MEMORIES:
Badassimus Prime remembers...Flying stuff is cool. Ironically, my biggest memory of these (aside from playing with them) was that my sister would ... More »
Posted on 09/26/06
Manufacturer:
Arriving on the heels of numerous successful sci-fi toy franchises came one of the most underrated toy concepts of the 1980s. In 1987, the catchphrase “The power is in the air” heralded the story of a killer comet strike on the planet of Airlandia. With most of the planet’s oxygen destroyed, the ensuing chaos ushered in the reign of the despotic Aerozar, a villain in control of the remaining useable air and determined to ration it for his own sinister gains. Thus, the Air Raiders, an intrepid band of rebels lead by Admiral Fury and General Rokk, were created to free the Airlandian inhabitants from Aerozar and his Tyrants of the Wind.
If Hasbro’s noteworthy ensemble of air and land vehicles with their aerodynamic designs didn’t impress, the names and accoutrements certainly did. Toys such as Wind Razor and Twin Lightning not only offered fantastic monikers, but features that took them beyond the tried and tossed hand-pushed toys of the past. The secret to Air Raiders was found in the name itself as designers implemented air-powered missile launchers into other flying vehicles such as Thunderhammer, Man-O-War, and Wind Seeker. The Tyrants of the Wind flagship Dragonwind featured an air-launched glider and the Air Raider land cruiser Storm Dagger could even be launched from its very own air-compression platform. Adding two-inch tall poseable action figures gave you the beginnings of your very own fleet. These drivers and pilots could be purchased separately in packs of five, with more Raiders found in the Battle Squad pack and the Enforcer pack unleashing more Tyrants. Perhaps no accessory was quite as cool as the Command Outpost, the Air Raider base. Along with twin missile launchers and six action figures, the Command Outpost also had an air-activated avalanche, useful for crushing the occasional incursion of pesky Tyrants. Hasbro even rewarded fans with mail-in offers that included maps, gliders, extra missiles, and even… Aerozar himself!
Combining the militaristic themes of G.I. Joe with the sci-fi technological appeal of Transformers, Air Raiders distinguished itself and its strong story-line with a post-apocalyptic setting. Under the banner of “Free air for free men,” the Airlandian world struck a remarkable resemblance to the war-ravaged plains found in Mad Max movies. Unlike Mad Max, however, Air Raiders never quite found its niche outside of the toy world. Although a syndicated cartoon never materialized, a short-lived comic book sprang up from Star Comics (a division of Marvel). Even that, however, was not enough to insure it survival. Without public consciousness to propel the toy-line further, Airlandia was freed from Aerozar, and indeed existence, one short year after its creation.
Still, the strength of the story, the novelty of the design, and the luster of time have managed to resurrect the Airlandian protectors from the ashes of obscurity in the minds of avid collectors and closet fans. It just goes to show that if the cause is just – or in this case, cool – a good uprising is hard to keep down.
