Captain Power Series • Basic series

Mattel’s Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future toy line, launched in 1987 with the live-action television series of the same name, which ran in syndication from September 1987 to March 1988 (22 episodes). Its signature toys, Captain Power’s XT-7 PowerJet and Lord Dread’s Phantom Striker, worked as light guns that responded to signals from the television show or from videotapes: the player scored points by firing at the screen, and when the points ran out the cockpit ejected the figure. The figures stood about 4 inches (10 cm) tall; ten were released in two waves, and a second, scarcer series of toys came out in 1988. Mattel’s tie-in toys did not sell up to expectations.