Ring Raiders
| Ring Raiders | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Created by |
DIC Entertainment Those Characters from Cleveland |
| Written by | Phil Harnage |
| Voices of |
Dan Gilvezan Efrain Figueroa Stuart Goetz Ike Eisenmann Gregory Martin Jack Angel Chris Anthony Roscoe Lee Browne Rodger Bumpass Townsend Coleman Chuck McCann Susan Silo |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Robby London |
| Producer(s) | Andy Heyward |
| Release | |
| Original release | September 16 – October 14, 1989 |
Ring Raiders is an animated television series based on a 1980s toy line made by Matchbox.
Set in the year 1998, the world is on the brink of a cataclysmic war. An organization dedicated to taking over the world, through the brutal use of air power, is about to realize its goal. It is known as the "Skull Squadron", founded by a band of renegades whose planes are capable of time travel. These pilots fall in love with the power they hold and see that they can use their planes to take control of the world. There are always pilots who, twisted by war's cruelties, are willing to join the Skull Squadron, causing it to grow bigger and more dangerous. In the 1990s, Skull Squadron is finally powerful enough to scramble for the master mission in its bid for world domination.
By now, almost too late, the great nations of the world are aware of Skull Squadron's plot. They band together to produce an aircraft that gives them a fighting chance against the onslaught—the Justice-class air carrier, which can travel through time. The carrier is outfitted with a small crew, then sent back in time. The Justice crew beams the best planes and pilots right out of history's greatest air battles to train them to fight against the Skull Squadron.
A handful of pilots are selected as "Ring Commanders" to train and supervise the hundreds who remain. Ring Commanders are identified by their special signal ring, through which they can summon (or be summoned by) a fellow Ring Raider in times of need.
"Ring of Fire", "Scorch's Revenge", "All the Right Stuff", "The Best Man for the Job is a Woman" and "A Pilot's Faith" were all pilot episodes, but the series was never taken up as a full season show.
The animation art design was done by Peter Chung, based on the Those Characters From Cleveland art and toy designs of Mark Spangler and Jim Groman.
The show used the catchphrase "The command is in my hand" when characters wished to transform their planes, using their rings to make them more powerful. Their improved forms could only be held for a short time, or the pilot risked burning out their nervous system.
The Ring Raiders toyline consisted primarily of small (3–4 centimeters long) plastic toy planes mounted on plastic rings via a detachable display stand. The stands allowed the aircraft a small degree of mobility. Relatively few molds were produced for the toyline; most of the aircraft were repainted three or four times each.
The line was rather short lived, lasting about six months.
The bulk of the toy release consisted of packs of four aircraft, each squadron sporting their own distinctive color scheme. No two packs had exactly the same aircraft in them, but several had three shared aircraft.
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Wikipedia