Heads up! Rod Pellegrini’s Kickstarter campaign for his comprehensive collectors guide to Madelman 2050, a 1980s vintage, o-ring like, 1:18 scale, sci-fi action figure line from Spain ends in just 3 days! In case you aren’t familiar with the campaign, here’s the scoop –
What is Madelman 2050, anyway?
Back in the 1980s, Action Figures were the undisputed kings of the toy aisle. HASBRO scored an immense, world-wide hit when it re-introduced G.i.Joe as a 3 3/4″ tall action figure with o-ring construction. Based on the design of figures sold by MEGO, such as CHiPs and Buck Rogers (themselves based on Micronauts, MEGO’s licensed version of Japanese TAKARA’s Microman figures), the new G.i. Joe line, A Real American Hero, became the best selling action figure line of the decade. Many companies would try to imitate it hoping to get a piece of the pie, from GALOOB to LANARD and REMCO, just to name a few.
HASBRO licensed toy makers around the world to make and sell G.i. Joe in their territories, among them PALITOY, ESTRELA, PLASTIRAMA and FUNSKOOL, and those markets that lacked the infrastructure to make their own toys simply imported the product. G.i. Joe was a runaway hit at a time when globalization was just emerging, and local toy makers would do their best to compete and thrive. One of Europe’s largest toy makers was EXIN, a company based in Barcelona, Spain. They sold their product world-wide, and were mainly known for their TENTE construction brick line, Scalextric slot cars, and an older 7″ action figure line called MADELMAN. Similarly to the original 12″ G.i.Joe, the 7″ MADELMAN was no longer being produced when G.i.Joe A Real American Hero was launched in Spain. EXIN had plenty of time to develop a competing product, as it was aware of G.i.Joe since its launch Stateside in 1982, but MILTON BRADLEY (recently acquired by Hasbro) would not introduce G.i. Joe ARAH to the Spanish market until 1988.
EXIN’s efforts would take form as MADELMAN 2050, an ingenious action figure line of similar construction to G.i. Joe ARAH that improved upon its engineering. The figures had the same range of motion as o-ring contruction figures, were the same size, and had otherwise the same basic design. Although they had swivel necks and not ball joint necks, and despite retaining straight arms as opposed to HASBRO’s later improved swivel-arm design, MADELMAN 2050 figures were superior in other aspects. Above all, they possessed a plastic piece that joined their torso, waist and legs rather than a rubber o-ring, which made them more durable. They also had magnets inside them and thus interacted with each other–play features reflected in mini-comics included with the toys, which acted as a spring board for the imagination of children.
The basic premise was this: in the year 2050 the Zarkons, an alien humanoid reptilian empire, sends a team to infiltrate Earth and establish a beach head for a full-scale invasion. They can morph their faces to appear human. Vigilant Earth scientists discover them; Earth’s government in turn activates and sends in a highly trained special mission force, the C.OT.A. Men, to stop the Zarkons. The C.O.T.A. Men posses the Magnetron power, which allows them to defy gravity (in toy form, achieved with magnets in their feet), and to unmask the Zarkons (which had a magnet in their heads on a spindle that would make them turn to their reptilian face when a C.O.T.A. man faced them, because the latter had a magnet oriented with the correct polarity in their chest).
The MADELMAN 2050 line was introduced in 1988, and was sold only in Spain and Greece. It had a second series in 1989, which would only be sold in Spain. MADELMAN 2050 THE MAGNETRON UNIVERSE is a 288-page, full-color book that was originally published in Spain in 2022, in Spanish only, and had a highly limited print run of only 200 copies. I have collaborated with the authors, David Sullivan and Jose Guerrero, to translate and revise their work. This Kickstarter offers you a chance to acquire this official, revised edition in English, with the option to ship worldwide.
The book covers the entirety of the MADELMAN 2050 line: the complete collection of action figures and vehicles, mini-comics, ephemera like chain store catalogs and trade catalogs, but most impressively, it reveals a wealth of information on the line not available elsewhere. It covers the history of the toys, the design process, design influences, the names of the designers and the creative team behind the mini-comics, their stories, the plans that existed for a third series of toys, and perhaps coolest of all, detailed photographs of prototypes of the toys that were never made as a result of the early cancellation of the line. Even copies of the original industrial models and patents for the toys are included!
Below are a few more pages from the book you will get if you back this Kickstarter. They reflect the overall level of coverage for each of the figures and vehicles, and exemplify the photography of the project.
Don’t miss your chance to own this book and learn all about this little-known action figure line. If you don’t already collect it, you surely will want to do so after you take a glance, and THE MAGNETRON UNIVERSE is the perfect guide.
The English edition of MADELMAN 2050 THE MAGNETRON UNIVERSE will be printed as a hard cover on 80-pound gloss paper. It will be a landscape orientation book like the original Spanish edition, but its dimensions will be slightly different because of different paper size standards in the USA. The book will measure 12″ wide by 9″ tall, will be printed in full-color, will have 288 pages, and will be printed in the USA.
Stretch Goals
We have set 3 stretch goals, which all backers that get the book will get at no extra charge if the goals are met.
A bookmark when we reach 100 backers:
A 4″ new logo sticker when we reach 150 backers:
A 5″ new logo sticker when we reach 200 backers:
These feature newly designed MADELMAN 2050 logos, which are a hint of things to come. If this Kickstarter funds, we have BIG plans for MADELMAN 2050. Our ultimate goal is to bring back the line with new figures and additional characters. But first, we need to know there is enough collector support to make it happen–what better way to find out than by sharing the vintage line through this book, a labor of love for all involved.
Rewards
We will ship worldwide, and we have defined reward tiers that include a combination of 1) The book Madelman 2050 The Magnetron Universe, and 2) one, some, or all the other cool Madelman 2050 new logo-bearing materials we will produce for this campaign. These include 2 posters with artwork by legendary Spanish illustrator Don Rafael Lopez Espi, who was commissioned for these original pieces (and who painted the original toy line illustrations). There are also an embroidered patch and a T-shirt.
Add-ons
Through this Kickstarter, you will be able to obtain a highly limited edition factory custom action figure as an add-on: Astro Serpion. At least, that’s what we’re calling the figure for now. The character is being developed and is not the same as the classic Serpion character, but a member of the same Zarkon race as Serpion. Only 100 units of this figure were made, and we are making 85 of them available as add-ons. First come, first serve! Don’t wait to back if you want this figure–it is likely to sell out.
In addition, we have prepared a series of add-ons in case you wish to obtain multiples of any of the above to support the project, including extras of the Stretch Goals (as they become unlocked, but to generate extra excitement, we have unlocked the bookmark add-on already).
Please note that the most efficient and inexpensive way to get all extra merchandise is by selecting the correct support tier/product bundle, as it has the appropriate shipping costs figured out already. Selecting “only the book” tier and adding on stuff will result in extra shipping costs that may be due before reward fulfillment. Select the add-ons only if you wish to get multiples of the available rewards beyond those offered in the appropriate reward tier.
An important note about shipping charges
We have done our best to calculate shipping charges for all rewards and add-ons, and incorporate said charges to the bundles and add-ons, so that backers know exactly how much their rewards will cost. HOWEVER, the federal government of the United States is currently enacting drastic changes to most agencies. The intention to privatize the U.S. Postal Service has been announced and, if followed through, this could affect the cost of shipping rewards and even delivery times. If this were to happen we might have no choice but to pass the additional cost of shipping on to our backers, which would be collected during a post-campaign survey right before fulfillment. If nothing changes, or if the changes don’t affect the cost of shipping the rewards, no additional charges would be due. Thank you for your understanding and continued support. We have no control over the matter and can only hope for the best.
Risks and challenges
There is very little risk for this project. All work is finished, and all assets already exist in digital form. Printing of all rewards will be done in the USA, and while delays are always possible, we have allowed for enough time to deliver by the advertised deadline.
There you have it! I love titles that look to preserve the rich history of the toy world, so there’s no doubt that this will be added to my collection. Will you be adding it to yours?
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