I liked the toys from Black Hole. The biggest problem was the lack of weapons, which is how the Palomino crew fights their way out. The Palomino would have opened up the playability of the figures too. It also looked like an evolution of the moon lander. They spent too much money on electronic offerings and not enough on what made Star Wars toys sell, the figure/vehicle interaction combined with good guys beating the faceless bad guys. I'm sure many thumbs were broken trying to fit SW blasters into Black Hole figures' hands. The Twin Pod Cloud Car made a great Black Hole blaster.
I had a Vincent that I broke one of his legs off, Dad used two parts epoxy to glue it back on, sort of a big glob just holding it together. I was really young for this movie and only remembered the robots. Shows how great the robots were.
As an older kid, Dr Durant's gurgled screams at 10:50 as Maximillian shredded him through the book gave me the Heebee Jeebees that has imprinted on me to this day as one of the more horrific cinematic deaths of that time.
Hard to say which I'd have wished for. I wasn't big into The Black Hole, but I got few of the figures to use alongside by Star Wars toys. That's kind of what I did as a kid. What my sister and I did when I had my Mego figures, and she had her Hasbro Charlie's Angles ones. We mixed and matched and made one big shared universe. With that in mind... I'd like to say The Palamino, since having another ship with room for more then one action figure was always appreciated when I was a kid. Buuuut.. I'd probably have gotten a lot more use out of the Cygnus bridge. I wouldn't necessarily have used it as the Cygnus, since I wouldn't have had a toy of it, but another bridge playset like the movie Enterprise or Kenner's Darth Vader's Star Destroyer would have been welcomed. Maybe because I watched too much Star Trek, a lot of my games as a kid began and ended on the bridge of a ship. I'm not sure who's bridge it would have been, but I'd have definitely used it with my figures.
Another excellent installment focusing on a vintage line near and dear to my heart. Very tough call on what unmade toy I’d want to see materialize from the cosmic recesses of the Black Hole. The Palomino and RC V.I.N.CENT are way up there, as is that killer side arm from the Marx catalog, but if the powers that be saw their way to making that old school vinyl playcase of the Cygnus (complete with wonderfully funky, off-model graphics a la their U.S.S. Enterprise), well, that would be a joyous thing.
“Radio controlled Vincent…you can scare the cat!”. What’s even more amusing is that the cat in the commercial is clearly being startled by someone off screen abs not the toy. I actually went straight for Maximillian when he appeared in Woolco in 1980. I think he was Vader’s bodyguard. Very cool design. Skipped the Earnest figure.
This vid's a homerun. I had a Magnetic Max for a few years, but sold it a few years back. Hope to get another one someday. Max was perfect for the magnetic figures. Super high quality vintage toy. I think I'd take the carry case Cygnus or the remote control Vincent from the unproduced stuff. I've got a 1984 Asian Suppliers (or something like that) catalog with an ad for the programmable Vincent knock off.
Man, I love The Black Hole. I had a few of the figures as a kid. And I do wish they had been able to make more of them. I actually would have liked that play set. I tended t make up my own stories for my toys and that would have worked out nicely. But the one I think I'd have liked the most would have been the remote-controlled VINCent. I always wanted one of those 80's robots like that. Omni-Bot, Maxx Steele, etc...The gun might have been cool, but I had my Cloud Car for that.
I think if they'd used artistic license with the figures, vehicles and playsets by making aliens and locations not shown then they'd have drawn in more kids. I only saw the Whitman comic adaptations, but maybe someone out there at the time had the beginnings of an extended universe to take inspiration from? If not, its a shame Mego didn't rush to create it themselves. Star Wars' and Star Trek comic lines sure did.
Still on the hunt for my childhood BOB... "Protect me from Maximilian" is a truly weird line...I haven't done much research into the production, but a lot of the second and third act in the film feels cobbled together from 2 different movies. I'm not sure if they ever made up their minds about what the film was ultimately supposed to be about. The last 10 minutes are pure acid trip.
10:32 as soon as you said that, I knew _exactly_ what scene you were speaking of. Max: "Hey Tony! There's a fly on your chest! Now hold still and let me get that for you..." 12:35 easy.. either the remote control VINCENT or the Palamino toy holder. You can't go wrong with robots or spaceships, especially in the early 80's.
Watching this, I realized my only memory of this film is really a feeling of profound disappointment. I recall all of the hype. I recall being thrilled at the photos and the designs. I then only remember the disappointment while watching it in the theater. I couldn’t tell you anything about the plot or anything else beyond that. I love these videos and this one certainly tells a story of movie making as well as toy making.
Awesome video Brian!!! Unfortunately, I was never able to see the movie when it came out, but it's just as well, because it would've gone right over my head as I was only four at the time. I did have a coloring book that gave a vague impression of what the movie was about, but missed out on the toys. Over the years, I've seen the Maximilian figure pop up at numerous toy shows, but the other figures don't seem to be as available. When I finally did get to see the movie I was almost 30, and could appreciate it as a slightly camp amalgam of The Poseidon Adventure, Star Wars, and an Ingmar Bergman existentialist film. And boy, is Maximilian a cool looking robot! Alas, I'll never be able to get ahold of Radio Controlled Vincent, but The oddball knock off ''Axlon ''Compurobot'' is cool little place holder.
That Reinhardt, to quote a known podcaster, "Batshit Crazy". I still wonder to this day, what was the execs at Disney thinking. I loved the movie as well, Brain I remember your story of seeing it in the theater. I was getting over the flu when I saw it as well. But the theater was much more memorable. My Mom took me and my cousin, we were admiring the removable armrests(they were not supposed to do that) and the screen did have some rips. But it was a memorable experience, I would love to see BH on a big screen again. I do hope you have the blue ray. There is one thing to notice in the film. Looking out the window at the Cygnus model. You'll see a disk on the model, that's where the tower is supposed to be. But they used a shot that's behind the model, it looks great. But it's one of those little things, I tend to notice. As far as toys, I would have loved the Palomino version of the Verdibird. And of course the rc talking Vincent, I really wanted a Sir Galaxy back in the day. But Vince would have been better.
Escape from the Black Hole set is likely identical to the Hot Wheels Scorcher Chamber set that came out the previous year. I wonder if Mego decided not to go with it if they saw that the Scorcher Chamber sold poorly. I for one would have enjoyed it.
I think for myself it has to be the following: 1) Radio-controlled V.I.N.Cent, 2) Palomino Spaceship. I absolutely loved this video, watched it several times over already, definitely one of your best! What a wealth of brilliant Black Hole commercials too - the quality of the Palomino Spaceship one is just amazing! Regarding the 3 3/4 figures, I wish I'd been able to get hold of the Cygnus Humanoid figure, as my friend and I made replicas of them using Star Wars figures, plasticine and silver / gold chocolate wrapper faces to make enemies for our Micronauts figures! Finally, absolutely loved (and laughed a lot at) the Cygnus Bridge reenactment with Isaac cameo, just brilliant. Still have my 43 year-old Maximillian figure to this day, the sole survivor from all those years ago... great times.
This was a really great look back at some of those classic toys, games, and other oddball items for this Movie. I remember the movie so well. We went to Southridge Mall Theater to see it. It was a really unique movie too. Maximilian was a really "unique" creation. I really love these look back videos on toys that we either had, wanted, or ?? So many childhood memories, so many experiences that these toys can remind us of, and can make you feel as if you're back there. I really miss those days, those times, and all of those toys that were so much fun. Back then kids didn't need 📱📲Smartphones📲📱💻💻Laptop💻Computers💻💻, or 500+ channels and/or Streaming services. We had ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, and one or two other Non affiliated network channels. We had the Atari 2600, but most of all, we had this...... our IMAGINATION!! With that we created worlds, places, events, races, and any number or wild ideas and other necessities.
I still love this movie even though the last few scenes were just odd compared to the rest of the film. As for the toys....I had Vincent and Maximilian. I wish I still had them. Out of all these things you showed, I have to say the playset is the one I would have liked as a kid. Even if it was made from thin plastic.
12" Harry Booth figure. Disproving the belief that Ernest Borgnine's scariest role in this era was as The Devil in The Devil's Rain. One close-up at a time.
@@BrickMantooth THAT'S who it reminded me of! It makes perfect sense now! Ya know something, Brian? You should write a book on this sort of thing. Maybe a magazine? Call it Toy Zayres, or Toy Woolcos, maybe? (This joke only works if you're familiar with the Chicago-heavy department store chain Venture, incidentally.)
Love the Black Hole! I think between my brothers and me we had most of the figures. That playset would have definitely been on my wish list. Also would have loved one of those laser guns. Always liked that design.
I had a Dan Holland and sentry robot figure. I always loved the white uniforms that they wore, and if I remember correctly, the robot’s pistol fit into a little hole in the holster, which I thought was the coolest thing when I was a kid.
Did you have as much trouble as I did trying to get the pistol to fit in his hand, though? The pistol had a massive grip and the Sentry Robot had those little Micronaut hands. At best he could stick his thumb through the trigger guard.
@@ChapMeifan wow, yeah, I do remember that now that you mention it! I think I left the pistol in the holster and used a blaster from another toy line, probably Star Wars or GI Joe. The memory is a little fuzzy, after 40 years!
Great video and awesome recreation of the bridge scene! Well done, Brian. Like you, I was hugely into The Black Hole when it came out and I wish more of these toys had been produced. I think I only ever managed to get a VINCENT action figure, the book and record set, some colouring books and some Shreddies pencil holders. Thanks for sharing all the catalogue images and for doing such an awesome job!
My brother built the Cygnus model, and painted it painstakingly so that it look like the interior was lit. It came with a tiny Palomino to scale of course to the Cygnus. I played with that for hours and hours.
I would have liked to seen a V.I.N.Cent RC robot made, even though it would have been a snowball's chance in hell of me getting one. Robot toys were and always have been my favorite.
It didn't make sense to produce a Cygnus bridge set because it would have to have been stocked with Humanoid figures, and they generally weren't available to most markets.
The hardware store down the street from me had all of these figures, as well as Buck Rogers, Star Trek TMP and some Battlestar Galactica Adamas, Starbucks and Imperious Leaders. sitting on a clearance rack for at least a year and could not get rid of them, even at a discount. I got them to use with my Star Wars figures and expand my adventures. Some time ago, my dad found the carry case these were in in the garage and gave them to me and I was so unimpressed with them, I sold them all on eBay... including MAX, Vincent, The Cygnus robot sentries, Twiki. They didn't bring much money then, either. LOL. I wonder if Marty Abrams has nightmares over these lines?
As a kid, VINCent was far cooler to me than R2-D2 because I could understand what he said. Got all the figures from the SEARS catalog including the Humanoid which seems to sell for a bazillion dollars now. I remember when the Black Hole was on the news as Disney was trying to bring the video tapes to Canada but Canada customs denied them entry as customs agents were convinced, based on the name, that it was a porn movie. Still, I had a lot of fun with these figures when I was a kid. Maximillian is still on my shelf as is VINCent. The movie was ....ok. No Star Wars but it had its moments. The final scene of Reinhardt and Maximillian merging in Hell was just bizarre and I think I blanked that memory out until just now.
Wish it was available when I was a kid I didn't think of this as being a Star Wars attempted clone of the earlier. Felt the same way about Battle Beyond The Stars and Battlestar Galactica 1978.
I was aware of the figure range, but had no idea the line went any further then that. What a pleasant surprise to see the line was diversified in foreign markets! The unproduced portions of the line are especially heart breaking. I do very much hope that fan produced Palomino finds its way into the Plaid Stallions collection. Yet another wonderful video in the powerful Plaid Stallions style!
Saw it in the theatre, but don't have very many memories -- aside from Ernest Borgning turning out to be the traitor. Looks like it had a pretty good cast -- but I wasn't familiar with any of these actors at that time. The Black Hole wasn't a very kid-friendly movie, so no idea why they wanted to make toys of it. I seem to recall the spaceship looked pretty good -- so I could see making that, but not the characters.
The best hand held game from 79-80 is, no question, Blockbuster by Microvision. Whenever I see people playing games on their phones I remember that great toy.
I love this stuff, I would have to go with a Cygnus bridge playset. I like to think in my toy universe that the Cygnus passes through the Black Hole intact into the Star Wars universe to do battle against the Rebels with the robot sentries piloting those Laserscope fighters (Black Hole versions of course).
The only Black Hole item I had in 1979/80 was coloring books. Which I enjoyed! I really wanted the Mego figures! I did get a bunch of Star Wars figures though! Thanks for these videos and bringing me back to 1979 when I was 6 years old and watched The Black Hole and Star Trek The Motion Picture in December 1979! My whole family are Sci Fi geeks! Thanks for your amazing videos!
Thanks for sharing this video. As a kid, I would've loved to have had a U.S.S. Palomino ship, the Cygnus playset, and the dual laser pistol if they had been made. The Palomino and the Cygnus are two of my all time favorite sci fi ships. The film is a favorite guilty pleasure of mine. Btw, hilarious remake you did of the death of Dr. Durant. Love it. Did you know that Dr. Durant died three different ways across three different mediums? Of course, in the film, he is killed by Maximilian's cutter tools. In the Alan Dean Foster movie tie-in novel, Maximilian kills Durant with a shot from one of his laser arms. In the Gold Key comics adaptation, Dr. Reinhardt personally shoots Durant in the back with a dual laser pistol.
@@BrickMantooth I remember the novel was a good read as a kid. One thing I could not understand about the Gold Key comic adaptation though was why they drew some of the characters so radically different from their live action versions. In the comic, Dan and Charlie had longer hair. Dr. Durant had curly hair and wore glasses. (Heh...having read the comic before I ever got to see the movie, I imagined Dr. Durant having some kind of French accent, which then made me laugh at my presumptuous self when I got to hear my cousin's Disney story record from the audio of the film....I never got to see the movie until maybe 1981.) I don't really remember how they did Harry Booth, but Reinhardt was almost spot on, IIRC. If I also recall correctly, when the novel described Maximilian shooting Durant with a laser, the description was "...like a hot knife through butter." I could be wrong...I read the novel in '79, and have not been able to find any reprints of it.
I had The Black Hole bed sheets, pillow cases and bed spread. I dont know wat I was thinking as a child. I didnt even have any of the figures at all because watchng the movie as adult, well it doesnt hold up very much. I think my cousins had some of the figures and maybe The Palomino set. that Cygnus bridge set did look cool.
This video encouraged me to pull out my Black Hole figures of which I only have 4 left BUT I still have the humanoid figure! I knew he was worth something but I'm learning more as the night goes on. Thanks for posting!
I loved the Black Hole but never got any of the toys. I did see the crew figures quite frequently at discount stores, but Star Wars always won out. It really seems to me that someone at Disney interfered in the final edit of the film, because the last half is pretty disjointed and seems to have lots of material missing.
Some pretty diverse neat designs that it's too bad the movie didn't do better. Sure you can say they were aiming more at a disaster film but Disney was really a victim of timing on the trend that was just about to happen with Star Wars. It's funny I like the bleak sci-fi of the 70s but find the modern dark approach incredibly annoying Ie. they need to lighten up already. :\ I'd still be looking for the big Vincent robot today if it had ever come out heh. I think that would have sold just fine regardless of the film box office, it's a cool robot toy period. ;) A story about disproportionate hype, my sister kept hinting that she got me something special for my birthday, I was at a fever pitch to see what it was...it was a Black Hole cereal bowl. I cried from such disappointment. ^_^
I still have a Maximilian and a battered Vincent figure, had them for most of my life, I’m just missing the little clear plastic stands so they can’t actually stand up. As a kid my Maximilian figure would be my Darth Vader’s second in command, many Rebels met their end at his hands/pincers.
I have a couple of models from the film (up in my attic), namely VINCENT & MAXIMILIAN by (I can’t remember). I would have LOVED to have had the Palamino ; I remember seeing it in a toy trade fair many years ago when I worked in retail and eagerly anticipated seeing it in the shops. Sadly, I never got it.😢
My brother and I had the robot figures. I think we might have had a model kit as well? I have a memory of a comic book, or a coloring book. But I have no memory of the film, because I didn't see it until 2021. I think my brother saw it when it was still in theaters, but I didn't. I watched it for the first time on Amazon a few months ago. Yeeesh. What a deliriously misguided piece of corporate filmmaking. They had no clue what they were making, or who they were making it for. I can find something to like/love about Moonraker, Star Trek: the Motion Picture, Saturn 3, Flash Gordon, and many other late 70s/early 80s Star Wars wannabees. But I found myself wincing and cringing throughout The Black Hole. I liked VINCENT and Old Bob, and I liked that Ernest Borgnine was Ernest Borgnine, but not much else. I wish Roddy McDowell had been one of the human crew members, but at least he was in the mix. This is a case where I actually felt more nostalgia for the film BEFORE I saw it. I think these toy commercials "get" the possibilities of the concept more profoundly than the people who made the movie.
Your comment reminds me of my conversation with Bill Baron after he made that comment about the film I said "I loved it as a kid" and his response was a chuckling "How about now?". I had to admit it's flawed but hey it transports me to the month where I was bedridden with illness as a kid and my folks went nuts with the comics, books and other ephemera. I fully admit nostalgia goggles are firmly in place.
It's probably very unlikely but I'd love to see Hot Toys make a line of high end 1/6 Blackhole figures with electronic features such as lights and voice effects.🙏
Vey interesting video on some stuff that might have been. I love this movie to death, seeing it is one of my earliest memories. It's such a strange time capsule of the era it was made, when *everyone* wanted to capitalize on Star Wars. 10:51 To this day I'm amazed something as objectively horrifying as that sound effect was in a Disney movie from the 70s. Is that the sound of Max's blades cutting through Durant's torso? Is that a sound HE'S making as he's turned into meat confetti? These questions keep me up at night.
Remember back when DIsney had to make up their own robots and spaceships when they wanted to capitalize on the success of Star Wars? Pepperidge farm remembers.
This was one of those classic movies that was epic when you were a kid! Obviously Star Wars was THE BEST. Star Trek was not far behind, with The Planet of the Apes in 3rd place! For me however Mego's lineup of Superheroes action figures were my all-time favorite toy! The 1970's had some of the most iconic, amazing, and incredibly fun toys ever made! It was a blast!
Did those kids put a wastebasket in the window to simulate a black hole? Wow. I love that kind of imagination.
The actress that played Kate McRay, died like last week. RIP .
10/10 for the dramatic re-enactment. Plus bonus points for Isaac.
ALWAYS ! LOL Best non-sequitor, preposterous action figure cameo in UA-cam history !
" protect me from maxamillion ............... " I had totally forgot about that line, absolute gold.
Great video! An underrated Disney classic for sure.
thanks and I agree.
I had some if not all of the action figures. I liked the soldiers, VINCENT, BOB, and of course Maximillian.
I liked the toys from Black Hole. The biggest problem was the lack of weapons, which is how the Palomino crew fights their way out. The Palomino would have opened up the playability of the figures too. It also looked like an evolution of the moon lander. They spent too much money on electronic offerings and not enough on what made Star Wars toys sell, the figure/vehicle interaction combined with good guys beating the faceless bad guys. I'm sure many thumbs were broken trying to fit SW blasters into Black Hole figures' hands. The Twin Pod Cloud Car made a great Black Hole blaster.
The Cygnus really could've used a bartender.
I had a Vincent that I broke one of his legs off, Dad used two parts epoxy to glue it back on, sort of a big glob just holding it together. I was really young for this movie and only remembered the robots. Shows how great the robots were.
the robots were cool. i was confused who was who. of course, the badies frightened me. i thought theyd be friendlier like star wars droids.
The recreation of Dr. Durant's murder was so well done!
Kidding, I nearly peed myself.
As an older kid, Dr Durant's gurgled screams at 10:50 as Maximillian shredded him through the book gave me the Heebee Jeebees that has imprinted on me to this day as one of the more horrific cinematic deaths of that time.
It is definitely one of the scariest I'd seen at the time.
Yeah, that was pretty intense, even for Disney's first ever PG rated film.
Hard to say which I'd have wished for. I wasn't big into The Black Hole, but I got few of the figures to use alongside by Star Wars toys. That's kind of what I did as a kid. What my sister and I did when I had my Mego figures, and she had her Hasbro Charlie's Angles ones. We mixed and matched and made one big shared universe. With that in mind...
I'd like to say The Palamino, since having another ship with room for more then one action figure was always appreciated when I was a kid. Buuuut..
I'd probably have gotten a lot more use out of the Cygnus bridge. I wouldn't necessarily have used it as the Cygnus, since I wouldn't have had a toy of it, but another bridge playset like the movie Enterprise or Kenner's Darth Vader's Star Destroyer would have been welcomed.
Maybe because I watched too much Star Trek, a lot of my games as a kid began and ended on the bridge of a ship. I'm not sure who's bridge it would have been, but I'd have definitely used it with my figures.
The replica playsets are truly amazingly well done
Another excellent installment focusing on a vintage line near and dear to my heart. Very tough call on what unmade toy I’d want to see materialize from the cosmic recesses of the Black Hole. The Palomino and RC V.I.N.CENT are way up there, as is that killer side arm from the Marx catalog, but if the powers that be saw their way to making that old school vinyl playcase of the Cygnus (complete with wonderfully funky, off-model graphics a la their U.S.S. Enterprise), well, that would be a joyous thing.
That glimpse of the Black Hole Hell haunted me as a youngster.
“Radio controlled Vincent…you can scare the cat!”. What’s even more amusing is that the cat in the commercial is clearly being startled by someone off screen abs not the toy. I actually went straight for Maximillian when he appeared in Woolco in 1980. I think he was Vader’s bodyguard. Very cool design. Skipped the Earnest figure.
This vid's a homerun. I had a Magnetic Max for a few years, but sold it a few years back. Hope to get another one someday. Max was perfect for the magnetic figures. Super high quality vintage toy. I think I'd take the carry case Cygnus or the remote control Vincent from the unproduced stuff. I've got a 1984 Asian Suppliers (or something like that) catalog with an ad for the programmable Vincent knock off.
The funky music from the Palomino Spaceship commercial should have been enough to sell tons of this vehicle.
Seriously! Love the 70s cop show vibe of that music!
I need to know how Issac from The Love Boat ended up on the ship.
'Cause he's "Outta sight !"
Man, I love The Black Hole. I had a few of the figures as a kid. And I do wish they had been able to make more of them. I actually would have liked that play set. I tended t make up my own stories for my toys and that would have worked out nicely. But the one I think I'd have liked the most would have been the remote-controlled VINCent. I always wanted one of those 80's robots like that. Omni-Bot, Maxx Steele, etc...The gun might have been cool, but I had my Cloud Car for that.
I think if they'd used artistic license with the figures, vehicles and playsets by making aliens and locations not shown then they'd have drawn in more kids. I only saw the Whitman comic adaptations, but maybe someone out there at the time had the beginnings of an extended universe to take inspiration from? If not, its a shame Mego didn't rush to create it themselves. Star Wars' and Star Trek comic lines sure did.
My jaw dropped at the mention of a never produced Buck Rogers remote control Twiki.
Somewhere I have a photo of it.
I’d have LOVED for that toy gun to have been made! As kids, we thought the double pistol design was so cool!
Still on the hunt for my childhood BOB... "Protect me from Maximilian" is a truly weird line...I haven't done much research into the production, but a lot of the second and third act in the film feels cobbled together from 2 different movies. I'm not sure if they ever made up their minds about what the film was ultimately supposed to be about. The last 10 minutes are pure acid trip.
Yeah, I never understood that line either. How was Kate supposed to protect him from a killer robot?
lol, they went all 2001!
@@pertukvery rare toys 😮 I’got only 3 robots on GIG models
@@pimuce the 3.75" figs were pretty good quality
@@pertuk i don’t believed that palomino was sorted
10:32 as soon as you said that, I knew _exactly_ what scene you were speaking of.
Max: "Hey Tony! There's a fly on your chest! Now hold still and let me get that for you..."
12:35 easy.. either the remote control VINCENT or the Palamino toy holder. You can't go wrong with robots or spaceships, especially in the early 80's.
10:15 That Replica and Scene are great!
Fantastic video! Those commercials are incredible!
Glad you like them!
Watching this, I realized my only memory of this film is really a feeling of profound disappointment. I recall all of the hype. I recall being thrilled at the photos and the designs. I then only remember the disappointment while watching it in the theater. I couldn’t tell you anything about the plot or anything else beyond that. I love these videos and this one certainly tells a story of movie making as well as toy making.
Awesome video Brian!!! Unfortunately, I was never able to see the movie when it came out, but it's just as well, because it would've gone right over my head as I was only four at the time. I did have a coloring book that gave a vague impression of what the movie was about, but missed out on the toys. Over the years, I've seen the Maximilian figure pop up at numerous toy shows, but the other figures don't seem to be as available. When I finally did get to see the movie I was almost 30, and could appreciate it as a slightly camp amalgam of The Poseidon Adventure, Star Wars, and an Ingmar Bergman existentialist film. And boy, is Maximilian a cool looking robot! Alas, I'll never be able to get ahold of Radio Controlled Vincent, but The oddball knock off ''Axlon ''Compurobot'' is cool little place holder.
That Reinhardt, to quote a known podcaster, "Batshit Crazy". I still wonder to this day, what was the execs at Disney thinking.
I loved the movie as well, Brain I remember your story of seeing it in the theater. I was getting over the flu when I saw it as well. But the theater was much more memorable. My Mom took me and my cousin, we were admiring the removable armrests(they were not supposed to do that) and the screen did have some rips. But it was a memorable experience, I would love to see BH on a big screen again. I do hope you have the blue ray.
There is one thing to notice in the film. Looking out the window at the Cygnus model. You'll see a disk on the model, that's where the tower is supposed to be. But they used a shot that's behind the model, it looks great. But it's one of those little things, I tend to notice.
As far as toys, I would have loved the Palomino version of the Verdibird. And of course the rc talking Vincent, I really wanted a Sir Galaxy back in the day. But Vince would have been better.
Escape from the Black Hole set is likely identical to the Hot Wheels Scorcher Chamber set that came out the previous year. I wonder if Mego decided not to go with it if they saw that the Scorcher Chamber sold poorly. I for one would have enjoyed it.
I think for myself it has to be the following: 1) Radio-controlled V.I.N.Cent, 2) Palomino Spaceship. I absolutely loved this video, watched it several times over already, definitely one of your best! What a wealth of brilliant Black Hole commercials too - the quality of the Palomino Spaceship one is just amazing! Regarding the 3 3/4 figures, I wish I'd been able to get hold of the Cygnus Humanoid figure, as my friend and I made replicas of them using Star Wars figures, plasticine and silver / gold chocolate wrapper faces to make enemies for our Micronauts figures! Finally, absolutely loved (and laughed a lot at) the Cygnus Bridge reenactment with Isaac cameo, just brilliant. Still have my 43 year-old Maximillian figure to this day, the sole survivor from all those years ago... great times.
@ 10:15 is all kinds of awesome !... and you know why... LOL
That bridge playset would work very well in so many settings- Star Wars, Star Trek, BSG, even GI Joe.
Always wanted a BH Tony Perkins with lifelike "I'm being eviscerated " action.
I think he liked it in real life.
I had that radio controlled Vincent. Loved it. Lost it somewhere along the way.😃😝
This was a really great look back at some of those classic toys, games, and other oddball items for this Movie. I remember the movie so well. We went to Southridge Mall Theater to see it. It was a really unique movie too. Maximilian was a really "unique" creation. I really love these look back videos on toys that we either had, wanted, or ?? So many childhood memories, so many experiences that these toys can remind us of, and can make you feel as if you're back there. I really miss those days, those times, and all of those toys that were so much fun. Back then kids didn't need 📱📲Smartphones📲📱💻💻Laptop💻Computers💻💻, or 500+ channels and/or Streaming services. We had ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, and one or two other Non affiliated network channels. We had the Atari 2600, but most of all, we had this...... our IMAGINATION!! With that we created worlds, places, events, races, and any number or wild ideas and other necessities.
Super out of this World video Brother. Makes Me want to find some Black Hole vintage toys 😀👍❤🌎🎉🎉🎉👏👏👏👏💯💯💯
Mmmmhhh......Some prototypes looks very familiar to me.....
Great video, Brian ! And the Isaac guest-s.t.a.r. was TOP !
I figured you'd recognize a few faces ;)
I still love this movie even though the last few scenes were just odd compared to the rest of the film. As for the toys....I had Vincent and Maximilian. I wish I still had them. Out of all these things you showed, I have to say the playset is the one I would have liked as a kid. Even if it was made from thin plastic.
I had V.I.N.Cent and the ordinary Sentry robot. Fantastic little figures !
12" Harry Booth figure. Disproving the belief that Ernest Borgnine's scariest role in this era was as The Devil in The Devil's Rain. One close-up at a time.
Believe it or not the Tomland Yeti action figure is based on Borgnine in the Devil's Rain. You can't unsee it!
@@BrickMantooth THAT'S who it reminded me of! It makes perfect sense now! Ya know something, Brian? You should write a book on this sort of thing. Maybe a magazine? Call it Toy Zayres, or Toy Woolcos, maybe? (This joke only works if you're familiar with the Chicago-heavy department store chain Venture, incidentally.)
Love the Black Hole!
I think between my brothers and me we had most of the figures.
That playset would have definitely been on my wish list.
Also would have loved one of those laser guns. Always liked that design.
I still have my Vincent figure from my childhood.
I had a Dan Holland and sentry robot figure. I always loved the white uniforms that they wore, and if I remember correctly, the robot’s pistol fit into a little hole in the holster, which I thought was the coolest thing when I was a kid.
Did you have as much trouble as I did trying to get the pistol to fit in his hand, though? The pistol had a massive grip and the Sentry Robot had those little Micronaut hands. At best he could stick his thumb through the trigger guard.
@@ChapMeifan wow, yeah, I do remember that now that you mention it! I think I left the pistol in the holster and used a blaster from another toy line, probably Star Wars or GI Joe. The memory is a little fuzzy, after 40 years!
A great underrated fiction 4 sure
Hey, you won my contest last week. Need your address, please send it to kid70s@gmail.com
@@BrickMantooth what’s it take to win something?
I might watch "Star Team" for the costumes, but *definitely* if the Juul Haalmayer Dancers appear in several numbers.
This video reminded me of how I used to fashion my own Black Hole gun utilizing masking tape and cotton swabs, lol.
I used the twin pod cloud car.
I laughed out loud when I saw Isaac from The Love Boat on the bridge playset! Truly awesome.
Great video and awesome recreation of the bridge scene! Well done, Brian. Like you, I was hugely into The Black Hole when it came out and I wish more of these toys had been produced. I think I only ever managed to get a VINCENT action figure, the book and record set, some colouring books and some Shreddies pencil holders.
Thanks for sharing all the catalogue images and for doing such an awesome job!
Thank you so much, ah Shreddies Pencil holders that brings me back to the 4th grade.
The Kill-O-Zap laser gun used in BBC Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy looked very similar to the Black Hole laser guns.
Oh now I gotta see, been a while.
I'm with you on the Palomino I would love to had that as a kid. Great stuff as always. I love The Black Hole so much.
I wish the STAR and Humanoid figures were more readily available, I'd love to have them in my collection....
My brother built the Cygnus model, and painted it painstakingly so that it look like the interior was lit. It came with a tiny Palomino to scale of course to the Cygnus. I played with that for hours and hours.
I would have liked to seen a V.I.N.Cent RC robot made, even though it would have been a snowball's chance in hell of me getting one. Robot toys were and always have been my favorite.
It didn't make sense to produce a Cygnus bridge set because it would have to have been stocked with Humanoid figures, and they generally weren't available to most markets.
The hardware store down the street from me had all of these figures, as well as Buck Rogers, Star Trek TMP and some Battlestar Galactica Adamas, Starbucks and Imperious Leaders. sitting on a clearance rack for at least a year and could not get rid of them, even at a discount. I got them to use with my Star Wars figures and expand my adventures. Some time ago, my dad found the carry case these were in in the garage and gave them to me and I was so unimpressed with them, I sold them all on eBay... including MAX, Vincent, The Cygnus robot sentries, Twiki. They didn't bring much money then, either. LOL. I wonder if Marty Abrams has nightmares over these lines?
I remember the figures. Why didn't they sell the weapons? Generic space toys like this having been selling for generations.
As a kid, VINCent was far cooler to me than R2-D2 because I could understand what he said. Got all the figures from the SEARS catalog including the Humanoid which seems to sell for a bazillion dollars now. I remember when the Black Hole was on the news as Disney was trying to bring the video tapes to Canada but Canada customs denied them entry as customs agents were convinced, based on the name, that it was a porn movie.
Still, I had a lot of fun with these figures when I was a kid. Maximillian is still on my shelf as is VINCent. The movie was ....ok. No Star Wars but it had its moments. The final scene of Reinhardt and Maximillian merging in Hell was just bizarre and I think I blanked that memory out until just now.
Wish it was available when I was a kid I didn't think of this as being a Star Wars attempted clone of the earlier. Felt the same way about Battle Beyond The Stars and Battlestar Galactica 1978.
I was aware of the figure range, but had no idea the line went any further then that. What a pleasant surprise to see the line was diversified in foreign markets! The unproduced portions of the line are especially heart breaking. I do very much hope that fan produced Palomino finds its way into the Plaid Stallions collection. Yet another wonderful video in the powerful Plaid Stallions style!
Oh dear lord! The reenactment! : D
Saw it in the theatre, but don't have very many memories -- aside from Ernest Borgning turning out to be the traitor. Looks like it had a pretty good cast -- but I wasn't familiar with any of these actors at that time. The Black Hole wasn't a very kid-friendly movie, so no idea why they wanted to make toys of it. I seem to recall the spaceship looked pretty good -- so I could see making that, but not the characters.
The best hand held game from 79-80 is, no question, Blockbuster by Microvision. Whenever I see people playing games on their phones I remember that great toy.
I love this stuff, I would have to go with a Cygnus bridge playset. I like to think in my toy universe that the Cygnus passes through the Black Hole intact into the Star Wars universe to do battle against the Rebels with the robot sentries piloting those Laserscope fighters (Black Hole versions of course).
Loved the Black Hole need to get that on Blu ray Thanks
The only Black Hole item I had in 1979/80 was coloring books. Which I enjoyed! I really wanted the Mego figures! I did get a bunch of Star Wars figures though! Thanks for these videos and bringing me back to 1979 when I was 6 years old and watched The Black Hole and Star Trek The Motion Picture in December 1979! My whole family are Sci Fi geeks! Thanks for your amazing videos!
appreciate the kindness, glad you enjoyed!
Great reenactment too😁
Thanks! 😁
Mego or not, I really want that sentry laser!
Oh, me too!
A 12 nich Sentry Robot would have been really cool
Another excellent article Brian. True to my heart!
You better hope Junkman Toys doesn't steal your content. He has done it to so many others.
Thanks for sharing this video. As a kid, I would've loved to have had a U.S.S. Palomino ship, the Cygnus playset, and the dual laser pistol if they had been made. The Palomino and the Cygnus are two of my all time favorite sci fi ships. The film is a favorite guilty pleasure of mine. Btw, hilarious remake you did of the death of Dr. Durant. Love it.
Did you know that Dr. Durant died three different ways across three different mediums? Of course, in the film, he is killed by Maximilian's cutter tools. In the Alan Dean Foster movie tie-in novel, Maximilian kills Durant with a shot from one of his laser arms. In the Gold Key comics adaptation, Dr. Reinhardt personally shoots Durant in the back with a dual laser pistol.
Oh wow I knew of two of those but never read the novel. So weird!
@@BrickMantooth I remember the novel was a good read as a kid. One thing I could not understand about the Gold Key comic adaptation though was why they drew some of the characters so radically different from their live action versions. In the comic, Dan and Charlie had longer hair. Dr. Durant had curly hair and wore glasses. (Heh...having read the comic before I ever got to see the movie, I imagined Dr. Durant having some kind of French accent, which then made me laugh at my presumptuous self when I got to hear my cousin's Disney story record from the audio of the film....I never got to see the movie until maybe 1981.) I don't really remember how they did Harry Booth, but Reinhardt was almost spot on, IIRC. If I also recall correctly, when the novel described Maximilian shooting Durant with a laser, the description was "...like a hot knife through butter." I could be wrong...I read the novel in '79, and have not been able to find any reprints of it.
I really want that palamino and the bridge
I had The Black Hole bed sheets, pillow cases and bed spread. I dont know wat I was thinking as a child. I didnt even have any of the figures at all because watchng the movie as adult, well it doesnt hold up very much. I think my cousins had some of the figures and maybe The Palomino set. that Cygnus bridge set did look cool.
I had Vincent and maxamillon. I wish I still had em
Really wish the second wave got a wider release, of course the cool characters were the ones they got stingy with.
I had the 3 robots: Vincent, Max, and Centurions. But I always wanted the dome-faced Humanoids, and Old Bob
I’m sure I had a Vincent but that’s probably it.
I have the replica Palimino and the bridge .You will not regret getting it !
someday
@@BrickMantooth It'll be a great day. ,👍
This video encouraged me to pull out my Black Hole figures of which I only have 4 left BUT I still have the humanoid figure! I knew he was worth something but I'm learning more as the night goes on. Thanks for posting!
The only figure I had was Vincent and he played in my Star Wars universe.
I loved the Black Hole but never got any of the toys. I did see the crew figures quite frequently at discount stores, but Star Wars always won out.
It really seems to me that someone at Disney interfered in the final edit of the film, because the last half is pretty disjointed and seems to have lots of material missing.
I think they started production with an ending. Seriously.
Is that Isaac from Love Boat on your bridge?! Lol
He's the channel mascot.
Some pretty diverse neat designs that it's too bad the movie didn't do better. Sure you can say they were aiming more at a disaster film but Disney was really a victim of timing on the trend that was just about to happen with Star Wars. It's funny I like the bleak sci-fi of the 70s but find the modern dark approach incredibly annoying Ie. they need to lighten up already. :\
I'd still be looking for the big Vincent robot today if it had ever come out heh. I think that would have sold just fine regardless of the film box office, it's a cool robot toy period. ;)
A story about disproportionate hype, my sister kept hinting that she got me something special for my birthday, I was at a fever pitch to see what it was...it was a Black Hole cereal bowl. I cried from such disappointment. ^_^
VINCENT was awesome. Loved that figure when I was a kid. VINCENT and R2 were buddies in my kid mind.
I still have a Maximilian and a battered Vincent figure, had them for most of my life, I’m just missing the little clear plastic stands so they can’t actually stand up. As a kid my Maximilian figure would be my Darth Vader’s second in command, many Rebels met their end at his hands/pincers.
The remote controlled V.I.N.Cent... would have loved one.
i have this movie on CED, the art makes it worthy of having. I never had a CED player. I do have a Laserdisc player.
Pretty sweet kill in that Book and record set
Grate job. Very interesting.
I have a couple of models from the film (up in my attic), namely VINCENT & MAXIMILIAN by (I can’t remember).
I would have LOVED to have had the Palamino ; I remember seeing it in a toy trade fair many years ago when I worked in retail and eagerly anticipated seeing it in the shops. Sadly, I never got it.😢
Love the reenactment ;-)
thanks!
Brick Mantooth? I see we have a fellow Anchorman fan among us! :P
My brother and I had the robot figures. I think we might have had a model kit as well? I have a memory of a comic book, or a coloring book. But I have no memory of the film, because I didn't see it until 2021. I think my brother saw it when it was still in theaters, but I didn't. I watched it for the first time on Amazon a few months ago. Yeeesh. What a deliriously misguided piece of corporate filmmaking. They had no clue what they were making, or who they were making it for. I can find something to like/love about Moonraker, Star Trek: the Motion Picture, Saturn 3, Flash Gordon, and many other late 70s/early 80s Star Wars wannabees. But I found myself wincing and cringing throughout The Black Hole. I liked VINCENT and Old Bob, and I liked that Ernest Borgnine was Ernest Borgnine, but not much else. I wish Roddy McDowell had been one of the human crew members, but at least he was in the mix. This is a case where I actually felt more nostalgia for the film BEFORE I saw it. I think these toy commercials "get" the possibilities of the concept more profoundly than the people who made the movie.
Your comment reminds me of my conversation with Bill Baron after he made that comment about the film I said "I loved it as a kid" and his response was a chuckling "How about now?". I had to admit it's flawed but hey it transports me to the month where I was bedridden with illness as a kid and my folks went nuts with the comics, books and other ephemera. I fully admit nostalgia goggles are firmly in place.
o..m...g...i would have BEGGED for RC Vincent!!! That is AWESOME!!!
It's probably very unlikely but I'd love to see Hot Toys make a line of high end 1/6 Blackhole figures with electronic features such as lights and voice effects.🙏
Vey interesting video on some stuff that might have been. I love this movie to death, seeing it is one of my earliest memories. It's such a strange time capsule of the era it was made, when *everyone* wanted to capitalize on Star Wars.
10:51 To this day I'm amazed something as objectively horrifying as that sound effect was in a Disney movie from the 70s. Is that the sound of Max's blades cutting through Durant's torso? Is that a sound HE'S making as he's turned into meat confetti? These questions keep me up at night.
I would have bought those! I love that movie, gogo Ernst borgnine
Remember back when DIsney had to make up their own robots and spaceships when they wanted to capitalize on the success of Star Wars?
Pepperidge farm remembers.
This was one of those classic movies that was epic when you were a kid! Obviously Star Wars was THE BEST. Star Trek was not far behind, with The Planet of the Apes in 3rd place! For me however Mego's lineup of Superheroes action figures were my all-time favorite toy! The 1970's had some of the most iconic, amazing, and incredibly fun toys ever made! It was a blast!