Buzz-Off

SUMMARY:

Buzz-Off, the “heroic spy in the sky” was produced in Hong Kong, Mexico (Aurimat), Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil, France, and Spain. This bee-like figure twists his waist, spreads his wings, and comes with both an axe and a removable helmet.

The Hong Kong figure is the Mattel standard, on which all Buzz-Offs are based. Characteristics include mid-brown tones (torso and shorts), a dark-brown head, claws, shorts, and well-defined face paint. Heads are rubber and can be found semi-hard or hard, and sometimes oversized.

The Hong Kong figure can be marked © Mattel Inc. 1983 (with HONG KONG covered up), or it can be marked © MATTEL INC 1983. Either stamp variations can have HONG KONG marked wings or unmarked wings. 

The helmets, marked © MATTEL, INC. 1983 (4923-2039), are hard rubber, and the mid-brown axe soft rubber, marked 4823-2548, with a batch number, such as 1,2,3, or 4.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:
1. Mid-brown tones, yellowish-orange stripes,
2. Bright yellow face and fluorescent green eyes
3. Rubber head that varies in density

MARKED: © MATTEL, INC. 1983
WINGS MARKED: © MATTEL, INC. 1983 HONG KONG or  © MATTEL, INC. 1983 (no COO)
AXE MARKED: No COO, just numbers (4823-2548) and a batch number such as 1,2,3 or 4.
HELMET MARKED: © MATTEL, INC. 1983 (4923-2039)

STAMP VARIANTS:
1. © Mattel Inc. 1983 (with HONG KONG covered-up)
2. © MATTEL INC 1983