TYCO Toys
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Tyco Toys was a toy company that build a small set of BattleTech related products.
Tyco was not the big powerhouse American toy companies, but it has been around since 1926 and it had produced some icons of American toys, like electric train and slot cars. In the US, Tyco was best known for RC cars, Magna-Doodle and trains, but they also were known for producing figure-based toy line lines in the 1980s with Dino-Riders, and by the 1990s, Tyco would buy Matchbox and develop a preschool line. However, Tyco was bought by Mattel on March 27, 1997, and the brand survives today as Tyco R/C for the Mattel toy empire
The TYCO produced mecha-centered toy line that was tied-into the 1994 Saban Entertainment BattleTech: The Animated Series that was being broadcast on FOX stations in America. This military science fiction cartoon was being marketed to kids who were interested in manga/anime, giant robot warriors, as well as established fans of the BT/MW universe. It was hoped by Saban, FASA, and Tyco, that the popularity of the BattleTech wargame and the MechWarrior RPG would be extended into the realm of TV and toys. The toy line would appear on American toy shelves in 1994 and last until 1995 with only one real wave of mecha, figures, and vehicles being released by Tyco before cancellation of both the toy line and the cartoon.
Unlike many other boy toy lines before it, Tyco's BattleTech was nearly 100% laser-focused on the mecha, which was the real star of the animated series along with the original FASA wargame/RPG. Of all the released toys in the 1994/1995 line, only one was not mecha. Most of the 'Mechs featured "battle-damage" panels, so that kids could aim and fire their spring-loaded projectiles at the panels (and their eyes), having the 'Mech toy react with ejecting the pilot or body parts. Each 'Mech and vehicle came with a tiny character from the television show. There were two releases of the toys: the 1995 line differed from the 1994 because the 1995 one was repainted with some bold color and patterns, and unlike the original 1994 release. Those colors and patterns were called "Tiger Camo" and "Assault Color".
Contents
BattleTech[edit]
General Details[edit]
These figures were modeled closely to their counterparts in the animated series. All 'Mechs have rocket firing mechanisms and an additional battle features. Hits with rockets on certain panels cause battle damage. For example hits on the center panel of the Thor led to the destruction of its arms or a hit on the Axman activate its escape pod ejection mechanism.
The Tyco BattleTech figures were true action toys. The concept was to entertain the kids with action features more than with attention of details to the original BattleTech concepts. The highlights are surely the Axman and the Hunchback, both come kind of close to their counterparts in the BattleTech universe.
Products[edit]
1994[edit]
The 1994 BattleTech related products were:
- AXM-2N Axman with Major Adam Steiner
- MAL-1R Mauler with Zack Hawkins
- BSW-X1 Bushwacker with Valten Ryder
- BSX-X2 Banshee aerospace fighter with Franklin Sakamoto
- Summoner (Thor) M with Nicolai Malthus
- Hunchback IIC with Pytor
- Toad (Elemental Suit) with Nicolai Malthus
- Infiltrator battle armor with Major Adam Steiner
- Sloth battle armor with Franklin Sakamoto
1995[edit]
In 1995, a second series was released. The entire series consisted of series 1 repaints, with no new vehicles introduced. The repaints were called Tiger Camo and Assault Color, and are considered extremely rare.
Prototypes[edit]
- Vulture with Kristen Redmond