Tuesday, October 13, 2020

The Dawn of 31 Days of Toy Terror: Mighty Max Slays the Doom Dragon from Mighty Max by Bluebird/ Mattel

 

  
 For today's installment of The Dawn of 31 Days of Toy Terror I'm taking a look at another of my favorite toylines as a kid: Mighty Max! I've reviewed a few Mighty Max playsets in the past but today's set, Mighty Max Slays the Doom Dragon, was the first of the Doom Zones that I owned as a kid. The Doom Zones were a bit larger than the Horror Heads and they had a lot more play value. Released in 1992, Mighty Max Slays the Doom Dragon was part of the first series of toys in the line. The Doom Dragon isn't my favorite of the Doom Zones but it is a cool set and the fact that it was my first of the larger sets definitely makes it a very nostalgic toy for me. The 1990s were a Golden Age of microfigure playsets and it's disappointing that the Mighty Max property hasn't made a return yet. Let's take a look at an incredibly cool horror playset after the break...


The Facts:

Dimensions: 4 1/4th x 3 1/2 inches closed

Includes: Mighty Max, Doom Dragon, Ravendark, grappling hook.

Year of Release: 1992






 

* The exterior of the Doom Dragon resembles the head of a dragon. The scales on the top of his head are colored different from the rest of the body while his yellow eyes are the tips of two stalactites inside the set.The Mighty Max Doom Zones also had a cool "MM" logo on them.

 

* The Doom Dragon opens up like most of the Doom Zone sets so that the top of the head is the back wall of the set and the bottom is the base of the set. The set stays up quite well on its own, opening to reveal the caverns of the evil wizard Ravendark. There was a minicomic on the back of the set that showed off all the features of the playset and set the scene for Max's adventures here.

 * Every set comes with Mighty Max and, in the earlier sets, the Max you get is rather random from what I have found. This set came with Max in a purple hat with his arms up against his head. I've always assumed that Max was taunting the bad guys, probably wiggling his fingers and sticking out his tongue. Max is only around 3/4ths of an inch so he's super small.

 * Max's primary antagonist is Ravendark, an evil wizard in a black cloak. The minicomic shows him with a pale face and red eyes but the microfigure keeps him faceless and hidden. He's supposed to have a sword but the microfigure makes it seem like he has a big purple blade for a hand. He is quite cool, though. He's also hinged at the waist so he can sit in the chair in his study.

 * The third figure in the set is the Doom Dragon. The Doom Dragon looks pretty frightening in the minicomic but the actual figure itself is a bit doofy. He's not the worst microfigure but he's not great, either. The paint apps on his face are fairly clean, though the eyes don't contribute to his menace in any way.

 

* Something really cool about the set is this little rock wall in the front. It actually rotates, allowing Max access (or escape) from the Doom Dragon Doom Zone!

 

* On the main floor there is a small cave for the Doom Dragon to hide in. The entrance is hidden among the rocks of the cave and inside you'll find a few piles of bones (they're stickers) of the Doom Dragon's previous meals.

 

* Also on the ground floor is a pit filled with some sort of acid. The stickers are really colorful and they shows off the skeleton of an unfortunate passerby who has fallen into the pit.

* To escape from the lower level of the cave up to the higher levels Max has to climb up on this bridge and use the grappling hook. The grappling hook can be removed (so make sure it's there if you buy a loose set) and it attaches to a hole in the floor of the second level.





 

 * The second floor has an old coffin, a few sculpted skeletons, and a sticker showing a pit of lava.

 * The top floor is my favorite. It's Ravendark's library and features shelves filled with arcane texts, a wooden chair, and a lectern presumably holding Ravendark's book. In the minicomic on the back of the package Max is depicted as hurling the book into lava below to destroy Ravendark and the Doom Dragon.

* Everything fits nicely inside of the Doom Zone for storage, too. There are specific spots for Ravendark and Mighty Max to plug in, the Doom Dragon fits inside of his cave, and the grappling hook can store in a small ridge.





I like Mighty Max Slays the Doom Dragon. It's not as good as some of the other series 1 Doom Zones nor is it as intricate as many of the Doom Zones that came after it, but it's still a Great set. Mighty Max was an amazing line and it still stands as one of the best microfigure lines of all time. When Mattel rebooted Polly Pocket a few years ago I had high hopes that we would see Mighty max again. With so many toys on selves right now like Grossery Gang, Treasure X, Goo Hit Zu, and others, a weird line like Mighty Max seems like it could definitely be popular. I love how each set was like a combination horror/ adventure movie crammed down into a pocket sized plaything. 

 

If you're a fan of Mighty Max check out the other sets I've reviewed:


8 comments:

  1. Hello, I'm a fan of your insight on action figures. And my favorite to collect are Mondo Motu, Marvel Legends, and Thundercats. Anyway, as we are approaching nearer to Halloween, do you think Mondo motu will shadow drop another figure like Scare Glow, last Halloween? I mean I feel Evil Lynn, is witch/sorceress like..and Grizzlor is Wolfman like, so they would keep with the Halloween theme. Do you have any insight?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mondo does often do surprise drops, so it's always possible, but if we get a drop between now and Halloween I would expect it to be Hordak. They have been showing off Hordak over the past year or so and he would fit in with the Halloween theme as well.

      Delete
  2. I never got into these but I can see the appeal. It's essentially a world in the palm of your hands. Must have been great for kids to take these on road trips.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My little brother was big into Mighty Max. We had the toys and he watched the cartoon on UPN every morning before school and if he missed it, we recorded them on VHS! They were so cool and I was kinda jealous these didn't come out when I was a kid!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've seen a few episodes of the cartoon recently, watching them with my daughter. I was way more into the toys than the cartoon though I do remember playing the videogame.

      Delete
  4. Wow - what a cool and creative playset. Never knew about these.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They're a blackhole, brother. The more you check them out the more cool sets you discover!

      Delete
  5. Oh man the detail is so cool with those stickers! This is a really cool find.

    ReplyDelete

What'chu talkin' 'bout?