Pulsar
The Ultimate Man of Adventure
Kenner had a hit with their Six Million Dollar Man line and Mattel's answer came in 1976 when they released Pulsar, the Ultimate Man of Adventure! Pulsar was a little taller than Steve Austin and instead of bionic parts, he had pumping organs! Now, what do the pumping organs do to the bad guys? Exactly. Nothing. Although he lacked for excitement, he was interesting and parents bought him up. Eventually the word spread that kids really were not that interested and the line vanished in 1978.
There was a little more to Pulsar, but not much. His head was hinged at the top (poorly I might add) so you could lift his face and insert one of two "mission disks". Point? Unknown. They really dont do anything but get lost.
Mattel did unleash an enemy for Pulsar as well, the dreaded Hypnos. He is slightly cooler, but due to the short life of the line, he is much harder to find than his anatomy lesson rival. No other figures were released in this line. However, Mattel did make a Life Systems Center playset (hmm, sounds like something from the Bionic Man line again), but the line was cancelled soon after.
Quick Links:
Pulsar Hypnos
Life Systems Center
The man himself. Came with a stylish two-piece jumpsuit with Velcro opening front and lightning bolt logo sticker, white hinged boots that open in halves for ease of adornment (his feet are big), and two mission disks. A button on his back pumps the "organs" - blood races through his veins and his lungs and heart expand and contract.
The frequently missing "mission disks"
Every good guy must have a bad guy to battle, and Mattel released Hypnos hoping kids would snatch him up. As you can see, they are the same size, but really make an odd pair. Hypnos also lacked any cool accessories. Instead of pumping organs, Hypnos has an "electro-shock" mechanism in his chest. Actually, the lever on the side of his chest is a friction/spark gun feature popular in the 70s. The lever turns a wheel causing the spark light show in his chest. It looks pretty cool but not overly exciting. He did come with a bondage mask to hide his pink bald head.
Mattel really made an effort to come up with a good playset for Pulsar. Although it has a number of similarities to the Bionic Man Transport and Repair Station, it does have a pretty nifty X-ray feature. Basically, a sliding "reader" scans over Pulsar and meanwhile a lightbulb under the viewer to the left shows that region of his body. Neat idea actually, but it is kind of funny to see it turned on without a figure in place (see last photo below).
Have a question about a toy you have or one you are looking for? Send me an e-mail!
