Finding vintage toys worth collecting becomes harder each year. The 70s and 80s hide gems overshadowed by Star Wars and G.I. Joe. These forgotten lines packed play value without the staying power. Five toylines in particular disappeared despite quality manufacturing. Their scarcity now drives prices into hundreds of dollars. Let’s uncover these treasures before they’re lost to history.
5. Battlestar Galactica: Crushed by the Star Wars Machine
Star Wars toys dominated store shelves in 1978, leaving Mattel’s Battlestar Galactica figures gasping for retail space. The initial wave gave us Adama, Starbuck, a Cylon, and an Ovion, with later releases adding the Imperious Leader and two versions of the Daggit.
The 3¾-inch figures tried to capture the TV show’s characters but fell flat with sloppy paint jobs on facial features. Ironically, the cardback art looked way better than the actual toys. As TV ratings tanked, so did the toy line, gathering dust before it could really take off. Today, mint-in-box figures can fetch $100-$300 from collectors who still remember the series. These figures represent an important chapter in science fiction merchandising that deserves recognition alongside their more famous contemporaries.
4. Clash of the Titans: Mythic Potential Cut Short
Mattel’s mythology-based line crashed almost as fast as it launched in 1981, with just four main figures: Charon, Calibos, Perseus, and Thallo. Calibos stood out with his detailed hoofed foot, while the Perseus figure made a decent attempt at looking like Harry Hamlin.
Weird choice: Pegasus came with zero articulation. Even weirder: plans for a Calibos swamp lair playset got axed. Despite the movie’s solid performance, these toys vanished faster than the gods of Olympus. If you’ve got a complete set in good condition today, you’re sitting on $500-$1000 of mythological gold.
3. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: Lost in Space
Mego jumped on the sci-fi bandwagon in 1979 with nine articulated Buck Rogers figures including Wilma Deering and Princess Ardala – two female characters with unusually good sculpts for the era. Princess Ardala figures are now the rarest of the bunch, sometimes selling for up to $500 to serious collectors.
The line showed promise with detailed head sculpts, but Season 2’s hard left turn in the show’s concept torpedoed sales. When the weekly space adventures changed focus, kids lost interest and the toys blasted off to clearance racks. If you enjoy sci-fi and gaming, check out the best gaming console to relive the classics and modern favorites alike.
2. The Black Hole: Disney’s Dark Space Gamble
Disney’s space horror-lite film inspired Mego in 1979 to create figures for Vincent, Dr. Reinhardt, and even a lobotomized crew member. Sentry robot, Old Bob, and Maxmillian rounded out the cast.
These toys packed surprising detail, with fabric costume elements that matched movie uniforms and blister packaging that showcased character photos. But the line crashed hard when the movie failed to grab audiences like Star Trek did. This was far from the only unusual 1970s toy to vanish—some of the strangest toys from the decade have become obscure collector’s items today.
1. Tron: System Failure
Barely booting up before crashing in 1982, Tomy’s Tron line shipped with only four figures: Tron, Flynn, Sark, and a lone Game Warrior, which can sell for $300-$700 in great condition. The figures used cool translucent plastic with racing stripes, but bland packaging and the weird choice to advertise early prototypes on the cardbacks sent mixed signals.The limited range killed any chance this innovative film adaptation had at toy store success. Kids couldn’t build the Grid with just four figures, and the line powered down before it could really get programmed into kids’ hearts.
