Tag: Destro Designs

Serpentorslair Staff · August 6, 2026

From Cobra Island to the Final Frontier: How Chris Latta and Michael Bell Connected G.I. Joe to Star Trek: The Next Generation

August 6, 2026August 6, 2026 Serpentorslair Staff1980s cartoons, 1980s pop culture, 80s animation, animation legends, Chris Latta, Chris Latta voice actor, Christopher Collins, Cobra, Cobra Commander, Cobra Commander voice, Destro Designs, Encounter at Farpoint, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe A Real American Hero, G.I. Joe Cartoon, G.I. Joe cast, G.I. Joe history, G.I. Joe nostalgia, Gene Roddenberry, Groppler Zorn, Michael Bell, Michael Bell voice actor, Saturday morning cartoons, Star Trek cast, Star Trek connections, Star Trek fans, Star Trek history, Star Trek The Next Generation, Star Trek TNG, Sunbow G.I. Joe, Transformers voice actors, USS Enterprise-D, Viper Den Studios, Voice actors0 comment

For many fans who grew up in the 1980s, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and Star Trek: The Next Generation occupied completely different corners of their imagination. One was a world of laser fire, masked villains, and elite special missions. The other explored diplomacy, exploration, and humanity’s future among the stars. Yet, thanks to two legendary performers, those worlds became more connected than most fans ever realized. The bridge between Cobra Island and the USS Enterprise wasn’t built with phasers or F.A.N.G. helicopters. It was built by Chris Latta…

Serpentorslair Staff · August 4, 2026

Growing Up in the 80s Part 2: Destro’s Birth

August 4, 2026August 4, 2026 Serpentorslair Staff1970s garage birth story, baby delivered by police officer, childhood memories of the 1980s, Destro Designs, Destro’s Birth, growing up in a small town, growing up in the 80s, nostalgic personal story, true family birth story, Viper Den Studios1 Comment

By Destro Designs–Viper Den Studios I’ve had many nicknames throughout my life, and well into my twenties, one of them was “Jesus.” I’ll tell you why. My parents were teenagers when I was born, so they both still lived with their parents. My mom lived in an upper-middle-class home up on the hill, while my dad lived in a flat down in the ’Burgh. They were both so young, and my mom’s parents were pretty strict, so they didn’t tell anyone she was pregnant. However, legend has it that my…

Serpentorslair Staff · July 27, 2026

We Had It So Good. So, So Good. – Part 1

July 27, 2026July 27, 2026 Serpentorslair Staff1980s culture, 1980s memories, 1980s nostalgia, 80s kids, 80s toys, BMX bikes, Destro Designs, G.I. Joe, Gen X childhood, growing up in the 80s, Laser Tag, nostalgic storytelling, retro childhood, retro toys, Saturday morning cartoons, Stranger Things, toy collecting, Transformers, vintage action figures, Viper Den Studios1 Comment

By Destro Designs – Viper Den Studios This last week I saw so much ’80s toy content in my timeline that I couldn’t help but think we had it so, so good. People have been saying it for years, and to a certain extent that’s exactly why Stranger Things became such a phenomenon. The show absolutely nailed what it felt like to grow up in the 1980s. Honestly, the early ’90s were just an extension of the ’80s—with worse clothes and, largely, worse music. The thing that really got me…

Serpentorslair Staff · July 18, 2026

1983 Masters Of The Universe Vehicles Ranked on HALF THE BATTLE!

July 18, 2026July 18, 2026 Serpentorslair Staff1980s toys, 1983 toys, 80s nostalgia, action figure collecting, Battle Cat, Battle Ram, Destro Designs, Eternia, Half The Battle, He-Man collectors, He-Man toys, He-Man vehicles, Masters of The Universe, Masters of the Universe 1983, Masters of the Universe review, Masters of the Universe vehicles, Mattel Masters of the Universe, MOTU, MOTU 1983, MOTU rankings, MOTU vehicles ranked, Panthor, retro toys, Skeletor, toy collecting, toy nostalgia, vintage action figures, vintage He-Man toys, vintage MOTU, Viper Den Studios, Wind Raider, YouTube toy review0 comment

On this weekends episode of Half The Battle, We rank All 1983 Masters of The Universe Vehicles! Check out this week’s video below and join in the conversation. And as always be sure and subscribe to my YouTube channel for all my latest videos!

Serpentorslair Staff · July 13, 2026

Vacationing in the ’80s With My Parents

July 13, 2026July 13, 2026 Serpentorslair Staff1980s family vacations, 80s childhood memories, Adirondack Camping Village, Adirondack family vacation, camping with parents, Cape May family vacation, childhood road trips, childhood vacations in the 80s, Destro Designs, family camping memories, family vacation nostalgia, Great Escape theme park, growing up in the 1980s, Lake George memories, Lake George New York, Memorial Day weekend vacation, nostalgic family vacations, parents making sacrifices, vintage vacation memories, Viper Den Studios, Water Slide World1 Comment

By Destro Designs and Viper Den Studios I am currently in Cape May with my wife, twin daughters, and my wife’s entire side of the family. It is an amazing trip that we take every year, and her family has been coming to this same place and staying in the same house for almost 40 years. The house is owned by a former teacher from my high school who also knows my father-in-law. It is a wild, small-world story for sure. Being surrounded by all the luxuries of modern life,…

Serpentorslair Staff · July 6, 2026

Local VHS Rental Stores Were Our Pyramids

July 6, 2026July 6, 2026 Serpentorslair Staff1980s pop culture, 1980s video stores, 1990s pop culture, 1990s video rental stores, 80s childhood memories, 90s childhood memories, Bionic Commando NES, Blaster Master NES, Blockbuster nostalgia, childhood nostalgia, childhood video store memories, Destro Designs, G.I. Joe Movie VHS, Kay-Bee Toys nostalgia, Lansingburgh Video, local VHS rental stores, Metal Gear NES, mom and pop video stores, NES rental games, Nintendo rental games, old school movie rentals, retro pop culture, retro video store, The Money Pit VHS, VHS nostalgia, VHS rental store memories, VHS tapes, video rental history, Viper Den Studios1 Comment

By Destro Designs – Viper Den Studios Y’all have heard me wax poetic about the G.I. Joe Movie in multiple articles. But that video, as iconic as it is, came from a place that was as magical as the Pyramids of Egypt. Your local VHS rental store. Now, I am not talking about Blockbuster, which was an amazing place in its own right. But Blockbuster shared the limelight with affordable DVDs, flash drives for computers, and other blossoming tech of the early 2000s. I am talking about those places that…