From power rings to radioactive rocks, explosives to magical artifacts, every hero and villain has some equipment they just can't live without. And when you need to decide which of these weapons you need on your Heroclix team, it can be a pretty tough decision. I'm here to help.

This time on Object of Desire: The Outdoor Adventure Kit!

Greetings, my fellow Clixers! Today we go back in time, to the early days of Heroclix, so that we may see the origins of the special object. So, step into the WABAC (the proper Rocky and Bullwinkle spelling this time!) Machine and take a look at the contents of the Outdoor Adventure Kit!

ics004 Soda Machine

Heavy: Increase the attacker's damage dealt by 1 when used in an attack.
0 Points

ics006 Mailbox

Light: Increases the attacker's damage dealt by 1 when used in an attack.
0 Points

ics007 Dumpster

Heavy: This object is not destroyed when used in an attack. The attacker places it in any square adjacent to the target after use.
0 Points

ics008 Light Post

Heavy: A target with 0 or 1 action tokens that is successfully hit with this object also receives an action token, which can result in pushing damage.
0 Points


Availability: The Outdoor Adventure Kit is relatively hard to find, owing to the fact that it came out around the time of Hypertime and Infinity Challenge. You may have to do some serious searching on the Internet or through your local hobby/game shop if you want the full set, or you might be able to trade for these items piecemeal with other players.

How far we have come. Back in the day, the items in the Outdoor Adventure Kit were considered some of the coolest things ever conceived. In a world where all objects were simply cardboard tokens with no extra rules, the objects in the Adventure Kits were awesome. To be honest, they’re still pretty good; back when they were created objects didn’t cost any points, which means all these effects are freebies. Also, there were no comic-specific items getting the special object treatment. This is good, since Wizkids really didn’t try to make thematic effects for specific stuff; while the effects given to some of the objects make sense, I’m not entirely sure how the Mailbox or Meteorite quite sync up with the effects they got. Then again, Wizkids wasn’t exactly beating down my door to be a game designer, so I guess I really have no right to complain about that.

In Action
The first thing you need to remember is that these objects cost nothing to use. You can build your team right up to the full point total and still throw a few of these objects on your team. Simple, right? Now, the Mailbox functions as a heavy object, but it can be thrown and used as a light object (which it is). In the same vein, the Soda Machine (which is a heavy object) deals an additional point of damage when used in an attack. That’s any attack, which means throwing these objects (either with Super Strength or Telekinesis) still does the extra damage. If you’re eager to deal as much damage as possible with as few attacks as possible, you want both these objects on their team.

The Dumpster is, quite simply, the best object you’ll never run out of. This is the object that you’ll probably have the hardest time getting a hold of if you’re hunting these objects separately, though you can always go with the Generator from the Danger Room Starter if you can’t lay hands on this. If you can find it, that is. Having an unlimited supply of one heavy object is extremely popular, especially if you have someone with both Super Strength and Hypersonic Speed, since that means you almost never lose the object; if you have both Stealth and Super Strength, you can drop the object under yourself when using it in a close combat attack to hide yourself from ranged payback. Just know that: 1) the Dumpster can still be destroyed by means other than attacking, so don’t place it in a square where it can be shot into oblivion, and 2) if your opponent gets his/her grubby hands on it, you are in for the infinite beatdown you were planning on unleashing on him/her. Use with caution.

The Light Post is just downright mean. It’s a heavy object like most of the objects in the Outdoor Adventure Kit, which means it grants you the +2 to damage. This one also puts an action token on the figure you hit with it, which is (I think) supposed to represent your guy wrapping it around your opponent’s guy to hinder his movement. In game terms, this could keep your opponent from making their retaliatory attack if he’s worried about pushing his character, or just push their character and both take retaliation out of the question entirely and more often than not deal an additional point of damage than isn’t prevented by those pesky damage reducers. I’m not proud of how I reacted the first time I was hit with one of these, but that’s what you get when you don’t ask what that nifty thing is your opponent has set up on their side of the map.

Final Assessment
While they’re hard to find and a little dated, the first generation of special objects is still a pretty useful collection of plastic. Since they don’t have dials to get slowly watered down as more powerful stuff comes out, they are still just as useful as they were the day they came out.

That’s all for this article; come back next time as we look at the Indoor Adventure Kit on our continuing nostalgia phase. Until then, happy Clixin’!

I want them!! Someone trade me!

Great subject for an an article! Edited my post: found the text I was looking for!

When you do Indoor, be sure to mention how most MA objects can fit inside the crate. I'm sure they'd fit inside the dumpster, too, but I haven't got mine to open.

Great review. I really wish I had some of those...

Ah yes, I remember when these came out. My venue, we still see dumpsters getting thrown around. Alas, if only I could find these guys.

Soda Machine isn't in the Outdoor kit. It's the Wooden Crate (Which doesn't seem like an outdoor object, but whatever).

I know this because I don't own the Indoor Kit...

Been trying to find these for a good price forever...

I don't own this kit... Would love to get it... I have the generator which is like the dumpster... Plus the drone and radar dish... All are fun, but the Generator is my fav... When I can use it... In the hands of Magneto, it's dangerous....

I love that WizKids went back and made Print and Play cards for these objects (http://heroclix.com/wp-content/uploa...3D-Objects.pdf).

I bought the indoor and outdoor kit when they came out and still possess them. They are fun to use and I will never trade them...

Yes, the above is correct...

Outdoor kit came with the Lightpost, Dumpster, Crate, and mailbox.

The indoor kit came with the Soda machine, desk, indoor computer, and book shelf...

Fun objects. Wish they made a second series of these...

Got both the Indoor and Outdoor kits when they were new. It's been so long that I forget which pieces were in which, aside from the obvious ones.

I've been trying to find proxies of these objects to use in informal games. I found a pack of O Scale model railroad accessories that included mailboxes, benches, trashcans, fire hydrants and a phone booth. These are all perfect. And Mega Miniatures had a line of Urban Decor that included office furniture, vending machines, and other stuff. Anybody know of others I can use until WizKids makes more?