The 10 Best Repainted Action Figures of All Time
Posted at 5:06 AM Jan 07, 2009
By Jason F.C. ClarkeThey're the bane of many an action figure collector's existence--repaints. That's when a manufacturer takes an existing action figure, paints it in all-new colors and tries to pass it off as a new figure, such as "Arctic Batman." This allows the company to squeeze a little more profit out of the expensive mold they created for the original figure. Collectors hate them, kids are indifferent to them and the figures warm the pegs. But once in a while, a figure is repainted (along with a few minor tweaks) and is passed off not as just a new figure, but a brand-new character. The results are often laughable but, once in a while, kinda cool.
10) Stinkor from Masters of the Universe
In the 1970s and early 1980s, Mattel was arguably king of the repainted action figure. The early waves of their Masters of the Universe line were made from the same four body types (human, hairy, reptilian, and female) with different heads, armor, colors and weapons. However, once in a while a character didn't even get a new head sculpt. Such was the case of Mer-man and Stinkor.
Looking at the vaguely mammalian face, you might be tempted to think Stinkor came first and Mer-man was the repaint. But you'd be wrong, and roundly mocked for your assumption. Mer-Man was released a good three years before Stinkor made his smelly debut. And yet, Mer-Man's face didn't look anything like the art on the back of his package, muddying the waters even more (pun intended). So technically, Stinkor was the repaint, although he looked more like a skunk than Mer-man did a fish.
9) The Riddler from DC Super Heroes
Long before they brought us Marvel Legends--before they even had a single Marvel license--toy manufacturer Toy Biz had the rights to the DC Super Hero universe. Many of the figures were simply reissues of Kenner's mid-1980s Super Powers figures, using the same molds. Eventually Toy Biz created some new sculpts for the later figures, but the earlier waves stuck to pre-established Super Powers characters--except for the Riddler.
Owing to the success of the Batman movie, Toy Biz wanted to pack as many Bat-villains into the line as possible. Unfortunately, Kenner had never made a Riddler, so Toy Biz mixed and matched pieces from two Super Powers molds, Green Lantern and the Flash, and tossed on a new head. Note the question mark on his groin--what's that about? What are we supposed to be guessing? Never mind, we almost certainly don't want to know.
8) Battle Cat from Masters of the Universe
Mattel makes its second appearance on this list with a rare case where the repaint is much, much more famous than the original figure. Stop a few thirty-something guys on the street and you might find one or two who remember a line called Big Jim, a hero in the style of the original G.I. Joe or Action Jackson who was often packaged in all sorts of adventure sets featuring exotic and dangerous animals. One such set was Big Jim on the Tiger Trail, which came with a modest-sized (compared to Big Jim) tiger toy.
A few years later, Mattel needed a steed for their brand-new action hero, He-Man. What to use? A horse? Nah, too cliché. A dragon? Been done (see Blackstar). Then it hit them--they already had a tiger mold--why not a tiger? And let's make him green, with yellow stripes, and throw some wacky armor on him and no one will be the wiser (well, except for obsessive toy collecting nerds twenty years hence). Thus was Battle Cat born. A falcon from the Big Jim line also became Zoar and Screech.
7) Jodo Kast from Star Wars Legacy Collection
You can't really blame Hasbro for making Jodo Kast. Blame the makers of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game, who created Kast as a weaker version of Fett so novice players could whack a Fett stand-in without taking the real bounty hunter out of the SW universe before his scheduled date with doom in the Sarlacc. Kast was later written in to the Star Wars canon only to be brutally murdered by Fett himself.
In terms of an action figure, they're the same guy. There is practically no difference between a Boba Fett action figure and a Jodo Kast action figure except a few colors and the fact that one of them is dead. But due to Star Wars fans' obsessive love for all things Fett, this store-brand Boba got his own figure this year as part of Hasbro's Legacy Collection. Yet again, George Lucas cashes in on his fans' blind possessiveness.
6) Thomas Riker from Star Trek: The Next Generation
OK, this one is cheating a little: technically, Thomas Riker and Will Riker are the same person. On the other hand, wasn't the whole point of that episode that the two men had developed different personalities? One of them liked their middle name and one didn't! That's like night and day, if you ask me. In any event, all it took Art Asylum to make a Thomas Riker figure was a quick uniform repaint and a few different accessories. Even the different sets of rank pips were just painted on.
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Comments
The whole Masters of the Universe toyline could be seen as a bunch of repaint and redecos.
Posted 01/07/2009 at 05:36:32 AMSame with the "Total Justice" line, since they all used the same hyper-muscled Rod Leifield style body mold, from Superman to GL to Flash, and well, that dud up there.
Posted 01/07/2009 at 06:01:27 AMJason, Jason, Jason...
Tomax and Xamot? "Repaints"? For shame. Since they dress exactly alike, the shared parts didn't have to be repainted at all. And even on the differently sculpted parts, the only paint change is Xamot's scar, which hardly qualifies. (I would also point out that they were released simultaneously, but I'm not sure when Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker came out in relation to one another, and they were a good call.)
Why not the blue Cobra Ninja? Or someone from the Tiger Force or Night Force? And I would have liked to have seen a Marvel Legend or two on here... Stealth Armor Iron Man?
Posted 01/07/2009 at 06:08:34 AMI believe Megatron, Ultra Magnus and quite a few other Transformers were repaints of old Japanese Diaclone molds.
Posted 01/07/2009 at 06:09:19 AMSomething about Tomax and Xamot suggests uncomfortable sexual ambivalence.
Posted 01/07/2009 at 06:32:28 AMUgh, Total Justice figures ... notice how that Reverse Flash figure is pictured leaning against a box? That's because the damn thing wouldn't stand up on its own. Worst legs on an action figure ever. And why does he look like he's about to pop an invisible balloon?
Posted 01/07/2009 at 07:39:34 AMI hope I'm not the first to point out that Tomax and Xamot do not specifically qualify as they could not have been made from the same mold.
I never knew which was which even when my mom was conned into buying it for me, but they are obviously inverted versions of each other. The collar higher and the sash sloping on different sides of each. The second mold was no doubt created from the first, but I would still assert that two molds were required. They didn't simply paint a scar on one and sell you the same figure twice.
It was an even more elaborate con than that!
Posted 01/07/2009 at 07:41:06 AMDave, Total Justice figures had the same style, but all bodies were unique sculpts (except for the JLA repaints of the same characters). Reverse Flash was the only repaint who became a "new" character.
As for Tomas/Xamot...everything on them is reversed from the other, so those details use all new molded parts. I don't think anything is a simple repaint (maybe the odd elbow, but that would save cost or time to do). So no actual repaint here at all!
Posted 01/07/2009 at 07:57:05 AMDave, Total Justice figures had the same style, but all bodies were unique sculpts (except for the JLA repaints of the same characters). Reverse Flash was the only repaint who became a "new" character.
As for Tomas/Xamot...everything on them is reversed from the other, so those details use all new molded parts. I don't think anything is a simple repaint (maybe the odd elbow, but that would save cost or time to do). So no actual repaint here at all!
Posted 01/07/2009 at 07:57:32 AMI actually really liked the Total Justice figures. They were dynamic sculpts, to say the least, plus it offered a wide range of characters, maybe even the first Kyle Raynor sculpt!
Posted 01/07/2009 at 08:31:46 AMThe Autobot, Jetfire, was a repaint (re-decal?) of the Robotech Valkyries.
Posted 01/07/2009 at 08:37:17 AMworst (best?) rip-off ever.
Since no one else had answered this yet, Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp all came out at the same time, in the first wave of G1 in 1984.
Excellent list, btw. Stinkor was always a favorite of mine. I have two of him and they still stink to this day! Mer-Man finally got a more package-accurate toy in the early-2000s He-Man toyline. I only realized in recent years that the original Stinkor and Mer-Man toys were really the same toy. Duh! I hope to see both remade in the new Classics line, but I hope Mer-Man has a different head than Stinkor.
I had no idea Battle Cat was a repaint! My new fact of the day!
Posted 01/07/2009 at 09:12:45 AMTomax and Xamot were born at the exact same time via Cesarean section. Better question is this the cause for the mysterious facial scar.
Posted 01/07/2009 at 09:29:48 AMUltra-Magnus was just a white Optimus Prime with some clip-on armor.
Posted 01/07/2009 at 10:16:58 AMAre we going for 'best' repaints or 'notorious' repaints in this thread? If you're going to do one for 'flat-out shittiest' repaints, please make Ratchet and Ironhide #1.
In the case of TransFormers vs. Diaclone, I'm not sure that should be counted as repaints, since the majority, so far as I know, were not available as Diaclone in America. Seems more like a localization job, what with different markets and all.
Ultra Magnus is unique in that regard, however; he's a repaint of Diaclone's Powered Convoy, which was a repaint (if I'm not mistaken) of Battle Convoy, aka Optimus Prime. So in a way, Ultra Magnus, his cab at least, is like a repaint of a repaint.
--LBD "Nytetrayn"
Posted 01/07/2009 at 10:26:24 AMHasbro is completely milking this repaint scheme with their current Iron Man movie line. I think they've made at least six different versions from the same mold now. Cha-ching.
Posted 01/07/2009 at 10:31:36 AMHasbro isn't alone in the repaint department.
In fact, almost all toy lines at some point or another have stopped and said "How can we do this more cheaply?" It's simply the nature of business to try and save a buck here and there.
That said, anyone remember the Ewok Village? Fast forward a few years, and behold, the movie "Willow" comes out (along with a suspiciously familiar looking forest playset) And THEN a year or two later the movie "Robin Hood, Prince of thieves comes out...I think you can see where this is going.
Nottingham forest/Nelwynn Village/Ewok tree house was foisted off onto children for a THIRD TIME!
V.R. Troopers had the same jet as the "Aliens" toyline from 1995...released in the same year, no less.
Batman and Iron man have been repainted a notorious amount of times. Although I would argue that it wasn't as malevolent as most would seem to think. I guess if you're making a successful toy line, then you need to keep it fresh. Well how many Black/grey or blue/grey batmans can you sell before someone says "No, billy you already have a batman". You need to get creative. So that way little Billy will say "But MoooOooooOOOOOoooom....I don't have ARCTIC ASSAULT Batman!" (And no, I'm not lying. There is an arctic assault batman. Google it.)
I could go on for DAYS pointing out all the scandalous stuff toy companies have done. It's been going on for decades.
Posted 01/07/2009 at 10:46:30 AMLook closer at Tomax and Xamot...none of the parts look like they were reused for the other. Every part of the figure, from the forearms to the legs are mirror images of the other figure. Two molds for each figures body had to be made. What may look like a repaint is anything but.
Posted 01/07/2009 at 10:52:46 AM"so novice players could whack a Fett stand-in without taking the real bounty hunter out of the SW universe before his scheduled date with doom in the Sarlacc."
Posted 01/07/2009 at 11:14:24 AMFett survived the sarlacc-pitt. =/
I don't know, but I love that explanation!
Posted 01/07/2009 at 11:19:17 AMCrap, what does it say about me when I own both TC-14 and Jodo Cast?
Posted 01/07/2009 at 11:36:58 AMYeah but with Jodo Kast, you could totally fire the missile on his back.
Posted 01/07/2009 at 11:53:57 AMI really wish they had used a better Boba Fett mold for Jodo Kast. Preferably one without the action feature that hinders the arm articulation.
Posted 01/07/2009 at 11:54:14 AMThe Transformer jets should have taken #1, if for no other reason than that there were 3 of them. At the same time.
Honorable mention: Panthor - best "flocked" re-use of a figure (tiger/Battle Cat)
Posted 01/07/2009 at 12:15:06 PMskeletor had a cat that was a puma...just another cringer i think, and i remember seeing old exo-squad toys that had been repainted and called something else.
Posted 01/07/2009 at 01:02:38 PMIf i remember correctly the He-Man figure was orginally made for the Conan movie, but when the toy makers realised that the movie was for adults they had to find what to do with the molds or risk the fury of the parents.
Posted 01/07/2009 at 01:38:34 PMDammit, Jason! If Mattel and Hasbro see this, the entire toy industry is fucked. I hope you're happy.
Posted 01/07/2009 at 02:03:37 PMI completely and utterly want #1 for reasons I do not fully understand...
Posted 01/07/2009 at 03:10:15 PMI seem to agree with most everyone in saying that Masters of the Universe REALLY took this to the full extent.....until G.I. Joe started getting up there in years. I really disagree with Tomax and Xamot, they obviously didn't use the same mold, for the body anyway.
Posted 01/07/2009 at 04:40:50 PMI don't remember the 'Big Jim' line but I had both Battle Cat and the purple fuzzy painted Skeletor Battle Panther or whatever it was called. Also gotta mention Beast Man/Moss Man, didn't even Zodiac have a strange repaint?
Posted 01/07/2009 at 05:35:10 PMThe Faker I had growing up was much more unique than the one above; half his head melted off after I left him laying on a heating vent in our apartment.
Now I will say that prior to this accident, it was entirely possible for people to think Faker was He-Man. Maybe He-Man went swimming in a lake that turned out to be a Smurf toilet, and the water/sewage left his skin with a blue tint. And while he was swimming some dick stole his shirt, so He-Man had to hoof it over to the nearest International Clothiers where the only thing He-Man could afford to buy was some knock-off Skeletor armor (taiwan made, natch).
See, totally possible. Until half his head melted off.
Posted 01/07/2009 at 07:25:40 PMWould Iron Man's "hulk buster" armor toy be a horrid repaint/mod of a much prettier juggernaut one?
Posted 01/07/2009 at 07:46:17 PM(Granted the drawings are also a cheap re usage of onslaught)
Um, Jetfire/Skyfire, was a total ripoff of Robotech
Posted 01/07/2009 at 08:21:44 PMUm, Jetfire/Skyfire, was a total ripoff of Robotech
Posted 01/07/2009 at 08:28:42 PMProwl/Bluestreak, Sunstreaker/Red, Frenzy/Rumble
Blame the makers of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game, who created Kast as a weaker version of Fett so novice players could whack a Fett stand-in without taking the real bounty hunter out of the SW universe before his scheduled date with doom in the Sarlacc.
"The sarlacc found me somewhat indigestible, fanboy".
Posted 01/08/2009 at 06:04:24 AM
Posted 01/09/2009 at 03:38:14 PMI heard a story that a line of figures were made for the pending release of Conan the Barbarian. When the movie was rated R, the mold for a muscle body was already emplaced. The He-man line was created from this mold, and the cartoons followed - as a way to recoup losses. He-man was obviously more succesful than that, and the rest is history. Can anyone confirm this?
I think the Transformers seekers deserve another boost since not only were the three released at the same time, but then their wings were swapped out and THREE MORE were released as Dirge, Ramjet, and Thrust in 85. Then, in the early 2000s, e-hobby released an exclusive orange/white repaint of the original F-15 mold called Sunstorm based on a nonentity background character in the cartoon's pilot. Sunstorm was then adopted and fleshed out by Dreamwave for a major role in their ongoing G1 comic. So, the repainted toy actually spawned the fictional character rather than the other way around. To boot, there was even a Sunstorm repaint of the TF Armada Thrust figure.
Transformers in general has elevated repaints to the level of beloved tradition. Megatrons into Galvatrons, Starscreams into the other five original seekers, Optimus Prime into some evil Nemesis Prime/Scourge black/teal scheme are all inescapable hallmarks of TF toys these days.
Posted 01/10/2009 at 11:03:53 AMWhat about the ToyFare exclusive Iron Spider-Man, which was just a repaint of Marvel Select's Symbiote Spider-Man?
...or the entire Robin Hood line?
Posted 01/11/2009 at 07:27:10 PMI find it weird that Stinkor appears on the list, but not Mossman. Mossman was a better "repaint" of Beastman, especially with the flocking.
Also, one rather unobvious "repaint" was the packaging of optimus prime, painted white as the cab of Ultra Magnus.
Posted 04/30/2009 at 02:59:18 AM