M.A.S.K
Created | Updated Apr 13, 2014
Mobile Armored Strike Command or M.A.S.K. for short was a
cartoon that lasted a few seasons back in the 80's. It came
out not long after the relative success of a similar cartoon
called Transformers. It was geared right at the boys with fast
cars, big trucks and a lot of guns. Add to that all of the
gratuitous violence and you have a sure winner for young kids (Or
some not so young) The basis for the Show was that M.A.S.K. was
always out to stop Venom (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem). Like
all the 80's shows, you had your good guys who were really good,
and your bad guys who were insane ego-maniacs (Or just maniacs).
And from there the fun abounded. Both sides were equipped with
vehicles which could transform into different modes, such as a
car which could fly and a truck that turned into a mobile gun
platform, and special helmets called masks which were powered by
a special crystal. In later seasons, it spun into a racing theme.
They went around the differant global race curcuits battling it
out and seeing who was the fastest all at the same time.
The Leader of M.A.S.K was Matt Trakker.
Matt was the leader, and aparant funder of the M.A.S.K.
team. Your average american cartoon hero, blonde, blue eyes... Sort of a cartoon Lee Majors... The father of Scott Trakker and is either divorced or
widowed. seemed to be independantly wealthy. His younger brother
Andy was the one who first designed the MASK and Venom vehicles
and masks. (The original ones.) Andy was killed by Miles Mayhem
when he stole some plans and took off to get powerful on his own.
Miles Mayhem was the leader of Venom. He had a bad attitude and
seemed to only be happy when he had just done something he knew
Trakker wouldn't be able to stop. Seemed more personal with him
sometimes. Like he was more interested in getting back at Matt
for something then at really getting that power he talked about.
________________________________________________________
M.A.S.K. Agents:
Bruce Sato (Mask: Lifter)
Alex Sector (Mask: Jackrabbit)
Hondo MacLean (Mask: Blaster)
Brad Turner (Mask: Hocus Pocus)
Gloria Baker (Mask: Aura)
Julio Lopez (Mask: Streamer)
Buddy Hawkes (Mask: Penetrator)
Dusty Hayes (Mask: Backlash)
M.A.S.K. Vehicles:
Boulder Mountain: Boulder Mountain wasn't exactly a vehicle,
more M.A.S.K.'s base of operations... from the outside, it looked
like a gas station recessed into this massive mountain... Hence
the name.... But, it could turn into a fortress if under attack.
Usually manned by Buddy Hawkes and Alex Sector.
Thunderhawk: Thunderhawk was a Nascar-esque looking car (a Camaro
apparently) which could transform into a plane, thanks to it's
Delorian-like doors. Driven usually by Matt Trakker or Bruce Sato.
Rhino: Rhino was a dirty great truck which could turn into a
mobile gun platform... It also made for a mobile base of
operations when MASK was out of contact from Boulder mountain.
Condor: Condor was a green motorcycle that could transform into a
helecopter. The bike could also go faster than Mach 1 on the
ground... Ridden by Brad Turner.
Firecracker: Firecracker was a pick up truck driven by Hondo
Maclean or by Buddy Hawkes... It had no real transforming mode
apart from it had high-lift shocks which allowed to travel over
almost any terrain... It also had an ordianary motorbike on the
back.
Shark: Shark was a car that could turn into a submarine...
Looking suspiciously like the Lotus which could do that in the
Bond film, Shark was driven by Gloria Baker.
Firefly: Firefly was a dragster which could transform into a
light aircraft vehicle... Very rarely seen, and driven by an even
rarer Julio Lopez.
____________________________________________________
VENOM Agents:
Sly Rax (Mask: Stiletto)
Cliff Dagger (Mask: Torch)
Vanessa Warfield (Mask: Whip)
Nash Gorey (Mask: Powerhouse)
Floyd Malloy (Mask: Buckshot)
VENOM Vehicles:
Switchblade: Was a helecopter which could change into a high
performance fighter plane. Flown by Miles Mayhem.
Pirana: A Motorbike and sidecar, of which the sidecar could be
deployed as a submarine.
Jackhammer: A 4x4 which hid a dirty great gun in the boot.
Somehow, the car changed into a mobile gun turret, taking the
driver, Cliff Dagger, from the drivers seat to the back of the
car, behind the gun controls...(Don't ask me how)
Manta: Manta was a sports car, which could change into a
plane, much like Thunderhawk except it got shot down a lot more.
Outlaw: Was Vemon's answer to Rhino, a large truck, which could
turn into a mobile base of operations... Driven by Nash Gorey.
Vampire: A motorcyle that turned into a plane-like contraption
and driven by Floyd Malloy.
_____________________________________________
One of the things I remember most from M.A.S.K. was that it
always had a safety warning at the end, usually starring Matt's son, Scott and his loyal robot, T-Bob.
The safety warning would usually involve T-Bob leaping off a
building and getting smashed to pieces before Matt would come
along and tell the camera you shouldn't do such silly things...
Then it would pull back and Matt and Scott would laugh at T-Bob's
smashed frame...
Strange that only myself and a collegue of mine can remember when
it was first on... If you wish to see it now, it's on Fox Kids (Channel 610, Sky Digital)
cartoon that lasted a few seasons back in the 80's. It came
out not long after the relative success of a similar cartoon
called Transformers. It was geared right at the boys with fast
cars, big trucks and a lot of guns. Add to that all of the
gratuitous violence and you have a sure winner for young kids (Or
some not so young) The basis for the Show was that M.A.S.K. was
always out to stop Venom (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem). Like
all the 80's shows, you had your good guys who were really good,
and your bad guys who were insane ego-maniacs (Or just maniacs).
And from there the fun abounded. Both sides were equipped with
vehicles which could transform into different modes, such as a
car which could fly and a truck that turned into a mobile gun
platform, and special helmets called masks which were powered by
a special crystal. In later seasons, it spun into a racing theme.
They went around the differant global race curcuits battling it
out and seeing who was the fastest all at the same time.
The Leader of M.A.S.K was Matt Trakker.
Matt was the leader, and aparant funder of the M.A.S.K.
team. Your average american cartoon hero, blonde, blue eyes... Sort of a cartoon Lee Majors... The father of Scott Trakker and is either divorced or
widowed. seemed to be independantly wealthy. His younger brother
Andy was the one who first designed the MASK and Venom vehicles
and masks. (The original ones.) Andy was killed by Miles Mayhem
when he stole some plans and took off to get powerful on his own.
Miles Mayhem was the leader of Venom. He had a bad attitude and
seemed to only be happy when he had just done something he knew
Trakker wouldn't be able to stop. Seemed more personal with him
sometimes. Like he was more interested in getting back at Matt
for something then at really getting that power he talked about.
________________________________________________________
M.A.S.K. Agents:
Bruce Sato (Mask: Lifter)
Alex Sector (Mask: Jackrabbit)
Hondo MacLean (Mask: Blaster)
Brad Turner (Mask: Hocus Pocus)
Gloria Baker (Mask: Aura)
Julio Lopez (Mask: Streamer)
Buddy Hawkes (Mask: Penetrator)
Dusty Hayes (Mask: Backlash)
M.A.S.K. Vehicles:
Boulder Mountain: Boulder Mountain wasn't exactly a vehicle,
more M.A.S.K.'s base of operations... from the outside, it looked
like a gas station recessed into this massive mountain... Hence
the name.... But, it could turn into a fortress if under attack.
Usually manned by Buddy Hawkes and Alex Sector.
Thunderhawk: Thunderhawk was a Nascar-esque looking car (a Camaro
apparently) which could transform into a plane, thanks to it's
Delorian-like doors. Driven usually by Matt Trakker or Bruce Sato.
Rhino: Rhino was a dirty great truck which could turn into a
mobile gun platform... It also made for a mobile base of
operations when MASK was out of contact from Boulder mountain.
Condor: Condor was a green motorcycle that could transform into a
helecopter. The bike could also go faster than Mach 1 on the
ground... Ridden by Brad Turner.
Firecracker: Firecracker was a pick up truck driven by Hondo
Maclean or by Buddy Hawkes... It had no real transforming mode
apart from it had high-lift shocks which allowed to travel over
almost any terrain... It also had an ordianary motorbike on the
back.
Shark: Shark was a car that could turn into a submarine...
Looking suspiciously like the Lotus which could do that in the
Bond film, Shark was driven by Gloria Baker.
Firefly: Firefly was a dragster which could transform into a
light aircraft vehicle... Very rarely seen, and driven by an even
rarer Julio Lopez.
____________________________________________________
VENOM Agents:
Sly Rax (Mask: Stiletto)
Cliff Dagger (Mask: Torch)
Vanessa Warfield (Mask: Whip)
Nash Gorey (Mask: Powerhouse)
Floyd Malloy (Mask: Buckshot)
VENOM Vehicles:
Switchblade: Was a helecopter which could change into a high
performance fighter plane. Flown by Miles Mayhem.
Pirana: A Motorbike and sidecar, of which the sidecar could be
deployed as a submarine.
Jackhammer: A 4x4 which hid a dirty great gun in the boot.
Somehow, the car changed into a mobile gun turret, taking the
driver, Cliff Dagger, from the drivers seat to the back of the
car, behind the gun controls...(Don't ask me how)
Manta: Manta was a sports car, which could change into a
plane, much like Thunderhawk except it got shot down a lot more.
Outlaw: Was Vemon's answer to Rhino, a large truck, which could
turn into a mobile base of operations... Driven by Nash Gorey.
Vampire: A motorcyle that turned into a plane-like contraption
and driven by Floyd Malloy.
_____________________________________________
One of the things I remember most from M.A.S.K. was that it
always had a safety warning at the end, usually starring Matt's son, Scott and his loyal robot, T-Bob.
The safety warning would usually involve T-Bob leaping off a
building and getting smashed to pieces before Matt would come
along and tell the camera you shouldn't do such silly things...
Then it would pull back and Matt and Scott would laugh at T-Bob's
smashed frame...
Strange that only myself and a collegue of mine can remember when
it was first on... If you wish to see it now, it's on Fox Kids (Channel 610, Sky Digital)
