If you were a kid back then, hunting for battlestar galactica figures 1978 was basically a full-time job. You'd walk into a Sears or a local toy shop, and while everyone else was busy grabbing every Luke Skywalker they could find, some of us were looking for that sweet, shiny chrome of a Cylon Centurion. Mattel really stepped up to the plate to give Kenner some competition, and honestly, they did a pretty decent job considering how fast they had to move to get these things on the shelves.
It's funny looking back at how much of a "Star Wars clone" people thought the show was at the time. But for those of us who lived for the weekly space battles, the toys were their own thing entirely. They had this distinct vibe—a bit chunkier than the Kenner figures and, in some ways, a little more experimental.
The Original Lineup from Mattel
Mattel didn't go overboard with the character list, but they hit the heavy hitters. You had Commander Adama, Captain Apollo, and of course, Starbuck. They also gave us the Cylon Centurion, the Cylon Commander (the gold one), an Ovion, and the Boray.
The human figures were well, they were fine. They had that classic five-point articulation we all know: head, shoulders, and hips. If you look at Starbuck now, he looks like a generic guy in a tan jumpsuit, but back in 1978, that was Richard Hatch in plastic form, and we loved it. Adama actually looked pretty regal with his cape, though that thin fabric didn't usually survive more than a few months of heavy play.
The aliens and robots were where the line really shined. The Cylon Centurion was the absolute king of the playground. That chrome finish was incredible right out of the box. Of course, after about a week of playing in the dirt or rubbing against other toys, the chrome started to flake off, leaving you with a dull grey robot that looked like it had been through a supernova. But man, that first day they were shiny? Nothing else looked like them.
The Great Missile Controversy
You can't really talk about battlestar galactica figures 1978 without mentioning the "missile incident." This is legendary toy lore. The original Colonial Viper and Cylon Raider ships came with these tiny red plastic missiles that you could actually fire. It was the coolest thing ever until it wasn't.
Apparently, a child choked on one of the missiles, which led to a massive recall and a huge shift in how toys were made. If you find a 1978 Viper today that still has the "firing" mechanism intact and hasn't been modified to be stationary, you've basically found a pot of gold. After the recall, Mattel started gluing the missiles in or just molding them as part of the ship. It definitely took some of the fun out of it, but it's a huge part of why the early versions are so insanely collectible now.
Why They Felt Different from Star Wars
Kenner's Star Wars figures were 3.75 inches, and Mattel stayed in that same ballpark so they could all play together in the same "multiverse" (even though we didn't use that word back then). However, the Battlestar Galactica figures felt a bit more rugged. The plastic was a different grade, and the capes were handled differently.
One thing that always stood out was the accessories. Most of the BSG figures came with a laser pistol that looked like the ones from the show. If you lost that tiny piece of black plastic in the shag carpet, your Starbuck was basically defenseless against the Ovion swarm. I remember spending hours on my hands and knees searching for those blasters. They were so easy to lose, which is why a "complete" figure today commands such a premium price.
The Weird and the Wonderful: Muffit the Daggit
Then there was Muffit. You can't forget the daggit. In the show, it was a chimp in a suit, but in the toy line, it was this weird, blocky little creature. It wasn't exactly "articulated," but you had to have him if you wanted to recreate the scenes on the Galactica. Looking at him now, he's kind of an ugly little thing, but there's so much charm in that 70s toy design. It wasn't about hyper-realism; it was about capturing the spirit of the character.
The Cylon Commander
The gold Cylon Commander was the "chase" figure of its day, even if we didn't call it that. If you had the gold one, you were the boss of the neighborhood. It used the same mold as the silver Centurion, but that gold vacuum-metalized finish made it look significantly more "evil leader." Just like the silver ones, the gold finish was notoriously fragile. Finding one today that isn't "balding" or showing the black plastic underneath is a real challenge for collectors.
Collecting Battlestar Galactica Figures Today
If you're looking to get into collecting battlestar galactica figures 1978 style today, you've got to be prepared for some sticker shock, especially for "Carded" or "Mint on Card" (MOC) examples. The bubbles on the original Mattel cards were notorious for lifting or cracking. The glue they used just didn't stand the test of time.
If you're okay with loose figures, it's a lot more affordable, but you still have to watch out for a few things: * Chrome Wear: As I mentioned, the Cylons are usually pretty beat up. * Limb Looseness: The hips on these guys tend to get very "floppy" over time. They won't stand up on a shelf without a stand. * The Capes: Adama's cape is often missing or frayed. * Reproductions: Be careful with the blasters. There are a lot of 3D-printed or resin reproduction weapons out there. They look okay, but if you want 100% authentic 1978 gear, you have to do your homework.
The Legacy of the 1978 Line
It's interesting how these toys have aged compared to Star Wars. While the Star Wars line went on for years and produced hundreds of figures, the original BSG line was relatively short-lived. This gives it a "contained" feel for collectors. You can actually "finish" a BSG collection without needing a second mortgage or a dedicated room in your house.
There's something incredibly nostalgic about the color palette of these toys—the tans, the browns, and that bright red on the Cylon's eye (even if it didn't actually light up on the small figures). They represent a specific moment in pop culture history where sci-fi was exploding, and every studio was trying to capture lightning in a bottle.
Mattel might not have won the long-term war against Kenner, but they gave us some toys that were arguably just as fun to play with. Whether it was flying a Viper across the living room or setting up an ambush with an Ovion in the backyard, those figures were the gateway to a lot of kids' imaginations.
If you still have yours tucked away in a shoebox in your parents' attic, it might be time to go dig them out. Even if they're a little scratched up and missing their blasters, they're a great reminder of a time when space was the ultimate frontier and 3.75 inches of plastic was all you needed to get there. It wasn't just about the show; it was about having a little piece of that universe sitting on your dresser. And honestly? They still look pretty cool on a shelf today.