Post by @90stoyvault

Phaeton with Command E-Frame. Playmates Toys, 1993. Exo-Squad first wave, No. 6304. And here’s all the details for if you ever think of getting one. What it is • The villain's machine. Phaeton is the Neosapien Governor of Mars who starts the uprising. Richard Newman voiced him, Rhinox for the Beast Wars crowd. • In the box: Phaeton, the E-Frame, three shoulder rockets, one claw missile, a rifle, a pistol, and a power cell for the slot in the back. • The paper: instructions, two sticker sheets (systems labels and battle damage), a clip-out dossier, a classified insert marked human eyes only, and an I.D. card with a spot for your photo. How it works • Knob on the back of the left arm opens the claw. Push again and it lets go. • The right claw hides a missile. Knob on that arm fires it from inside. • Three rockets on top. Raise the rack level, the center button fires the middle one, the two outside you flick. • The Cyberjack plugs into the back of Phaeton's head and, per the box, links his brain to the frame. • Working heavy hydraulic action means pistons at the ankles and elbows. Where it came from • Playmates, the Ninja Turtles company, showed the line at Toy Fair in February 1993. The cartoon premiered that September. Toy first, show second. • The Playmates president who started the line had worked on Matchbox's Robotech toys in the mid 80s. • Playmates' freelance designers drew the E-Frames. The show's producer put their drawings on screen over the studio's own. Collecting notes • Gray claws and yellow claws are both 1993 under the same number. • A flap on the front of the box is the first-wave design. The window box is the 1995 reissue. • The parts that go missing first: the power cell, the four projectiles, and the pilot. • The same mold came back in 2001 as a Tech Wars suit with a new pilot. Did you have Exo-Squad, and which E-Frame was yours? #exosquad #playmatestoys #90stoys #vintagetoys #toycollector