MASK Series 1 Loyal Subjects Toy Fair 2025 Tease
We knew big things were in the works for the M.A.S.K. franchise when Hasbro renewed the M.A.S.K. trademark back in February 2024. The M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) toy line, launched by Kenner in 1985, quickly became a beloved phenomenon of the ’80s. Combining transforming vehicles and action figures, M.A.S.K. introduced kids to a world where agents used high-tech masks and vehicles that could shift into powerful combat modes. The Loyal Subjects have teased the return of M.A.S.K in a teaser they posted on their Instagram page, which features emojis that tease the vehicles that could be included for Wave 1. They announced on their Instagram, “We’ve got something to show you. Can you guess what it is? 👀” and shared the image below. The emoji’s, which are hard to deduce, tease (from left to right) the Rhino, Thunderhawk, Condor, and Switchblade. The vehicles in Wave 1 in the vintage MASK line were predominantly of the M.A.S.K. faction so we are likely to see the good guys outnumber the baddies for a while.
February 28, 2025 Update: MASK Wave 1 Revealed at Toy Fair!
Check out the article below for official images and views of the amazing vehicles and figures!
Wave 1 Official Teaser Images
The Loyal Subjects posted official teaser images on Instagram and thanks to toyhuntershollow for the heads up! They said, “A little taste of what’s coming this weekend. Stay tuned for special reveals of your favorite 80’s covert crew!”
Here are images of Swtichblade with Miles Mayhem and the Thunderhawk with Matt Trakker.
Here are pics of the Rhino with killer blast effects and the Condor with Brad Turner!
The Wave 1 figures will mirror the vintage line with (from the left) Matt Trakker (Rhino), Bruce Sato, Brad Turner, Miles Mayhem, and Matt Trakker (Thunderhawk).
Teases Brightend
We were able to brighten the teaser pics a little to reveal some cool features! For example, the Switchblade comes with blast effects!
The Condor also come with a blast effect and the Rhino comes with a cool smoke effect for the stacks!
February 25, 2025: Emoji Tease
The Loyal Subjects have teased the return of M.A.S.K in a teaser they posted on their Instagram page, which features emojis that tease the vehicles that could be included for Wave 1. They announced on their Instagram, “We’ve got something to show you. Can you guess what it is? 👀” and shared the image below.
Thunderkhawk
The very first M.A.S.K. that my parents bought for me was the Thunderhawk and was fell, hook line, and sinker for the line! Introduced in Wave 1, the Thunderhawk is a Chevy Camero, more specifally, the IROC-Z that, with the press of a button, tuned into a fighter jet that featured retractable wing cannons and 2 bombs that stowed underneath the car’s chassis.
Thunderhawk Box
One of the great things about the MASK box art as a whole is the bright colors. The red and yellow really stand out, which caught our eyes as kids. The front of the box featured an illustation of the vehicle in jet mode with a smaller product shot of the actual toy in vehicle mode. On the back of the box, it featured a blown up version of the toy in jet mode with the same image (just a little larger) of Matt Trakker and his spectrum mask!
Chevy Camero IROC-Z Mode
One of the cars we used to see back in 80’s was the Chevy Camaro IROC-Z, which the Thunderhawk was modeled after. It was a nice bright red with actual rubber tires! The purple stickers, which you had to apply yourself, were a cool contrast to the overall color of the vehicle that featured yellow lightning bolts.
Jet Fighter Mode
With a press of a button on the top of the car, the IROC-Z would change from a Chevy Camaro to a jet fighter and we can still hear that click of the gull-wing doors opening! Slide out the chrome cannons on the side you can you got yourself a makeshift wing, adding to the effect of the vehicle in jet mode!
When looking at the rear of the vehicle, the bumper also raised up to reveal the jet engies and a MASK license plate!
Matt Trakker Figure
Introduced in the first iteration and rollout of Series 1, the Matt Trakker figure featured two versions of the Spectrum mask. Most The “short” mask most closely resembles the cartoon appearance and, for all purposes, is sought after by collectors due to it’s hard to find nature and short production run. Believed to be a choking hazard by many, Kenner made the mask longer, which actually introduces more of a choking hazard in our opinion, because you are more like not to choke on the short mask due to it’s size. We are not endorsing swallowing these masks but just trying to make a point. He featured blonde (yellow) hair with a gray and red flight suit with brown straps. The Spectrum mask, in the cartoon, creates a high frequency radio interference, which was useful in the fight against VENOM!
Condor
Condor’s basic mode is a bright green motorcycle, slightly longer and bulkier than most, but still clearly a motorcycle. As a toy motorcycle, Condor worked pretty great and it rolled fairly well across the floor. The main complaint with its motorcycle mode is that the driver, Brad Turner, can’t actually sit in the seat; instead, he has to awkwardly hover over it, with his rear end barely above the seat. Hopefully this design issue is fixed the Loyal Subjects version. The Condor shifts from motorcycle to helicopter by flipping up the prop assembly, snapping the props into place from the frame, and then swinging the rear wheel straight back. The entire transformation takes just seconds, and switching back to motorcycle mode is just as quick.
Brad Turner, dressed in a bright yellow jumpsuit (likely chosen to make him look cool while seated on the green Condor), is a fairly typical M.A.S.K. action figure. He has articulation at the hips, shoulders, knees, and neck. Mostly made of bright yellow plastic with some painted details, he isn’t one of the standout figures of the series (even compared to other 1985 figures). However, he’s serviceable for his main role—piloting the Condor.
Rhino
The Rhino is a large, expanded semi-cab that transforms into a mobile command center, missile base, and recon vehicle. It’s an incredibly cool and fun toy! The Rhino comes with not just one, but two figures: Bruce Sato and an alternate version of Matt Trakker.
The Rhino is a large, expanded semi-cab that transforms into a mobile command center, missile base, and recon vehicle. It’s an incredibly cool and fun toy! It has an extended front, featuring a striking mix of burgundy red and silver chrome. The detailed mold includes sticker stripes on the sides for added character. Despite being scaled for smaller MASK figures, it’s still a sizable and impressive toy with twelve real rubber tires. The transparent windows, opening doors, and a detailed cab interior that fits two figures all add to its appeal. What’s truly impressive is that in truck mode, there’s no obvious indication that it transforms, making it look like a cool toy truck on its own.
Rhino is packed with hidden features, some usable in vehicle mode and others when deployed as a missile command post. In vehicle mode, the smokestacks turn into machine guns, the front grill becomes a battering ram, and the passenger side seat can eject a figure through the door—though the purpose of this feature remains unclear. Despite that, Rhino serves as a powerful attack vehicle while cruising on the highway. The toy is filled with various gimmicks and gadgets rather than a single transformation mode, making it incredibly fun to play with.
Matt’s figure in this set is a less iconic version of the MASK leader, wearing a brown jumpsuit and orange vest instead of his usual grey flight suit. The sculpting is mainly in the vest, with some nice silver accents, and the head sculpt appears to be the same as the one that comes with the Thunderhawk. Matt comes with the Ultra Flash mask, which is less iconic than Spectrum (ironically, since it’s the one featured in the MASK logo!). However, I really like the design—it has a robotic look, and the orange color complements his vest nicely. As the name implies, Ultra Flash’s power is to blind enemies.
While many kids probably preferred the Thunderhawk version of Matt, the Rhino was the only set to include the Bruce Sato figure. Bruce played a key role in the cartoon, making him an essential addition to any collection. The figure itself looks solid, sporting a jumpsuit, sculpted boots, and a black, detailed vest. However, like many MASK figures, he suffers from an unpainted face, lacking details that would highlight his facial features. Sato’s mask is called Lifter, and its power combines a forcefield with a tractor beam. The design of the mask is fairly decent, though it resembles more of a hood than a mask.
Switchblade
Released in 1985 as part of the first wave of the M.A.S.K. toy line, Switchblade was piloted by Miles Mayhem, the leader of VENOM (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem), who wore the Viper mask. The vehicle transformed from a basic helicopter into a fighter jet with just a flip of the tail.
This was one of my favorite toys as a kid. It was just such a cool toy with awesome play features—the way the wings popped out when you flipped the tail was incredibly satisfying. It was so much fun flying it around the room, launching attacks on the M.A.S.K. agents from above.
Miles Mayhem was the main antagonist in M.A.S.K., serving as both an oil baron and a terrorist. He came packed with the Viper mask and his outfit resembled more a business suit.
MASK Loyal Subjects Announcement
Huge thanks to toyhuntershollow for the heads up and this question is now answered as The Loyal Subjects will be taking over the M.A.S.K. license! Here is the announcement from Jonathan Cathey, CEO of Loyal Subjects:
M.A.S.K. Trademark Renewal
Hold on to your butts! Back on January 30, 2024, Hasbro filed to review the trademark for their M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) toy line. We’ve been keeping tabs on Mattel’s Masters of the Universe Trademark renewals and Hasbro for their GI Joe line and we are elated to see that Hasbro has renewed one of the best toy lines from the 1980’s. Debuting in 1985, the Kenner toy line of secret task force M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) fighting the criminal organization V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network Of Mayhem) debut. After the initial cartoon and toy line launch in 1985, the franchise spawned a variety of products, including four series of action figures, an animated television series, video games and comics. Collector’s have been waiting for a M.A.S.K. relaunch and hopefully this means that Hasbro will finally be doing something with the line instead of letting it die or whither on the vine.
M.A.S.K. Television Series
According to the M.A.S.K. Wiki, “a total of 75 syndicated episodes of M.A.S.K. were broadcast from 1985 to 1986. One of many cartoons produced during the 1980s as a vehicle for toy merchandising, M.A.S.K. (which is an acronym for the Mobile Armored Strike Kommand), was a hybrid of popular era cartoons G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and The Transformers.”
M.A.S.K. vs. V.E.N.O.M.
M.A.S.K. (an acronym for Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) is a special task force featuring an array of characters, led by Matt Trakker, with transforming vehicles engaged in an ongoing battle against the criminal organization V.E.N.O.M. (an acronym for Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem), with an emphasis on super-powered masks worn by the characters on the show. It is never made clear what sort of criminal organization V.E.N.O.M. is, exactly. They were not the typical world-conquering villains and their schemes mostly revolve around profiting from illegal activities and doing mercenary services.
M.A.S.K. Toy Line
M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) was a special toy line that was produced by Kenner in in 1985. M.A.S.K. was unique as it featured, what you would refer to as “normal” looking vehicles in a that fit a 2-inch action figure. Hidden inside the normal looking vehicles were hidden weapons and armor while also transforming into different vehicle types (such as a helicopter changing into a jet). One of the greatest aspects of the line was it featured featured a spring-loaded parts that assisted with the transformation of the vehicles. You also had to manually positioned parts and pieces to complete the transformation, which made the toys really fun to play with. There were also removable accessories and projectiles for certain vehicles, which added to the fun factor. Each vehicle included a figure and a removable mask which gave the figure different powers. The line was ahead of its time and had windowless boxes that contained the toy, a mini comic, and product catalogs.
