Wheeljack’s Lab Vintage Toy Blog
Follow this blog for the new, the unusual, the rare and cool Generation 1 G1 Transformers toys. Reviews, news, toy resources, galleries, unboxing, opinions and personal reflections on vintage toys.
Most Expensive GI Joe Toy
Top 10 Comedians of the 1980s - Wheeljack's Lab

Inhumanoids: The Toyline That Was Too Terrifying for Saturday Mornings
From the mid 60s to mid 90s, many different cartoons aired on Saturday mornings for children to watch and love. Then, the 80s saw a surge in cartoo

The Untold Story of Super Naturals: Holograms, Hauntings, and Tonka’s Forgotten Ghost Warriors
Do you ever feel like there are things lurking around you? As children, we became terrified of the monster under the bed or in the closet. In the l

The Legacy of Robo Force: Ideal’s Short-Lived Answer to the Robot Craze
The toy company, Ideal, gave people an answer to the robot craze in 1984 with their line of toys and cartoon. This Robo Force toyline fit in with t

Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light – The Most Overlooked Sci-Fi Fantasy Toyline of the ’80s
In 1987, Hasbro created the most incredible, yet overlooked, science fiction fantasy toyline of the decade. Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Lig

Why M.A.S.K. Deserves a Reboot: The Forgotten Hybrid of Cars and Commandos
The 1980s saw a huge surge of incredible toylines connected to animated television shows. In 1985, the popular franchise of M.A.S.K. hit the scene.

The Short-Lived Genius of Computer Warriors: When Everyday Items Hid Cyber Heroes
With the technological world expanding and developing in the late 1980s, the awesome world of Computer Warriors came into view. These toys by Matte

How Toylines Were Marketed in the 1980s: The Cartoon Connection
The 1980s saw many strong trends that left fond memories for so many people. Possibly the most memorable thing from the decade includes the cartoon

10 Toylines You Forgot You Loved
As children, we often play with many different toys of varying popularities. Some toys we enjoyed more than others. Many times, those toys we once

How to Store and Preserve Your Vintage Toys Long-Term
Vintage toys are loved by so many people today with toy collectors all across the globe. Many people in recent years began toy collecting, buying,

Why Some Toys Are Worth Thousands
Many people may own incredibly valuable toys without even realizing it. These toys stored away in an attic, basement, or garage from years ago may

Should You Grade Your Toys? Pros and Cons of AFA Grading
Toy grading became widely available in just the late 1900s. For toy collectors, buyers, and sellers, this opened up a whole new world in the vintag

The Recent Resurgence of He-Man MotU
The He-Man and the Masters of the Universe franchise first began in 1982 with the release of the toy line. Shortly after that, the animated series

What Toys Are Millennials Nostalgia Over?
Do you ever remember toys from your childhood and feel great nostalgia? When you see a toy you loved playing with growing up, often those memories

Why Can’t LEGO be Topped by Other Building Block Toys?
The popular building block company, LEGO, continues to capture the hearts of many. For almost a century, LEGO reached many generations and expanded

Why Do People Collect Toys?
Have you ever seen a toy collector or thought about collecting toys yourself and wondered what the benefits are? People all around the world collec

Godaikin Retrospective
Beginning in 1982, this awesome robotic line of toys hit the United States through Bandai America. The line of toys originally released in Japan as

Times When Marvel and DC Copied Character Designs
In 1934, the vast world of DC Comics launched. Similarly, just five years later, in 1939, the incredible world of Marvel Comics also launched. From

Digimon Series Retrospective
Digimon, the popular media franchise, originated in 1997 with a line of virtual pets created by WiZ and Bandai. These Digimon (Digital Monsters) vi

Toxic Crusaders Retrospective
Beginning in 1987, the awesome franchise of Toxic Crusaders began. It launched with the movie, The Toxic Avenger which later sparked an animated se

The Complete Star Wars Timeline
Since it’s beginning in 1977, the Star Wars franchise has exploded in popularity throughout the past few decades. This incredible world of St