Body Wars Figure Foto

Toy Line: Body Wars

Sculpt Name: Eyessassin

Color: Yellow, White, Black, Red, Purple

Collector's Note: Third post on Body Wars toys. This one comes from the Capt. Mighty Sight and the Eye-liminator playset.

Ecologini

Credit Stunner76.

Name of Toy Line: Ecologini
Production Company: Unknown
Distributor: Unknown
Years of Production: 1993
Countries/Regions Available: Italy
Size/Scale: Unknown
Figure Trade Markings: Unknown
Approximate # of Figures: 10

Details: As you can see, I have very little information about these figures. I first saw them at the LRG forums when member Stunner76 posted images of them there. He and Toypedia contributor nanoFotato, both Italian collectors, identified them as Ecologini. Unfortunately, a search using Google Italy turns up no information about these figures. Were they pieces for a board game, premiums of some type, or were they simply a minifigure line sold at retail stores? I'm not an expert in the Italian language, so I'm not sure what, if any, clues can be garnered from the name. However, I did find information about a product called Ecologino, which is apparently a tiny ashtray for use at the beach. It's interesting that the names are so close.

I'm uncertain of their scale as well. I'd guess they are 2-3" in height. I'd also guess that they are made of hard plastic. However, I can't be certain of either of those things.

Update: nanoFatato has gotten his hands on an exquisite Ecologini advertisment made by the Italian company Amico Gio (see scan above). nanoFatato also provides a translation which reads as follows:

ECOLOGINI 

The nature-saviours little geniuses.

Children, run to Amico Giò (an italian brand). There are the ECOLOGINI for free. Make friendship with each one, learn their strange names and you'll see how fun they are! Flip the page and you'll find your Amico Giò. 

Much more information and pictures will be coming soon!

Body Wars Figure Foto

Toy Line: Body Wars

Sculpt Name: Ache-Maker

Color: Dark Orange with Brown, Blue, White, Red and Black paint apps.

Collector's Note: Another entry for the Body Wars toys. This one comes from the Major Headway and the Skull Skanner playset.
Have you wondered about his size? Here is the answer.

Body Wars Figure Foto

Toy Line: Body Wars

Sculpt Name: Flu-Bug

Color: Green with White, Red and Blue paint apps

Collector's Note: Developed by Tomax in 1994, the Body Wars brand has 6 playsets (Lung, Brain, Eye, Heart, Skull and Stomach) where each one comes with a Health Hero and two Germ Warriors. This little guy (about 1" tall) comes from the Sgt. Gastro Growler and the Digo-Destroyer playset.

Dragons Universe Figabulary

Toy Line: Dragons Universe

Sculpt Name: General Gaius Octavian

Color: White, Black, Green, Translucent Green

Dragon Universe Figabulary

Toy Line: Dragon Universe

Sculpt Name: Trooper Spurius (Blue), Captain Ignatius (Red), Trooper Evodius (Green)

Color: Blue, Red, Green, Metallized Dark Gray, Metallized Blue, Metallized Green, Metallized Gold.

Collector's Note: New IP from Mega Bloks, that expands its world where dragons walk. The characters are in the same scale as the HALO or Marvel figures from the same company (2'' tall) and shares the same construct and articulations but all the body parts and weapons are brand new sculpts obviously.
Here is a comparison image to get a better look at the scale of the figures.

MOTU Figabulary

Toy Line: Masters of the Universe

Sculpt Name: He-Man

Color: Red

Collector's Note: This figure is from a MOTU toy line from Portugal. The figures are very small, about an 1" or 1.5" tall. Check out Nuno Mata's informative post regarding these figures at his excellent blog, My Best Toys.

Rivet Wars

Name of Toy Line: Rivet Wars

Production Company: Ted Terranova

Distributor: Ted Terranova

Years of Production: 2011

Countries/Regions Available: Worldwide via Internet

Size/Scale: 2"

Figure Trade Markings: None

Approximate # of Figures: 1 sculpt, multiple blank colorways

Details:

"Rivet Wars takes place in a world locked in a decades long battle. The inhabitants of the planet Rivet have divided themselves into two factions, the Allies and the Blight.

The Allies see themselves as fighting for the freedom of all Rivets. When the Blight began their attacks, the free nations of Rivet gathered their forces and formed an alliance to defeat the Blighter threat.

The Blight believe that the world of Rivet is theirs to rule by right. Blighters see themselves as Rivet's chosen rulers. They will stop at nothing to crush any opposition to their plans to conquer all of Rivet." (Source: Rivet Wars.Com)

Rivet Wars was created by Ted Terranova as "a context in which to make toys, art, stories and stuff." His first piece is the beautiful Vert Tank. Its creation is a wonderful story. I first learned about Rivet Wars on the October Toys forum. Ted had submitted his Vert Tank design, then called Sherman, as a submission for series two of the OMFG! minifigure toy line. Shortly thereafter he created a 3D design of the sketch using a computer program called 3D Max, submitted the design to Shapeways.com, re-named the piece Light Vert Tank, received a 3D printout of the design in the mail, created a mold of the printout, and finally cast a small army of awesome, new, hard resin minifigures!

If that all sounds very simple and easy, I can assure you it wasn't! However, Ted has made the entire process seem incredibly easy. He has tentative plans to create an illustrated guide of the process he used to make the Vert Tank. Be sure to check his Rivet Wars website for that potential future offering.

In keeping with the military theme, Ted first cast the Vert in shades of green. As you will see, I convinced him to try some new colors.

OMFG!

Credit Daniel Smith

Name of Toy Line: OMFG! (Outlandish Mini Figure Guys!)

Production Company: www.octobertoys.com



Distributor: www.octobertoys.com

Years of Production: ~

Countries/Regions Available: Worldwide

Size/Scale: 2"

Figure Trade Markings: Unknown

Approximate # of Figures: 5 sculpts, 2 colorways

Details:

Some time in early 2011, the idea for a new M.U.S.C.L.E.- and M.I.M.P.-inspired toy line began to take shape at the October Toys forum. (October Toys are the brains behind the awesome Z.O.M.B.I.E.S. toy line.) Several incredibly talented artists and toy enthusiasts began to brainstorm and flesh-out the details of the project that was to be designed and created top-to-bottom by toy collectors. After several months of churning out character and sculpt ideas, logo and packaging designs, the project began to take on the unmistakable shape of pure, 100%, ass-kicking goodness.

Figabulary

Horrors N Heroes

Name of Toy Line: Horros N Heroes
Production Company: Unknown
Distributor: Mr. Lucky Bags Ltd.
Years of Production: 1990s (?)
Countries/Regions Available: UK/Europe (?)
Size/Scale: 2"
Figure Trade Markings: None
Approximate # of Figures: 16 Sculpts, multiple colors

Schöller Dinosaurier

Name of Toy Line: Schöller Dinosaurier
Production Company: Schöller
Distributor: Schöller



Years of Production: Unknown
Countries/Regions Available: Germany
Size/Scale: 1.5"
Figure Trade Markings: CE
Approximate # of Figures: 5 unique sculpts, dozens of figures

Details:

Sadly, we know very little about this cool little series of dinosaur toys, including the years of production and sale. They were distributed by the large German ice cream manufacturer Schöller, which is now affiliated with Kuchenmeister and Nestle. It's likely the figures accompanied the purchase of various ice cream products rather than being available separately. Schöller has released other toy miniatures as well, including Smurfs and several very popular series of koala figures.

The figures are made of a hard, light weight plastic typical of European mini-figures. There are five different sculpts representing five different dinosaur species. They include a Brontosaurus, Iguanodon, Dimetrodon, Triceratops, and what appears to be an Allosaurus (but may in fact be Dino from the Flintstones).

The design is very stylized and playful. It has a "Playmates" feel to it. Their unique style really sets them apart from the dozens of other dinosaur figurines that exist. We would love to know who the designer/sculptor is. All five sculpts come in a variety of nice colors including green, yellow, blue, purple, red, and many more.

If anyone has more information about these fun little guys, please drop us a line!

Okay, let's take a look at the figures!

Dimetrodon (Purple)





Brontosaurus (Red)





Iguanodon (Green)





Allosaurus (Yellow)







Triceratops (Blue)





Finally, we'll end with a couple of group shots showing off more colors and a close-up of a Brontosaurus figure. Note the texture of the plastic.






Click to enlarge

Until next time!

Garbage Can-dy

Credit: JasonLiebig @ Flickr

Name of Toy Line: Garbage Can-dy
Production Company: Topps Chewing Gum, Inc.
Distributor: Topps Chewing Gum, Inc.
Years of Production: 1977 - present
Countries/Regions Available: USA, Canada
Size/Scale: 2"
Figure Trade Markings: © Topps Chewing Gum, Inc.
Approximate # of Figures: Dozens

Details:

If the phrase "sex sells" so often used in the world of adult consumerism had a child equivalent, it might be "garbage sells." Kids, especially those that happen to be boys, love toys that look like garbage. Let's face it, gross stuff is cool!

Topps, and in particular Art Speigelman, makers of Wacky Packages, the Garbage Pail Kids cards and toys, certainly knew this. In the very same garbage-filled vein as those amazing creations, they brought us Garbage Can-dy. Garbage Can-dy is, of course, tiny bits of hard, sugary candy shaped like bones, fish, old sneakers, bottles, and empty soup cans packaged in tiny, bright-colored, and highly collectible plastic garbage cans made of hard plastic.


Click to enlarge

From what I can gather, Garbage Can-dy has seen any number of reincarnations over the years usually in the form of new can colors or new candy shapes. Somewhere along the line, the tiny garbage cans got a little bigger as well.

The cans come in many different colors. Unfortunately, I don't have enough knowledge about this line to produce a list. (The image at the end of this article should give you a good idea though!) Some colors are totally opaque while others are slightly transparent.

The cans came in the typical cardboard box designed to sit on the counter top of the local five and dime and catch the eye of the little, candy-crazed youngsters.


Credit: Mr. Potter's Funtime Blog

Topps had the foresight to make the garbage cans different colors and thus collectible. It's a pity that Mattel didn't do the same for the M.U.S.C.L.E. toy line, despite the fact that the same cans used for M.U.S.C.L.E. were colored in previous toy lines, such as Canfull of Monsters.

In typical Topps fashion, the box art for Garbage Can-dy was amazing. Here's a good look at a newer flat box courtesy of JasonLiebig @ Flickr. Be sure to check his account for a larger version of the below image, and other great images!



Okay, let's take a closer look at some cans. The following cans belong to a 2006 Canadian release.


Blue

The cans come with with an easily removable sticker holding the lids closed. However, I've found that the cans are constructed well enough that the lids close tightly and stay closed on their own.


Pink Can with Green Bad Eggz Bunch Poacher


Green and Purple



The cans are a little too small to be used as storage for figures, but they definitely go well together otherwise.

Here's a look at some of the older cans courtesy of master Garbage Can-dy collector, RusVan.


Circa 1986 set


1991 set

Here's a comparison shot with a Canfull of Monsters can. Recall that the Canfull can is the exact same as a M.U.S.C.L.E. can, just colored.



Finally, we'll end with this great picture of RusVan's collection!



While Garbage Can-dy technically isn't a minifigure toy line, it's definitely in the same fun, enjoyable, and highly-collectible spirit. I hope you've enjoyed!

Related Websites:

Garbage Can-dy Thread @ Cheaptoyland

Garbage Can-dy @ CandyAddict.com

Gormiti

Name of Toy Line: Gormiti: The Invinsible Lords of Nature
Production Company: Grani & Partners/Gruppo Preziosi (Giochi Preziosi)
Distributor: GiG, Giochi Preziosi, Flair, Playmates + more
Characters and Elements: Grani & Partners/Gruppo Preziosi
Years of Production: 2005-2008
Countries/Regions Available: Italy, Europe, US
Size/Scale: 1.5" - 2"
Figure Trade Markings: China
Approximate # of Figures: Hundreds

Details: Gormiti started life in Italy back in 2005 as The Invincible Lords of Nature!



"The magnificent Island of Gorm was once inhabited by peaceful, nature-loving
people until Magmion, the lord of magma destroyed everything they knew. By
awakening the sleeping volcano Fire Mountain Magmion destroyed the entire island and all its inhabitants. Only the wise Old Sage survived and using his
extraordinary magical powers he gave life to new creatures to rebuild their
once-great island. From the natural elements the Old sage created the Gormiti
tribes. The four good tribes of Earth, Forest, Sea and Air whereas Magmion
created the bad tribes of Magma and Lava. Great conflict has broken out again as Magmion tricked the good tribes into fighting each other as well as their sworn enemies. Can the Old sage’s dream of peace be restored? Which heroes will emerge in this titanic struggle? Who will survive and claim the Island of Gorm?"



Series 1 has 42 figures from 6 different regions; People of the Earth, Forest, Sea, Air, Volcano Magma, and Volcano Lava. Six of these figures (one from each set) are slightly bigger than the rest. Each figure comes with a game card that you'd expect to see with mini-figures.

Credit Gormiticlub.com for several of the below images.





December 2005 saw the release of Serie 2: 35 new sculpts this time split in to 5 different regions, Magma & Lava being replaced simply with Volcano. Again one figure from each region is larger but now each region also has a play set exclusive figure.




Barbataus | People of the Forest


People of the Air


Play set exclusives


La Tana di Murena (with Tartantica)

Part of Serie 2 also included metallic repaints of all 42 of the original series - these repaints are known as Serie Mystica!



The Gheos character was also available in a much larger, articulated version accompanied with a DVD.

After a long wait, in July 2006 something interesting appeared in Italian news stands... the first Gormiti Magazine! Not only was there a very cool magazine/comic and a diary with amazing illustrations but something exciting...a new figure! This was a repaint of Gheos from the first series, not any repaint though - it glowed in the dark! Was this going to be the next series? Glow in the dark first series sculpts?





Another magazine came out in September this time accompanied by a translucent green Tasarau!





Well we didn't have to wait long to find out where these pointers were leading us - still in September, Serie Atomic was released!



Atomic used the same new sculpts from Serie 2, but each region had something new to offer.


People of the Earth: Glow in the dark highlights


People of the Forest: Semi-transparent parts


People of the Sea: Change color in cold water 8°


People of the Air: Transparent parts


People of the Volcano: Change to color in lukewarm water

And here's a look at the color changing ones in both states:


Hot & Cold!


Atomic (left) and Original Tartantica

The 5 large figures were also available with 12cm versions of themselves with interchangeable magnetic parts!

In February 2007, Serie 3 was released - new characters and the introduction of Light and Shadow regions.


Display box Artwork




People of the Light


People of the Shadows


People of the Air


People of the Sea


People of the Earth


People of the Volcano

January 2007 saw the release of Gormiti Mini Figures as premiums with potato chips:







These 15 mini versions of Serie 2 figures were later released with other products; and there was even a set for Serie 3:



In March 2007, another strange little set of small Serie 2 sculpts in the Atomic colors was released - Gormiti Minimagnetici:


Tartantica People of the Water


Sentinella People of the Forest

More Minimagnetici figures were to be released later, slightly larger than the originals and with vehicles!





Next in the standard line came Mythos & Energheia.



Mythos were repaints of Serie 3 sculpts and in a similar pattern to the Mystica and Atomic series, this time they had metallic paint, new bright colors and translucent plastic!


People of the Water


People of the Forest


People of the Earth


People of the Air


People of the Volcano


People of the Light


People of the Shadows

Energheia were Series 1 characters, in the original color styles, but much chunkier versions:


People of the Earth


People of the Sea

It's at the Energheia series that much of the rest of Europe and the US picked up the line (at last!). To confuse matters Energheia is known as Series 1 in these countries!


UK Packaging

The Italian Serie 2 playsets are re-used in Europe and the US, just packaged with different figures:



Next for Italy was Final Evolution.



As we've seen before in the Gormiti line, this series is set in to 2 parts. Re-sculpted Series 3 characters:







Part of the Final Evolution story involves the creation of two new groups, People of the Sun and People of the Moon. You may also notice that the existing groups looks somewhat different....they've evolved!

People of the Air -------> People of the Fossils
People of the Earth -------> People of Diamond
People of the Forest -------> People of the Forest Infuocata
People of the Sea-------> People of Ice
People of the Volcano -------> People of Metal

The second part is repainted Energheia sculpts in the style similar to the previous Atomic series.


People of the Forest


People of the Volcano

It looks like the rest of Europe and the US will pick up the Italian Serie 2 as Series 2 (minus the Mystica set). Lets hope Final Evolution isn't the final installment for Italy!

This line has seen many many spin offs. Everything from underwear, to trainers, to scooters, to video games -- the list goes on! -- has been released with Gormiti branding. It's a truly successful line, showing that mini-figures can still hold their own in a modern market flooded with hi-tech toys.

(Update)

Final Evolution was not the final series for Gormiti! As the Gormiti range continued to grow, a cartoon was created - which has had three successful seasons - and luckily for us mini-figure collectors, each of the three seasons has a series of figures released with it. The figures have been a departure in style from former Gormiti figures, as being based on the cartoon they are more "cartoonish."



Let's have a brief (and we do mean brief) look at the Gormiti toy series that were released in conjunction with the cartoon, shall we?

The Lords of Nature Return



The first series was simply and aptly named: The Lords of Nature Return! Introduced were a number of new 2-inch tall figures.



Elemental Fusion

Nature has generated these new and extraordinary creatures... The fusion of the elements is complete...

On Myth Island, Mother Nature has manifested her explosive power. A fusion of all the elements has created an unstoppable magic... Water, air, earth, forest and fire have conferred upon the Lords of Gorm impenetrable armour. Thanks to these new protective coverings, your favourite warriors are now endowed with a strength like no other before!

Next came the Elemental Fusion release which introduced nine (9) different articulated figures that were 5 inches tall. Of course, true to its mini-figure roots, there were a number of new 2-inch sized sculpts as well. (You can read more information and see more pictures in the Elemental Fusion thread at the Little Rubber Guys forum.)


Click to enlarge


Nick Lord of Earth | 5" Articulated Figure


Pignavex | 2" Figure


2" Figures and Accessories

This series also saw the release of a truly awesome forest play set!


Forest Playset | Closed


Forest Playset | Open

Supreme Eclipse

Finally, we were given another cartoon series, Eclissi Suprema (Italian).


Click to enlarge

You can view images of all the figures in this series in the Supreme Eclipse thread at the Little Rubber Guys forum.

Neorganic

Info and pics coming soon.

Morphogenesis

Toy Line: Gormiti Morphogenesis

Sculpt Name: Poison

Color: Blue, White, and Grey

Collector's Note: This new Gormiti series really deserves an entire entry of its own; instead I will just make this a very picture-heavy Figure Foto and will then add this information - with larger versions of some pics - onto the end of the already created Gormiti entry. (As all the information on the following materials is in Italian, my knowledge about this line is limited. Nano Fatato, who is much more knowledgable about Gormiti, may want to chime in too.) For now, more pictures!

As you can see, the appendages of the figure - head, arms, legs, and wings - are removable. They are easily removed from their joints by simply pulling on them with a little force. They pop back in just as easily. Along with the appendage snap-in points, the arms are articulated at the elbows.

So far, they seem to retain a secure, snug fit. The figure itself is made of a nice, sturdy PVC and has a nice feel to it.

From what I've been able to gather, the idea is that parts from various figures can be switched and swapped. Thus the name of the line, Morphogenesis. It's a pretty neat idea. (If you like it, be sure to check out Onell's Glyos toy line.)

Along with the figure, the packaging included an instructional page for disassembling a figure, a bio card of the character - Poison, and a graphical checklist of all the figures in the line (I think).

Instructions

Card

Checklist

For those who like mini figures, but prefer some action figure-like qualities, this interesting Gormiti line might appeal.

Super special thanks to my mate, nano Fatato, for hooking me up with this great piece!

Luxion

Info and more pics coming soon! Until then, here are some pictures taken by nano Fatato, MinifiguresXD contributor and webmaster of RubberFever. And be sure to check out the Gormiti Luxion entry at RubberFever.



Toy Line: Gormiti Luxion

Sculpt Name: Cactus (Tribe of Forest)

Color: GITD Green, Green, Brown, Yellow

Collector's Note: New series of Gormiti, where 29 of 34 characters glows in the dark!



Toy Line: Gormiti Luxion

Sculpt Name: Cerbante (Chief of Evil Tribe)

Color: Orange, Yellow, Black and Grey



Toy Line: Gormiti Luxion

Sculpt Name: Saettante (Tribe of Wind)

Color: Yellow, Light Blue, Blue and Semi-translucent White

Special thanks to Aikola and Strontium Dog for help with this entry. Check back soon for additional information and images of the figures and packaging!

Related Web Sites:

Gormiti @ eBay Italy

Gormiti @ eBay America

Official Gormiti Site

Discuss Gormiti at the Little Rubber Guys forum

Rubber Fever

Several of the images in this entry are stock photos taken from sites on the internet. In most cases, noting the original creator of the image is impossible as the images are shared by many sites. If you are the creator of the image and would like credit, please contact us!