Ring Raiders was a short-lived 1989 animated series co-produced by Dic Entertainment and Bohbot Entertainment, meant to help advertise a toy line of the same name. Said toys consisted of mock-ups of fighter planes from various time periods with a ring built into the underside, which kids were meant to slide their hand into and move their arm around to make the planes seem to fly. Hence the Catchphrase "The command is in your hand."
The plot devised for the animated series was that in the year 1998, a group of disillusioned war veterans have discovered the secret of time travel and assembled fighter pilots from different eras of war. They call themselves the Skull Squadron, and their aim is to Take Over the World. A heroic squadron is formed with a similar modus operandi, made up of justice-inclined pilots from various eras as well. The ring gimmick was folded into the show by giving the pilots each a special ring that could give them and their planes super-powered attributes, but only for a short time.
Only five episodes were made before going defunct.
This series provides examples of:
- Army of The Ages: The idea behind both groups, made up of fighter pilots from various different eras of warfare.
- Bragging Theme Tune: The theme song for the cartoon is about all the things the Ring Raiders are faster than. Including "evil" and "crime."
- Code Name: The heroes all had relatively normal-sounding names, but the villains used intimidating callsigns like Siren, Chiller, Sling, Wraith, and Mako.
- Deadly Upgrade: The cost of using the Super Mode from the rings is that it can burn out the pilot's brain if they don't power down within a certain time.
- Hour of Power: The pilots could use their rings to become all but invincible, but only for a few minutes before it'd overload their bodies, killing them in the process.
- Ring of Power: The ones that let the pilots achieve the Super Mode.
- Super Mode: The pilots can temporarily power-up their planes into one by using their rings.
- Time Travel: What the squadrons use to pluck their members into 1998.
