Post by Lanardolicious on Aug 29, 2016 1:49:51 GMT
Start discussing All Original O-RING Series in this thread, From GUNG-HO!, CORPS!, BIO WING, ACTION RESCUE, STAR FORCE, AND EVEN CONSTRUCTION SERIES
Gung-Ho! and Adventure Man (Blue-Carded Series)
The history of the Corps! line began in 1986 when the first series of 18 figures was released by Lanard Toys, Inc. The initial series was actually entitled "Gung-Ho!" and released on individual blue cardbacks. Unfortunately for Lanard, Hasbro, Inc. sued and won a lawsuit over the rights to use the name "Gung-Ho!" as it was the name of one of the characters in Hasbro's immensely popular G.I.Joe action figure line (of which The Corps! was at best a competitor and at worst a copy).
In the U.K., The Corps! originally began as "Adventure Man" presumably to compete against the very popular Action Man and Action Force lines. The packaging was nearly identical to the Gung-Ho! line in the U.S. and the figures and accessories were the same.
The Corps! Series 1 (International Security Force / Blue-Carded Series)
The Gung-Ho! line was then re-released under the new name "The Corps!" Figures were still sold on individual blue cards with card art specific to each character, and some multi-packs were made available as well. The line also offered three larger vehicles including the patrol boat, the tank, and the jeep. Frequently, the vehicles were not carried by retailers even when the figures were. The relative scarcity of these three vehicles led many to believe that they were new molds when the vehicles were later repainted and re-released.
The Corps! Series 2 (International Security Force / Yellow-Carded Series)
In 1990, Lanard re-released the original 18 The Corps! figures along with six new mold figures. All figures were available on individual yellow cards, again with individual card art of the characters. Some figures were also available in multipacks or carded with small vehicles. Some of the yellow cards maintain the original 1986 copyright date, while many were updated to reflect the current year of 1990. There doesn’t seem to be any available information on whether or not large vehicles were sold for this series, but it is a possibility.
The Corps! Series 3 (World Force Response Team / Black-Carded Series)
In 1992, the figures from series 1 and series 2 were all recolored and rereleased. Each figure maintained the same accessories, but often in different colors from the originals. In addition to these repainted figures, seven of the figures were repainted an additional time but retained the same accessory colorations as their first repaint. Six additional figures with new accessories were created for this series as well. These six figures were vaguely sports-themed and are often thought by many collectors to stand out from the rest of the series.
Instead of individual art for each character, Series 3 products all featured art of Steve Wyoming, one of the new sports-themed figures. Steve was the new face of The Corps! despite having most of his covered by a visor. Art of Lightning Mobutu and Brickwall, also of the sports-themed new molds, was featured on some of the multipacks along with Steve Wyoming.
Series 3 was available in many different packages, including regular-sized card single packs, small-size card single packs, carded 2-packs, carded 3-packs, carded 3-packs with a mini-vehicle, carded 10-packs, boxed 6-packs, boxed 6-packs with 3 mini-vehicles, and a huge boxed 24-pack which included the repainted figures from series 1 and series 2.
The last two years of series 3 included a number of subsets. Blade Warriors was a subset consisting of 12 The Corps! molds painted in either a red and gold color scheme or a blue and silver color scheme, each including their signature accessories in gold or silver as well as a pair of roller skates. Blade Warriors packaging included a small "The Corps!" logo on the bubble during its initial release. At some point, somewhere in the world, Blade Warriors was released again but with packaging designed to clearly make it a The Corps! subline.
Bio Wing Battle Squadron was a series of six brightly-colored new-mold figures each released with an animal-themed glider. As with Blade Warriors, the packaging didn't tie the series into The Corps! line except for a small The Corps! sticker on the packaging bubble. These figures and gliders were not only repainted for the later STAR Force line, but re-released in the 2002 Collector's Edition line as a Bio Wing Battle Squadron subset, repainted in different very bright color schemes, fitting in well with the original subset.
Lazer Force (not actually branded as The Corps!) consisted of six new molds covered entirely in chrome and included light up accessories. Additional unrelated subsets would also be named "Lazer Force" in later series.
Atomic Ranger Warriors (also not branded as The Corps!) utilized the same six new-mold figures as Lazer Force but in colors designed to match the popular Power Rangers toyline. These six molds would be repainted and see release as part of the very limited 1996 Galactic Rangers subset as well as forming the core (pun intended) of the later STAR Force line.
Series 4 (World Force Response Team / Red-Carded Series)
In the fall of 1996, Lanard performed a number of changes to The Corps! line. They removed the six sports-themed figures from the line-up and returned to an assortment of the 24 figures found in series 2. The often more colorful paint schemes of series 3 were dropped in favor of more military-themed designs utilizing a lot of camouflage. There were six different color schemes and three figures in each color scheme.
Packaging for series 4 featured red cards with a barbed-wire background, but no character art at all. Mainline figures were available in single packs, single packs with mini-vehicles, vertical carded 3-packs, carded 3-packs with mini-vehicles, and carded 7-packs with mini-vehicles.
Existing vehicles were repainted and re-released, and three new vehicles were added to the assortment: an APC (armored personnel carrier), a Humvee-styled jeep, and a 6-wheeled all-terrain troop carrier. A fairly rare helicopter modeled after the U.S. military Cobra helicopter was also introduced.
Seven subsets also appeared during series 4. In fall of 1996, Lanard introduced the Galactic Force subset, available as a giftset. The set, primarily available at Sam's Club (the discount club owned by Wal-Mart stores), included twelve figures total, two different sets of the six 1995 Lazer Force figures, still chromed, but repainted slightly with a "tiger-stripe" scheme. The set also included Lanard's APC vehicle. This was the first appearance of the APC vehicle design in the U.S., and it received a unique color scheme in this subset. Additionally, the set included three chromed motorcycles of the original The Corps! cycle design. Figure 3-packs of Galactic Force appeared briefly at Eckerd's Drug Stores.
Lazer Force (not affiliated with the 1995 subset of the same name) included three new-mold characters with light-up sound backpacks. Each character was available in two different paint schemes.
STAR Force began by using the same Lazer Force / Galactic Force molds painted in whites and grays as astronauts. STAR Force must have been expected to do well as it was released in single packs, 2-packs, 3-packs, 3-packs with mini-vehicles, and 6-packs. STAR Force even got its own subline, STAR Force Lazer Force. Over the course of the line through 2002, three new large vehicles were created - a space shuttle (later including a launch complex), a space capsule, and a lunar rover, as well as a repainted Ground Transport APC.
Animal Patrol consisted of six The Corps! figures with animal companions and special accessories.
Mounted Patrol included four new-mold figures on horseback.
Special Action Squad included a figure and mid-size vehicle or playset.
Bio Wing Battle Squadron was again produced but recolored with packaging that tied it in more closely with the red carded The Corps! line. This set of repaints would be released in even newer packaging in 2002.
Series 5 (Total Action Series / Max Power Sets)
In 1999, The Corps! got a new subtitle - Total Action Series / Max Power Sets - and a slight change to packaging design. Packaging now featured a red card which faded into black at the top, and a Corps! logo with a radar display behind it.
Six more of the original 24 figures were removed from the assortment - Bengala, Crowbar, Gasman, Night Lazer, Toxic Waster, and Whispering Willie. These characters were replaced by six figures new to the main line- repainted versions of Full Proof, Justin Case, and Larz Lazer from 1998's Lazer Force subset and the STAR Force Lazer Force subset as well as Tracker Tom, Rick Ranger, and Shooter Sam from the Mounted Patrol subset. Also new to this series were two types of bunker positions, a 4-wheeler ATV, a small one-man helicopter, and a jet-pack/flight wing.
Figures were available in small-card single packs, carded 3-packs with a mini-vehicle, carded single figures with mini-vehicle and small playset, a Complete Bunker Position boxed set with two figures and cycle, and possibly others. The figures reused from the previous series' main line were painted nearly the same with a few additional details. The concept of three figures sharing an aesthetic was continued with the six new main-line figures.
The STAR Force subset continued to grow during this time, continuing to be released in various packs with a number of repainted figures from the beginning of the subset. Also repainted into the line were the figures and gliders from the earlier Bio Wing Battle Squadron series. STAR Force even had its own subsets with the Space Cowboys and the STAR Force version of Lazer Force (1998 style).
The Action Packs series was a group of three boxed sets containing an adventure theme with two figures and a host of accessories.
2001-2002 Series 6 (Collector's Edition)
This series had to compete with the full-blown comeback of Hasbro's G.I.Joe line, so Lanard went all out...as best as they could with what they already had. The Corps! Collector's Edition series included a lot of elements to celebrate the history of the line. Carded single figures, carded single figures with mini-vehicles, carded 3-packs, and carded 3-pack figures with mini-vehicles were available for the main line-up. The 1998-style Lazer Force was reintroduced with some repainted figures, and the 1996 repaints of the Bio Wing Battle Squadron was sold in Collector's Edition packaging. Large vehicles were also available.
During this period, The STAR Force subset had grown popular enough to drop its association with The Corps! altogether, and later figures and sets were marketed simply as STAR Force with no mention of its parent toyline on the packaging, as well as a new logo. These late additions to STAR Force included repaint 3-packs with mini-vehicles and the Expedition Team subset, consisting of three new figure molds available in single packs and boxed 3-packs. The shuttle vehicle was also repackaged and released with a launch base and booster rocket as the Complete Launch Set.
Action Packs from the previous series were repackaged as Adventure Series. There were also smaller "Extreme Adventure" packs featuring the Mountaineer, Skydiver, and River Scout sets, which included one figure and appropriate accessories for each theme.
The Construction subset was introduced during this time. It included seven figures available in 3-packs or as one large carded "Crew Set." There was also a "4-Man Crew Set" that included a 4x4 pickup truck and an ATV mini-vehicle. Each Construction package also included construction gear such as tools and road cones.
Action Rescue - Ultimate Heroes was a line introduced by Lanard after the Word Trade Center attacks in New York City. At this point in time, American culture was celebrating "every day heroes," so Lanard followed suit by introducing a line of police officers, firefighters, and rescue workers. These were available in a large carded 8-pack as well as 2-packs with various rescue accessories, sometimes including animals. The line also included vehicles, starting off with a new-mold ambulance, new-mold firetruck, and a new-mold k-9 Patrol police car, and adding repaints of the Hummer mold as a police jeep, the APC as a Hazmat repsonse vehicle, the Lunar Rover as a Hazmat vehicle, the 4x4 pickup trick as a desert response vehicle, and even the Newer helicopter as a "rescue vehicle."
Info created by Robowang
Gung-Ho! and Adventure Man (Blue-Carded Series)
The history of the Corps! line began in 1986 when the first series of 18 figures was released by Lanard Toys, Inc. The initial series was actually entitled "Gung-Ho!" and released on individual blue cardbacks. Unfortunately for Lanard, Hasbro, Inc. sued and won a lawsuit over the rights to use the name "Gung-Ho!" as it was the name of one of the characters in Hasbro's immensely popular G.I.Joe action figure line (of which The Corps! was at best a competitor and at worst a copy).
In the U.K., The Corps! originally began as "Adventure Man" presumably to compete against the very popular Action Man and Action Force lines. The packaging was nearly identical to the Gung-Ho! line in the U.S. and the figures and accessories were the same.
The Corps! Series 1 (International Security Force / Blue-Carded Series)
The Gung-Ho! line was then re-released under the new name "The Corps!" Figures were still sold on individual blue cards with card art specific to each character, and some multi-packs were made available as well. The line also offered three larger vehicles including the patrol boat, the tank, and the jeep. Frequently, the vehicles were not carried by retailers even when the figures were. The relative scarcity of these three vehicles led many to believe that they were new molds when the vehicles were later repainted and re-released.
The Corps! Series 2 (International Security Force / Yellow-Carded Series)
In 1990, Lanard re-released the original 18 The Corps! figures along with six new mold figures. All figures were available on individual yellow cards, again with individual card art of the characters. Some figures were also available in multipacks or carded with small vehicles. Some of the yellow cards maintain the original 1986 copyright date, while many were updated to reflect the current year of 1990. There doesn’t seem to be any available information on whether or not large vehicles were sold for this series, but it is a possibility.
The Corps! Series 3 (World Force Response Team / Black-Carded Series)
In 1992, the figures from series 1 and series 2 were all recolored and rereleased. Each figure maintained the same accessories, but often in different colors from the originals. In addition to these repainted figures, seven of the figures were repainted an additional time but retained the same accessory colorations as their first repaint. Six additional figures with new accessories were created for this series as well. These six figures were vaguely sports-themed and are often thought by many collectors to stand out from the rest of the series.
Instead of individual art for each character, Series 3 products all featured art of Steve Wyoming, one of the new sports-themed figures. Steve was the new face of The Corps! despite having most of his covered by a visor. Art of Lightning Mobutu and Brickwall, also of the sports-themed new molds, was featured on some of the multipacks along with Steve Wyoming.
Series 3 was available in many different packages, including regular-sized card single packs, small-size card single packs, carded 2-packs, carded 3-packs, carded 3-packs with a mini-vehicle, carded 10-packs, boxed 6-packs, boxed 6-packs with 3 mini-vehicles, and a huge boxed 24-pack which included the repainted figures from series 1 and series 2.
The last two years of series 3 included a number of subsets. Blade Warriors was a subset consisting of 12 The Corps! molds painted in either a red and gold color scheme or a blue and silver color scheme, each including their signature accessories in gold or silver as well as a pair of roller skates. Blade Warriors packaging included a small "The Corps!" logo on the bubble during its initial release. At some point, somewhere in the world, Blade Warriors was released again but with packaging designed to clearly make it a The Corps! subline.
Bio Wing Battle Squadron was a series of six brightly-colored new-mold figures each released with an animal-themed glider. As with Blade Warriors, the packaging didn't tie the series into The Corps! line except for a small The Corps! sticker on the packaging bubble. These figures and gliders were not only repainted for the later STAR Force line, but re-released in the 2002 Collector's Edition line as a Bio Wing Battle Squadron subset, repainted in different very bright color schemes, fitting in well with the original subset.
Lazer Force (not actually branded as The Corps!) consisted of six new molds covered entirely in chrome and included light up accessories. Additional unrelated subsets would also be named "Lazer Force" in later series.
Atomic Ranger Warriors (also not branded as The Corps!) utilized the same six new-mold figures as Lazer Force but in colors designed to match the popular Power Rangers toyline. These six molds would be repainted and see release as part of the very limited 1996 Galactic Rangers subset as well as forming the core (pun intended) of the later STAR Force line.
Series 4 (World Force Response Team / Red-Carded Series)
In the fall of 1996, Lanard performed a number of changes to The Corps! line. They removed the six sports-themed figures from the line-up and returned to an assortment of the 24 figures found in series 2. The often more colorful paint schemes of series 3 were dropped in favor of more military-themed designs utilizing a lot of camouflage. There were six different color schemes and three figures in each color scheme.
Packaging for series 4 featured red cards with a barbed-wire background, but no character art at all. Mainline figures were available in single packs, single packs with mini-vehicles, vertical carded 3-packs, carded 3-packs with mini-vehicles, and carded 7-packs with mini-vehicles.
Existing vehicles were repainted and re-released, and three new vehicles were added to the assortment: an APC (armored personnel carrier), a Humvee-styled jeep, and a 6-wheeled all-terrain troop carrier. A fairly rare helicopter modeled after the U.S. military Cobra helicopter was also introduced.
Seven subsets also appeared during series 4. In fall of 1996, Lanard introduced the Galactic Force subset, available as a giftset. The set, primarily available at Sam's Club (the discount club owned by Wal-Mart stores), included twelve figures total, two different sets of the six 1995 Lazer Force figures, still chromed, but repainted slightly with a "tiger-stripe" scheme. The set also included Lanard's APC vehicle. This was the first appearance of the APC vehicle design in the U.S., and it received a unique color scheme in this subset. Additionally, the set included three chromed motorcycles of the original The Corps! cycle design. Figure 3-packs of Galactic Force appeared briefly at Eckerd's Drug Stores.
Lazer Force (not affiliated with the 1995 subset of the same name) included three new-mold characters with light-up sound backpacks. Each character was available in two different paint schemes.
STAR Force began by using the same Lazer Force / Galactic Force molds painted in whites and grays as astronauts. STAR Force must have been expected to do well as it was released in single packs, 2-packs, 3-packs, 3-packs with mini-vehicles, and 6-packs. STAR Force even got its own subline, STAR Force Lazer Force. Over the course of the line through 2002, three new large vehicles were created - a space shuttle (later including a launch complex), a space capsule, and a lunar rover, as well as a repainted Ground Transport APC.
Animal Patrol consisted of six The Corps! figures with animal companions and special accessories.
Mounted Patrol included four new-mold figures on horseback.
Special Action Squad included a figure and mid-size vehicle or playset.
Bio Wing Battle Squadron was again produced but recolored with packaging that tied it in more closely with the red carded The Corps! line. This set of repaints would be released in even newer packaging in 2002.
Series 5 (Total Action Series / Max Power Sets)
In 1999, The Corps! got a new subtitle - Total Action Series / Max Power Sets - and a slight change to packaging design. Packaging now featured a red card which faded into black at the top, and a Corps! logo with a radar display behind it.
Six more of the original 24 figures were removed from the assortment - Bengala, Crowbar, Gasman, Night Lazer, Toxic Waster, and Whispering Willie. These characters were replaced by six figures new to the main line- repainted versions of Full Proof, Justin Case, and Larz Lazer from 1998's Lazer Force subset and the STAR Force Lazer Force subset as well as Tracker Tom, Rick Ranger, and Shooter Sam from the Mounted Patrol subset. Also new to this series were two types of bunker positions, a 4-wheeler ATV, a small one-man helicopter, and a jet-pack/flight wing.
Figures were available in small-card single packs, carded 3-packs with a mini-vehicle, carded single figures with mini-vehicle and small playset, a Complete Bunker Position boxed set with two figures and cycle, and possibly others. The figures reused from the previous series' main line were painted nearly the same with a few additional details. The concept of three figures sharing an aesthetic was continued with the six new main-line figures.
The STAR Force subset continued to grow during this time, continuing to be released in various packs with a number of repainted figures from the beginning of the subset. Also repainted into the line were the figures and gliders from the earlier Bio Wing Battle Squadron series. STAR Force even had its own subsets with the Space Cowboys and the STAR Force version of Lazer Force (1998 style).
The Action Packs series was a group of three boxed sets containing an adventure theme with two figures and a host of accessories.
2001-2002 Series 6 (Collector's Edition)
This series had to compete with the full-blown comeback of Hasbro's G.I.Joe line, so Lanard went all out...as best as they could with what they already had. The Corps! Collector's Edition series included a lot of elements to celebrate the history of the line. Carded single figures, carded single figures with mini-vehicles, carded 3-packs, and carded 3-pack figures with mini-vehicles were available for the main line-up. The 1998-style Lazer Force was reintroduced with some repainted figures, and the 1996 repaints of the Bio Wing Battle Squadron was sold in Collector's Edition packaging. Large vehicles were also available.
During this period, The STAR Force subset had grown popular enough to drop its association with The Corps! altogether, and later figures and sets were marketed simply as STAR Force with no mention of its parent toyline on the packaging, as well as a new logo. These late additions to STAR Force included repaint 3-packs with mini-vehicles and the Expedition Team subset, consisting of three new figure molds available in single packs and boxed 3-packs. The shuttle vehicle was also repackaged and released with a launch base and booster rocket as the Complete Launch Set.
Action Packs from the previous series were repackaged as Adventure Series. There were also smaller "Extreme Adventure" packs featuring the Mountaineer, Skydiver, and River Scout sets, which included one figure and appropriate accessories for each theme.
The Construction subset was introduced during this time. It included seven figures available in 3-packs or as one large carded "Crew Set." There was also a "4-Man Crew Set" that included a 4x4 pickup truck and an ATV mini-vehicle. Each Construction package also included construction gear such as tools and road cones.
Action Rescue - Ultimate Heroes was a line introduced by Lanard after the Word Trade Center attacks in New York City. At this point in time, American culture was celebrating "every day heroes," so Lanard followed suit by introducing a line of police officers, firefighters, and rescue workers. These were available in a large carded 8-pack as well as 2-packs with various rescue accessories, sometimes including animals. The line also included vehicles, starting off with a new-mold ambulance, new-mold firetruck, and a new-mold k-9 Patrol police car, and adding repaints of the Hummer mold as a police jeep, the APC as a Hazmat repsonse vehicle, the Lunar Rover as a Hazmat vehicle, the 4x4 pickup trick as a desert response vehicle, and even the Newer helicopter as a "rescue vehicle."
Info created by Robowang
Attachments:
