okay, so here's another show that missed me completely- in fact, I'd never even heard of it until the late '90s when I was scoping out a site called "Yesterland", one of the early nostalgia-themed sites out there. I went through the entire list of old sitcoms and movies (this was how I found out about The Last Dragon, realizing where a wrestler named Sho'nuff got his name from, as well as the routine in Busta Rhymes's Dangerous video), and found a bunch of things I'd never seen or heard of before. And I was like "WTF? A Filmation show from the '80s named BraveStarr? That I've never heard of?". I mean, I'd watched The Ghostbusters and He-Man/She-Ra, so I was right there in the midst of their '80s stuff. But this one passed me by utterly.

The show has one of the stranger concepts out there- it takes place on "New Texas", a planet out on the frontiers of galactic civilization, as humanity had colonized the stars, and developed a society much like the Wild West. The main hero is Marshall BraveStarr, a Native American hero with animal powers, making it one of very few cartoons at the time with a minority protagonist. He also has a horse named Thirty/Thirty that also turns into a humanoid horse-man. Like most Filmation shows, it has a giant cast of weirdo baddies, too. It was a Mattel toy line (that had actually come out the year BEFORE, in some bad timing), as He-Man had been, and was created by Filmation- it was in fact their LAST series, as Filmation was shuttered by its owners in 1989, who just kept the TV show rights. A spin-off series named Bravo! was apparently in development when this happened. But despite be being the ideal age for this (7-8 years old), I'd never seen it.

The character of "Tex Hex" was the first one created- he was going to be a Ghostbusters villain, but Filmation head Lou Scheimer found him "fascinating" and pulled him for his own show- a "Space Western" was thus created.

The show lasted for 65 episodes, as most cartoons that really put in effort do, and featured a pretty big cast of characters. There's the Prairie People, a race of creatures native to New Texas, which include Deputy Fuzz (a comic relief character). A female judge, lawyer & teacher named Judge. J.B. McBride, who's a sometimes-love interest of BraveStarr's, is naturally voiced by Susan "Stormer/Arcee" Blu. And since it's a show about Native peoples, there's Shaman, a mystic who gives advice. He has a ton of powers, too- teleportation, time travel, psychokinesis, and near-omniscient clairvoyance. He's BraveStarr's mentor and foster-father. Plus we have prospectors, the town doctor, an alien bartender, and more.

The villains are led by Stampede, a skeletal "Broncosaur" who generally directs traffic, like Hordak and Prime Evil in other Filmation shows. Tex Hex is the chief subordinate, and BraveStarr's biggest rival (he shoots energy blasts). The othesr are Outlaw Scuzz (evil Prairie Person), Cactus Head (a tiny robot with twin energy cannons), Sand Storm (a red snake who shoots out clouds of sand), Thunder Stick (stuttering cannon-wielding robot), Vipra (reptilian hypnotist), Billy the Droid (purple robot w/ energy blasts), the Dune Buggy Gang (generic criminals), and a variety of evil Dingo-men.
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Re: Jab’s Builds (SilverHawks! Mon*Star! Power Lords! T-Rex!)

Post by Davies »

Translation of that top poster.

"It was the roughest planet on the frontier.
It needed a thousand lawmen.
It got one.
He was enough."

As with most Filmation shows, the animation is ... not all that great, but the storytelling has its moments.
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Re: Jab’s Builds (SilverHawks! Power Lords! T-Rex! BraveStarr!)

Post by catsi563 »

its easily one of the best settings for either RIFTs or Starfinder out there works right along with the Galaxy rangers and silver hawks
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