Major Matt Mason - What Space Adventure Should Have Been Like

I make no bones about how old I am getting. I'm 49 years old. As I close in on the half century mark, one tends to think back to one's youth.

Here lately, I've been thinking about that old Buck Rogers In the 25th Century tv show with Gil Gerard and even odder - of another toy line that Mattel put out back in the good old 1960s at the height of the Space Race: Major Matt Mason!

I've added a link to a webblog on Major Matt Mason to my links list so check it out. If one is into Stargate SG-1 trivia, Colonel Carter as a young girl played with Major Matt Mason instead of Barbie.

Check out the image I found on the web. Its the cover to a toy catalog that Mattel put out for the Major Matt Mason line. You see the good Major in his white spacesuit on his space sled flying past you in the foreground. In the background you can see the space crawler and the amazing two to three foot tall space station playset. That was the most amazing toy of the entire line was that space station. You can find YouTube videos of the old tv commercials that Mattel put out. The figure had a internal wire armature that was easly broken after years (or sometimes, just months of hard play).

Taking a quick looks see thru the different MMM website tonight, Mattel is taking back its creation from some people who got ahold of the creative license to Major Matt Mason when Mattel wasn't paying attention to such details. A part of me hopes that Mattel will re-launch the Major Matt Mason figure line using better technology (no more internal wires to break, hint, hint). With our slow pace return back to the moon with the Constellation/Aries Project - and the (Not) Space Race with a emerging China and India; the need for a new Major Matt Mason to inspire a new generation of American children to become scientists is sorely needed.

Which in a way brings us full circle back to Buck Rogers. No cash for the space program - no Buck Rogers (to borrow that line from the movie "The Right Stuff." ) But I am hearing that it might be reivived as a movie project for release in 2010 or 2011. On a personal note, I hope that this new Buck Rogers is treated the same way that the new Battlestar Galactica was done.

A Gathering of Tomb Raiders.

What can one say about Tomb Raider(s).

Angelina Jolie is sexy hot! And when the first Tomb Raider movie came out, there were the usual toys that went along with the release. There were two different Angelina Jolie/Lara Croft action figures (in name only. In fact, they were semi-movable statues that they managed to stick into clothing). Not being happy with what they dumped out on the market, I cannibalized my Angelina Jolie action figure and bought a BBI Cy-Girls Perfect Body figure to customize. I popped the head off and it fits the BBI figure, but real loose. The Pony tail had to be cut off and using a ROBART hinge, managed to get the pony tail to work with the head on the new body. Its not the best, but since this was my first customizing effort, I was pleased with the result. Then off into the glass case to look at.

Fast forward and now there is a line of Stargate SG-1 action figures that are coming out. (You can read those postings in the archives). I dug up my Daniel Jackson figure from out of storage along with my Angelina Jolie/Lara Croft.

And now I have the Sideshow Collectibles Indiana Jones action figure. Hummmmmmmmm. A photo of three famous Tomb Raiders is called for now.

Stargate SG-1 Colonel Jack O'Neill 12-inch Action Figure

Well, purely by chance, I was at a local Hastings store when I spotted the Colonel Jack O'Neill 12-inch tall action figure. (Please see my review of Dr. Daniel Jackson from the same Stargate SG-1 line). I left the store the first time without buying the figure, went home and when it came supper time, decided to go back out and after dinner, go back by that same Hastings and bought that figure. It was selling for $39.99.

The face sculpts are good. This one of Richard Dean Anderson looks like it was made using photos from season 4 or 5 there abouts. The clothing is the same as per the Daniel Jackson figure.

The accessories with Colonel O'Neill are different. One is that Colonel Jack O'Neill DOES have a P-90 included in the boxed set! And a standard canteen without any belt to hook it onto (I might add). A "Zat" gun (aka Zat'Nik'Tel). The same type of walkie-talkie radio that is in the Daniel Jackson set. But the best news of all is that with the O'Neill figure; you get a GDO, or "Garage Door Opener" worn by off world personal that can send a coded signal back thru a open Stargate to Stargate Command to open up the iris to allow for the teams to return to earth.

I also want to put in a word for a great magazine. STARGATE, The Official Magazine. The current issue (#25, Nov/Dec 2008) has a special section dealing with the passing of a great actor, Don S. Davis who died this year. He will be sorely missed. He played roles on such shows as the X-Files as Scully's father (Captain William Scully). Major Garland Biggs in Twin Peaks. Don S. Davis had a 20 year acting career. But his best remembered role will be that of two-star General George Hammond. Commander of Stargate Command.

As a personal choice - I would love it if they did a General George Hammond action figure in his U.S. Air Force class B uniform (that is the short sleeve, open collar light blue shirt and blue trousers). I'll settle for the class A uniform (which is the long sleeve light blue shirt with dark blue tie and button jacket and round service hat), but I think it would be nice for that to happen.

Stargate 12-inch Action Figures: Dr. Daniel Jackson

Earlier in 2008, Previews magazine, which is operated by Diamond; began showing off and accepting pre-orders for a new line of Stargate SG-1 action figures. The ad that I saw focus on Michael Shanks' Dr. Daniel Jackson.

And since we both share the same last name – I had to get this figure. And this will be my review of this figure. First off, its distributed by Diamond Select Toys ( http://www.diamondselecttoys.com/ ). I got a little discount on the figure since I had pre-ordered it so the final price came out to less than $35.00 bucks. Regular retail price for this figure is $39.99. (photo is from their website).

Doctor Daniel Jackson is a typical 12-inch tall action figure. This one being sculpted by Bill Mancuso. The figure itself has 26 points of articulation. The face sculpt is of an “older” Daniel Jackson from later in the series.

He is wearing typical green fatigues with the Stargate patches on both shoulders. His glasses appear to be glued onto the head above the ears. There might be some pegs that go into holes there and the glasses just plugs right into them. The boots have actual boot strings laced on them.

Now as for the goodies that come with the figure. Replicator spider! And the Ancients' “splatter gun” or whatever it is actually called. The one that shuts down the replicator's processors and the hive chips just fall where they may when zapped by this gun. Daniel also has the Zat pistol and a regular .45 cal 1911 A1 style automatic pistol, but no holster to put it in. Both pistols have no working parts to them such as a removable magazine or the zat pistol expanding up from its 'stored' position. And finally, a standard issue radio.

On the back of the box are two other figures. Colonel's Jack O'Neil and Cameron Mitchell.

First off – I'm happy to have a Shanks family namesake in 1/6th scale. My disappointments with this figure are as follows. No boonie hat or O.D. green due rag which Daniel wears from time to time out in the field. The next item is no P-90 submachine gun. Thankfully, Century 21 Toys had a package of military weapons carded that was on sale at various Wal-Marts. So I picked up a several and they are in my spare parts box whenever I need to use them.

I am looking forward to seeing the other two figures when I can afford to get them and I hope that Diamond will add additional Stargate SG-1 action figures to the 12” line.