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Adventure Packs / Two-Packs

Kenner launched their M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) line in 1985. It featured a team of good guys led by wealthy philanthropist Matt Trakker, taking on V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem), who were led by Miles Mayhem. The M.A.S.K line featured ordinary vehicles, scaled for two-inch action figures, that changed to reveal hidden weapons and armor, or even transform to a different vehicle type altogether. Each vehicle included a pilot figure with a removable mask, which gave the characters unique powers. The toys were accompanied by a new animated series, which aired 75 episodes from 1985 to 1986. In addition, there was a series of video games produced by Gremlin Graphics and a comic book series by DC Comics. Each figure set included a comic book and poster, which have become very collectible over the years.

M.A.S.K was an original concept line by Kenner, which was essentially made to tap into the incredibly popular market of transforming toys, made popular by Hasbro’s Transformers line. Since Kenner’s mega toy line Star Wars had recently ended in 1985, they were searching for their next big thing and put a ton of development into M.A.S.K. At first glance, it had all the makings of a successful toy line with multiple media outlets, a big toy company backing it, along with a super hot concept with transforming toys. Kenner gave us eight initial core characters in 1985, which would all come to shape the M.A.S.K franchise. For the good guys, we got Condor (w/ Brad Turner), Firecracker (w/ Hondo MacClean), Gator (w/ Dusty Hayes), Rhino (Bruce Sato & Matt Trakker) and Thunderhawk (w/ Matt Trakker). The first wave of V.E.N.O.M vehicles/figure sets saw the introduction of Jackhammer (w/ Cliff Dagger), Piranha (w/ Sly Rax) and Switchblade (w/ Miles Mayhem). The second series continued the massive success of the M.A.S.K line with eight more vehicle sets. This wave also introduced the popular “Adventure Packs” and Figure Two-Packs.

Despite its strong debut over the first two waves, domestic interest in the M.A.S.K line began to fade a bit by the third series in 1987. A huge part of that was the cancellation of the popular animated series the year prior. By the fourth series, called Split Seconds, the toys were becoming a tad scarce in the United States. That being said, the final wave flourished in Europe, where it better endured, prompting additional exclusive Figure Two-Packs and Adventure Packs. The concept of combat ready vehicles disguised as ordinary cars and trucks by Kenner returned for the Vor-Tech line in 1996. Vor-Tech used used many concepts, vehicles and designs taken directly from M.A.S.K. More recently, the rise in 1980s toyline nostalgia prompted Hasbro to immortalize Matt Trakker as a G.I. Joe figure in 2008 and again in 2017 as part of the IDW Revolutions set. There have certainly been plenty of rumors about a potential return of M.A.S.K. but none have actually materialized as of yet. Here’s hoping!

Over its short history, Kenner released many quality M.A.S.K products from 1985 through 1987. Just like every toy line, the values of certain items can greatly fluctuate over time. This is based on several factors, including the item’s time period, scarcity, overall condition, and of course, consumer demand. The good news for M.A.S.K collectors is there is usually a high demand for items from this franchise, as Kenner created some truly iconic pieces. Loose individual figures and accessories from the Kenner line can still be found on the secondary market, with some being harder to find than others to find. Boxed or packaged items can still fetch quite a bit of money, especially wave four vehicles and foreign released Adventure packs & Two-Packs. Values for items from the M.A.S.K line have been remaining steady of late, but with no new shows, movies or toys on the horizon, it’s not clear what the ceiling looks like for the vintage M.A.S.K toy line. Never the less, the market remains strong due to an ever present nostalgic desire from kids who grew up in that era and a loyal fan base. The figures, vehicles, and other accessories from the M.A.S.K line will only increase in value as these figures and sets become rarer and harder to find in the future.