They Don’t Make Them Like They Used To is a little section on this site where I talk about old TV show theme tunes that I think are wonderful and you scratch your head wondering what I’m talking about (you damn kids, get off my lawn!).

M.A.S.K. was one of those cartoons that were pretty much only made to sell toys. Considering that the toys were excellent, I can’t complain. Much like Transformers there were lots of cars that changed into something else. However instead of changing into robots they changed into other vehicles, usually something that flies. All the characters wore masks that had a power of some kind but you usually lost that part of the toy within the first week. As a kid, this was more than enough to hook me in.

The name M.A.S.K. stood for Mobile Armored Strike Kommand because fuck spelling. Like every show of it’s time it featured a kid who tagged along despite his parent’s protests but what made this one stand out is that he had a robot friend named T-Bob (short for “thingamabob”) who looked suspiciously like R2-D2 and could become a motorcycle at the drop of a hat. Neat-o!

Check out those amazingly futuristic green lined graphics at the start! That’s how you know it’s quality.

I love how it describes the show in full just in-case you’ve never seen an episode before. It’s a wonderful bit of easy exposition that shows sadly don’t do anymore.

I vividly remember owning the green bike that turned into a helicopter but was always jealous of the kids who had the red car that turned into a plane. That was the business. Lucky bastards…

Don’t worry buddy, I still loved you.

After looking at one of the more expensive sets in my Hurricane Heist review, we’re scaling down our operations and handling a small-scale raid by Toxikita’s henchman, Adam Acid. Luckily, Agent Max Burns is in hot purusit in his River Raider ATV (They don’t give the vehicles names but it makes sense, right?)

This is the entry-level set for Ultra Agents, retailing for around £9.99. You get two small bags and not much else so let’s dive into the minifigures!

Agent Max Burns is the epitome of rookie, with his unkempt hair and dishevelled suit. You can tell he’s one of the younger Agents, if not the youngest. His alternate face is a cocksure smile. Adam Acid is a far more grim villain than you’d expect. He’s visibily rotting from toxic exposure, with little left of his once yellow face and even having an entire arm in a toxic green. His head is translucent apart from a painted yellow grimace which looks great with light coming through it. Two fantastic little minifigures!

First thing you’ll be building are wheelie bins! Okay, technically they’re supposed to be crates but anyone is going to thing they’re wheelie bins. Not much to else to say!

The River Raider (better than just calling it an ATV) is the big build of this small set. It is quick, simple but the end result is definitely cool!

Much like I said in my Hurrican Heist review, the Agents’ vehicles really scratch my nostalgia itch, evoking more memories of the M.A.S.K. toyline of my youth. The River Raider can deploy a jet ski from it’s ATV frame work to chase villains into the water. A winch is included to haul the jet ski back onto land which is a clever little touch I can appreciate.

Final thoughts! Do I recommend this set? Definitely! Do I think it’s good value for money? Not even close!

Wait, wait, hear me out. This is undeniably an exciting, fun and clever little set but, I don’t think £9.99 is a justifiable price when Mixels with 20 less pieces than this set sell for £3.99! Personally, I think this set would feel better to me as a consumer if it was a little cheaper, around £7.99 would be the sweet spot. If you can find this set for a discount, I definitely recommend picking it up because, as with all the Ultra Agents sets, this is an imaginative set with some clever engineering and brilliant characters!

Welcome to Hands Down, DOOM’s own look into the world of the folks that frequent this sordid world of geekery. This week; breakfast at Charnita’s.