KO Leadworks Astronaut

Leadworks Astronauts

Ever since an intrepid dealer offered these on eBay as "Unknown Japanese Major Matt Mason Figures" there has been a lot of controversy about the Leadworks "Astronaut" figure. Initially offered in the US in the Fall of 2000 (the first of them was seen in late October, early November) as two variations of the same carded figure (see photos below), they then were offered as boxed figures with four variations (two of them are African-American).

The figures appear to have been molded from an actual large-head Major Matt Mason figure, with a little retooling on the hands and bottoms of the boots. The painting design is pretty close to the originals, with the additions of some small details (such as the cuffs being painted like early MMM figures) and a US flag decal (the star-field is rotated 90 degrees for a strange looking flag!). The helmet is extremely close to the original, with a little more "point" to the visor where it clips to the helmet. The Mattel copyright information has been replaced with © LW and Hong Kong is missing from the calf. There are also "breather" holes in pairs along the back of the figure and the back of the limbs, probably from the injection process. The original two "Astronauts" came in an Orange suit version with light brown hair and silver cuffs, and a Silver suit version with dark brown hair and white cuffs. My guess is that they were emulating the suit colors for the Mercury and Shuttle astronauts.

The cards in themselves are pretty interesting, stating "Launching to Earth, Moon, Mars and Beyond"..."Everyone thinks you're a space cadet?...Now you can be one!" and "Boldly go where no action figure has gone before!" The back of the card is the most interesting with "Exciting adventures in deep space of Uranus." 

Towards the end of availability, MMM list-member Bob Aucutt reported that upon inquiry, the carded Leadworks figures will no longer be produced. Instead they would be bagged and presented in a decorated box. Also, Leadworks issued two new black astronauts, one in a yellow, and one in blue space suits (Jeff Long?). These two African-American figures are re-paints of the originals, with similar detailing (basically, the same larger MMM head only painted brown). They are different in that they have clear instead of the yellow tinted visors, probably for aesthetic reasons. The set was packaged differently from those previously, as it was only sold in case form where one would receive three of each of the four colors.

Leadworks Card Front

Leadworks Card Back

Leadworks 2nd Release of 4 Astronauts

Leadworks Box Assortment Front

Leadworks Box Assortment Front Top

Leadworks Box Assortment Contents

Leadworks Box Assortment Contents Detail

John's Notes:

As mentioned,  these figures are slightly smaller than the originals, but not quite as small as the European Knock-off. Also,  the "breather" holes on the back is a huge giveaway. Other than that they aren't bad as a reproduction,  other than missing the Mattel armature that allows for the original figures to be posed - instead these have a single wire in each limb (like Gumby or a Colorforms Outer Space Man) which prevents some of the poses offered by the originals. These days expect to pay $150-300 or more for a set of the two carded figures (one in silver, one in orange) - still cheaper than a packaged original figure.

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