M.A.S.K.... or Astro-Mask! It's M.A.S.K., the Kenner vehicle-based line that fans have been clamoring for! I wasn't surprised to see the brand there - it had been teased on social media - but I was surprised to see ex-Hasbro employees John Warden and Ben Montano among the many guests at a Loyal Subjects press/fan event Friday morning. They were sharing the spiel, which involved retooling the toys to improve them for durability. I mentioned how my old Thunderhawk (the red car with the gull wing doors) had silver cannons snap-off inside with gentle play, and they said they're reworking them to hold up to actual heavy kid play in the sandbox. That's a pretty big claim, and I'm curious to see how much abuse they'll take.
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There were also Carmen Sandiego, Teletubbies, My Pet Monster, My Buddy, on display. No sign of Kid Sister, for those who are familiar.
Some toys were referred to by new names, and I did not get a sheet of them to share with you. But you'll recognize things from the old toon or toy line. The centerpiece will either be new versions of the Thunderhawk with Matt Trakker, or the Rhino with Matt Trakker and Bruce Sato. (Prices were not discussed.) New versions of Switchblade with Miles Mayhem and Condor with Brad Turner were shown.
Each toy had some minor changes - for example, improved ball-jointed hips and extra arm articulation. The originals had only 5 points of articulation. Those with visible eyes had painted peepers, unlike the largely blank-eyed originals. The masks looked a lot like the ones I remember, and I'll need to compare the Thunderhawk bombs against my originals at home later. The designers and marketers were keen to share that they had a goal of making something that's basically compatible with the original toy lines in terms of size, but also are different enough to be seen as an improvement. From the look of things, I would agree - these look like they got a nice upgrade, and I look forward to testing the mechanisms (and seeing if they added in any new ones.) I currently expect these to come out in 2025.
--Adam Pawlus
