Super 7 has greenlit TigerSharks figures!

[Roar]

There are going to be Super 7 Ultimates TigerSharks figures!!!!!!!!

For those who may not know, TigerSharks was part of a Rankin-Bass production called "The Comic Strip", and the premise of the show was that of well, a comic strip as there were four different shows in one.

TigerSharks, Karate Kat, Street Frogs, and Camp Mini-Mon. The four different shows traded spots episode to episode ten-minutes long apiece, but all of the TigerSharks episodes were two-parters, with the first episode being a cliffhanger the first day, and the show the next day featuring the conclusion to the story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwF-ZCyBsFE

TigerSharks was the underwater equivalent to the ThunderCats' predominately land adventures and the SilverHawks' space adventures; and the 'Sharks characters could transform into their marine counterparts, conveniently matching their names.

Octavia (octopus), Mako (shark), DocWalro (walrus), Lorca (whale), Dolph (dolphin), Angel (goldfish), Bronc (a seahorse), and the obligatory pet- a dog named Gup (some kind of fish/mammal hybrid something with fins, but he can't speak, so he's already got one up on Snarf).

The premise is that the TigerSharks are an interstellar salvage company of sorts, and they travel around in and work from a spaceship/submersible craft called The Sark- complete with artificial intelligence. The TigerSharks crew transformed into their marine life counterparts via Doc Walro's invention "The Fishtank". TigerSharks was more science based in its' mythology than ThunderCats, and had very little of the sword and sorcery "magic" featured in the 'Cats show's storylines- and even less than even the SilverHawks show. (As 'Hawks had the magic based character Hotwing)

There was a release of eight action figures for the TigerSharks line in 1987 manufactured by LJN, who made the ThunderCats line, but not all of the heroes or villains were made, and even the ship featured on card backs of the action figures such as The Shark Hammer were never released/produced.

Thankfully, Super 7 is going to alleviate that 38 years old mistake and we are going to get a limited release of the heroes and villains of the show, along with the ship The Sark, and there have been whispers that we will get a Dragonstein as well.

I hope they produce all of it because TigerSharks should have been a stand alone franchise, but it was unwisely and poorly exploited by Rankin-Bass.

The entire Comic Strip show was visionary and was just different for the day, and true to Rankin-Bass stellar ethic, the animation was some of the best in the industry (Pacific Animation went on to become that little company called Studio Ghibli), and the voice acting was superb. However, instead of being the game changer it was meant to be, The Comic Strip was the last production Rankin-Bass ever produced, it went out with a whimper, not a bang, and it's a shame.

It's a shame Rankin-Bass is gone, it's a shame the Warner Brothers hasn't released The Comic Strip on DVD as an official release, and it's a downright crying shame that not as many people know about the show, and in particular, the characters and world of the TigerSharks.

Hopefully since Dynamite Comics has had such great success with resurrecting other 60's, 70's, and 80' properties with more adult themes such as ThunderCats and SilverHawks to name a few, a TigerSharks comic may be in the realm of the possible, and it would certainly would help bolster Super 7's toy sales.

[GC Brad]

Thanks for posting this, this is GREAT news!

I'm still a big fan of the show to this day and I'm absolutely going to pick up everything Super 7 puts out in this line. It's a shame that it's so hard to watch the show, as it's definitely not as well known as the other Rankin-Bass programs, and as such, new potential fans will have a hard time connecting with it.

I recently tried to watch all of the episodes (something I'm doing with all of the cartoons I loved back then) and it's basically impossible. You can find the same 10-ish eps on YouTube in various states of quality, but the full run is just nowhere to be found, at least as far as I could see, and I feel like I was really trying.

it kinda breaks my heart to think that I'll never be able to see the whole series, but actually getting good figures (because those original figs were trash, tbh) will go a long way towards healing that hurt. ^_^

[Roar]

Thanks for posting this, this is GREAT news!

I'm still a big fan of the show to this day and I'm absolutely going to pick up everything Super 7 puts out in this line. It's a shame that it's so hard to watch the show, as it's definitely not as well known as the other Rankin-Bass programs, and as such, new potential fans will have a hard time connecting with it.

I recently tried to watch all of the episodes (something I'm doing with all of the cartoons I loved back then) and it's basically impossible. You can find the same 10-ish eps on YouTube in various states of quality, but the full run is just nowhere to be found, at least as far as I could see, and I feel like I was really trying.

it kinda breaks my heart to think that I'll never be able to see the whole series, but actually getting good figures (because those original figs were trash, tbh) will go a long way towards healing that hurt. ^_^

There was very little merchandise for the program period. Gordy toys made puffy stickers and reused their bubble gun molds etc., but the promotional materials from Leisure Concepts Incorporated (LCI) and Rankin-Bass/Telepictures were the stars of the show as it were. The trade magazine this ad is from charged thousands of dollars to toy companies for a full one page ad in there magazine, and this a two page, so they were clearly expecting another shot at having a success as big as ThunderCats.

I don't know of any good free photo hosting websites, or I'd post a larger non you know where link/pic for you, but this is the best I can do. If the moderators want it removed from the post, I will gladly do it. I purchased this item.

They clearly saw me coming too........hopeless romantic I am. It was truly a Philip J. Fry "shut up and take my money" moment.



This is the concept rendering of TigerSharks, I hope you can enlarge the image so you can see it better. The image was included as an ad in a trade magazine for the toy fair market in 1987 to publicize/hype the figure line coming from LJN and noted the success of ThunderCats and SilverHawks to get people to invest in this property as well. To say the artwork is *gorgeous* is an understatement, I mean it is MAJESTIC and rendered in a way that when you see it, you'd be completely amped to watch the cartoon.

If you look up "The Comic Strip TigerSharks press kit", there are images of the main character and villain model sheets in color that you can download. The press kit was huge, and had over 100 tiles. It's also where companies got their reference images for packaging and toys etc. I don't know who in world got their hands on one, I'm just grateful they scanned and uploaded the images because media such as that often gets lost t the ages never to be seen again.

Aside from the Gordy toys and LJN's contribution to the property, there was also a release of the pilot episodes of each quarter of the show by Karl/Lorimar. I have the VHS tape "The Power of the Sark" which is a compilation of the first four episodes of TigerSharks made into a mini-movie. (no bumpers unfortunately) I have the two page trade ad for TigerSharks, one loose complete Mako figure with the card, tray, and attached bubble.( I am still kicking myself for cutting it open 35 years later. At least I cut the bubble where it displays looking as though it is still sealed.

As far as seeing the complete series, every once in awhile I will respectfully write Warner Brothers asking, okay, begging, them to release The Comic Strip in its' entirety, but they say they have no set release.

I had the entire Comic Strip series on VHS tape recorded from TV, I was in high school at the time, but when I went away to kolledge to git a bettur edjumacatshun, my mother tossed out all the tapes in our old garage during one of her many purges. If it didn't go in the attic, it went to the landfill. I at least got to hold onto my 80's toys because I hid them, but dad's golf clubs and a few other items were not so lucky.

Anyhoo.......

In the 2011 ThunderCats series a brief nod to TigerSharks (as well as SilverHawks) was made, and of course, that show was doomed from its' inception.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_x2csugyp4

I always thought that ThunderCats', SilverHawks', and TigerSharks' properties would converge at some point and become one huge worldbuilding universe that would have many more opportunities for not only character development but also break the (individual) shows of their somewhat repetitive story premises.

Even I got tired of The Sword of Omens being the "uber tool", and that's saying something.

[GC Brad]

So nice to meet a fellow 'Sharks fan!

Just as an FYI, the image you shared in that ad is available as a standalone on eBay.

Also, I just commissioned a 'Sharks poster and the file is available for purchase from the artist. Maybe you'd want it on your wall too? He's "Crike99art" on Instagram in case you wanna track it down. = )

[Time Traveller]

I've actually been meaning to make introductions with you two, Roar and GC Brad! You're both into a lot of the same non-TF lines, both exceptionally fine folks, and both people I'm proud to number as friends, even outside our little digital fiefdom!
Brad, Roar! Roar, Brad!

[GC Brad]

Awesome, thanks for the formal introduction! Always happy to meet cool folks and talk about cool stuff!!

I'm going to try to make a habit of coming to these forums more often, would love to chat about whatevs!

[Roar]

Awesome, thanks for the formal introduction! Always happy to meet cool folks and talk about cool stuff!!

I'm going to try to make a habit of coming to these forums more often, would love to chat about whatevs!

I've been meaning to reply to your latest post, Brad, but it's been the holidays with travel and lots of preparations etc. I'm sure you have been distracted too.

Thank you so much for letting me know I can get a TigerSharks poster that is the image of the promotional material. I actually had a 'Cats and 'Hawks poster saved from the same vendor, but I never even considered that someone would have a 'Sharks poster because of the rarity of memorabilia from the show.

As far as the TFL forums go, this place is the truly one of the best! People come and go and come back, but it's a lot more than just people talking about toys and common interests, which is really nice- but there is more of a family feel here too with lots of good people.

I kind figured that since Super 7 was really going out on a limb as it were to make the SilverHawks line, they were and are waiting to see the success of those before diving into the TigerSharks property. SilverHawks had a respectable 65 episodes, it still was only a one season show.

I've bought the toy versions of the main characters as they come out, but I am reticent to remove them for display because they vac-metalized surface of the toy versions of the 'Hawks figures come off so easily. It's a bit dramatic, but it seems you can barely breathe on one without flaking occurring, and some of the MISB figures have some damage just from transit in the tray.

Frankly, if Super 7 wants to make a success of all of their toy lines, they should really try to not make so many exclusive figures. One for SDCC or something is fine, but coming with all kinds of different figures using the same molds with just one or two special little accessories that didn't come with the other original figures is getting greedy.

I really want the double headed jade dragon from the episode "The Jade Dragon", but you have to buy the special light up eye Lion-O to get it, (almost $80.00 w/o shipping when it came out) and really, we should have gotten that tasty little piece of finger food with Hatchiman, who was bereft of accessories- that figure even came with the special cat cuirass Hatchiman specifically wore in that episode, so it would have made more sense to be put with him.

Then there's the day-glo Cheetara that is supposed to look like she does when she's running and it glows, it sold out shortly after its' pre-order, but it's just too much to expect fans to spend on, I suspect that mainly toy speculators purchased that. And then there's the "calssics" figures that are not quite the toy version or the "premiere" Super 7 versions of Lion-O, Cheetara, Monkian, and Tygra (more correct on model sheet than the first release)-but they're around $40.00 apiece.

Who is going to buy all of that? Even a "you really need treatment" fan like me who is obsessed with this show is not buying it all.

What I'm getting at is that I'm afraid that Super 7 is going to wind up like the 90's comics boom that nearly destroyed the comics industry, or be like Funko churning out multiple variations of the same cheap, but not cheap thing that no one wants, and go out of business before they produce toys that people are actually begging for..

[GC Brad]

I've been meaning to reply to your latest post, Brad, but it's been the holidays with travel and lots of preparations etc. I'm sure you have been distracted too.

Thank you so much for letting me know I can get a TigerSharks poster that is the image of the promotional material. I actually had a 'Cats and 'Hawks poster saved from the same vendor, but I never even considered that someone would have a 'Sharks poster because of the rarity of memorabilia from the show.

Yeah, the holidays have been crazy, as usual. No worries at all about not replying... I have some friends who take a full six months to respond, so you're way ahead of that. ; D

As far as the TFL forums go, this place is the truly one of the best! People come and go and come back, but it's a lot more than just people talking about toys and common interests, which is really nice- but there is more of a family feel here too with lots of good people.

Good to hear. I haven't had many places to go and chat about toys since the old He-man forums went down, and Instagram has been great for meeting toy folks but it's so hard to carry on a conversation or to even just ask a question there. I would be quite happy to have another place good for toy chats.

I kind figured that since Super 7 was really going out on a limb as it were to make the SilverHawks line, they were and are waiting to see the success of those before diving into the TigerSharks property. SilverHawks had a respectable 65 episodes, it still was only a one season show.

I've bought the toy versions of the main characters as they come out, but I am reticent to remove them for display because they vac-metalized surface of the toy versions of the 'Hawks figures come off so easily. It's a bit dramatic, but it seems you can barely breathe on one without flaking occurring, and some of the MISB figures have some damage just from transit in the tray.

i was *thrilled* to find out that someone had made 'Hawks figures, it's probably my favorite '80s cartoon, and that's saying something considering how much I like He-Man, Jem and the rest. I went all-in on them before they had announced the vac-metal versions and they're SO expensive, I couldn't justify buying all of them again, though I did pick up one (Quicksilver, suspended in "flight" from my ceiling) for the novelty of it. I would be more than glad to finish out the line with the non-metal versions just for the sake of having them. I recently completed my OG vintage 'Hawks collection and that was satisfying, but the newer, bigger, more detailed sculpts just look so much better.

Frankly, if Super 7 wants to make a success of all of their toy lines, they should really try to not make so many exclusive figures. One for SDCC or something is fine, but coming with all kinds of different figures using the same molds with just one or two special little accessories that didn't come with the other original figures is getting greedy.

Yeah, totally agree. I get that it's probably expensive to make these toys but they're already being sold for a mint and releasing a bunch of barely-different versions is just going to alienate buyers and dilute sales.

What I'm getting at is that I'm afraid that Super 7 is going to wind up like the 90's comics boom that nearly destroyed the comics industry, or be like Funko churning out multiple variations of the same cheap, but not cheap thing that no one wants, and go out of business before they produce toys that people are actually begging for..

I share the same concerns... they don't seem to be in a strong position with the multiple variants and re-using molds. And not to be a hater, but is anybody really buying their little weird figurines? The Re-Actions of rap stars and the halloween-type monsters? I kind of doubt those things are generating much cash, TBFH. I don't want to sound like a know-it-all, but similar to what you said, people are clearly asking for lines to be completed and to get characters we didn't get before. Maximizing profit with these other versions just feels bad and it would be heartbreaking not to finish some of these runs.

[Time Traveller]

Just wanna throw out here the fact of the INCREDIBLY low cost of producing and assembling standard ReAction (Kenner Star Wars-style) figures. I've also been shocked that Super7 are justifying the $20+cost right beside ReAction+ (GI Joe ARAH-style) figures (like my beloved Micronauts!)
I think the margin on those has to be so high it funds the whole operation!

I'm sorry to hear the vac metal 'Hawks have flaking issues... some things never change, I guess. The vac-metal ones are so much prettier than the various shades of gray that mimic the tones produced by the phosphorescent screen of an '80s boob tube.

[GC Brad]

yeah, you're probably right... they're clunky, many of them look terrible, but the margin must be good because they keep churning them out.

As far as bigger figures go, I have to wonder whether Super 7 would be better off announcing figs and then pre-ordering/making to order. There's no doubt the market for '80s properties is shrinking, so maybe just sell to the audience and don't make too many extras that are just going to sit around?

Seems like it would be less of a gamble that way -- they would know pretty closely what their total sales would be ahead of time, and then they could justify either making/not making the fig to prevent losses.

I don't think I've ever seen a Super 7 figure on a physical shelf anywhere besides high-end specialty shops, so they don't have to worry much about retail presence, as far as I can tell... maybe pivoting towards that kind of online-focused presale model would be a good move for them?

[Roar]

Just wanna throw out here the fact of the INCREDIBLY low cost of producing and assembling standard ReAction (Kenner Star Wars-style) figures. I've also been shocked that Super7 are justifying the $20+cost right beside ReAction+ (GI Joe ARAH-style) figures (like my beloved Micronauts!)
I think the margin on those has to be so high it funds the whole operation!

The Re-Action Vac-metallized SilverHawks are pretty good looking. I have yet to buy one, but due to the five-point articulation on those figures, but I know someone who has them and they said that they hold up to handling well. I don't know, this is only a theory, but I wonder if they are using the same kind of white/brown/blue plastics (or like) that they used to make the original Kenner line, so they might be a little more hardy in the handling department.

I'm sorry to hear the vac metal 'Hawks have flaking issues... some things never change, I guess. The vac-metal ones are so much prettier than the various shades of gray that mimic the tones produced by the phosphorescent screen of an '80s boob tube.

Well, given the nature of the toys, the SilverHawks line kept their vac shells under some pretty regular "kid' handling, especially the legs and the wing popping feature. The largest amount of damage I did with my Kenner 'Hawks was shoving them back and forth into the cockpits of the Maraj.

The Super 7 ones look scrumptious, and to give Super 7 the credit they're due, collectors absolutely begged them to make the toy versions of those figures, and they did , but they also warned that the metal coating was not going to be stable and would be a primarily pose and look kind of figure. The toy version of seven's 'Hawks figures come with one of those little glasses type polishing cloths in order to clean the fingerprints off the metallized surfaces, but you have to treat them gingerly or else risk damage.

One of my friends bought a toy version Quicksilver, he barely touched the face of the figure, and the cheek paint just sloughed off. He took some paint he uses to paint his war miniatures with- flesh paint, covered it back up, and then followed that up with some clear acrylic sealer on the hands, face, and other places that he'd be most likely to touch or gets moved for posing. It worked pretty well for him, but there's not much you can do to protect the little joints from sloughing off their vac shell.

The 'Seven toy version 'Hawks were expensive when they came out, and now on the aftermarket even more, but I think that Ramen Toy could have had a better, more superior Quicksilver than Super 7's if only they'd stayed completely on model sheet for the character, and not taken license with the armor. The interchangeable faces with an option for face or visor was really innovative, and I wish Super 7 would adopt something like that instead of the fragile pin necks they used now because if you break those, the figure is not much good. NECA does the detachable face gimmick with their figures. at least as far as I know, with their with their Gargoyles line, and it works out perfect.

[Time Traveller]

I'm not sure how I feel about the concept of Super7 releasing something knowing they don't have access to the technique to make it reasonably durable... I think that a big part of chrome durability is 1) prepping the surface to bond the vac-metal, and 2) the bond of the clear or translucent color paint applied over the vac-metal. I've seen failings on both of these - Transmetals Rattrap is usually a failure of the vac metal itself, what with all the crazing and flaking down to bare plastic. Not far away is Japan's release of Transmetals Rampage, whose paint flakes off the surface, but the vac metal stays attached leaving him with spots of bare chrome silver.
I feel like a lot of chrome failures are in the paint or coating, and I'm not a paint production engineer, but I feel like a solid layer of clear coat would fix a lot of these issues. Maybe Super7 doesn't have the budget for better coatings, or maybe the vinyl-based plastics these figures are made with wasn't meant to accept vac-metal?
For what its worth, the chrome on the ReAction+ Micronauts seems fantastic, and has stood up to play and handling. BUT - it's just silver so far, and on ABS plastic.