In the early 1980s, Marvel Comics dreamed up a new series that they knew would be perfect for a toy line, the Saga of Crystar: Crystal Warrior. From the beginning, they knew that they would be licensing this new series to a toy company. So, they set out to find the perfect partner before the first issue was published. Thus, Crystar found a home with Remco.
Since Marvel set out to find a toy company before developing the books, Remco used the concept art from Marvel to design the toys. Then, Remco’s imaginative toy line hit toy shelves in 1982. However, the first issue of the comics came out in 1983. This caused some to believe that the comics were licensed products, but it always was the toys that were derived from the comics.
No matter where Crystar was first encountered, they found the same backstory. In the wake of the Chaos War, the people of Crystallium were faced with a prophecy that foretold the return of the minions of the Demon Lord, who ravaged their world. Thanks to the Demon Lord, their King was slain, so they turned to his sons, Crystar and Moltar. While Crystar decided to side with the forces of order and the wizard Ogeode, his brother Motar sided with the forces of chaos and the wizard Zardeth.
As Moltar set off on the path to Chaos, he mortally wounded Crystar. Thus, Ogeode saved Crystar’s life by merging with him. This process also granted Crystar a crystalline body. This power was also granted to his three most trusted followers: Koth, Stalax, and Kalibar. Meanwhile, Motar was granted power over Lava from Zardeth, turning himself and his men molten.
In the first and only series of toys that Remco created, there was a large selection of toys including dragons and mini playsets. Remco created 7 action figures on card backs at the 3 3/4th inch scale of the main characters from the comics. These characters were Crystar, Feldspar, Magma Man, Moltar, Ogeode, Warbow, and Zardeth. While only the front of the cards featured colored artwork, the backs featured a series of black-and-white comic illustrations that detailed the history of the conflict between Crystar and Moltar.
Complimenting these action figures were a selection of two ferocious dragons and two vehicles. There were both a Crystal Dragon and a Lava Dragon for each side of the conflict. Then, there were a crystal and a lava version of the Shatterpult.
Providing even more Crystar fun were four different mini-playset which all featured an action figure along with several accessories. First, there was the Crystal Warrior Catapult Set and the Crystal Warrior Battle Set. Then, there was the Magic of Crystal set as well as The Spell of the Evil Wizard set.
Finally, Remco created a Crystal Castle playset as the centerpiece for any collection. This over 21” tall playset offered three levels for exciting play. It featured a lowering drawbridge and a jail door that could be closed on prisoners. Furthermore, there was a rock chute with four rocks, a re-crystalizing chamber, and a weapons rack. The playset also included a crossbow mounted on a tripod, a hoist with a rope and hook, a four-section scaling ladder, and more.
While the toys were not a financial success in the United States, companies that licensed the toy line in Europe had more success. The most prominent of these companies was ALN from Italy, which produced the La Saga di Cryastar Il Guerriero di Crystallo.
Even though the Saga of Crystar quickly came to an end in the 1980s, Marvel brought back the characters for the Secret Wars series from 2015 to 2016. Here, they made a significant appearance in the mini-series, Weirdworld. Even though the conflict between Crystar and the Molten Men was not resolved in this mini-series, there is a chance that it may resurface in the future. For, the Weirdworld section of Battleworld became part of the main-line Marvel comics Bermuda Triangle.
Unfortunately, this reappearance in the comics has not led to a new toy line for Crystar. There may still be a day when more Crystar toys are created. Until then, the vintage toys from Remco are still around for collectors to locate.
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