Review – Super Powers Brainiac
Last year, while digging through a flea market between Austin and San Antonio, I uncovered a 1985 Super Powers Brainiac action figure still on the card. Because he was just $10 I snatched him up and now, through the wonders of my insanity, you can enjoy a look at this classic action figure that comes complete with a “Power Action Computer Kick.”
Trust me, it’s not anywhere near as cool as it sounds.
Packaging
One thing I’ve gotta say about the Kenner Super Powers toy series is that the packaging was bright and nearly impossible to miss when you were in the toy aisles back in 1984 and 1985. That baby blue and bright yellow package design screams out across the room at you, and even though this package is clearly out-dated its still got nostalgia on its side and is a lot more fun than we see on most modern super hero action figure blister cards. I keep half-expecting Mattel to release a special wave of figures in a package similar to this — after all, it’s clear they’re trying to replicate the Kenner line with their DC Universe Classics series — but so far nothing. Maybe a SDCC exclusive will use this packaging style.
It’s not high-art, but it’s fun and that old Super Powers logo still reaches out and grabs me.
Vac-Metallized Cheese
Brainiac here is a terrible, evil robot intent on controlling the world . . . no, the universe. And the huge-headed, almost robot bug-like look of the character design is both wicked and stupid all at the same time. The shimmery-blue effect of the vac-metallized plastic is wonderful and reminds me that we don’t get enough vac-metallized action figures these days. Is the process too expensive, or do toy makers just think kids no longer like shiny action figures? I don’t know the answer, but my fingers are crossed in the hopes that someone will read this review and remember that shiny action figures are exactly what the market needs.
Can you imagine a vac-metallized Combat-R Zero (review here) or Panzer Ace (review here) vinyl toy? I’ll take one of each!
Sculpt
The photos above and below give you a close look at Brainiac, and while his sculpt is nowhere as slick or hyper-realized as today’s action figures it’s adequate and firmly set in the eighties. As you can see the figure has a wide, menacing stance and his arms are spread slightly outward to give him that sense of “evil robot” that we expect from the character. The skeletal-like structure of the design is well-sculpted — see the close-up below — but every detail is a little too soft and fuzzy for my tastes. I would have rather seen sharp, hard edges on the details to give Brainiac a more machined look. What we get here is too organic for me to be completely happy with the figure’s sculpt.
A Lame Feature
Squeeze Brainiac’s arms together and his right leg “kicks.” Well, it kinda kicks. The entire mechanism feels like it’s about to break; for a toy that I just opened almost everything about Brainiac feels cheap and like it’s ready to snap at any second. Either the toy’s quality has suffered after decades in the blister pack or Kenner didn’t sell kids the best toys that they could; either way Brainiac here doesn’t feel like a toy I should touch too often. And that “kick” action feature feels like it’s gonna go at any moment so I’ll have to resist the urge to play with him.
I don’t think that will be a problem at all.
At Least He Comes with a Comic
The mini-comic packed with the action figure reminds me that I wish toys these days came with mini-comics. If a toy manufacturer out there wants to get me really excited about their toy series they could do a lot worse than to throw a simple little comic into the package. This isn’t a great story — it’s actually pretty bad — but I appreciate that the comic is in the pack. And looking at the comic made me wonder if there were scans of these online, but a quick peek at the Hall of Justice website didn’t reveal any comics. Oh well, it’s not all that great a loss.
Closing Thoughts
There was a time when I thought a Super Powers Collection collection (uh, yeah, that’s bad) would be a fun set of toys to own, but if Brainiac here is any indication of the quality of the toys I’ll have to forget about that idea. He’s neat because of nostalgia, and I like the shiny plastic and rough character design, but as a toy I became less interested in him the longer I held him. And that’s really too bad, because it now has me questioning whether or not I really want a Super Powers Batmobile.
And anything that makes me think I don’t want a Batmobile toy has to be a bad thing, right?
Philip Reed suggests that you spend too much time today looking at the Hall of Justice website. And he asks that if you find a great deal on a Super Powers Batmobile that you do not tell him.
Chrome and neon color are two sad things to have lost, especially on transformers i miss the die cast and chrome bits.
Phil, fun review.
Two things:
1) the Brainiac of this time was an organic computer, whatever that might mean, so that accounts for the rounded line.
2) Kenner was the pioneer in power actions. I can’t think of many figures that used the arm as the trigger after Braniac (and I have collected nearly every Kenner figure line after Super Powers), so I think they learned from Brainiac that the leg was the way to go for Power Action triggering.
The soft sculpt make him looks like an HR Geiger design! Really like how this guy looks, I’m a sucker for Vac-metallizing. The painted bits on his shoulders look spiffy too.
I’m thinking vac-metallized toys are harder to get by saftey and quality regulations? The process is pretty toxic, and even vac-metallized figures from not to long ago have been known to deteriorate quickly (I think some Henkei transformers have had problems).
Doesn’t make me want them any less…
The head-sculpt reminds me the Microman Acroyear-X designs.
@DoctorKent – I’m not a fan of action features because the features usually really limit the toy’s poseability. Is there a list online somewhere that describes the different sorts of common features?
@Seth L – I wonder if there’s way to replicate the vac-metallized process in a garage operation. I have no idea what’s involved, but if there was a kit or machine I could buy then I’d take a shot at making one of my Glyos figures nice and shiny.
@Phil – if you want to know about chroming, this is the guy to contact:
http://micronautshomeworld.blogspot.com/
Just read over his blog. He’s had so many larger items done…as a Micronauts fan, you can imagine that some people love chrome.
There is a place called ChromeTech in the USA that has done GI Joe items.
As far as the list of power actions…that would be a great list! Something I will have to think about. I don’t think there is a site that has that type of information currently. The earliest examples I can think of are the Fist Fighting Mego Superheroes, and the Butch Cassidy Kenner figures that had “quick draw” action. Yes, I will have to think on this.
The DCSH version of this Brainiac design is a pretty sweet figure, and is completely lacking in action features! http://toyriffic.blogspot.com/2010/02/monsters-of-metal.html
if you don’t like this guy – i think i have a nice cozy home for him! Haha, really!
@Dr. Kent: you got the tight linkage going! You’re my hero, John!
Ok, I am a complete idiot. I have brand new Vac-metallized accessories on the Holiday outer space men. I wonder who the horsemen used?
@Ralph – You’re so very kind. I can always count on you to take the problems off of my hands. Thanks for the offer!
@bubbashelby – It may be sad, but I love both of those Brainiacs. (They’re growing on me.) I don’t own either one, though, so now you’ve got me wondering how tough/expensive these are to find.