A question for collectors, old or young Tygra?

i have a question for all of my fellow Thundercats collectors. I love this series and the classic toys, and am creating a collection of boxed vehicles and carded figures. I desperately want a carded Mumm Ra so I was thinking I would sell one of my carded Tygras to cover most of the cost. I have an old and young carded Tygra, both with Wilykat, both from series 2 1986, the young tygra has a slightly yellowed bubble but a flawless card. Just wondering which version you guys prefer? I myself prefer the older tygra because it is more in scale with the other figures but I think the younger one is worth a little bit more. I'm not working right now or else I would gladly keep both, so just asking you guys here what you think? I will post pictures of both to give you guys a better idea. I guess I can't go wrong either way but I really want a Mumm Ra! Thanks for your time and checking out my post.

I think you would be better keeping the older version of Tygra as it is a far superior looking toy compared to the first Tygra figure.

Personally I prefer the old Tygra. It has more of a resemblance to the cartoon I feel.

Here are some pics of the Tygras.


















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You can definitely see what a vast improvement the second Tygra is. I get what the sculptor was going for but like most toys it was more than likely sculpted from early designs etc. The second being a year after the cartoon had aired on TV. The older Tygra could have done with some spikey bits of hair but the sculpt and proportions on the second after far better.

"Mark M, post: 102207, member: 5058" said:

The older Tygra could have done with some spikey bits of hair but the sculpt and proportions on the second after far better.

Agreed 100%! If only the older Tygra's hair was shaped more in line with his cartoon appearance (two spikes at the top), he would have been ideal! He was definitely a HUGE improvement for the sculpt of the Young Tygra, whose proportions were just off. He had a considerably large head and his body tapered down as well as his legs, making him seem a bit disproportionate. Also his pose is too straight, with the knees locked.

Yeah, I like the older tygra much more myself too. I was just worried that the younger tygra was a more rare version?

"Mcaseres, post: 102221, member: 25613" said:

Yeah, I like the older tygra much more myself too. I was just worried that the younger tygra was a more rare version?

I'm not quite sure if it is rarer as it was released in Series 1 and Series 2, both with and without the PVC WilyKat figure. So there were a considerable number of the young Tygra figures produced. However, I have noticed that the young Tygra is a bit less commonly found in Europe compared to USA.

I don't recall ever seeing young Tygra here in Europe. In fact the first time I ever seen him was in the picture on the front of the Hovercats box and again in 96 on the back of the Pumyra figure's card. I just assumed it was a prototype. It was until a few years later I learned it was actually released.

"Mark M, post: 102236, member: 5058" said:

I don't recall ever seeing young Tygra here in Europe. In fact the first time I ever seen him was in the picture on the front of the Hovercats box and again in 96 on the back of the Pumyra figure's card. I just assumed it was a prototype. It was until a few years later I learned it was actually released.

Exactly. For a while I used to think that perhaps the Young Tygra figure was never released in Europe. I don't think I've ever seen a Young Tygra on a Rainbow Toys/Toy Options card. I doubt if they were ever released in the UK.

"Wilycub, post: 102250, member: 25043" said:

Exactly. For a while I used to think that perhaps the Young Tygra figure was never released in Europe. I don't think I've ever seen a Young Tygra on a Rainbow Toys/Toy Options card. I doubt if they were ever released in the UK.

Slightly unrelated but I read in ''Hear The Roar'' that the figures stopped production in 87 and at the time Ssslithe figures were peg warming at Toys'R'Us etc. But I remember seeing all the various characters over here in the shops up until around 91-92.

"Mark M, post: 102251, member: 5058" said:

Slightly unrelated but I read in ''Hear The Roar'' that the figures stopped production in 87 and at the time Ssslithe figures were peg warming at Toys'R'Us etc. But I remember seeing all the various characters over here in the shops up until around 91-92.

Yes, I do believe that the ThunderCats toys reached the UK rather late. While toy line stopped production in 1987 in the USA, that is around the time when it started to appear in the UK but that too in limited varieties.
The 1986 Argos catalogue had only Lion-O and Mumm-Ra action figures, the Thundertank, Skycutter and Nosediver vehicles and the child size light up Sword of Omens.
The 1987 Argos catalogue added Hammerhand, Fistpounder, Thunderclaw and Hovercat to the above list.
The 1988 Argos is the one which had a lot more toys (Slithe, Grune, Tygra, Snowman, Cruncher and Top Spinner) and it was also the last Argos catalogue to feature the ThunderCats.
Strangely Argos never got around to selling any of the Series 3 figures/vehicles.

However, in Woolworths the ThunderCats toys were available as late as 1992. I'm not sure but it could be due to the fact that the cartoon was still airing during the 90s in UK but not in the USA.

"Wilycub, post: 102275, member: 25043" said:

Yes, I do believe that the ThunderCats toys reached the UK rather late. While toy line stopped production in 1987 in the USA, that is around the time when it started to appear in the UK but that too in limited varieties.
The 1986 Argos catalogue had only Lion-O and Mumm-Ra action figures, the Thundertank, Skycutter and Nosediver vehicles and the child size light up Sword of Omens.
The 1987 Argos catalogue added Hammerhand, Fistpounder, Thunderclaw and Hovercat to the above list.
The 1988 Argos is the one which had a lot more toys (Slithe, Grune, Tygra, Snowman, Cruncher and Top Spinner) and it was also the last Argos catalogue to feature the ThunderCats.
Strangely Argos never got around to selling any of the Series 3 figures/vehicles.

However, in Woolworths the ThunderCats toys were available as late as 1992. I'm not sure but it could be due to the fact that the cartoon was still airing during the 90s in UK but not in the USA.

Glad you mentioned Woolworths. It was in Woolworths I got my first Thundercats figure of Mumm-Ra. I still remember having such a huge variety of figures that day. That was 88/89 and I constantly seen a large variety of all the figures in the various shops. It was in that same Woolworths I seen the last assortments in mid 92. I recall almost getting a new Lion-O one day but picked a Transformer instead...which did not live up to the nice card art. I should have got Lion-O. I went back a week later and the few Lion-O's they had were gone. But I got Safari Joe and lastly Captain Shiner then they were gone from Woolworths. :(:cry Does the Poundstrechers figures form 97 count. I recall in September 97 finding loads of Hachiman figures in a Poundstretchers here and there was supposed to be series three figures found in various other UK Poundstretchers.
http://retromash.com/argos/

Yes, I do believe that sometime in 97/98 "PoundStretchers" imported most of the unsold leftover ThunderCats toys from the USA, resulting in a mini surge. :)

Apart from the villains like Safari Joe, Captain Shiner, do you remember seeing any of the Series 3 figures/vehicles in Woolworths during the final years (1991/1992)? Items like the Tongue-a-saurus, Driller, Stinger, Laser Sabers, Bengali, Lynx-O, Pumyra, or even the Cats Lair? Someone told me that these were not available in Woolworths so I just wanted to confirm.

"Wilycub, post: 102306, member: 25043" said:

Yes, I do believe that sometime in 97/98 "PoundStretchers" imported most of the unsold leftover ThunderCats toys from the USA, resulting in a mini surge. :)Apart from the villains like Safari Joe, Captain Shiner, do you remember seeing any of the Series 3 figures/vehicles in Woolworths during the final years (1991/1992)? Items like the Tongue-a-saurus, Driller, Stinger, Laser Sabers, Bengali, Lynx-O, Pumyra, or even the Cats Lair? Someone told me that these were not available in Woolworths so I just wanted to confirm.

No I don't recall seeing any of them in Woolworths in the final years. I did see Driller in Woolworths on holiday in England in the summer of 89 but that was the one and only occasion I ever seen him. I seen Pumyra a couple times in different shops like the local Toymasers and I think possibly. I remember my cousin getting her around 90 the same day I got Captain Cracker from Toymasters.
I never seen Bengali or Lynxo, Laser Sabers, Tonue-a-saurus or Stinger in any shops of the shops.

"Mark M, post: 102308, member: 5058" said:

I never seen Bengali or Lynxo, Laser Sabers, Tonue-a-saurus or Stinger in any shops of the shops.

That would certainly explain why these figures are so hard to find in UK, even used ones. Even finding a picture of a Rainbow Toys Stinger is impossible! LOL! :biggrin

I prefer the old Tygra, I feel they captured the cartoon character more accurately and his body sculpt is much better. Aside from adding the points in his hair like many others mentioned, I really wish they would have painted the left shoulder and two circular emblems on his shins gold like the cartoon.