Toy companies are missing a big opportunity to take advantage of Hasbro’s extended lull in offering 1:6 scale products for its flagship brand, GIjOE. Fans and collectors have increasingly turned to “cannibalizing” or customizing items from other manufacturers to satisfy their appetite for new products, creating such innovative concepts as this “Super Sea Sled” custom based on a Mattel RC “Terrain Twister.” (Photo and fantasy advertisement: Mark Otnes)
Welcome to the first of our new, “What If?” series of articles, where we’ll ask the simple question, “What if…?” followed by whatever supposition strikes our fancy. In this first entry, we’ll take a look at the intriguing question… What if Mattel made products for use with GIjOE?
Think about it… What would happen if Hasbro’s main competitor exercised its manufacturing muscle and created new, original products for use with GIjOE (not using the name, of course). The answer? They would usurp an entire market segment of toy buyers and collectors (i.e. YOU) that Hasbro is currently allowing to sit idly on the sidelines.
For this initial “What If?” case study, let’s use a custom vehicle (recently created by yours truly) as our example. I based this concept on one of those wild, RC “Terrain Twister” vehicles from Mattel. Their shape is very similar to (and was likely inspired by) the classic 1960s Hasbro Sea Sled. The resemblence got me to thinking…a dash of paint here, a windshield, sonar bubble and gauge decal set from PoP there—and voila! I have an exciting, all-new “Super Sea Sled” for my scuba GIjOEs!
This closeup reveals the addition of a windshield, decal set and gauge bubbles from Patches of Pride. Cool! (Photo: Mark Otnes)
Clearly, if an individual such as I can “dual-design” a new use for an existing, off-the-shelf product, so can the big toy companies. It just takes a little creative thought! And with Hasbro squatting on their big behind, Mattel (or anyone else) has an opportunity to steal their thunder. All they have to do is mark it “1:6 scale-ready” and we’ll know what it’s for.
Bottom line: The answer to our first ever “What If? question is…“It’d be COOL!” Sure, these are just the ramblings of a 50-something Joehead who spends WAY TOO MUCH time thinking about such silly things, but if you’ve read this far, you’re probably thinking about such silly things too. HA. And yes, the Terrain Twister was also made in YELLOW for your Adventure Team. To watch a video review of the “Terrain Twister” on YouTube, go HERE.
