Sectaurs: Warriors of Symbion - The 1986 animated series

January 3 2021

Sectaurs: Warriors of Symbion was a line of action figures produced by Coleco in 1985, by authors Lawrence Mass, Tim Clarke and Maureen Trotto. The world of the Sectaurs mixed humanoids with insects and arachnids. Marvel Comics has released a short series of Sectaurs comics and the characters have also been adapted for an animated miniseries.

The animated mini series was made in 1986 by Ruby-Spears and consists of five episodes:

Spydrax Attacks (written by Dan DiStefano and Janis Diamond)
Slave City (written by Dan DiStefano and Janis Diamond)
The valley of the pieter (written by Dan DiStefano and Janis Diamond)
Trapped in the acid desert (written by Ted Field)
The Battle of Hyve (written by Matt Uitz and Janis Diamond)

History

"Somewhere in space, somewhere in time", a planet called Symbion is the site of a failed genetic experiment. Scary changes occur that cannot be stopped. The result is a world where insects and arachnids grow to frightening proportions and the inhabitants have taken on their characteristics. Prince Dargon, ruler of the peaceful Shining Realm of Prosperon, and his allies are in conflict with the forces of Empress Devora, ruler of the Dark Domain of Synax, and her henchmen for possession of the Hyves, fortresses of an ancient civilization that holds the key to ultimate power. Each character was "tele-linked" with intelligent, non-anthropomorphic insect creatures called Insectoids who had a special ability and shared the "pleasure and pain" of the other.

Characters

Sectaurs is a line of toys produced by Coleco in 1985. The action figures of the characters and insect companions were packaged together in a windowed box with weapons, a mini comic and instructions. Some of these characters were large enough to be ridden by the Sectaurs, and were actually puppet-like, in which a hand could be inserted inside a glove that made up the lower body of the beast to manipulate the legs and function. action. A second set of stickers was designed and featured in retailer catalogs, but never produced due to the line being canceled. The toy line did not perform well partly due to the intimidating appearances of even the heroes and their animal companions, and partly due to too high prices, well above the prices of the other action figure lines in stores at the same. weather.

Heroic Settaurs of the Shining Realm

Dargon : Prince of the Shining Kingdom. It is related to a flying steed called Dragonflyer which has a biting action. His weapons included a broadskall sword, shield, two venguns, and a slazor. Although Stellara is in love with Dargon, she secretly wishes to marry Belana, the betrothed royal of her childhood friend Zak. An alternate figure called Night Fighting Dargon , which had silver armor and antennae that glowed in the dark. Night Fighting Dargon included a Skall dagger, a Vengun, and binoculars with lenses that glowed in the dark. Weapons were stored in ankle sheaths, rather than standard belt holsters, allowing all of Dargon's weapons to be worn by a single figure. Another insect companion, Parafly, was also sold with Night Fighting Dargon, an Action Bug attached to its back and featuring flapping wings and a glow-in-the-dark tail. Parafly appeared in an issue of the Sectaurs comic, where he was described as smarter than ordinary animal-like insectoids, and temporarily granted Dargon the power to see in the dark. Night Fighting Dargon was the only figure actually produced from the expected second wave of toys shown in the catalogs.
pinsor : a veteran warrior who rides the imposing Battle Beetle , a steed with two heavy front arms that close with a pincer action. Pinsor's weapons included a skall battle ax, sword, shield, and Vengun. He suffered from an unrequited love for Stellara, whose affections were with Dargon.
Zak : Captain of Prosperon's Kingsguard, until his witty insolence replaced him. Zak's childhood friend is Dargon, who (secretly) also acts as a rival for Belana's affections. His companion, Bitaur , it was an Action Bug with a stinging action. Zak's weapons included a Slazor, a Vengun, and a Skall shield.
Mantor / Mantys : A "Keeper of the Way", a scholar of the ancient powers contained in the Hyves and the Ancients who created them. His pet beast is Raplor , an Action Bug with a grip line extending from its mouth and a winch action to rewind the cord. Mantor's weapons included a crossbow, vengun, and skeletal shield. He is said to be an expert in Kai's native sectarian martial art.
Stellara : a warrior. In the comic series, it has been established that Stellara's insect died in battle some time ago and one story has focused on her attempting to telelegate with a new one, but she was unable to complete the ritual because Dargon and the others were in danger. However, the insect she tried to telelegate with helped her save them. In the comics, Stellara was a romantic interest of Pinsor, but she regarded him as a surrogate father; his true passion was for Dargon. The two interpretations of Stellara, despite sharing a name, were visually very different from each other. The unedited figure of Stellara from the second planned series of the toy line resembled her animated incarnation and was to include the ox of the Rhine.as its partner, an Action Bug with a header function. His weapons were a Skall dagger, a shield and a Vengun.
Bodyball : a character seen only in the unreleased second wave of the toy line. Rather than being paired with an Insectoid, Bodyball was one of two figures designed to have a special action designed into the figure itself. He could be bent over, just like a pillbug, and visually he appeared to be a member of a different race from his fellow Sectaur compatriots. The images in the figure showed oddly shaped claws and shields as accessories.
Crossbow : The Shining Realm Battle Bug is part of the second unreleased line. His bullet was a missile-like pod referred to as a “spear” in the catalog and package text.
Gyrofly : The only Creeper that was scheduled to be released for the Shining Realm faction in the unreleased second row. It was a beetle-like device that opened its shell and released a rotating propeller projectile called Attack-Gnat .

Evil Settaurs of the Dark Domain

General Spidrax : horrible leader of the armies of the Dark Domain, armed with a whip coated with lethal poison. Unlike most Sectaurs, he enslaved his animal companion, Spider Flyer rather than forming a bond with it. This was probably because Spidrax had no forehead antennas (which all other Sectaurs possess) with which to initiate the telelegame process, but also to show his cruelty. Spidrax's weapons included a venomous whip, Slazor, Skall shield, net, and Vengun twins. Spider-Flyer was a flying steed with biting jaws. Like Dargon, the second wave of toys had to to include a Spidrax from Night Fighting, which included a personal weapon, a boomerang, and attachable armor that glowed in the dark. Night Fighting Spidrax would be paired with an Action Bug called Stranglebug , which was a spider with unusually long folding legs that could be wrapped around a figure. Unlike Night Fighting Dargon, however, Night Fighting Spidrax remained unreleased with the rest of the second series.
Skulks : the horrifying and opportunistic stepson of Empress Devora, who rides the spider Calm down , steed extremely hairy with biting jaws. His weapons included a Skall dagger, shield, Vengun, and dart wing.
Commander Waspax : rival of Spidrax. Its insect companion is Wingid , an Action Bug with wings flapping . His weapons included a Skall saber, a shield and a Vengun.
Skito : A mercenary. His companion, Toxcid , is an Action Bug that sprays water from its trunk, which is said to be "poison" in the context of the stories. His weapons included a Skall sword, shield, and Vengun.
Effect : One of the unpublished figures of the second wave. Bandor included a scourge, a Skall sword and a shield. His insect was Swipe , which was an Action Bug with an extendable proboscis weapon.
Knuckles : The other of the two figures in the second row that was supposed to have a built-in feature rather than an Insectoid. His characteristic was probably a punch action with his "mutant arm". Knuckle's accessories included some form of one-handed weapon, a shield, and two small Skalibur pistols attached to the sides of his helmet and connected to the weapon belt via power cords.
Flyflinger : Battle Bug of The Dark Domain, from the second unreleased series. His bullet was a second smaller glider-like insect, generically called Flight .
Snag : one of two Creepers planned to be released for the Dark Domain in the second wave of unreleased toys. Snag features a short grapple line that shoots from its mouth and can be rewound into its body.
Ax-Back : One of two Creepers planned to be released for the Dark Domain in the second wave of unreleased toys. Ax-Back featured a blade-like protrusion that snapped from its rear.

The Hyve

The Hyve playset was also produced, one of the largest playsets released in the 80s. Accessory elements included a boulder-like wrecking ball, heavy Skalibur turret pistol, ladder and cage. It featured a landing platform with a trap door, a folding deck and an interior detailing a "Biocontrol Laboratory". The Hyve arrived with two Mutant Insectoids as guardians. fool he was a gloved puppet, while vypex it was a smaller finger puppet. Narr and Vypex each had a cave from which they could "ambush" the figures during the game. Since each was a puppet, their back anatomies did not exist in toy form. As a result, the cartoonist who worked on the comic never drew the backs of their bodies. The posterior edge of Narr's abdomen was always obscured by the foreground, while Vypex's serpentine body never ended.

Main characters from comics and other books

belana : Zak's royal girlfriend, who secretly (and mutually) desires Dargon.
Devour : Goddess-empress of the Dark Domain and Skulk's stepmother.
Galken : It rules the Shining Kingdom as a Regency, in the absence of the elder brother Markor. A politician, not a warrior. uncle of Dargon.
Gnatseye : A warrior from the Shining Realm has telelegated himself to a Insectoid of name Jumpyr .
Hardyn : Chief Advisor of Galken.
Markor the Mighty : King of the Shining Realm, father of Dargon. Disappeared years ago in search of the Hyves.
Scorpio : An evil keeper and half-sister of Spidrax.
Seacor : a stubborn young man featured in the animated miniseries. He is eager to prove himself with Dargon and Company; Seacor's insect companion is Altifly.
Slick : This veteran thief is a talkative troublemaker whose vulgar jokes, outrageous lies, and embarrassing jokes make him less popular with his fellow Sectaurs. However, it is better company than the Dark Domain has to offer.

Glossary of terminology and places

Blue Forest : product of the Great Cataclysm, east of Synax. Common deportation camp for convicted criminals, as all who pass through this area are subject to complete and absolute amnesia.
Citadel of Shadows : the first Hyve-gate shown in the comics. It is located halfway between Prosperon and Synax, but was destroyed by Mantor shortly after its discovery.
creepers : smaller insects that are said to be raised as living weapons. They were to be released as "roleplay" scale toys in the unproduced second line and fit in a user's hand, not as a puppet, but presumably as a life-size weapon. Each possessed an action function similar to insect insects.
DarkDomain : a military dictatorship and home to the less humanistic “evil” characters in the series.
- Grimhold : dark fortress of Synax; residence of Empress Devora and her family.
- Syntax : Capital of the Dark Domain.
- The eleven degrees of the feudal pariah of the Dark Domain, from lowest to highest, are: Sergeant, Warmaster, Ensign, Lieutenant; Captain; greater ; commander, colonel; Brigadier; Field Marshal / General; Grand Marshal / Warlord. (The latter, as with the shoguns of Japan, acts as the emperor's deputy ruler.)
Dart Wing : A winged skall spear guided like a weapon via telebond with its owner. Each wing is razor sharp and can cut like a sword.
Desert of the Lost : product of the Great Cataclysm; it is located southeast of Prosperon and southwest of Synax, south of Mount Symbion. A common reason for deportation for convicted criminals, as everyone who passes through this area is subject to near-suicidal depression.
Forbidden area : basically, an unknown area outside the confines of the hex that encompasses all known Symbions.
The Great Cataclysm : result of a failed genetic experiment, which ruined the Civilization of the Ancients on Symbion. Insects and arachnids grew to appalling proportions; Humans have taken on the characteristics of arachnids and insects, with the Sectaurs as a result.
hyve : a mysterious fortress of the Ancients full of dangers. Filled with guardian monsters and booby traps, his wisdom is sought after by both good and evil Settaurs. There are multiple entrances, or entrances, to the Hyve through Symbion; at least two exist within the hexagonal confines of the known world, and others are believed to exist in the Forbidden Zone beyond. The Hyve, which looks like the playset from the toy line, and guarded by Naurr and Vypex, is the second portal visited in the comic series.
Insectoids : insects giants and mutated arachnids that coexist Symbion with the Sectaurs. They often serve as allies, pets, and / or steeds of the Sectaurs. Various similar types include steeds, flying steeds, action bugs, battle bugs, and mutants.
- Action bug - A term used in the toy line to refer to smaller partner Insectoids, each of which has a single button or function activated by the crank. (Parafly has two special features, although one are simply parts that glow in the dark.)
- battle bugs : a form of insect that is low and carries an artillery weapon above itself with a seat for a Sectaur knight. A Battle Bug was to be released for each faction in the unproduced second wave of the toyline, both with bodies of identical shape, but with different spring-loaded projectile weapons mounted on top of them.
- Flying Steeds : Winged insectoids large enough to be ridden by their fellow Sectaurs. In the toy line, steeds are half-puppet figures, with the user's hand fitting into the toy's legs and the middle finger operating some additional functions. In addition, they have flapping wings that are driven by a battery-powered motor.
- Mutanti : eternally living insectoids created by the Ancients as guardians of the lost Hyve.
- Steeds : Insectoids large enough to be ridden by their Sectaur partners. In the toy line, steeds are half-puppet figures, with the user's hand fitting into the toy's legs and the middle finger operating some additional functions.
Lake of Blood : north-east of Prosperon and north-west of Synax. So named because of a large air / sea battle fought there by the great grandparents of King Markor and Empress Devora. The aforementioned battle cost nearly a million lives.
Meander : also known as the Mist of Death, a product of the Great Cataclysm. A permanent valley of Meander was located southeast of Prosperon and southwest of Synax (beyond the Desert of the Lost) at the beginning of the comic series, protecting and hiding the second door to the Hyve, until it was dispersed using the power of the Hyve. A Meander was also seen early in the comic, accidentally released from the Hyve-gate known as the Citadel of Shadows. Breathing this crimson mist results in a rapid and violent corrosion of internal organs, for all those reckless enough to expose themselves.
Mount Symbion : the highest elevation of the known Symbion; 5 miles (8,0 km). Located southeast of Prosperon and southwest of Synax, north of the Desert of the Lost.
Sea of acid : product of the Great Cataclysm, located west of Prosperon. It will promptly and violently corrode the flesh of anyone reckless enough to swim in it.
Sectaurs : Insect-evolved humanoid inhabitants of both Prosperon and Synax. They and the insectoids comprise, for the most part, the remnants of the symbiotic civilization.
Shining Realm : a constitutional monarchy and home to the most humanistic "good" characters in the series.
- lightkeep : shining castle of Prosperon; residence of the royal family.
- Prosperon : Capital of the Shining Kingdom;
- Symator : Prosperon's legendary double-edged broadskall, handed down from ruler to ruler over the past 20 generations. Dargon is its last owner.
- The eleven degrees of the feudal pariah of the Shining Kingdom, from lowest to highest, are: Esquire; Paladin; Baron / Baroness; Count / Countess; Marquis / Marquess; Duke / Duchess; Archon / Arconetta; Magnusato / Magnusetta; Viceroy / Vice-Virgin; Royal Princess; Crown Prince.
Skalibur : a bioenergetic beam weapon of ancient lost technology. Skalibur weapons are often found inside Hyve gateways.
Peel : Unbreakable material grown as plant-like stems and used almost exclusively in the manufacture of shields, armor and weapons (touch and sharp). It is impervious to poison damage.
Slazor : pneumatic projectile weapon that launches projectiles capable of piercing Skall. The Slazors also use compressed poison gas ammunition; these bullets burst on impact in small poisonous clouds. The simplest breath of said gas infects its victims with such glorious bliss that it drives them mad; the victims slowly die senseless.
Sting Launcher : Rubber-powered heavy weapon for firing spinal bombs or stun spears. Commonly mounted on insect steeds. These weapons were carried over from Battle Beetle to the animated series for the Sectaurs and used extensively, but were not present in either the comic book incarnation or the toy for Battle Beetle.
- Bomb spinal fired from a sting launcher designed to explode and release hundreds of razor-sharp quills (technically, flechette) at high speed over an area six meters in diameter (three meters in each direction). It can be fired from a sting launcher.
- Stun Spears : sting-launch ammunition, mainly used to catch insectoids. A spear will paralyze a steed-sized insect for an hour.
Sting Troopers : Synax Elite Corps. With their swordsmanship and cunning skills in internal combat, each of them is considered a match for ten common Sectaur warriors. Commanded and trained by Waspax.
Swamp of Death : located south of the Acid Sea and southwest of Prosperon.
Telebonds : ability to share another's mind and senses. This term is used exclusively in the comic to denote the deep mental bond between a Sectaur and an Insectoid, but in toyline and mini-comics also as a generic term for other minor bonds, such as the secondary bond of Dargon and Parafly, or mental attunement. of a weapon like a dart wing.
Vengun : spring rifle for firing poison darts; range about forty meters. Its skall darts are filled with the venom of a creature called Venipede.
- Coming : a giant insect, first discovered (by accident) in the Swamp of Death. Poison taken from a live Venipede is used to refill vengun ammo.
Venom Whip : A poisonous tipped weapon made with a Triceralon antenna. Like a vengun dart, the whip causes instant death if it breaks the skin.

Technical data

Gender Entrainment
Authors Lawrence Mass, Tim Clarke and Maureen Trotto
Developed by Dan Di Stefano
Regia John Kimball
Music Shuki Levy, Haim Saban
country of origin United States
Original language English
Number of episodes 5
Executive producers Ken Spears, Joe Ruby
Producer Cosmo Anzilotti
Production company Ruby Spears