Kenner Super Power Figures

[Blitzkrieg]

Hey Gang!

It's been a while since I posted here, but I wanted to know the skinny on the Kenner Super Powers Action Figures from the 1980's. I've noticed that prices on eBay (as usual) are ridiculously high for the key figures; Joker, Lex Luthor, Superman, etc. Are there any other collectors of these awesome figs? I apologize in advance if this topic was already posted!

[Stevan]

I have a few super powers loose. Superman,batman,robin,martian manhunter,firestorm,wonder woman,aquaman,flash,hawkman,joker,dr fate,darkseid,lex luthor,green arrow and penguin. I would love to have hall of justice one day.

[Tonestar]

It's my favourite super hero toyline from the 80's. I have them all (complete and loose and in good condition) except 1...the ever elusive Cyborg. I would buy him but I can't justify spending the insane prices on E-bay for him. I guess like always it's just a very very long wait and see if I come across him in my travels at various Toycons at a "reasonable" price .

[Robimus]

Are these the ones that Shell Gas Stations sold for a while in the early 80's as a promo? I had a bunch of those as a kid. Superman, Batman, Martian Manhunter, Firestorm - cool toys.

[Tonestar]

Originally Posted by Robimus

Are these the ones that Shell Gas Stations sold for a while in the early 80's as a promo? I had a bunch of those as a kid. Superman, Batman, Martian Manhunter, Firestorm - cool toys.

Yup! Those are the ones..6 different characters I believe you could get. That's where I got my Batman and Martian Manhunter. Those were Canadian Shell Exclusives.

[Blitzkrieg]

Originally Posted by Tonestar

Yup! Those are the ones..6 different characters I believe you could get. That's where I got my Batman and Martian Manhunter. Those were Canadian Shell Exclusives.

Are these the Canadian Card-backs? I've been told there were the ones that were sold in Canadian Gas Stations?

[Tonestar]

Originally Posted by Blitzkrieg

Are these the Canadian Card-backs? I've been told there were the ones that were sold in Canadian Gas Stations?

These ones were in a very slender carded back and plastic front box and just showed a picture of all 6 available at Shell Canada gas stations if memory serves me correctly. I think they were $3.99 each with a 10 litre or more fill up.

[supercal]

Where to begin? Probably one of the reasons I am a toy collector today.

There were 34 figures in the line released over 3 waves starting in 1984.
12 in the first series Superman, Batman, Robin, Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, Hawkman, Lex Luthor, Joker, Penguin, Brainiac
11 in the second Green Arrow, Dr. Fate, Red Tornado, Martian Manhunter, Firestorm, Darkseid, Steppenwolf, Desaad, Parademon, Mantis, Kalibak
10 in the third Shazam, Cyborg, Orion, Plastic Man, Samurai, Golden Pharoah, Cyclotron, Mr. Miracle, Mr. Freeze, Tyr
Clark Kent was an exclusive mail-away figure.

The gas station figures were available at Shell gas stations and were on slimmer cards without a mini-comic. I think they were .99 with a gas purchase, though I don't have one of the flyer/ads in front of me. There were 8 figures in that subset. Superman, Batman, Robin, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Red Tornado, Martian Manhunter, Firestorm

One playset - Hall of Justice and several vehicles Batmobile, Supermobile, Lex-Soar 7, Darkseid Destroyer, Kalibak's Boulder Bomber, Delta Probe One, Batcopter (the mold was reused for the Dark Knight Collection Batcopter) and Justice Jogger

A bunch of tie in merchandise - puzzles, coloring books, records, burger king meals, etc was made.

The most famous foreign line of them is from Pacipa in Argentina called the Super Amigos. There was a Riddler in that line that was a repainted Green Lantern. They also made a unique character - Captain Ray. These figures (with the exception of those 2) used to be a bit cheaper than Super Powers but I think collectors are now snapping these up driving prices higher(even though the quality is not as good - make sure a cheap Cyborg you find is an actual Super Powers one).

First series figures are pretty common, especially the ones that were released again on short cards. Superman can be pricey but you can also find a lot of deals on it. Luthor should be pretty cheap though I haven't looked for them on ebay for a long time. Sometimes it is better to look for ones on abused cards and just open them as the prices are not much different at times than loose, mint, complete figures (for the less rare characters). There was also some Kenner surplus figures that were released in clear bags (much like the vintage Star Wars Jabba the Hutt and C3P0 with removable limbs). They are also a great deal for mint figures (though lacking a comic). I have seen Flash, Joker, Penguin, and Hawkman available this way. There probably are others. You will also see quite a few bagged Steppenwolf from the mail-away offers.

Last thing to share... the brand manager for Mattycollector and the Four Horsemen sculpting studio LOVE Super Powers. This is what they have planned as the good bye for the DC Universe Classics line of the past several years...

Mattel Super Powers

[Blitzkrieg]

Originally Posted by supercal

Where to begin? Probably one of the reasons I am a toy collector today.

There were 34 figures in the line released over 3 waves starting in 1984.
12 in the first series Superman, Batman, Robin, Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, Hawkman, Lex Luthor, Joker, Penguin, Brainiac
11 in the second Green Arrow, Dr. Fate, Red Tornado, Martian Manhunter, Firestorm, Darkseid, Steppenwolf, Desaad, Parademon, Mantis, Kalibak
10 in the third Shazam, Cyborg, Orion, Plastic Man, Samurai, Golden Pharoah, Cyclotron, Mr. Miracle, Mr. Freeze, Tyr
Clark Kent was an exclusive mail-away figure.

The gas station figures were available at Shell gas stations and were on slimmer cards without a mini-comic. I think they were .99 with a gas purchase, though I don't have one of the flyer/ads in front of me. There were 8 figures in that subset. Superman, Batman, Robin, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Red Tornado, Martian Manhunter, Firestorm

One playset - Hall of Justice and several vehicles Batmobile, Supermobile, Lex-Soar 7, Darkseid Destroyer, Kalibak's Boulder Bomber, Delta Probe One, Batcopter (the mold was reused for the Dark Knight Collection Batcopter) and Justice Jogger

A bunch of tie in merchandise - puzzles, coloring books, records, burger king meals, etc was made.

The most famous foreign line of them is from Pacipa in Argentina called the Super Amigos. There was a Riddler in that line that was a repainted Green Lantern. They also made a unique character - Captain Ray. These figures (with the exception of those 2) used to be a bit cheaper than Super Powers but I think collectors are now snapping these up driving prices higher(even though the quality is not as good - make sure a cheap Cyborg you find is an actual Super Powers one).

First series figures are pretty common, especially the ones that were released again on short cards. Superman can be pricey but you can also find a lot of deals on it. Luthor should be pretty cheap though I haven't looked for them on ebay for a long time. Sometimes it is better to look for ones on abused cards and just open them as the prices are not much different at times than loose, mint, complete figures (for the less rare characters). There was also some Kenner surplus figures that were released in clear bags (much like the vintage Star Wars Jabba the Hutt and C3P0 with removable limbs). They are also a great deal for mint figures (though lacking a comic). I have seen Flash, Joker, Penguin, and Hawkman available this way. There probably are others. You will also see quite a few bagged Steppenwolf from the mail-away offers.

Last thing to share... the brand manager for Mattycollector and the Four Horsemen sculpting studio LOVE Super Powers. This is what they have planned as the good bye for the DC Universe Classics line of the past several years...

Mattel Super Powers

Wow, thanks for the detailed rundown on these awesome figs! I've seen the "23" cardback on eBay, selling for high prices. Are these cardbacks legit?

[Robot rabbit]

I loved the super powers collection. They are why I started collecting dc universe. Was it only shell that sold em? I thought mine came from esso