Saw Boss
Review by The Enthusiast
The Wheeled Warriors is a case study in questionable toy marketing. Mattel designed a solid line of vehicle-based toys and dubbed them the Wheeled Warriors. Presumably the designers had some outline of a narrative, but the toys were initially released with a generic “good guys versus bad guys” story, evidenced by the first commercials:
Mattel then decided to give the humble Wheeled Warriors the full media treatment (complete with cartoon, coloring books, board games, pencil cases, etc), reverse-engineering an elaborate mythology to explain the toys. Thus was born “Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors”. Even with character-based designs, the toy-first, story-second method rarely produces successful results. The idea of kitted-out trucks fighting each other is pretty thin gruel for a story, and the cartoon was a thoroughly mediocre product. The whole endeavor promptly flopped, and today is barely remembered, even by die-hard eighties nostalgia-junkies.
The toys, however, were great fun. Using a Micronaut-like system of interchangeable parts, the Wheeled Warriors provided impressive play value. The designs were inventive, particularly the psychedelic Monster Minds.
Saw Boss
The Jayce & the Wheeled Warriors story, such as it was, concerned the efforts of Jayce and his band of heroes to thwart the galaxy-dominating ambitions of the Monster Minds, a plant-based gang of baddies led by Saw Boss. Saw boss was clearly the coolest character, and the coolest toy.
SB, like all of the toys, came as a kit of easily assembled parts. Each set consisted of a body with operable cockpit, a chassis, wheels, and assorted weapons, including a unique signature weapon for each vehicle.
Saw Boss’ signature weapon is an organic stalk with a spinning blade. It resembles nothing so much as a pizza cutter. He also came with a gun, radar dish, and missile. An extra set of wheels is missing from this specimen. The online documentation of the Wheeled Warriors is pretty poor, so I’m not 100% certain of the accessories included with each set. While the weapons and accessories were the series' major play feature, I prefer the stripped-down look of Saw Boss with just his pizza blade.
The best accessory, hands down, is his rubber brain. Each of the Monster Minds came with a soft rubber brain in lieu of a pilot. How cool is a plant monster truck piloted by a brain!
Everything else is sturdy ABS. The paint and decals are sophisticated, although time has not been kind to the finishes. I like the molded organic detail on SB’s body. The molding and detail throughout are top-notch.
I’m still deciding whether the toys are really as good as I think, or if my judgment is too heavily colored with nostalgia.
*****Let me know if you guys are interested in these toys. I can review the rest, but I’d hate to bore everyone with a series of reviews of an obscure non-robot property.*****
| Posted 14 December, 2009 - 21:16 by The Enthusiast |
Comments
27 comments postedIf the walker up there is motorized, then yes I'd like to see a review of it. Otherwise, "meh".
Color palette is a little weak, otherwise I'd think this would have been a fair-though-not-great toy line at the time.
Botanica says, "I am Transformed!".
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CollectionDX Staff
Dude, I LOVED Wheeled Warriors back in the day! Certainly one of the most under appreciated lines out there, although it's certainly got it's cult following. So, yeah, I'd love to see more reviews. Would love to see pics of the packaging too, if you've got it.
"This must be settled the way nature intended....with a vicious, bloody fight!"
Onyx Blackman
Principal, Flatpoint High
Sadly, no packaging, just toys. I usually like to have boxes when I review these things, but the WW's are pretty scarce. There's very, very little available online, so I figured even boxless specimens are better than nothing. I know there are hardcore fans out there, so I'm happy to defer to others who have boxes. Represent!
Dude, thank you so much for sharing! I love all of these toys from wheeled warriors, I actually had a few in my collection in the past and I was a big fan of the TV show. Keep reviewing them please! They F-ing rock...
-Dan
CollectionDX LLC
Vice President/Co-Owner
I believe Wheeled Warriors and the Cartoon Jayce & The Wheeled Warriors was a great toy line and cartoon for its time. It was no Robotech but It was a cartoon I enjoyed watching it wasn't quite Anime but it wasn't completely American animation either( was a it a French/Japanese co-production?).
I loved the toyline as well, I had the vehicle you have pictured above ( Jayce's Vehicle) I thought it was an excellent and imaginative toy line very different from anything that was being produced at the time. I always thought that brain drivers were super creepy. I think the only problem with the line was how they came with generic figures and when the show was released they had certain characters that I liked driving the vehicles. They should have reissued the figures when the TV show was released.
But like all 8t's toys there was just too much out there and I only ever managed to pick up that one vehicle which I though was really cool. Remember 1985 was Thee landmark year for GI Joe 3 3/4 figures, as well as other toy lines, and all my focus was on collecting all those figures.
The Wheeled Warriors packaging was not the best. I sold my Wheeled Warriors vehicle in 2001 and I still had the packaging for it but it was all torn up and faded and didn't store or age well. You could put the vehicle back into the package but it had a long hanger card on top of the box that easily got damaged and the clear window separated from the box every time you took the toy out and put it back in the box.
C'Mon! Review what you can, you can't leave us hanging, it was a great toy line and its great to have it here as most of us grew up in the 1980's.
Another fine review!
LF
Leonardo Flores
CollectionDX Staff Writer-West Coast Bureau
Amazing - I loved these things, although I never had them. Loved the show, and always wanted them. Very much a microman-esqe construction. More, I say!
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CollectionDX Admin
I confirm that it was a Franco-Japanese co-production (like Ulysses 31) but it NEVER managed to catch my attention as I considered the cartoon simply silly. Personally, I would prefer to see a review of Ulysses 31 diecasts than these, but that's me.
I agree it wasn't a landmark cartoon but I enjoyed watching it and admire some of the artdesign. Unfortunately in Southern California Ulysses 31 was broadcasted at, get this, 5:00 am in the morning! It was a anime I know was good but frankly it was on way too early in the morning for me or anybody else to watch it. But if it equaled or bettered The Mysterious Cites of Gold I'm sure I missed out on something great. But 5:00 am was way to early for anybody.
Didn't know there was Ulysses 31 toys, would love to see those reviewed as well.
Leonardo Flores
CollectionDX Staff Writer-West Coast Bureau
Excellent review man! I'm really glad to see Wheeled Warriors getting some long-overdue love. I have all but two of the vehicles (Spike-Trike and Gun-Grinner) from the toyline, sitting right here on the shelf next to me. :-) They are definitely one of the many toylines I loved as a kid, and throughout the whole revival of 80s franchises I have been hoping we'd see them return in some way or another.
Having read through various comments about them around the web though, they often seem to get a cold (and often ridiculing and degrading) reception from other toy collectors. Even from many who grew up in the 80s. I never understood that, personally. Imho, the concept of these has a really great play value, with the limitless configurations of the parts and accessories, and the vehicle designs are interesting, original, and innovative. Sure, they might have been even better if the vehicles' bodies were diecast, or if they had spring loaded weapons, or if the figures were more detailed or articulated, but this was 1984/85. The gimmick and selling point were the uniquely awesome vehicles themselves and the ability to swap all the parts around between a faction of good guys and a faction of bad guys. As a kid, that was all I needed, and I feel the same about them today.
The cartoon was... okay. It had a cool 80s hairband theme song. hehe I vaguely remember watching it back then, but I bought the DVD set that came out last year (I think) and watched it again. All in all, it's a little wierd. lol I think I would have been ok if they stuck with the sci-fi type military characters that the toys came with for the characters, but it was still fun to see the vehicles in action. Also, the Monster Minds having a plantlike humanoid form when not in battle... I could have done without. Also, the flying fish. lmao Still, it's fun to watch for nostalgia.
But again, the toys kicked ass. And still do. Thanks again for the review!
I think the Wheeled Warriors don't get love for a few reasons.
It never got the reboot treatment probably because the toys were a pretty big financial failure at retail when it was released. While they reused molds and various parts, these things didn't take off with kids of the time until they were discounted pretty heavy. Around 1998-99 I found two MISB that had a $0.94 cent red Toys R Us sticker on the outside (covering up about 4 other discount stickers). In this era, you had a lot of very heavy competition (Transformers and GI Joe came out with some of the best toys of the 80's, maybe of all time, when this was coming out) and these things slipped by the radar of many folks.
The show, i can't remember as a kid of that time, any of my friends being excited about it, or even mentioning it once. I know a lot of older collectors and teenagers were into the toys when they were first released.
On the collecting tip it's pretty difficult to identify the parts and pieces beyond the brains and main vehicle shells. The parts all kind of blend in when mixed with other kids toys of the era. You see them a lot in unsorted Lego lots on ebay.
As a big fan of Henshin Cyborg and Micronauts, I'm into these, but I can't say I'd ever collect them.
Oh I totally agree, the mid 80s was a melee-bonanza of toys and cartoons. So in the midst of Transformers, GI Joe, Gobots, He-Man, Thundercats, Star Wars, Silverhawks, Robotech, Voltron (do I need to go on? lol), Wheeled Warriors certainly had it's work cut out for it. And though I can watch the show through nostalgia coated lenses, I still don't even feel it did the toys justice or helped to strengthen the line's following.
It's not that I don't understand a lot of collectors not remembering or knowing about Wheeled Warriors. It's more that I don't understand why so many that do (with the exception of you guys), have such negative opinions about them.
I hear what you're saying about the random parts though. They can be hard to identify, and it's somewhat rare to find a 100% complete Wheeled Warrior on eBay. So that has also made them a bit difficult to collect, as I know from my own searches.
As far as collecting them... You should! You're missing out! :-P
I think they were one of those "disappointment" gifts that you get when you're a kid... You wanted Optimus Prime, but instead you got a weird car. You wanted Snake Eyes, but you got Jayce.
I'm 100% sure this is the main reason people hate on this line; they got them as gifts as a kid, when they wanted something else. I can't think of any other real reason.
Hey there Enthusiast,
I got some interesting questions for you. Do you know whether or not if the Wheeled Warriors toyline came with those mini-comics just like Masters of the Universe?
Also, weren't there more WW cartoon commercials w/ Jayce (or some young Lighting League Commander) and his Lighting League team battling the plant-borg Monster Minds & they combined their vehicles by crying out the command code: "Stack and Attack!"
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm sure 'Stack & Attack' was the catchy tagline Mattel tried to promote their toys to the market before the cartoon show came out to help charm the kid public to the toyline.
Does any of this ring a bell?
-R78
it all rings a bell. The "stack and attack" bit was a feature sometimes advertised wherein two bodies could stack (see the first video above at 17 seconds). I'll show the stack in future reviews. I could swear there was a minicomic too, but we may be imagining things as I can't find evidence of such a thing.
***I take that back, there is some evidence of these.Check out this interesting interview, it mostly concerns MOTU, but the subject talks about his joyless work writing the WW minicomics at the end (http://www.donaldfglut.com/MOUinterview.html)***
Roger that Enthusiast,
I knew I wasn't crazy when I remembered the 'Stack and Attack' mini-comic thing that Mattel had whipped up.
My great thanks to your confirmation in regards of the information. I'm about to checkout the source link you've just provided to resolve my memorial investigation.
You asked us if we want to see you do more reviews of Wheeled Warriors. By all means, do it. You should do Terror-Tank or Beast Walker in the near future.
This review deserves a Hugo.
-R78
Ha! I'll serve up Terror Tank next. I'll get to the walkers after the regular vehicles.
The "STACK AND ATTACK" tagline was the first thing that I thought of when I saw the review. Of course, I'm a sucker for a little alliteration, so it's not surprising that I remembered it.
PS I think that the rectangle-with-two-circles on the "brain" is meant to be a pair of goggles; the brain should be oriented such that this end can see out. So, yes kids, The Enthusiast does indeed have his brains in backwards ;)
you've been talking to my wife, apparently.
"But like all 8t's toys there was just too much out there"
That about says it all. As kids we were just bombarded with this stuff,more than any generation past or since.
Even as an adult today,there's just too much. I'd love to collect this line and about twenty others,but at some point you're going to run out of space,time,money,or patience.
Hey how about an informal poll? Which theme song do you guys think is better,this one or MASK?
Wow, this is so freakin' awesome! I can't believe 1) that it's taken me so long to comment on this review (sorry...been busy! :P ), and 2) that there's already so many comments professing love for this line!
I remember a little over a decade ago, while in college and when eBay was still in its infancy, I picked up a few VHS tapes of this show. My buddies at school and I would rock out to the absurdity of it all! I'm pretty sure I still have Saw Boss, Armed Force, and...Gun Grinner?...in a box somewhere (alas, loose).
When I was a little kid, I thought these toys were fantastic. I have zero recollection of the commercials, but I remember the day I discovered not only "Stack and Attack", but that since there are two pegs on the bottom of each vehicle, you can actually attach two wheel assemblies! With the free rotation, you not only had a vehicle twice as long, but it could actually steer!
As for the cartoon, I enjoyed it as well...but let me tell ya...it has NOT held up! It's soooo corny! Anyway, my main beef with it is simply that the main conflict never gets resolved: Jayce never finds his father and reunites the roots or whatever. So...I never bothered with the DVDs.
Anyway, kick ass review, Josh. Definitely keep 'em coming. Oh, and I also noticed your upside-down brain! :P
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Sanjeev
Just to add to what Big R was saying,I'm 29,so I was 5 in '85,which was maybe a -little- young for this sort of thing,but still I can't imagine this was a popular show/toyline since I can't remember ever once hearing anyone mention it until I was an adult reading the internet and magazines like Toyfare or Wizard. We're talking about a time period where Transformers,G.I. Joe,He-Man,and about 50 other things were huge. This line really didn't have a chance.
I'm definately going to try to watch a few episodes,and I think I'll try to pick up this guy and maybe whoever the main good guy is (Jayce??). How much does one of these go for if it's in decent shape?
they're really scarce MIB (50-150 depending on the day), but not as rare loose (15-50 apiece, but also variable).
Yeah,I'd spend 20-30 on a loose one. I checked out some pics on Virtual Toy Chest,and they're all pretty cool,allthough obviously the bad guys are cooler.
This was absolutely one of my favorite toy lines as a kid (along with Starcom) and is, as you say, virtually unknown these days. I'd love to see more reviews!
I'm with the lovers of this line...please go on! This was one of the lines I couldn't afford to collect when I was a kid, but I sure did love the idea of them. I'm a sucker for vehicles with mini-figures to enhance the scale of the vehicles, like (as mentioned) Starcom and Air Raiders and the old BSG toys from Mattel. And those brains were so creepy! heh.
Is that a Power Lords Trigore in your sig, Enthusiast?! Get on those reviews. Talk about a bizarre line!
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"Hey, uh...let's volt in."
Well done, sir!
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"Hey, uh...let's volt in."
thank you all for your warm and, dare I say, enthusiastic feedback. I'll be reviewing the rest of the Warriors in the coming week. The "boilerplate" info will be repeated for archiving purposes, so just skip over the first few paragraphs for the new stuff. Thanks again for the support, fellas. Talking toys with you all is a real joy!