Arco: Mad Scientist Companion Figures

Arco released these weird figures with the Mad Scientist toy line in the late 1980s, after Arco was purchased by Mattel.  They range in size from three to five inches. 

Photo from an ebay auction.

LARGO TOYS LTD/ARCO: Stingers & Wings

I have updated my post on this crazy rare line each time I have learned something new about them or found a new figure, and now I'm redrafting the whole post. I think these are hands down the rarest fantasy toy soldiers made in the 1980s.  Their story has slowly come together and I can now provide some truly definitive information to go along with my speculations about their origin. I had very little solid information when I started this blog, and really hoped that somebody who knew more than me would see my post and fill me in. That worked out just as I hoped. Meeting people who share my interest in these guys and getting their help in finally finding out what they are called and who made them has been one of the best things about this blog for me.  I don't know if I could have ever learned as much as I have by my myself.  Thanks much Countzackula, Splittyhead, B-36, and Chris.

 I can now say with certainty that this line is called Stingers & Wings and was released by LarGo Toys, Ltd. in 1985. I have  seen one example of a packaged carded set of just the mounted figures and their mounts, called Stingers & Wings Battle Set.  There must be other packaged sets for the other figures.  There are four 55mm figures, two purple and two orange, and two smaller mounted figures that are available in both colors.  The sets came with a scorpion for the purple figures and a spider for the orange figures. 

 I still believe that the figures were actually made by Arco for LarGo just like the Sword & Sorcerer figures were made for Fleetwood by Arco. They use the same glow in the dark weapons as the Arco/Fleetwood Sword & Sorcerer figures, and look like the same style.  I'll make my case below.

I found this picture on the net.

Photo from an ebay auction.

The Orange Spider Guys



 Bampt Bampt Bampt  .  .  .  .  . Everybody dance now!

The Purple Scorpion Guys



WHY I THINK ARCO MADE THEM

I think Arco made these using the same artists and factory as the Sword & Sorcerer figures they made for Fleetwood.  First, I know that Arco made the Sword & Sorcerer figures because of an Italian carded set which lays it all out.  You can see a picture of that set at the bottom of my Sword & Sorcerer post here. 

Now, lets look at the similarities between the two lines:

1. The standing figures look like the same style and use the same glow in the dark weapons.

2. The mounted figures are in the same smaller scale with built in weapons.

3. The packaging art looks like it could have been done by the same artist.



Arco also made a pair of larger rubber bugs in the same style.  The spider looks more like a bee/spider mix and matches the art work better than the version that comes in the Stingers & Wings package.

ARCO: Dragons n' Monsters

Arco released two sets of carded Dragons n' Monsters in 1982, Skull Turret and Headsgone Tower.  They are one of the most classic rack toys of all time.  There are eight 45mm figures all based on old D&D lead figures.   Two are dragons and the rest are an ogre, a cyclops, a birdman, a lizardman, a jinn and a brawn hulk. The figures store in the little towers.  They are all marked "Made in Hong Kong" on the bottom of the base. They did not come with full sets of all eight figures in each tower.  I believe you only got six figures per tower.  

Original Arco figures came in green, blue, yellow (some shaded more orange) and neon red.  They are all made of bright translucent plastic that does not photograph well.  Arco released them again in 1986 and 1987 on cards without the towers as Mutants n' Monsters.  The long dragon in these sets were only released in green and blue and had bobbed spikes for some reason. 

They were released again in 1990 by a company called Toys n' Things and production was moved to main land China.  Toys n' Things changed the towers to purple and blood red and swapped neon red for just red and yellow/orange for just orange. The long dragon is the bobbed spikes version.  Some have no markings on the bottom and some are marked "1990 Toys n' Things, Made in China."  They are much less translucent than original Arco figures and photograph very well.  So, that is one way to tell them apart.  

1/1/20

1982 - 1987 Original Arco figures and towers.

Bobbed and full spiked long dragons. 

Yellow or orange? You decide. 

I have always thought of these guys as yellow.  A friend of mine says they are orange.  I can see his point because some are shaded more to orange and some more to yellow.  The difference does not photograph as well as it shows to the naked eye.  Here I attempt to show the difference with three different filter versions of the same figures.  

1991Toy n' Things. 

These are the only color variations I have found among the Toys n' Things figures.

Variations. (No master set yet, still need two neon red guys.)

Bases.

Towers. 

Photo from an ebay auction.