Walk into any flea market or scroll through a vintage toy group on Facebook and you’ll see them. Those neon-colored, hyper-muscular beasts with the strange, textured skin. If you grew up in the mid-90s, you didn't just play with dinosaurs; you played with gods. Specifically, the gods of Urth. Primal Rage action figures were a strange anomaly in the toy world. They were based on a fighting game that was basically Mortal Kombat with giant monsters, yet Playmates Toys marketed them to kids who were barely old enough to read the move lists.
It was a weird time. Jurassic Park had made dinosaurs the biggest thing on the planet, but kids wanted something grittier. We wanted blood. We wanted "Fatalities" (or "Total Obliteration" in Primal Rage speak). Playmates stepped in and gave us these chunky, rubbery, slightly sticky figures that smelled like a chemical plant but looked incredibly cool on a bedroom shelf.
The Playmates Gamble and Why They Looked So Weird
Honestly, the most striking thing about these toys was the scale. They weren't small. They had this massive, hulking presence that dwarfed your standard G.I. Joe or Star Wars figures. Playmates used a specific type of rotocast plastic for the bodies of the larger characters like Blizzard and Chaos, which gave them a hollow but sturdy feel.
The textures were the real seller. If you run your thumb over an original 1994 Sauron figure, you’ll feel these bumps and ridges that were meant to simulate reptilian skin. It wasn't smooth like a Mattel Barbie or even a Kenner Jurassic Park raptor. It was rough. It felt "primal."
But there’s a catch that most collectors know all too well today: the "action" features.
Playmates was obsessed with gimmicks in the 90s. Every figure had to do something. Blizzard had a "Freezing Breath" water-squirting feature. Slash had a snapping jaw. While these were fun for a seven-year-old, they are the bane of a modern collector's existence. The internal bladders for the water-squirting figures almost always rot or leak over thirty years. If you're buying a loose Blizzard today, there’s a 90% chance the internal mechanism is toast.
The Rarity of the Series 2 Figures
Most people remember the big hitters. You’ve got your Blizzard, your Sauron, your Talon, and your Primal. These were everywhere. They sat on the shelves of Toys "R" Us for months. But the real "holy grail" talk starts when you look at the later releases and the unproduced prototypes.
Series 2 introduced characters like Vertigo and Chaos. Vertigo, the cobalt blue cobra-dinosaur hybrid, is notoriously difficult to find in good condition. Her long neck and tail were prone to "shelf wear," and the paint on her crest chips if you even look at it wrong.
Then there’s the Necrosan figure.
Necrosan was supposed to be the big bad, the skeletal dragon from the canceled Primal Rage II. For years, rumors swirled in toy magazines like ToyFare about whether he actually existed. While a few prototypes made it out into the wild, he remains one of the most sought-after pieces of 90s gaming memorabilia. If you ever see a bone-white dragon with Primal Rage branding at a garage sale for five bucks, buy it. You just hit the jackpot.
Why the Followers Mattered
One of the coolest, and honestly kind of darkest, parts of the Primal Rage action figures line was the inclusion of the "Followers."
In the game, these tiny humans would worship you at the bottom of the screen. You could eat them to regain health. Playmates actually included these tiny, non-articulated human figures with every beast. They were color-coded to match their respective god.
They were tiny. They were easy to lose.
Finding a loose Sauron is easy. Finding a loose Sauron with his original, tiny, orange-clothed worshippers? That’s where the price jumps. It showed a level of commitment to the game's lore that you don't always see in tie-in merch. It acknowledged that these weren't just animals; they were deities with cults.
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The "Sticky Plastic" Nightmare
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the degradation of 90s rubber.
If you own these figures, you’ve probably noticed they get "sticky." This isn't because they're dirty. It's a chemical process called plasticizer migration. The chemicals used to keep the plastic flexible start to seep out over time. It creates a tacky film that attracts dust like a magnet.
Expert collectors usually recommend a gentle bath in mild dish soap and water, but you have to be careful. Too much scrubbing and you’ll take the paint right off Sauron’s yellow stripes. It’s a delicate balance. It’s also why "Mint in Box" (MIB) figures are becoming so expensive. People want a version of these toys that hasn't been exposed to the oils of a thousand childhood handshakes.
The Aftermarket: What’s It Actually Worth?
Don't let eBay "asking prices" fool you. Just because someone listed a beat-up Armadon for $200 doesn't mean it's selling.
- Common Figures: Loose, played-with versions of Blizzard or Primal usually go for $20–$40.
- Complete Figures: If you have the box, the follower, and the trading card, expect to pay $80–$150 depending on the character.
- The Rarities: A carded Vertigo or a late-wave Chaos can easily clear $250.
- The "Grails": Unproduced prototypes or the giant electronic "Talking" versions can reach four figures in private collector circles.
The market for Primal Rage is weirdly stable. It’s supported by a specific demographic of 30-to-40-year-olds who remember the arcade cabinets and the Sega Saturn port. It’s nostalgia for an era when "extreme" was a marketing personality.
How to Spot a Quality Figure Today
If you're looking to start a collection or reclaim your childhood, you need to be picky.
First, check the joints. The "snapping" action on many of these figures relies on internal plastic tabs that get brittle. Ask the seller for a video of the jaw snapping or the arms swinging. If it feels "mushy," the internal spring is likely gone.
Second, look at the paint on the teeth and claws. These were the first places the paint would rub off during "battles." A Sauron with white scuffs on his black talons is a sign of a well-loved toy, which is fine for a shelf-filler, but not for an investment piece.
Third, check the "Followers." Many sellers try to pass off generic army men or small figurines from other lines as the original Primal Rage worshippers. The real ones have a very specific, slightly exaggerated 90s sculpt and are made of a harder, translucent or solid-colored plastic that matches the god's specific color scheme.
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The Cultural Legacy of Urth
It’s easy to dismiss these as just more plastic junk from the 90s, but they represent a peak in "monster" toy design. Before every licensed toy was a hyper-accurate, 3D-scanned resin statue for adult collectors, we had these. They were toys meant to be thrashed. They were ugly, they were loud, and they were unapologetically violent.
The Primal Rage franchise eventually died out—the sequel was canceled, the comics ended, and the planned movie never happened—but the toys kept the pulse going. They occupy a specific niche alongside Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat toys, representing the brief window where fighting games ruled the world.
Your Next Steps for Collecting
If you want to get into the world of Urth, start small. Don't go for the rare Series 2 figures immediately.
Grab a Series 1 Blizzard or Sauron. They are the icons of the line. Check local "Vintage Toy" shops rather than just relying on eBay; you can often find these in the "loose bins" for a fraction of the online price because the owners don't realize they are part of a specific set.
Invest in a display case. Because of the sticky plastic issue mentioned earlier, keeping them in a temperature-controlled environment away from direct sunlight is mandatory. If you leave a loose Armadon in a hot attic, he will literally melt into his own spikes.
Join the community. There are several "Primal Rage" fan groups on Discord and Reddit where people trade parts. If you find a figure missing a tail or a follower, someone in these groups usually has a spare they're willing to trade for. It's a small community, but they are incredibly knowledgeable about the specific mold variations and regional releases that happened in the mid-90s.
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Keep an eye out for the "Electronic" versions as well. These were massive, battery-operated behemoths that roared. They are notorious for battery leakage, so if you find one, open the battery compartment immediately to check for that tell-tale white crust. Cleaning it with a bit of vinegar and a Q-tip can often bring a "dead" god back to life.