Please help me remember the name of a childhood toy.

January 18, 2008 10:54 AM

Please help me remember the name of a childhood toy.

I'm remembering a toy from my childhood, which would have been the mid - late 80s.

The basic idea was that it was a military vehicle of some type - like a jet or a jeep. You would push a red button and it would fold out and expand and become some kind of military base. I remember that the jeep doors would swing out, and the wheels would fold down to serve as a platform. There also were little plastic infantry guys - one kind was black with red visors, the other was beige with green visors. They were in all different types of positions. Crouching, running, etc. The jet would unfold to a little base as well, and the front nose-cone became some kind of car. I thought they were called 'xpanders' or something like that, but my google-fu is failing me. Does anyone know what I'm talking about!? It’s driving me nuts!

posted by mockjovial to sports, hobbies, & recreation (5 comments total)

Was it M.A.S.K.?
posted by Alison at 11:05 AM on January 18

I remember something very similar to something described here, and I think this mystery toyline was much smaller in scale than MASK. MASK figures were movable whereas these were very small posed figures. I remember it being out around the same time that Mighty Max was, so the same company may have made both.
posted by burnmp3s at 11:14 AM on January 18

Micronauts? Here are some of the vehicles.
posted by na2rboy at 11:23 AM on January 18

burn is right - the infantry were very small posed figures. I checked, and we're striking out on MASK and Micronaughts. The vehicles looked like 'modern day; (for the 80's) military hardware.
posted by mockjovial at 11:37 AM on January 18

You were right, they're called Xpanders. Made by Galoob. There's the little red button!
posted by iconomy at 11:51 AM on January 18 [1 favorite]