Spin Fighters were die-cast metal top toys that were manufactured by Bandai in China in the mid 1990s. The Spin Fighters tops were loaded into Launchers, which were then tightly wound by fingertip, and subsequently released into the Spin Fighters Battle Arena. The tops battled until the last top spinning was the winner. Spin Fighters tops were ~1 inch across, came in black and gold colors, and bore a prismatic sticker featuring a character from a TV show or video game. Usually, the black tops represented the "Bad Guys" and the gold tops represented the "Good Guys." Spin Fighters were sold two to a package: one gold and one black spin fighter. Power Launchers and Battle Arenas were available separately or bundled. Spin Fighters tops can be disassembled and worn on jackets, shirts, and hats, through any small button hole. Production of Spin Fighter ceased around 1997. They are widely seen to be the forerunner to Beyblade, which began production in 1997.
Series
Spin Fighters series included: World Wrestling Federation, Saban's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and Capcom's Street Fighter. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers branded "Power Launchers" were made to resemble the Power Rangers' Communicator. Later, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers "Turbo Launchers" were available, each with an exclusive matching "Power Coin" Spin Fighter; However, they were only made for the Black, Blue, Pink and White Rangers. Turbo Launchers did not require fingertips to wind; Instead, a wheel on the side was rolled against a table to wind the launcher.
Special sets
The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Tournament Set consisted of: a cardboard storage box, all 25 Series 2 Spin Fighters, a red Power Pit Battle Arena and 2 Launchers. It was available by mail, starting in 1994, through various store catalogs, including: JC Penney, Sears, K·B Toys and Toys "R" Us. While the packaging says "Exclusive Zordon Spin Fighter only available in this set!", it was also sold bundled with the Lord Zedd Spin Fighter, the "Thunder Stadium" Battle Arena, and 2 Mini Launchers. A Street Fighter II Turbo box set, exclusive to Japan, had 24 blue Spin Fighters. It consisted of: a cardboard box containing 12 different Spin Fighters and their duplicates, each in an individual protective storage case. The character stickers were not holographic and had different images from those available in North American and European Markets. A Street Fighter II Turbo Tournament Set, exclusive to Japan, consisted of: a cardboard storage box, black and Gold Japan-Exclusive Spin Fighters, a purple Battle Arena, 2 Launchers, and a clear plastic cup.
Errors
There are 3 naming errors in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Series 1: Mutitis is incorrectly called Thornos, Hatchasaurus is called Hatchling, and Colossus is labeled as Knight in Shiny Mirrors. There is 1 naming error in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Series 2: Octophantom is incorrectly called Elepus. There are 2 missing from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Series 3; It remains unclear why Turbo Launchers weren't made to match the Red and Yellow Rangers. Also, the stickers are holographic at the outer edge only, rather than prismatic over the entire surface, like Series 1 and 2. And, production models don't match prototypes seen on the back of the packaging for the Thunder Stadium, which had the color fields flipped, thereby providing a more pleasing and accurate color when spinning. Furthermore, the design on the White Ranger's Power Coin is wrong, both the Turbo Launcher and the matching Spin Fighter; It shows a White Tiger Power Coin, which was never seen on the show.
