1990 Topps RoboCop 2 trading cards serve two purposes. At face value, they’re just that — trading cards. Collect ’em, trade ’em, buy packs, build sets. Simple. But the release is also symbolic of the changing times in the early 1990s. Kids were watching R-rated films. They had been regularly with the introduction of VCRs and premium cable like HBO. So studios were beginning to take some of their franchises, particularly in the action genre, and make kid-friendly merch to go with it — like trading cards.
1990 Topps RoboCop 2 Checklist Details
For the most part, this really is a standard set of Topps movie cards. The 88 base cards highlight key moments and retell the story of sci-fi sequel that was directed by Irvin Kershner, best known for another sequel — The Empire Strikes Back. Just like the movie, it doesn’t hold back on the violence, which might be somewhat surprising given how most movie and TV trading cards up to that point were fairly sanitized. But how gory can The Goonies or Harry and the Hendersons be?
Fronts opt for a bright yellow border, which is in contrast to the film’s darker tone. A jagged orange inner border, perhaps evoking torn rusted metal, holds in the photos with the film’s icon and card caption running along the bottom. Although most of the set is dedicated to the sequel, there are some that cover the original RoboCop film and a handful of “Storyboard” cards showing some of the initial planning.
Backs are headlined by the movie’s title and also have a large RoboCop image. Recaps aren’t overly long, but they do hold some detail.
Joining them are 11 Stickers, which land one per pack. These have red borders with a movie image set inside of a shield shape. Backs double as puzzle pieces.
Factory Sets and Exclusives
Besides regular wax packs and boxes, there’s also a 1990 Topps RoboCop 2 factory set. It’s the same base set, however cards are done on glossy stock. Not only does this add a premium layer to the release, these are also standalone cards that should be cataloged as something different. It’s very similar to Topps Tiffany baseball card sets released in the 1980s and early ’90s. Same cards only glossy.
The factory set, which is dubbed the Complete Collectors’ Edition, also has 22 Behind the Scenes inserts that weren’t available in packs.
Other than the glossy surface, which is noticeable by touch, backs can also be a way of telling a regular base card from a factory set one. Regular base cards have a browning background. Glossy cards, like Topps Tiffany, are done on bright white card stock.
Paralleling the movie, there’s not a ton of interest in 1990 Topps RoboCop 2 trading cards today. They’re out there, people know about them, but the franchise hasn’t had a lot of lasting popularity beyond the original. However, for those who haven’t gotten them yet, the cards are still reasonably priced, even when compared to a lot of other movie and TV releases from the era that have made significant price jumps in recent years.
1990 Topps RoboCop 2 Checklist
Click on the links to shop for cards or to check current market values on eBay.
Set size: 88 cards
Cards per pack: 10
Packs per box: 36
Shop for 1990 Topps RoboCop 2 boxes on eBay.
Base Set Checklist
88 cards.
Buy on eBay:
1 Title Card
2 Fatal Malfunction
3 The Price of Progress
4 A Man Named Murphy
5 Boddicker’s Butchers
6 Man without a Hand
7 Murphy–Blown Away!
8 The Cop of Tomorrow
9 Partners in Crimefighting
10 Freeze!
11 Supermarket Assault!
12 A Lady in Distress
13 Robocop Blasted!
14 Reining in the Madness
15 A Blow against Evil
16 Memories of Me
17 Man…or Machine?
18 Taking the Heat
19 His Murderers Apprehended
20 The Hidden Directive
21 Correcting His Mistakes
22 ED-209 Missile Assault
23 Dented But Undaunted
24 Slammed by ED-209
25 RoboCop, Heal Thyself!
26 Toxic Nightmare
27 Showdown
28 Pummeled from Above
29 RoboCop’s Revenge
30 Say Goodnight, ED
31 Or the Old Geezer Gets It!
32 Murphy’s Comeback
33 Duo for Danger!
34 Peace Officer!
35 A Madman Named Cain
36 The Robotics Museum
37 Get Lost, RoboCop!
38 Lewis vs. Hob
39 A Bad Cop…
40 Duffy’s Just Deserts
41 The New Mission
42 Devastating Blasts
43 In the Clutches of Cain
44 Captured!
45 Destruction of RoboCop
46 In Need of Repair
47 Living Death
48 RoboCop Screw-Up!
49 You Can’t Be Serious!
50 Only One Way Out…
51 Electrical Purge
52 Cop Camradery
53 Beautiful But Savage
54 The Rebirth of Cain
55 What Was Once, Can Never Be Again
56 Detroit’s Action Hero
57 Crusader Against Crime
58 Practice Makes Perfect!
59 RoboCop Patrol!
60 Helmeted Hero
61 Officer Anne Lewis
62 No Escape from RoboCop!
63 Spectacular Explosion!
64 Hob Bites It
65 RoboCop Means Business!
66 Closing In
67 Shielded from Harm
68 Robocop Stunned!
69 Metallic Monster
70 Preparing To Pounce
71 The Robot Warriors
72 Facing the Enemy
73 Incredible Struggle!
74 Clashing Titans
75 Has RoboCop Met His Match?
76 Only One Will Survive…
77 Cain’s Brain
78 RoboCop…Triumphant!
79 Bad Day for the Old Man
80 Metal Justice
81 Storyboard: The Shoot-Out
82 Storyboard: Taking the Plunge
83 Storyboard: Suspended in Mid-Air
84 Storyboard: Jolted By Electricity
85 Storyboard: Standing Tall
86 Storyboard: Blocking the Blast
87 Storyboard: Sizing Each Other Up
88 Storyboard: About To Pounce
Glossy Base Cards
88 cards.
Included in factory set.
Stickers Checklist
11 cards.
1 per pack.
1 Robocop 2 Shield
2 Robocop / Officer Lewis
3 Robocop, Buring Car in Background
4 Robocop in Front of Car Grill
5 Robocop Close-Up
6 Angie / Hob
7 Robocop Pointing Gun Up
8 Robocop, Robocop 2
9 Robocop Arms Out
10 ED-209
11 Robocop Grimacing
Behind the Scenes Checklist
22 cards.
1 set with each factory set.
A How to Handle Your Gun
B The Predatory Stance
C Death of a Dummy
D Lending a Needed Hand
E Metal Appendage
F Conferring with Kurtwood
G Paul Verhoeven Directs
H Touching Up the Toxic Terror
I Directing ED-209
J Display of Blood
K Shooting a Night Scene
L Readying Robocop for the Cameras
M Director Irvin Kershner
N Fine Tuning
O All Wired Up
P Making the Unreal Real
Q Nancy Allen as Lewis
R Some Advice for Robocop
S The Human Dimension
T All Quiet on the Set!
U Shooting a Shoot-Out!
V A Gathering of Evil
