Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Action Figures Identification Tool with Pictures

Who was Buck Rogers?

Newspaper syndicator John F. Dile helped develop the character, Buck Rogers. Meanwhile, editorial cartoonist Dick Calkins provided the illustrations for the science-fiction strip. By 1934, the comic strip appeared in 287 newspapers across the United States and 160 international publications. The strip lasted for decades, changing artists and writers before discontinuing in 1967. However, the strip had a brief revival from 1980 until 1983.

Buck Rogers first appeared in comic books in the 1930s. The character was featured in 69 issues of the Famous Funnies by Eastern Color Printing. He later received a six-issue series in the 1940s. He continued to appear sparsely in comic books until he once again received a full run based on the 1979 television series. This new series lasted from 1979 to 1989, even though it changed publishers from Gold Key to Whitman Publishing.

Buck Rogers was featured on the radio beginning in 1932. Like the infamous War of the Worlds broadcast, actors voiced the characters from the comics and books. These broadcasts lasted for years, though some years lacked any new broadcasts. The final broadcast of Buck Roger’s adventures aired in 1947.

The earliest Buck Rogers toys

Not long after the adventures of Buck Rogers hit the radio waves, the first toy for this franchise was created. The XZ-31 Rocket Pistol allowed children to reenact the exciting exploits of their favorite hero. In the years to come, Daisy produced several more rocket pistols and ray guns. This continued until 1952 when Daily released the Zooka, which resembled the current-day bazooka and lost its exclusive license. At that time, companies like Norton-Honer joined in to produce even more ray guns.

Buck Rogers begins to appear on film and television

The first appearance of Buck Rogers on film was a ten-minute film for the 1933 to 1934 World’s Fair in Chicago. The character returned to become the focus of a 12-part serial film series produced by Universal Pictures in 1939.

ABC aired the first television series detailing Buck Rogers’s exploits in the 25th Century in 1950. The series’ single season featured 36 30-minute episodes. However, with tough competition and a rotating cast, including three actors who played the title character, the series lost steam and concluded in January 1951.

1979 Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

Buck Rogers had his second chance on television in 1979, partially in response to the success of another space epic: Star Wars. Universal Studies produced the series again and began with a pilot film that debuted in theaters in March 1979. By September, the full series was airing on television. Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century became one of the most beloved renditions of the character. It aired on NBC for two seasons with a total of 37 episodes.

In this series, Buck Rogers began as an astronaut who wound up frozen in his spaceship from a freak accident. The coolant managed to keep him in suspended animation. So, when his ship was discovered by the flagship of the Draconian Empire in 2491, they were able to reanimate Rogers. Princess Ardala helped introduce him to the new century before setting him on his way to Earth.

After he reached Earth, he discovered that the planet was in conflict with the Draconian Empire. He made allies with Wilma Deering, Dr. Huer, Dr. Theopolis, and Twiki there. The battle for Earth’s history continued throughout the series’ first season.

Later, the second series shifted gears with a new production team to center its plot on exploration. This new series also saw the departure of several of the main characters from the first. In their place were new characters like Dr. Goodfellow and Hawk.

The Mego Buck Rogers in the 25th Century action figure toy line

Along with this updated take on the franchise, Mego released a brand new line of action figures. Unlike most of their prior toys, Mego created a line of 3 ¾” scale action figures. This scale was created to compete directly against Kenner’s Star Wars. Unfortunately, this line was based on the pilot film, so many characters that later appeared in the television series were absent. This scale had figures of Buck Rogers, Wilma Deering, Twiki, Dr. Huer, Princess Ardala, Killer Kane, Tiger Man, Draco, and a Draconian Guard. Unlike other toys at this scale, these toys did not include accessories or weapons.

Mego also produced a selection of 12” action figures, which they were more known for. Characters that appeared in this scale included Buck Rogers, Killer Kane, Draconian Guard, Dr. Huer, Draco, Tiger Man, and Tiki.

In addition to the action figures, Mego also created a selection of vehicles and a playset. Buck Rogers characters could ride in the Draconian Maurarder, the Land Rover, the Laserscope Fighter, or the Star Fighter. Meanwhile, they could stage battles at the Star Fighter Command Center.

Mego recycled some of their prior toys to bolster the toy line and redesigned them for Buck Rogers. The Star Searcher vehicle was most notable, originally from the Micronauts toy line.

Other Buck Rogers in the 25th Century toys

Elsewhere, Remco created an Official Utility Belt role-play toy. Corgi created a Starfighter vehicle. Monogram produced model kits, and Milton Bradley produced a board game.

Buck Rogers from 1990 and beyond

TSR created a brand new Buck Rogers comic book series, Buck Rogers XXVC, which ran from 1990 to 1991. Then, Dynamite Entertainment released a 13-issue-long series in 2009. Buck Rogers moved to Hermes Press, where it had a new series in 2012.

Buck Rogers returned to the toy aisle in 2009 thanks to Go Hero. In 2011, Zica Toys produced another line. Both of these toy lines celebrated the 1979 television series.

While plans for a new movie or series have been swirling, none of these projects have been realized. As of 2021, Skydance Studios had been working on creating a brand new series. Only the future would tell if there will ever be new Buck Rogers media.