Released as part of the first wave of the M.A.S.K. toy line in 1985, Switchblade was piloted by the leader of VENOM (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem), Miles Mayhem, wearing the Viper mask. The vehicle changed from a fairly pedestrian helicopter to a fighter jet with the flip of the tail.
This was one of my favorite toys as a kid. It surpassed even some of the Star Wars toys I had. Just a cool toy with great play actions – the way those wings popped out when you flipped the tail over was so satisfying – and so much fun to fly around the room, attacking the agents of M.A.S.K. from above.
Once again, my mother was brilliant for holding onto the box for me. And it’s in amazing shape, too! Unlike my Star Wars and Transformers boxes, this time we even kept the instructions and the cardboard insert. Really the only thing I’m missing is the orange bomb that dropped out of the bottom. One day I’ll make the $25 investment on eBay to get the bomb and complete the toy.
Easily one of the coolest toys of the 80s, this is one of the most prized pieces in my collection.
My kids were watching a Paw Patrol movie the other day. I caught a glimpse of the screen, and I’m pretty sure I saw a helicopter that looked just like Switchblade. It even transformed into an airplane. I joked with my kids, “Is that Miles Mayhem flying that helicopter‽”
And that led to a 20-minute dissertation on M.A.S.K. that they immediately forgot every word of. Yep, same thing happens in my house…