Ring Raiders

*Ring Raiders*
Ring Raiders
Created by	Matchbox
Starring	Townsend Coleman; Ike Eisenmann; Efrain Figueroa; Dan Gilvezan
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of episodes	5
Original release
Release	1989 –; 1989

Ring Raiders was a cartoon based on a toy-line from the 1980s by Matchbox.

The series is 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. They are known as the Skull Squadron, and their organization was founded by a band of renegades whose planes are capable of time travel. These pilots fell in love with the power they held, and saw that they could use their planes to take control of the world. There were always pilots who, twisted by war’s cruelties, were willing to join the Skull Squadron. The Skull Squadron grew bigger and more dangerous. In the 1990’s, Skull Squadron was 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 aircraft that gives them a fighting chance against the ’ onslaught. They produce the Justice-class air-carrier, which can travel through time. They outfit the carrier with a small crew, then send it back into time. The Justice crew gathers the best planes and pilots in world history, to train them for battle against the Skull Squadron. The pilots are gathered right out of history's greatest air battles. Each pilot and plane are beamed out of battle and on board the Justice.

A handful of pilots are selected as "Ring Commanders," to train and supervise the hundreds who remain. Known as Ring Commander by his/her special signal-ring, through which s/he can summon (or be summoned by) a fellow Ring Raider in times of need.

Ring of Fire, Scorch's Revenge, All the Right Stuff and A Pilot's Faith were all pilot episodes but the series was never taken up as a full season show.

The art design for the show was done by Peter Chung. The show used the catchphrase "The command is in my hand" when characters wished to transform their planes, using their magical rings to make them more powerful.

Ring Raiders Pilots and Planes

Victor Vector was a Stealth Fighter squadron-leader until 1993, when he was selected to command the first Justice-class air-carrier...and, with it, the Ring Raider squadrons. He is cool-headed, and always willing to risk his life for others. Vector is as close to being the ideal Ring Raider as you can get. As trainer-commander of the elite Justice Wing, he pilots the Victory 1, a customized F-19 stealth fighter. (The series and toyline had been developed before the public revelation of the F-117.)

Yuri Kirkov was a solid, disciplined Soviet Air Force major; he is now one the Ring Raiders' foremost squadron leaders. He defected from the Russians by surrendering to the U.S. Marines during the Vietnam War. Tough-minded and stern to a fault, Kirkov often takes himself too seriously; yet he can also be a very nice guy, if and when it comes to such. Kirkov is easily surprised by the "free and easy" standards of his fellow Ring Raiders; he constantly wonders to himself, "Is this any way to run an Air Force?" As trainer-commander of Freedom Wing, Kirkov pilots Kirkov's Comet, a customized F-4 Phantom II fighter-bomber. What makes Kirkov’s Comet unique is its nose-mounted beam-cannon; it can cut opposing planes up like a blowtorch, or blind opponents’ infrared detection gear.

Yinsu Yakamura was a space-fighter pilot picked up by a Justice-class air-carrier in the year 2235. Computer-educated, he is incredibly intelligent and knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects. With his past literally being from the future, being an expert on 20th Century technology comes naturally to him. Yakamura possesses a high level of courage, and a deep sense of honor, to match his intellect. As trainer-commander of Honor Wing, Yakamura pilots the Samurai Flyer: a customized Grumman X-29 loaded with complex battle-computers and miniature AWACS gear. Along with several tons of high-tech weaponry, the Samurai Flyer also carries a 3-D split-laser "Deceptor." The Deceptor can cause 1-50 extra images to show up on radar scanners...so that Yakamura appears to have an entire squadron of Samurai Flyers backing him up.

Joe Thundercloud, a full-blooded Sioux (Native American), was flying with the USAF in Korea when he was beamed aboard a Justice-class air-carrier. By nature, Joe is a reflective man of few words. And that's why his fellow Ring Raiders always listen whenever he does speak up; with his keen mind and sense of strategy, there are few problems he can't solve. In the air, he is always brave and tirelessly alert. He's known for his uncanny ability to "spot" enemies before they actually show up on radar. As trainer-commander of Thunder Wing, Joe pilots the Arrowhead: a customized F-86 "Saber" fighter/bomber loaded with special warpaint-design [[Sidewinder missiles. Arrowhead's modified power plant makes it capable of short speed-bursts...up to Mach 2.

"Cub" Jones was beamed aboard a Justice-class air-carrier in 1943, having lied about his age so he could join the U.S. Navy (Jones was only 16 at the time). He has more potential than most of the other Ring Raiders put together, in terms of mere flying ability. But with his hot-tempered and cocky nature, there is much that he needs to learn. Still, he's a very likable young pilot with a bright future. In World War II, Jones flew an F6F Hellcat; as the trainer-commander of the Ring Raiders' Courage Wing, he pilots the Sky Tiger: a customized Northrop F-5 interceptor. Of all the modifications done to this F-5, the most hazardous to Skull Squadron planes has been its "Tigerclaw" missile system. Housed in Sky Tiger’s forward underbelly, Tigerclaw is a retractable pod of 25 small missiles which can each be remote-controlled by the plane’s on-board computers...for use against air, land or sea targets.

Max Miles is the head of Ring Raider intelligence. He makes dangerous flights into Skull Squadron territory, gathering information and photographs, to determine what the enemy air force’s next steps might be. Known for a careful sense of planning, Miles prides himself on minimizing the risks to Valor Wing (which he trains and commands) on any mission. But to get his data, this strong and cool-headed pilot takes all kinds of chances himself. He loves a good joke—even on himself—and his sarcastic sense of humor has made him popular among the other Ring Raiders. Miles is no stranger to dogfights, either, although he specializes in night missions. He pilots the Knight Fighter: a customized SR-71 Blackbird strategic recon jet. In the toy line, Miles was Caucasian, but in the cartoon he was redesigned to resemble his voice actor, the African-American Roscoe Lee Browne.

"Never" Evers is aptly nicknamed, since he NEVER turns down any assignment regardless of how risky it may be. When other Ring Raiders don't want a mission because it's too dangerous, they call Evers. He's the ultimate showboat: cocky, and with little respect for authority...even Victor Vector's. Evers has been known to disobey a direct order when he thought his superiors were "being too cautious." This daredevil never flies anywhere without loud rock n’ roll blasting away in his cockpit. Happily, Evers is almost as good as he rates himself, which is very good indeed. Despite his penchant for bending procedures, and even breaking safety rules, this fighter jockey is definitely someone you want on your side; just ask anybody who's ever flown against him AND survived to tell the tale, if you can find them. He would be a better Ring Raider if he were less hot-headed and more reliable, but then he wouldn't be "Never" Evers. He pilots the Fearless Falcon: a customized F-16 fighter equipped with a special fuel-nozzle that allows it to train un-ignited fuel in the face of pursuing Skull Squadron planes. When Evers' afterburner is kicked in, the pursuer finds himself in a hot spot...and the Fearless Falcon finds itself miles away, almost instantly.

"Salty" Salton is World War II flying ace from the U.S. Marine Corps; he was beamed aboard a Justice-class air-carrier while working as the director of his own flying circus. He's rough, tough and usually gruff to the younger Ring Raiders...never letting them forget that "I've been a pilot longer than most of you've been alive!" (And he has, too.) He frequently trades verbal abuse with "Never" Evers in particular. Salty has forgotten more about dogfighting, and about air-sea combat in particular, than most of his fellow Ring Raiders know. He thinks anybody who depends on radar and computers ought to just stay down on deck. Despite all his bluster, Salton backs it up with phenomenal flying ability. "Salty" refuses to trade in his old Corsair, souped-up though it may be, for a plane that would bring him into the jet age. He pilots the Sea Dragon: a customized F4U Corsair fighter which can split its gull-shaped wings, dragonfly-style, doubling its speed and firepower. With all this, in a dogfight, Sea Dragon seems to actually breathe fire.

Baron Von Claudeitz is a cantankerous World War I Imperial German fighter pilot. Like "Salty" Salton, Von Claudeitz thinks his fellow pilots rely too much on technology, as seen in the episode A Pilot's Faith. He retains his original (modified) aircraft, a Fokker Dr.I. The Baron existed only in the cartoon and the UK edition of the 1990 Ring Raiders Annual; he wasn't in the comic book or the toy-line. Von Claudeitz was a likely reference to Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron.

Jenny Gail is the highest-ranking female Ring Raider. A fully-trained doctor, she pulled double-duty as a pilot in the Vietnam War. Jenny has had to deal with the distrustful attitude of Baron Von Claudeitz, who is biased against women in general; he thinks they should leave the dogfighting to men. She pilots a futuristic, jet-boosted medevac helicopter, one not based on any real-world design called Nightingale. Yet Jenny often flies rings around the Skull Squadron, somehow making them look like amateurs almost without trying. She existed only in the cartoon; she wasn't in the comic book or the toy-line.

Skull Squadron Pilots and Planes

Scorch (real name Stanley Smith) is the founder and director of the Skull Squadrons. This fighter-tactics master knows every feint and trick—dirty and otherwise—under the sky. He's a relentless dogfighter who remains to be bested or outmaneuvered. Bitter to the core, Scorch lives for the day he can take on--and take out--Victor Vector (whom Scorch blames for the burns that cover his left arm and his left face which explains why he wears a skull-like mask). As trainer-leader of the elite Ambush Wing, Scorch pilots Scorch's Torch: a customized Saab Viggen fighter-interceptor which houses a full arsenal of incendiary weapons and electronic countermeasures. If there’s one plane that can burn even Victor Vector in a dogfight, it’s this one.

Hubbub is a punk rocker who loves to create chaos wherever he goes. Hubbub is heavily into electronics; he uses the myriad high-tech devices in his plane to baffle and confuse the Ring Raider squadrons. He's also a master at vocal impressions...and at locking onto Ring Raider frequencies to imitate a Ring Commander's voice issuing false orders. Hubbub doesn’t just make a lot of noise, though. He’s a tough but unconventional aerial combatant...basically, a street-fighter of the air. Nothing makes this punker’s day like a good aerial rumble. As trainer-leader of Rebel Wing, Hubbub pilots the Zapmaster: a customized Mirage III equipped with lightning-capacitators which can electrify an entire cloud at the touch of a thumb-trigger. In plain English, any Ring Raiders who underestimate Hubbub or his Zapmaster (and, sad to say, there have been many) are in for a major shock...literally as well as figuratively.

Cutthroat is the Skull Squadrons' "spy-pilot." This wicked agent may be even more lethal on the ground than in the air, and you better believe he's PLENTY lethal in the air. A master of disguise and duplicity, Cutthroat is a constantly-dreaded (yet grudgingly-respected) threat to Ring Raider security. He pilots the Bayonet: a customized F19A stealth fighter. In a dogfight, he's likely to show up almost anywhere with little or no warning. Whether he’s striking inside Ring Raider headquarters, or at 55 thousand feet, Cutthroat's favorite attack is the classic knife-in-the-back ambush.

Siren is the only female Skull Squadron-leader. Her MiG-25 is armed with a complete arsenal of powerful sonic weapons. Siren existed solely in the cartoon; neither she nor her plane were a part of the comic book or the toy-line.

Chiller (real name unknown) is among the most feared Skull Squadron pilots. He puts the "cold" in "cold and ruthless." Chiller is also known for brooding, being a man with some dark secret that he is unable and/or unwilling to share with anyone else. He’s a loner in the sky, too...preferring solo surprise attacks on straggling Ring Raiders. As trainer-leader of Bandit Wing, Chiller pilots the Ice Machine: a customized F-104 Starfighter with a whole arsenal of unusual "ice" weapons. The deadliest of these is a modified thermal-reverse beam-gun which can freeze-dry a whole lot more than coffee, and from up to a mile away.

Slingshot, AKA Shooter, lives by the old saying "shoot first and ask questions later." This Old West-style gunslinger pilots the Sixgun: a customized A-10 Thunderbolt II packed full of enough sophisticated weaponry to keep a whole air force at bay. And Slingshot knows how to use all of it with unmatched precision. What’s more, it doesn’t take a whole lot to make this airborne desperado "go for his guns." With six extra mini-turbo jets to fire all at once, the Sixgun can jump over the top of Mach 2 for spring-loaded getaways and surprise attacks.

Mako is the last man you should ever mess with in air-sea operations. This bloodthirsty Skull Squadron tracker is normally cold and methodical. But when he’s on the verge of a strike, he goes into a state of frenzied excitement...which makes escape from his gun-sights almost impossible. Mako thinks nothing of holding a grudge, either; he’ll search the skies AND the seven seas for anyone who has crossed him...particularly his former wingman, Yuri Kirkov. As trainer-leader of Vicious Wing, Mako pilots the Sea Hunter: a customized MiG-29 Fulcrum specially adapted for sea duty. Its high-tech arms include a special device named CADS...short for Computer-Aided Dimensional Sonar. Moreover, the Sea Hunter gives literal meaning to the expression "flying fish"; it's capable of operating underwater. In short, any Ring Raider going up against Mako had better wear a life vest.

Wraith, AKA Wraither, has been spotted among the Skull Squadron flyers since World War II. Some say this deadly dogfighter is actually just a flight-suit handed down from one Skull Squadron pilot to another. Yet those who have dueled with him and the Galloping Ghoul, his ghostly P-51 Mustang, come away sure that neither Wraith nor the Ghoul are of this world. When the skull visor is lifted on his helmet, there is no face behind it. Wraith is the trainer and leader of Vulture Wing. The Galloping Ghoul carries over a ton of serious combat equipment, and packs a few extra pounds of mysterious muscle: it's able to disappear into thin air and reappear, which gives this particular Mustang an eerie edge when taking on much-faster Ring Raiders.

Blackjack specializes in night attacks and is the most daring member of the Skull Squadrons, taking chances that most people in their right mind would never take. Perhaps that’s a clue to why he takes those chances. If Blackjack were ordered to fly his plane through the eye of a needle, he would...provided the odds were in his favor. As trainer-leader of Havoc Wing, Blackjack pilots the Battle Bird: a customized Hawker Siddeley Harrier "jump jet" that's loaded with special night-combat gear. Among over 4 tons of carry-on arms, the Battle Bird is equipped with an invisible infrared beam that detects objects in the dark...and flashes them, in living-daylight colors, onto a 3-D view-screen inside Blackjack's cockpit.

Toyline

The Ring Raiders Toyline consisted primarily of small (3-4 centimeter) 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 moulds 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.

Wing Packs

The bulk of the toy release consisted of packs of four aircraft, each squadron sporting their own distinctive colour scheme. No two packs had the exact same aircraft in them, but several had three shared aircraft.

Twelve packs were released, six Ring Raiders and six Skull Squadron.

Battle Packs

These packs consisted of two aircraft, one Skull Squadron and one Ring Raider. The aircraft were simply repackaged versions of ones that had previously been sold in Wing packs.

Towards the end of the line, these packs were sold bundled with other items from the line.

Bases

Four bases were released as a part of the line; three Ring Raiders and two Skull Squadron.

The Air Carrier Justice was the largest single item in the line; it was a massive Flying Wing design, resembling a scaled-up version of the YB-49.

The Skybase Freedom and Skybase Courage were two smaller bases. Both were able to connect to the Justice. The two bases were of similar design, and their toys shared almost all of their parts, albeit recolored.

The Skull Squadron Mobile Base was a heavily armed and armored flying fortress. The toy was based on the same design as the Freedom/Courage and shared about half the parts.

Battle Blasters

A pair of accessories, these toys consisted of a soundbox shaped like a flightstick that was worn around the wrist. It had three sound effects (Jet engine, cannon and missile launch), each triggered by a separate button.

Two versions were produced; one Ring Raiders and one Skull Squadron. Both were virtually identical, save for the colour scheme. The Skull Squadron version played a "revving" sound when it was started up, but apart from this it was identical to its Ring Raiders counterpart.

Action Packs

Released at the end of the line, these are probably the rarest items in the Ring Raiders line. These packs consisted of eight aircraft, four from each side. The aircraft were a mixture of previously released moulds and new ones that had not yet been featured, and all had new colour schemes.

Cartoon Episodes

Ring of Fire - Cub Jones, a novice American Navy pilot from World War II, is recruited by the Ring Raiders when the Skull Squadron emerges in his era. The plot of the first episode is Cub's rescue from peril at the hands of the Skulls and initiation into the Raiders--and the subsequent mission as the Skulls' delayed-reaction weapon sets off volcanoes all around the world.

The Best Man for the Job is a Woman - Jennifer Gail must focus on recusing the other Ring Raiders when they are in trouble and prove she is a capable pilot.

Scorch's Revenge - In this episode we learn Scorch's real name is Stanley Smith and his face is scarred after challenging Victor Vector to see who was the better pilot and was at the Top Flight Academy with Victor Vector. Seeking revenge he kidnaps Jenny Gail and challenges him to discover who is the better pilot and stop Jenny being sent to the Jurassic Period..

All the Right Stuff - According to the show in the year 2038 Yinsu Nakumara rescued astronauts in space shuttle from a meteor shower he was a member of the world air force, Nakumara went to rescue an alien lifeform they also had on shuttle but the metor shower was too strong and as he was crashlanding the Justice flyer rescued him and b starflyer became his alien pet parrot. Scorch also in this episode time travels to 2020 to steal a satillite which will enable him to take over the world. But the Ring Raiders escape to the year 1860 Kansas prevent the Skull Squadron attacking them. Yinsu suggests the Ring Raiders travel to the year 2023 Edwards Airforce base to get a Gamma 2 Space Fighter to help defeat Scorch

A Pilot's Faith - A mysterious plague is striking the world and the Ring Raiders have been asked to deliver a cure for it. "Cub" Jones learns he must rely on his pilots instincts rather than technology when the Air Carrier Justice autopilot is out of commission.

Featured Aircraft

The Ring Raiders toyline featured an array of aircraft dating from World War II to the present day, including some "Futuristic" designs. With the exception of the fictional flying aircraft carriers and both, Monogram and Testors version's of the "F-19 Stealth Fighter" model kit's, all were based on real aircraft.

Despite the claim of being the "Greatest aircraft of all time", almost all of the designs featured were Western (specifically American) aircraft.

Real-life Aircraft in the toyline include:

The cartoon featured numerous other aircraft that didn't feature in the toyline, including the F6F Hellcat, B-58 Hustler, BAE Hawk, Fokker Dr.I, MiG-21, MiG-25, Tu-22 and A6M Zero.

In Europe at least, a second line of Ring Raider toys was also released. Though no new characters were affiliated with the new aircraft squadrons, their colours bore immense similarities to those of the previous series, and so could be considered second squadrons for the "classic" pilots of the 1st series. They included brand new aircraft including:

Comic Book

A Ring Raiders Comic was published by Fleetway Publications in mid 1989. The Comic was published fortnightly and ran for six issues. Rather than running self-contained stories, each issue would run 5-6 serialised stories. One of these was usually a one-shot featuring the origin story of one of the featured characters.

Like the TV series and the Toyline, the comic was a failure. It was abruptly cancelled at the 6th issue, with most stories ending on cliffhangers. Save for a brief notice on the letters page, there was no indication that his was a final issue. Several of the stories even featured "whited out" promotions for the next issue.

The Comic followed a different continuity from the cartoon series. The Rings lacked most of their magical abilities, instead being a simple communications device. The characters looked rather different to their animated counterparts, with several having radically different origin stories.

References

Ring Raiders Annual 1989 ISBN 0862276829
Ring Raiders Annual 1990 ISBN 0-86227-776-7