Review – Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars Doom Star with Kang

I guess if I’m going to take time to show you modern Secret Wars toys (my review of the Secret Wars Captain America and Klaw set was posted a few days ago) then it’s only fair that I also show you one of the toys from Mattel’s original Secret Wars line from 1984. Many collectors today look down their noses at this line but I remember it as a set of toys that — while admittedly goofy — were a lot of fun. Are my memories accurate or was I just a stupid kid? Let’s find out.

Packaging

It’s not every day that you get to open up a 25 year old toy so I always make the most of these occasions. Well, actually I shred these babies without hesitation, treating the box from 1984 no differently than I do a box from 2009. After all, a box can be neat and all but it’s the plastic goodness inside that we’re after.

This box is pretty ugly, with a photo of the toy filling the front of the box (as well as a kid just about to throw the glider) and very little in the way of artistic style. Where’s my awesome Mike Zeck (artist on the Secret Wars comic) line art, Mattel? That would have been much cooler than this lame photo.

The back of the box is better, but only because we get a look at some of the other toys in the series. My photo doesn’t give you much to work with, but if I ever find a good deal on that Freedom Fighter Mobile Base Station toy I may just need to grab it.

The package is nothing special and, unlike many old boxes from that era, it’s not even worthy for display. To the trash with you!

Kang the Conqueror

The Doom Star may be the star of the box (see below), but Kang is the piece that’s most playable. Purple and green with a funky blue face, is it any surprise that I love Kang’s character design?

So just who is Kang? His Wikipedia entry says:

“He was revealed as a possible descendant of Nathaniel Richards from the 31st Century of an alternate Earth. It was then revealed that while the original Kang was dead, his constant time-traveling had caused the creation of a number of other flawed “Kangs”, and so the few stable versions of the villain form a council to eliminate the others and stop a proliferation of still more of their number.”

None of that really matters when all we’re doing is looking at the action figure, though. Kang’s not one of the better superhero action figures on the planet but he’s not terrible when you remember that he’s from 1984. He’s got the typical five points of articulation — head, each arm, and each leg — and stands a bit taller than the usual 3.75-inch action figure of the era. (The back of the box calls these 4.25-inch action figures; I guess Mattel wanted to tower over the G.I. Joe and Star Wars figures of the day.)

Kang’s paint applications are minimal, with the figure cast in green plastic and purple and light blue paint applied to give his costume and face a little color. The paint’s fairly neatly applied, with only a few jagged edges around the face. He had to have been one of the easier figures for them to paint, though, since there’s so little in the way of detail on his costume.

Kang comes with two simple accessories — a shield and a soft plastic harness — and one of them (the shield!) is really unnecessary and nothing more than a gimmick.

• Harness – Need proof that the harness accessory is necessary? Well, take a look at the picture of Kang at right and I think you’ll see why this piece is so important to the toy. If you find a loose Kang without his harness than skip him; the poor guy looks naked without this piece.
  
• Shield – The gimmick for this series, every figure in the line came with a “Secret Shield” that displayed “Secret Messages.” Trust me, this is extremely lame and little more than a series of lenticular images that bring nothing to the toy’s play value. A missing shield isn’t a great loss.

Kang’s an okay action figure, but I’d really love to get a modern Marvel Universe 3.75-inch version of the character to go along with my Klaw (shown below and reviewed here). Please, Hasbro, put Kang in one of the upcoming Secret Wars packs.

Doom Star Glider

Now that we’ve looked at the “extra” piece that’s in the box let’s turn our attention to the star of the show, the Doom Star glider. With a two-foot wingspan this glider actually flies . . . if not very well. It’s huge, not very graceful, and doesn’t look like it would even work in real life — why did they place the pilot on top of the wing? — but it’s just goofy enough to be cool. With two guns, some great decal design, and a bright color scheme this is a great display item. Mine’s gonna go on some fishing line and hang over one of the toy cases.

Closing Thoughts

The Doom Star with Kang set isn’t one of the best toys on the market but it’s a fun piece with a lot of history. As a representational piece from an era when every toy line needed a glider, the bright colors and wacky design make this really stand out. It’s not worth a lot — I scored mine in the sealed box for less than $15 — but if you can find one at a low price, and if you’ve got a weakness for classic superhero action figures, then this makes a great addition to the collection.

If all you want is the Kang, though, then keep your eyes open for a loose figure. After all, the glider is much too large to own if it’s not gonna be something that you’ll enjoy.

Philip Reed loves these old gliders. They’re big, actually fly, and remind him that he never did get one of the G.I. Joe gliders when he was a kid.