In 1997, Galoob caught my attention with their awesome action figures and vehicles based on Paul Verhoeven’s violent R-rated sci-fi movie, Starship Troopers. I was one of the first people in line to watch this movie, not because I was a huge fan of the Robert A. Heinlein novel it was loosely based on, but because anything from the director of Robocop and Total Recall had to be cool.

Alas, Starship Troopers was a box-office bomb. Many critics found the movie silly and juvenile; with its young, attractive cast (Doogie Howser!), wooden acting and over-the-top gory action. To me that’s all part of Starship Troopers’ cheesy charm. The “bug” battles in this movie are everything (it was nominated the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects). That brings us back to Galoob’s Starship Troopers toyline, in particular, their killer looking Warrior Bug action figures.

Collectors had their choice of two Warrior Bug action figure sizes: a 5-inch Battle Pack version with Micro Machine-sized Mobile Infantry figures to eat (fight it), or a massive 10-inch Electronic Warrior Bug with (annoying) sound effects. Both figures had their pros and cons, but for the money, the bigger bug was the better value.

The Battle Pack Warrior Bug impresses with its bold black and yellow Arachnid design and easy to display smaller size. Standing approximately 5-inches long and 4-inches tall, this Warrior Bug featured a decent range of movement with its swivel “waist” and four ball-jointed main legs. However, it has always frustrated me that the jaw on this figure can’t open and close. The jaw sure looks like it can move (and it would have been easy enough for Galoob to have included ), but no dice. To make up for it, Galoob concealed a small magnet on the Warrior Bug’s upper lip so you could attach a micro figure to it, you know, so it looks like the creature is eating a soldier. Humm, yeah.

Another irritating design choice was the figure’s action gimmick. By pressing down on the Warrior Bug’s front claws, the creature’s head pops in half to reveal gory green bug brains. Personally I wish you could freely articulate the Warrior Bug’s front claws without the figure bursting into pieces. It reminds me of Kenner’s exploding Scorpion Alien released in 1992: a fun looking toy with an annoying action gimmick.

Size is everything when it comes to Galoob’s Electronic Warrior Bug. Large and in charge at 10-inches long and approximately 9-inches tall, this Arachnid toy impresses with its amazing movie sculpt, durable plastic construction, and solid articulation. Unlike it’s smaller cousin, big bug featured a swivel waist, four ball-jointed main legs, two fully articulated front claws AND a jaw the could open and close. SNAP!

Best of all, the large Warrior Bug had no exploding action gimmick, although it did feature less annoying “crashing” sound effects. One grating sound was activated by pressing the button on top of its head, the other one when you closed its jaws. Thankfully, the batteries on mine died long ago.

Due to Starship Troopers being a flop in theaters, Galoob’s toys were pretty easy to find back in 1997. In fact, they quickly found themselves marked down at clearance prices (much like Trendmasters’ Godzilla toys released the following year). Even years after the movie, alert collectors could get these on eBay for relatively cheap.

Today, Starship Troopers is considered a cult classic by many, with its legendary Warrior Bug design quite popular with collectors. Uninspired Battle Pack “Hopper Bugs” and the crappy 6-inch Mobile Infantry action figures are still quite common on the secondary market, but way cooler designs, like the Warrior Bug, have become an expensive rarity. There is some good news, though! Max Factory is releasing a Figma action figure of the Warrior Bug (pictured below)! While it’s design is based on the animated Starship Troopers movies, any new Warrior Bug toy is a good thing.

And if $150 is too rich for your blood, Funko has been slowly dropping new Starship Troopers Pop vinyl figures as convention exclusives, including Johnny Rico and a recently released super-sized Tanker Bug. While those two characters wouldn’t have been my first choice for Starship Trooper Pops, it gives me hope that Funko will release a Warrior Bug next.

[See image gallery at www.figures.com]