areaseven Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 (edited) One of the most beloved animated series of the '80s will finally get a DVD release. According to the link below, Shout! Factory has acquired the Region 1 DVD rights to all 75 episodes of M.A.S.K. Now if only Hasbro reissued the classic Kenner toys...DVD Plans for M.A.S.K. Edited July 4, 2014 by areaseven Quote
Kanedas Bike Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 Man...I used to love the toys. Damned if I can remember any of the character or vehicle names but I used to have sooo much fun as a kid playing with them. Maybe I'll invest some time and $$$ to find a few pieces. -b. Quote
areaseven Posted March 22, 2011 Author Posted March 22, 2011 I saw some old M.A.S.K. toys at one of the hobby shops near my place. The Thunderhawk is going for roughly US$35 loose. Didn't pay attention to the other vehicles (other than a white van that opens up to reveal another vehicle). Quote
myk Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 (edited) I still got my Thunderhawk, Switchblade, Rhino, Condor and Piranha. The Rhino just has to be the best-est vehicle. Nothing like a semi with a projecting battering ram, lol.. Edited March 22, 2011 by myk Quote
Agent ONE Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 LOL, that show was so fun when I was a kid. I have a feeling it has ZERO re-watchability. Quote
Dynaman Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 One of the most beloved animated series of the '80s I hope I'm missing a joke here, I never heard of this show before. I've heard of Smurfs, Transformers, GI-Joe, Thundercats, etc... (I did not LIKE them, but I heard of them...) Quote
renegadeleader1 Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 I hope I'm missing a joke here, I never heard of this show before. I've heard of Smurfs, Transformers, GI-Joe, Thundercats, etc... (I did not LIKE them, but I heard of them...) Nope, no joke here. It was based on a toy line that had vehicles that looked like normal cars untill you pressed a few buttons, and BOOM things like guns start popping up, armored plates slide into place, or another smaller vehicle split away from the main one. A toy line in the 90s called vor-tech had a similar premise. The cartoon is notable because it actually had a character die in the first episode(eventually he was resurrected), this lead to a backlash against it and the second season invovled the M.A.S.K. racing V.E.N.O.M. instead of fighting them. Quote
Dobber Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 I loved MASK too. Does anyone remember an episode that had something to do with VENOM trying to steal a new military fighter aircraft that could fold up to fit into a cargo plane.....or something to that effect. I just remember as a kid I thought the fighter was really cool looking and would love to see it again. Chris Also MASK has IMO the best 80's cartoon theme song. Chris Quote
Chronocidal Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 (edited) Ah, good memories.. well, tiny ones at least. Right now, it's just reminding me of the road race skit in an early episode of Robot Chicken, where I'm pretty sure they used a few M.A.S.K. toys. Though, I still blame this show for instilling me with a childhood belief that all cars with gull-wing doors can fly. Back to the Future didn't help either. Always irritated me that Switchblade was flown by a bad guy though. Never understood why the bad guys seem to get all the best planes, or at least more airpower in general. GI Joe at least had a good blend I think. And even if Cobra did have more planes overall, the Skystriker was all they needed. Edited March 22, 2011 by Chronocidal Quote
Shaorin Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 (edited) i never had an opportunity to see the T.V. series, not even a single ep. though i DID have the "RHINO" KENWORTH W900 semi truck. as a child, i thought it pretty damned cool, and in retrospect, it actually holds up fairly well; incidentally, i recall someone somewhere claiming that KENNER hired Shinji Aramaki of ARTMIC fame to design all the vehicle toys for their M.A.S.K. line. can anyone verify this? DVD Plans for M.A.S.K. DAMN, was the decade of my childhood Effin' COOL... Edited March 22, 2011 by Shaorin Quote
renegadeleader1 Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 I just want to add a couple more things. 1. In the 25th anniversary of G.I. Joe line, Matt Trakker was one of the figures released. 2. The Matt Trakker that came with the gull wing car had two helmet varaints. One that was just a helmet, and another that had the frill around the shoulders and chest like the rhino pictures above. The one without the frill is rarer. Quote
cwmodels Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 Actually finished a fan comic not too long ago. You and read it here: http://cwmodels.deviantart.com/gallery/27831556 And here: http://www.matt-trakker.com/forums/index.php?topic=3006.0 Quote
Shaorin Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 Actually finished a fan comic not too long ago. You and read it here: http://cwmodels.deviantart.com/gallery/27831556 And here: http://www.matt-trakker.com/forums/index.php?topic=3006.0 that's actually very well done!! Quote
anime52k8 Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 Obligatory: Do they know 'command' doesn't start with a K? Quote
Valkyrie Hunter D Posted March 23, 2011 Posted March 23, 2011 (edited) I loved playing with my friend's Rhino. The ejection seat feature was always central to my playtime. As for S. Aramaki working on the show, here's an excerpt from an interview found here: Actually, M.A.S.K. is one of those times I snuck out of Artmic and worked for another studio during the day. (laughs) In fact, I even left the country! I told the president of Artmic I was going on break, and went to Chicago to discuss the designs of the toys and get prototypes approved. When I came back to Japan two weeks later, all he said was, "Man, you sure took a long vacation! Where were you?" And I'm definitely picking up the DVD set. Edited March 23, 2011 by Valkyrie Hunter D Quote
Jasonc Posted March 23, 2011 Posted March 23, 2011 Obligatory: Do they know 'command' doesn't start with a K? I remember watching that take on it. I laughed so hard, it was like a trip to the gym. The cartoon was alright. I remember the song, and that T-bop or whatever the scooter robot's name was. I only had a few of the toys. I'd like to see on DVD Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors. Those were some badass toys. Quote
areaseven Posted March 23, 2011 Author Posted March 23, 2011 (edited) I'd like to see on DVD Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors. Those were some badass toys. The entire series never got a DVD release, but I did see one that had a couple or so episodes (Escape from the Garden of Evil) at Rite-Aid for under $5. EDIT: Shout! Factory released the first 33 episodes in 2008, but plans to release the last 32 episodes were canceled. However, all 65 episodes are available on iTunes. Edited April 4, 2011 by areaseven Quote
myk Posted March 23, 2011 Posted March 23, 2011 Being a fan of the female form even when I was a kid, I remember hoping to God that when the time came for MASK team selection that they'd pick Gloria Baker for the mission, lol. Ah, you gotta love a pretty brunette that holds a black belt in Judo, races cars for a living and is available for your needs at a moment's notice... Quote
Keith Posted March 23, 2011 Posted March 23, 2011 Cool news, but I'd still rather have the rest of Exosquad on DVD. Stupid Universal stopping after the first season. Quote
Shaorin Posted March 23, 2011 Posted March 23, 2011 I loved playing with my friend's Rhino. The ejection seat feature was always central to my playtime. As for S. Aramaki working on the show, here's an excerpt from an interview found here: Actually, M.A.S.K. is one of those times I snuck out of Artmic and worked for another studio during the day. (laughs) In fact, I even left the country! I told the president of Artmic I was going on break, and went to Chicago to discuss the designs of the toys and get prototypes approved. When I came back to Japan two weeks later, all he said was, "Man, you sure took a long vacation! Where were you?" And I'm definitely picking up the DVD set. awesome!! thanks! Quote
taksraven Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 Personally, I'm more excited about this, coming out in June....... LOL, that show was so fun when I was a kid. I have a feeling it has ZERO re-watchability. Yep, that glare of nostalgia that hides the fact that there are many programs that aren't as good as we remember them. Buck Rogers was a classic of that. Can't sit through it now. Quote
Dobber Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 Ha!! I found the episode I was talking about. It's vanishing point and the jet is called the Hermes Jet. It can first be seen here: at 7:58 and again in part 2 and then it's fold up sequence at the start of part 3.Still pretty cool looking IMO. The animation is still pretty darn good too. Chris Quote
myk Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 Yep, that glare of nostalgia that hides the fact that there are many programs that aren't as good as we remember them. Buck Rogers was a classic of that. Can't sit through it now. Not even when Erin Gray takes the screen? Or is nostalgia clouding my vision, lol... Quote
Shaorin Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 (edited) Personally, I'm more excited about this, coming out in June....... Yep, that glare of nostalgia that hides the fact that there are many programs that aren't as good as we remember them. Buck Rogers was a classic of that. Can't sit through it now. Meh. BUCK ROGERS was and is great!! Edited March 24, 2011 by Shaorin Quote
Shaorin Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 (edited) Ha!! I found the episode I was talking about. It's vanishing point and the jet is called the Hermes Jet. It can first be seen here: at 7:58 and again in part 2 and then it's fold up sequence at the start of part 3.Still pretty cool looking IMO. The animation is still pretty darn good too. Chris yeah, she's a purty little thing, surely another great Aramaki design. here's some crappy low-res screencaps to salivate over; as an aside, i sure miss the physical lines of pre-1990's military fighter aircraft. for me, it all went downhill starting with STEALTH aircraft such as the F-117 and B-2. that's been bad enough as is, but then the F-22 comes along, and starts totally taking over. totally fugly trainwreck of a fighter aircraft as it is, IMO, it even forced the legendary and beautiful F-14 into complete retirement. a paramount and completely unforgivable sin. fear not, i fully understand all the ways and means of modern military fighter aircraft design, improved aerodynamics, reduced Radar Cross Section and all that wonderful S%$t, it's just so regrettable to me that the incredibly gorgeous lines of traditional military fighter aircraft must be so completely sacrificed for all that fantastically important crap. DAMMIT, i want my 1960's/1980's fighter jets back!! NOW!!!! ah well, that's what scale models are for, after all... Edited March 24, 2011 by Shaorin Quote
myk Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 yeah, she's a purty little thing, surely another great Aramaki design. We're talking about Gloria Baker, right? That's the only thing I saw in those 'pics lol.. Quote
Dobber Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 Awesome! Thanks Shaorin!! I can remember when I was a kid that I instantly LOVED that plane, and now 26 years later after finally seeing it again it doesn't dissapoint! Too bad I have zero scratch building skills I really want a model of that. Chris Quote
Shaorin Posted March 25, 2011 Posted March 25, 2011 (edited) We're talking about Gloria Baker, right? That's the only thing I saw in those 'pics lol.. both, actually... Awesome! Thanks Shaorin!! I can remember when I was a kid that I instantly LOVED that plane, and now 26 years later after finally seeing it again it doesn't dissapoint! Too bad I have zero scratch building skills I really want a model of that. Chris yeah, it's too bad KENNER didn't make a toy, no? perhaps they might have, had the toy line and animated series been more successful. in fact, i feel it might very well had been so, had KENNER and Aramaki decided to design the MASK vehicles to transform into actual humanoid mecha rather than gimmick-laden "super-vehicles" too bad there's no firm line art/high quality images to be found (or is there?) of this "Hermes Jet" because then you could pay a skilled modeler to scratch-build you a replica. actually, if you were to buy the DVD set with that ep, buy screen shot/video capture software for your computer, you should be able to screen cap the shots i provided above in high-res, and use them to have a model built... Edited March 25, 2011 by Shaorin Quote
RD Blade Posted March 25, 2011 Posted March 25, 2011 the second season invovled the M.A.S.K. racing V.E.N.O.M. instead of fighting them. I remember that! What a horrible idea. Even as a kid, I knew the show was canceled at that point. The entire series never got a DVD release, but I did see one that had a couple or so episodes at Rite-Aid for under $5. I picked up a 4 DVD set (Season 1, Volume 1). It was released in 2008. Sorely disappointed that no more volumes were released.Much as I liked Wheeled Warriors, M.A.S.K. holds up better. Quote
Keith Posted March 25, 2011 Posted March 25, 2011 Meh. BUCK ROGERS was and is great!! Exhibit #1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCsUe_z1-H4 Long live Buck Rogers! Quote
Agent ONE Posted March 25, 2011 Posted March 25, 2011 Yep, that glare of nostalgia that hides the fact that there are many programs that aren't as good as we remember them. Buck Rogers was a classic of that. Can't sit through it now. Great example. That show is an abomination now. When I was a kid I was all about it. Quote
hutch Posted March 25, 2011 Posted March 25, 2011 I had THE BIGGEST crush on Erin Gray when I was a kid. Quote
Zor Primus Posted March 25, 2011 Posted March 25, 2011 LOL, that show was so fun when I was a kid. I have a feeling it has ZERO re-watchability. Agreed...20+ years later I'm sure it will be almost painful to watch. I'd like to get Spiral Zone on DVD instead of M.A.S.K. though. That show was really cool! Quote
RD Blade Posted March 25, 2011 Posted March 25, 2011 I'd like to get Spiral Zone on DVD in addition to M.A.S.K. though. That show was really cool! Fixed. Quote
myk Posted March 26, 2011 Posted March 26, 2011 Agreed...20+ years later I'm sure it will be almost painful to watch. I'd like to get Spiral Zone on DVD instead of M.A.S.K. though. That show was really cool! I've been watching MASK on Youtube and it isn't so bad. T-cats, Voltron, He Man, Wheeled Warriors and all the rest of that stuff is painful, but that's just me I guess... Quote
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