Wandering Planet Toys has turned heads with their line of collectible action figures that celebrate the pop culture icons of yesteryear, with can’t-miss collectibles for fans of Kolchak the Night Stalker, Nancy Drew, The Prisoner, Laurel and Hardy, and even cartoonist Fletcher Hank’s cult classic character The Headless Ones. And now Wandering Planets Toys co-founders Gavin Hignight and Chris “Doc” Wyatt are teaming up once again for an all-new and entirely unexpected line of retro-style action figures, featuring the coolest, quirkiest space travelers ever known to the universe: The Planetoid Raiders! Who are these intergalactic creatures? And who (or what) are The Arcade Raiders? Fans will have to follow the PLANETOID RAIDERS pre-launch page for more details!
Inspired by Kenner Toys’ 1978 Star Wars action figures, and their off-the-wall competitor Tomland Toys’ Starroid Raiders – each PLANETOID RAIDER is a lovingly designed tribute to classic scifi toys and a striking piece of contemporary art. Fans can collect each limited edition, 5-point articulated, 1:18 Scale figure on Kickstarter, including brave Captain Oton, heroic Helmsman Ryot, WarLor the Mysterious Space Traveler, the trusty rusty robot Yogun, and the rest of the team! Wandering Planet’s motley crew is ready for whatever cosmic adventures collectors can dream up.
In 1977, the year before Kenner officially licensed their classic Star Wars figures, Hong Kong-based indie toy manufacturer Tomland Toys released a wave of action figures loosely inspired by Star Wars. The Starroid Raiders were cheaper and leaner than their Kenner counterparts and could be bought in drug stores and gas stations at low cost. These figures were ugly space weirdos that definitely resembled aliens from a galaxy far far away… just maybe not the exact galaxy fans were thinking of. While many viewed these otherworldly characters as “knock-offs,” their attention-grabbing head sculpts and bright color schemes made them lovable. These misfits and underdogs of the toy box have become highly sought after by collectors around the world. Now, Wandering Planet Toys’ PLANETOID RAIDERS action figures honor Tomland Toys’ wacky tradition of retro cosmic madness. The odd space characters sport designs that look to the past, while also playing with modern design concepts that breathe new life into their retro-futuristic aesthetic.
“Starroid Raiders are great because they’re gloriously ugly space weirdos. A combination of wild imagination and nonsensical random strangeness, they were intended as cheap knock offs but managed to be so awesomely unique.” says Chris “Doc” Wyatt. “Our PLANETOID RAIDERS figures honor the imaginative history of knock off space figures, but push a modern approach, marrying outrageous design with bold colors and a retro space age aesthetic.”
By day, Chris “Doc” Wyatt and Gavin Hignight are professional writers. Fans might recognize Wyatt from he and Luke Arnold’s graphic novel series The Essentials or his work writing for LEGO Ninjago and Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85, while Hignight has penned acclaimed episodes of RoboForce: The Animated Series, Gundam: Requiem For Vengeance and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But their love of pop culture doesn’t stop there!
“Doc and I go way back,” says Gavin Hignight. “It’s kind of crazy. Iron Man: Armored Adventures was the beginning and PLANETOID RAIDERS is the current chapter! He grew up in Atlanta, I grew up in Denver, but wow did we grow up the same. We spoke the same nerd language from the beginning. Same toys, same TV shows, same joys. We can talk 4th Doctor Who episodes, well, really any Doctor episodes, and we can talk toys. That’s how it began, in writing rooms on shows, when we had downtime it was toy talk. That evolved into ‘Let’s make toys’ talk, and that has evolved into ‘Everyone in the known galaxy needs PLANETOID RAIDERS in their life, how do we make this happen?’ talk. SO yes, there is a synergy! In toys, on screens or as fans. Also, he has the uncanny ability to tolerate my madness which is no short order and much appreciated.”
BUT WAIT… WHO ARE THE PLANETOID RAIDERS?
OTON, Captain of the Planetoid Raiders
- HOME PLANET: Ontaria
- FUN FACT: Otan is not sure exactly what captains are supposed to do.
RYOT, Helmsman (and former space racer)
- HOME PLANET: Kaaldor
- FUN FACT: The others have no idea, but Ryot’s long since disabled the ship engine’s safety features.
And thanks to our friends at Wandering Planet, we’re revealing the third Planetoid Raider figure, Sloog!
SLOOG, Security Officer for the Planetoid Raiders
- HOME PLANET: Kaaldor
- FUN FACT: The others have no idea, but Ryot’s long since disabled the ship engine’s safety features.
Sign up on the Kickstarter pre-launch page to receive an email when the campaign is live, and be sure to follow Wandering Planet Toys on X, Bluesky, Instagram, and Facebook for more updates.
