TRAPJAW RIPSTER REVIEW - TEST SHOT SAMPLE

Cool video showcasing one of the rarest Street Sharks action figures in the collection... Trapjaw Ripster. Part of the Night Fighter series, Trapjaw was released in toy stores back in 1996. Today this figure is one of the most valuable toys in the Street Sharks collection.

I absolutely love this figure.. I mean, look at how graphic this guy is, check out the dark colourings, his aggressive look & the wild accessories – this is one badass toy.
The night fighters were one of last series of the Street Sharks to be released. Basically they’re 3 reimagined figures from the previous series. But they’re so well designed, that they’re almost unrecognisable.

Hydrofire Jab is based on Jet Pack Jab.. , Stingshot Streex is based on MotoStreex.

And The Trapjaw Ripster is actually based on the Pool Shark Ripster, but each of them have been darkened to suit the theme of the Night Fighters & they added some wicked accessories.

Looking back, Street Sharks actually had quite a short run between 1994 and 1996. But they had released 53 different action figures and a tonne of merchandise within those 3 short years.. by the time the Night Fighters and Space Force series hit toy stores, the Street Sharks were near the end of their run. In short, not as many were sold which is what makes they so special & valuable today.

Finding complete Night Fighters today is a difficult task and they come with a very high price tag.

Remember, we were kids… not collectors back then. We played with them and usually lost all of their weapons and accessories… If only we could go back in time, right!

So taking a closer look at the Trapjaw, he has glow in the dark eyes, Titanium Bite Guard, Spiked Fin Protector, Steel Knuckle Armour and a realistic biting trap - which has an elastic hinge feature that slams shut.

The figure has some basic articulation with of course the jaw movement of most of these sharks.

So if you’re searching for one of these guys, like any figure condition is everything… make sure he has all of the accessories and check the condition of those accessories too.. The elastic band in the bear trap became brittle with age and often broke and went missing so ask the seller a few more questions.

The most common condition issue with the Trapjaw figures is actually caused by the Bite Guard. Often the Bite Guard would stick to the paint on Ripsters face causing it to peel over time. In my experience its near impossible to find one that hasn’t got at least wear on its face. Its not a big deal, most of them have it. This one I have has took years to find without any wear. Here’s something some of you may have not seen before…
This is the original Street Sharks Test Shot Prototype of the Trap Jaw Ripster… What makes it even more special is that it’s sealed in the packaging…

So in short for those of you who aren’t familiar… an action figure “Test Shot Sample” is basically a figure in the final testing stages of the production process. The team at the factory will often use scrap pieces of plastic, usually multicoloured, to test & practice with the moulds before the figure goes in to full production.

In this case, the Test Shot sample of Trap Jaw Ripster was also used to test out the packaging sample.. – its actually crazy rare to see any test shot sample, let alone one in packaging…

Often the factory would send samples like this back to the team at Mattel to get the approval for the next step. Like most test samples and prototypes, this was meant to be destroyed after it had served its purpose.. But look at this guy, if it were up to you, would you have been able to just throw it in the trash?!

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