M.A.S.K. Series 2 Toyline Overview

M.A.S.K. Series 2 Toyline

(Released 1986)

It's time for our MASKast podcast to take a quick break from episode reviews and focus again on toys! Way back on MASKast 6, we covered the series 1 toyline and now it's finally time to review series 2! Since Nightstalker, aka Hurricane, came on scene in episode 29, we've been anxious to critique the next wave of M.A.S.K. vehicle/figure sets which debuted in 1986.

Series 2 featured eight total vehicles, five M.A.S.K. vehicles and just three V.E.N.O.M. vehicles. As we've recently featured, the designs for the series 2 toys began with the origins of the franchise and were developed over time. The commercials were also very inventive and featured our first taste of what M.A.S.K. might look like as live action.

Let's dig into the vital info about each vehicle, watch the fun commercials, and vote for our favorites for the upcoming podcast review! As with the first series release, the M.A.S.K. vehicles outnumbered the V.E.N.O.M. vehicles. They included:

M.A.S.K.

Keeping with the popular land/air vehicle setup, Firefly was a dune buggy that converted into a rocket glider. The vehicle came with Julio Lopez and his Streamer mask. The lone accessories was a black bomb. Two black levers in the engine engaged the wings and dropped the bomb. 

Hurricane, known as Nightstalker in the animated series, was a '57 Chevy Bel Air that converted to a field command post (I also thought of it as more of a tank.) The rotating turret actuated the extra set of wheels hidden underneath. Hurricane came with a revamped Hondo MacLean and Blaster II mask. Other than the conversion features, the spare tire also ejected when pressing the rear bumper.

Raven was a Chevy Corvette that converted into an armed seaplane. The vehicle came with driver Calhoun Burns and his Gulliver mask. A hidden engine beneath the spoiler and rotating front portion were some of the features. It also came with two orange discs that could eject from the front grill using a button on the roof.

Slingshot was an RV surveillance unit that featured a hidden sonic jet. The vehicle came with Ace Riker and his Ricochet mask. When converted, the gun turret moved in a circular motion when pushing the vehicle. The sonic jet featured a missile that could be dropped using a button on the top.

Volcano was an all-terrain van that featured a hi-rise tracker. It came with two figures, Matt Trakker with his Lava mask and Jacques LaFleur with his Maraj mask. Volcano remains as the only motorized vehicle in the entire collection which also had a "push mode" option. The turret would convert and rotate with the motorized action.

Now onto V.E.N.O.M.'s vehicles which included their only base or "playset" that was ever released. Vehicles included:

V.E.N.O.M.

Outlaw was an oil tanker that converted into a mobile headquarters. It came with two figures, Miles Mayhem with the Python mask and Nash Gorey with the Powerhouse mask. A large hidden cannon could fire two included missiles as well as the front turret could fire a grappling gun. 

Stinger, also known in the animated series as "Scorpion," was a Pontiac GTO that converted into an armored tank. The vehicle came with driver Bruno Sheppard and his Magna-Beam mask. It also featured a gun accessory that fit into the windshield and was kept in the truck along with a long claw chain.

Vampire was a touring motorcycle that converted into a turbo jet. Floyd Malloy and his Buckshot mask came with the set along with two black missiles. The missiles fired by pressing the rear of the exposed launchers. The front hidden gun was also able to rotate.

Commercials

TV commercials for the series 2 toyline were very inventive. They featured live-action characters and even vehicles interacting with each other as well as the customary '80s ploy of children playing with the actual toys. One of the commercials featured Hurricane, Firefly, and Stinger toys. At the beginning, we get a glimpse of Thunder Hawk and Hurricane with two actors playing Dusty and Hondo...

The next commercial also featured live-action, this time with actors portraying Matt Trakker, Bruce Sato, Ace Riker. It also featured shots of Thunder Hawk, Hurricane, Volcano, and Raven. What was weird is the ad inexplicably featured Firecracker instead of Hurricane possibly (because it was featured in the previous ad.) But Firefly was again featured in the commercial along with Vampire...

The next commercial features the Volcano and Outlaw toys as well as a live-action segment with Matt Trakker and Jacques LaFleur...

The next commercial gives us a glimpse of Slingshot and Vampire. Actor pose as Matt trakker and Ace Riker with a nice rear shot of Thunder Hawk and Slingshot converting...

The final commercial puts Raven, Hurricane, and Outlaw in action! We get actors portaying Calhoun and Hondo with a Blaster II mask on the hood of Raven and a nice shot of its sawblade. Also some nice conversion shots of Raven as they roll out to the play world...

Now, give us your opinion! VOTE for your favorites in the poll below. You can choose as many as you like!

Finally, use the comment sections either above or below to tell us which was the best (or worst) adaptation from the cartoon and also which ones you've collected over the years. We'll be using your comments in our upcomping podcast review!

Images courtesy Albertpenello.com