Kid Acero(which translates as Kid Steel) was the name CIPSA – a regional Mattel subsidiary – used to distribute and sell the popular Big Jim line of action figure toys for the Latin American markets. While most of the toys were exactly the same as the American versions, few of them were retooled or repainted, and sold using different names. These variations are hard to find, even in the local market, and most of the series was focused in two completely different characters: Kid Acero and James Bond. For over five years, a comic book dedicated to the Kid Acero toy line was produced.
Background
Kid Acero is a 19-year-old fictional sports star, who travels around the world to participate in international sports competitions. He also is a special covert operations agent (and later a superhero), who works for a secret counter intelligence agency which depends on the UN during the Cold War years. Kid Acero is recruited to fight an enemy organization named COBRA whose leader is Doctor Drago, a mad scientist who attempts to conquer the world. Acero has the assistance of two public superheroes code named Invisible and Bionic, and together, they are known as the LOBO Squadron.
The main headquarters of LOBO are deep inside a cavern in the Sonoran Desert. The team has several different vehicles as transportation and back up. They often uses a minijet, a turbojet backpack with retractable wings and a large behemoth vehicle used as a mobile headquarters. Kid Acero also has a trained eagle who helps him in his adventures in the wilderness. The COBRA Organization has his main headquarters in a volcano island located somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, but also has several minor safety homes around the world.
A similar plot was later used by Mattel in 1999 when they launched a new action figure named Max Steel.
Main characters
Heroes
Kid Acero – The "basic" good guy leader of the LOBO Squadron. It is widely accepted that Kid Acero is a nickname and not his real name, mostly like Kid Azteca. His real name was not revealed. He has a friendly and healthy personality, and is an expert in all kind of sports. He has a large number of gold medals and trophies due to his dedication to a healthy life and constant workout. Invisible Man – Good friend and partner of Kid Acero. Same as his partner, his real name remains unknown, and most characters simply calls him "Invisible". He has a clownish personality, but is also extremely greedy, and is extremely attractive to women. He is repeatedly seen flirting with several women, despite the fact he seems to have a serious relationship with his girlfriend, Malù, who was one of a few black characters at the time who was not heavily stereotyped. Invisible had the largest support cast of the trio, having a large family and several recurring friends (created for the comics). Among the most frequent were his nephew, the "Genius Child Amadeus" (kind of a 12 years old mad scientist); Amadeus` grandfather (apparently, Invisible's uncle), "Abue" (Granny) Gertudis (Invisible's grandmother, and his combat trainer! Still a formidable fighter at 80 years old); plus "Negro" (Black Man) Ezequiel (a seemingly Cuban black man, judging from his stereotypical accent), and "Gordo" (Fatso) Zapìaìn (possibly based on the books editor), and Quicxic, a talking spider monkey, they found in the Chiapas jungle. Bionic Man – He was mostly CIPSA's response to the Six Million Dollar Man, and also have two bionic legs and bionic right arm, but not eye. As the other members of the LOBO Squadron, he is just called "Biónico", instead of his real name. He is an ex-astronaut who was reconstructed using bionic implants after an unfortunate accident while landing after a successful mission on space. Owing to his previous soldier training, he has the most serious personality among the members of LOBO, often a bit obnoxious.