Dragon Walker vintage vehicle review thread

[Spacedust]

The vintage episode reviews are on hiatus for the Summer months to keep the number of new polls on the forum down, but the vintage figure / creature / vehicle review threads, which seem to be very popular, go on.

A very good response to last week's thread, the rare double-figure review of Battle Armor He-Man and Battle Armor Skeletor.
This week, let's look at another one of the vehicles - that side-winding curiosity, the DRAGON WALKER.

The Dragon Walker was released with the third wave of figures. It comprised of a dragon's head, which could carry a figure, which ran along a base track. One at the end, the base track would spin around, allowing the head to continue on its path.

Don't ask me why, but I never really liked Dragon Walker as a kid. Not enough to save my pocket money and buy one. For some reason, it just didn't appeal to me, seeming a very clunky and contrived vehicle that, that summed up to me how the line was gradually becoming more gimmick-driven. While maybe impressive to watch as a toy, the vehicle seemed to have little real use in a battle. It's only real purpose would be to leave Skeletor and co. helpless with laughter as it lumbers into battle at half a mile per hour.
In the years since, when I've collected the line seriously, I've come to like it a little more. It's still not an outstanding favourite, but I like it a little more than I used to.
The 'Walkers are quite common on the second hand market, though the all important battery flap is often missing, and the head may need a little work to get it running smoothly. I had quite a few; I don't know of any major variations, but I found that the darker green paintwork around the eyes and mouth varies slightly on different examples. The other difference I've found is that one some, the gaps between the front-most teeth are red in keeping with the rest of the mouth, whereas others aren't.

Going back slightly, when I was a kid I never had a DW as I said. I remember one sunny afternoon one Summer Holiday, I was out on my bike and bumped into Peter Smith, a kid I went to school with. We weren't really 'friends', never really crossing paths much, but we were both bored so we went back to his house. In the garden he had a whole tub full of then-newly released third wave figures and accessories, including the Dragon Walker. I think it was the first time I had seen it out of box. I never really liked Peter Smith that much - maybe that's why I didn't really like the Dragon Walker for years!

The vehicle made a couple of sporadic appearances in just a few second season of the Filmation cartoon in (""Attack from Below", "Fraidy Cat" and "The Time Wheel"). Here just how useless it was as a vehicle become even more apparent. It was maybe good for spanning small ravines (the base of the Dragon Walker was very long, but other than that, it was very clunky, and took hours to get anywhere!!

There was no vintage-style Dragon Walker on the 200x line. There was a Dragon Walker, but resembled the vintage version in name only. This version was quite literally a walking dragon (and is one of the few 200x items that I haven't yet got, though I can probably get one on e-bay for a fair price).

All-in-all... while as an actual toy it has grown on me very slightly over the years, as a whole vintage Dragon Walker isn't really a favourite of mine. I'll give it a slightly below average 6 out of 10, with that simply for it being an interesting toy - as a vehicle it's useless.

Those are my thoughts on the Dragon Walker.
I'd like to hear your own comments, thoughts, criticisms, memories, suggestions and anything else Dragon Walker-related. And as always, whether you post your comments or not, don't forget to rate the toy in the poll!!

[DestrongerLupus]

It's kinda funny, my impression of the thing is pretty much exactly oposite yours, IMO....BEST VEHICLE EVER!

I find it incredibly striking, visually, and its unsusal mode of operation seems to me to be the perfect representaton of the Fantasy/Technology blend of Eternia.

As faras its practicality, well Filmation didn't give us any good ideas, but of you think about it, it'd be heck on Enemy infantry (which is often how I played with it as a child), and the vintage commercial implied that it was something of a Eternian-bridge-layer. Heaven forbid Skelley ever built one, we wouldn't NEED the Jaw Bridge to cross the Abyss...

I've noticed people seem to be hot or cold on this one though, so I'm not surprised that you didn't care for it much. I HATED the 200X "version" mostly because they went to the trouble of recycling the name, but only gave us a lame uninspired vehicle.

D/L

[Grimbot]

Though it might be a good toy to play with, in the cartoon it was laughably bad. Most useless MOTU vehicle.

[Doomseeker]

I love the Dragon Walker. I never had it as a kid, but picked one up last november. It ROCKS on so many levels.
I had a big New Years part and whilst slightly intoxicated got the old Dragon Walker out. Now we had drunk a fair bit but everyone was amazed by it (or just humoring me!) I still dont quite know how it works (to be fair I've never really thought about it), but I'm happy telling myself it's true toy magic that makes that monster move!!!

Why didn't I give it 9 or 10? to be fair it's got to be one of the noisiest toys ever invented!

[StratosMacca]

The Dragon Walker was my all-time favorite vehicle when I was a kid. While the Attak Trak was better as far as chasing the cats with, the DW just oozed coolness.

True, it probably wouldn't have been the most practical vehicle for the MotU folk (the sound alone would alert anyone within a 5-mile radius that you were coming), but I love it!

--Leanne

[braxsis364]

I was never realy inpressed with the dragon walker ether. I allways thought it was way to slow and vullnurable, to leaping evil warriors. and slightly of topic here but so wassint the Roton. unless you made it a flying vehicle like in the toon.so ill give the dragon walker a 5.

[He-Fan]

Chris here...

The Dragon Walker holds a lot of memories for me - as a kid, I was priviledged to aquire one from the boy who lived two doors down from me, who had been a major He-Man fan but grown out of it in favour of football. (As a kid, I remember thinking he was mad! ) This was in 1990, and I remember being absolutely thrilled with it - to this day, even though I realise that it's a rather impractical vehicle (made to look really stupid in the Filmation cartoon, as though the animators themselves couldn't take it seriously either!), I still love to play with it!

Unfortunately my original Dragon Walker has suffered battery damage and doesn't work, but I was able to get my hands on another one a couple of years back, complete with the original box!

Just as a side note of trivia - as well as the Dragon Walker, this same boy also let me have his Castle Grayskull (which I stupidly got rid of a few years later because of space issues), his Stridor (which I still have), his Tri-Klops and his Whiplash figures (both of which I still have)! That was a good day!

Take care...

[Dr Bo]

I love the Dragon Walker. I never had it as a kid, but picked one up last november. It ROCKS on so many levels.
I had a big New Years part and whilst slightly intoxicated got the old Dragon Walker out. Now we had drunk a fair bit but everyone was amazed by it (or just humoring me!) I still dont quite know how it works (to be fair I've never really thought about it), but I'm happy telling myself it's true toy magic that makes that monster move!!!

Why didn't I give it 9 or 10? to be fair it's got to be one of the noisiest toys ever invented!

About eh same thing here (except for the alcool part) when I,m showing my collection to friend, if I want to make them go woah! is by starting my Dragon Walker. It is a very cool vehicule, the motion and design are superb.

Never had him as a kid, but was pretty happy to get him by collecting as an adult. Always liked the beast / Dragon machine aspect and motion. I see it as a stomping thank, slow, maybe, but unstopable!

[stuecketor]

In luie of the fact that I did not, and still do not, own an attack track, which I will someday! dragon walker freeking rocked when I was a kid. I did not have many of the higher end vehicles, but I loved dragon walker, and still do. I do howver need a battry cover!

adam

[Patrick Bateman]

I´ve always loved the DW (had two of them in fact...). For some reason, I never liked the Attack Track. Would have soooo wanted a Battle Ram, though

[Bowhead Whale]

To me, the Dragon Walker looks incomplete. It has always been that way. It's made like a living thing, but there is nothing behind the head. To me, the vehicle would have looked better in a more "robotic" looks, with wheels. The toy would have been a lot more convincing. This way, we wonder if it's an incomplete living thing or a lizard-skin covered motorised vehicle. Contradictive. Does not pass to me.

[Evil_Horde]

9 for me! I love her design e her mechanism!

[PaoloKr]

The vehicle was very playable but a little bit ugly.
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