Action Man: 1993-2006
Encyclopedia
New era
Action Man was relaunched in 1993 by HasbroHasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
. The initial releases were the US Hall of Fame figures modelled on the 3 3/4" GI Joe line-up. This was followed by a 30th anniversary edition modelled after the original 1966 release, but using the GI Joe "Hall of Fame" body, that lacked the articulation, possibility, and attention to scale and proportion of the original figure and accessories. A variety of body types were subsequently offered, in different price ranges. None of the newer bodies have the range of articulation or attention to scale of the vintage figures. This version of the toy tended away from the more militaristic theme in favour of an "extreme sports" theme, and introduced a fantasy terrorist antagonist in the form of Dr. X. The usual themed toys, stationery and other items have also been marketed.
The Action Man toy line and comic ended in January 2006 to be replaced by the spin-off TV show and toy line; A.T.O.M.
A.T.O.M.
A.T.O.M. is a French animated television series, which chronicles the adventures of five teenagers , set in the fictional Landmark City...
(known in the UK as Action Man: A.T.O.M.).
In 2009, Hasbro briefly released a new wave of Action Man toys exclusively to Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
stores however, the toy line has now ended once again.
New York Comic Convention saw Hasbro release a comic book showing off some upcoming toy lines that Hasbro have been well known for in the past including the new "The Action Man". It is currently un-known when these toys will be released.
Appearance
As with the original Action Man releases of 1966, the first re-releases of Action Man in the 90s were simply re-packaged Joes; Duke, Cobra Commander, Stalker and Snake Eyes; in boxes that resembled the standard GI Joe HOFG.I. Joe: Hall of Fame
The Hasbro G.I. Joe Hall of Fame era of 12" action figures began in 1991, when Hasbro released the Target Exclusive Duke in response to the high demand from nostalgic collectors of the vintage era G.I. Joe action figures. Duke was the first 12" action figure produced in the Hasbro G.I. Joe line...
blue packaging. Shortly thereafter Hasbro International developed packaging unique to the Action Man line; bright orange coloration, and a new Action Man logo.
The 1990s 12" Action Man was closer in construction to the poor quality imitations of the original line; very limited articulation, with equipment not to scale (see illustration below). The hands could not really grasp any of the accessories. These figures were essentially G.I. Joe Hall of Fame bodies with a different set of head moulds, some of which had "fuzzy" hair. Later examples improved on the articulation, depending on the price point. The figures were marked "©Hasbro International 1993" across the buttocks. Some came with blue shorts, reminiscent of the late 70s–80s body. The articulation of neck, waist, arms and legs varied as mentioned. Some, like Tiger Strike (see below) have rubber legs, no waist, elbow or wrist pivot, and a head that only looks left/right. Even the more articulated versions cannot compare to the range of motion offered by their early predecessors; for example, the knee/ankle joints only pivot up/down; they do not rotate, and the waist does not allow for rotate and "lean" to the extent possible with earlier figures. The feet on all body variants are like Barbie
Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration....
; not to scale with the body. Unfortunately, these bodies are also grossly overweight in comparison, and as a result of this and the small feet, they are much more difficult to pose freestanding. The more articulated bodies were also of a harder plastic, rather than the softer vinyl/rubber used for basic figure limbs that were similar to Barbie's "Ken". Basic figures were available in a variety of configurations such as Tiger Strike and Sport Extreme, as well as deluxe sets such as Sky Dive, CrimeBuster and Raid and Roller Extreme. The more expensive sets contained the more articulated figures.
Vehicles, accessory packs, carded items; 1993–2006
A number of vehicles were offered for the 12' figure line, with bold graphics and the signature orange background coloration. Included were the Super Bike, Mission Raft, 4x4 Jeep, Silver Speeder, Racing Car and others. A large quantity of carded accessories/uniform sets were also offered at this time. As with the boxed figures, the very first releases were repackaged GI Joe HOF sets, with similar design blue graphics, subsequently replaced with the new orange graphics and new Action Man logo.30th/40th Anniversary and special editions; 1996–2006
In addition to the three 30th anniversary sets, a number of special edition figures were also released, one of which was the 1996 reproduction football player, in a numbered box. As with others from 1996, this was the extremely limited articulation Hasbro Hall of Fame body, with a flocked hair head sculpt. This item would never have been intended as a toy, but merely a collectable. From 1997-2000, Action ManAction Man
Action Man is an action figure boys' toy launched in Britain in 1966 by Palitoy as a licensed copy of Hasbro's American "moveable fighting man": G.I...
was also released in the uniform
Uniform
A uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, security guards, in some workplaces and schools and by inmates...
s and costumes from six James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
movies. These included Thunderball
Thunderball
Thunderball may refer to:*Thunderball , a 1961 James Bond novel by Ian Fleming**Thunderball , a 1965 film adaptation of the novel starring Sean Connery**Thunderball , the soundtrack from the film, or the title song...
, You Only Live Twice
You Only Live Twice (film)
You Only Live Twice is the fifth spy film in the James Bond series, and the fifth to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film's screenplay was written by Roald Dahl, and loosely based on Ian Fleming's 1964 novel of the same name...
, The Spy Who Loved Me
The Spy Who Loved Me
The Spy Who Loved Me is the ninth novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, first published by Jonathan Cape on 16 April 1962. It is the shortest and most sexually explicit of Fleming's novels as well as a clear departure from previous Bond novels in that the story is told in the first person by a...
, Goldeneye
GoldenEye
GoldenEye is the seventeenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was directed by Martin Campbell and is the first film in the series not to take story elements from the works of novelist Ian Fleming...
, Tomorrow Never Dies
Tomorrow Never Dies
Tomorrow Never Dies is the eighteenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Bruce Feirstein wrote the screenplay, and it was directed by Roger Spottiswoode. It follows Bond as he tries to stop a media mogul from engineering...
, and The World Is Not Enough
The World Is Not Enough
The World Is Not Enough is the nineteenth spy film in the James Bond film series, and the third to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was directed by Michael Apted, with the original story and screenplay written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Bruce Feirstein. It...
.
In 2006, after the main toy line had ended, a number of Action Man: 40th Anniversary
Action Man: 40th Anniversary
The Hasbro Action Man: 40th Anniversary is a reproduction of the early period British Action Man figure as collectors set.-40th Anniversary reproductions; 2006-:...
sets were released.
Characters
For a full list of characters please see; List of Action Man characters.Many different heroes and villains have starred in the toy line, TV series and comic, some only briefly. The most notable are listed below.
Action Force
- Action Man (1993-2006)- The main character and leader of the Action ForceAction ForceAction Force was a 1980s range of European action figures initially based on Action Man, and later used to introduce G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toys to European markets...
. - Redwolf (2004-2006)- Action Man's Native AmericanIndigenous peoples of the AmericasThe indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
team mate. Two types of action figure were released. - Flint (2004-2006) - Australian team mate. Two styles of action figure were released.
Council of Doom
Dr. X is a mad scientistMad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
who is the arch-enemy of Action Man in its line of toys, introduced in the mid-late 1990s.
In the toy-version plot, Dr X is bent on ruling the entire world and is prepared to kill anyone who stands in his way. He has recruited many villains into his army over the past years such as Plague Locust (from PC game), MAXX (or 'the man with no name') (1999), Tempest (2001), Asazi (Mainframe animated series), Anti-Freeze (2003), No-Face (2004) and Professor Gangrene (1997, 2000, 2002, 2003).
During the battles with Action Man, Dr X has constantly been defeated and humiliated. However, the evil scientist never seems to give up and each time he comes back to do battle, he grows stronger. However, Action Man always wins the battle and defeats him.
Dr X over the years has also seen new styles. In 1994 - a rotary, firing shield; In 1995 - a laser eye & exposed brain; In 1996 he had a bio-stomach (toxic gut), in 1997 - a firing hand; in 1998 - a chopper bike, in 1999 - a laughter button, in 2000 - a robotic arm, in 2001 - a bronze arm and ball & chain, in 2002 - a firing missile arm, in 2003 - a titanium arm In 2004/5 a Komodo Dragon and a whole new body.
Video Games
There have been several Action Man games released over the years including Action Man: Destruction X and Action Man: Operation ExtremeAction Man: Operation Extreme
Action Man: Operation Extreme was a game developed by Blitz Games and published by Hasbro Interactive in 2000 for the PlayStation.- Plot :...
(PS
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
/PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
,2000), Action Man: Search for Base X
Action Man: Search for Base X
Action Man: Search for Base X is an action video game developed by Natsume and published by THQ for the Game Boy Color. It was released in North America on February 6, 2001, and is based on the Action Man TV series.-Gameplay:...
(GBC
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
,2001) as well as movie tie-in game Action Man: Robot Atak
Action Man: Robot Atak
Action Man: Robot Atak is a 2004 direct-to-DVD CGI animated film based of the Hasbro toy line, Action Man. The film was made by Arcana Digital and directed by Chris Woods, Steve Birch and John Moffet. The film was based around the line of Action Man toys for that year...
(GBA,2004).
Comic
Panini ComicsPanini Comics
Panini Comics is an Italian comic book publisher. A division of Panini Group, best known for their collectible stickers, it is headquartered in Modena, Italy...
published an Action Man comic
Action Man (comics)
Action Man was a UK comic series published by Panini Comics, based on the toy line of the same name. It ran for 138 issues between 1996 and 18 January 2006 before being surpassed by spin-off series Action Man: A.T.O.M.....
which ran for 138 issues until 18 January 2006. It was then surpassed by Action Man: A.T.O.M.
A.T.O.M.
A.T.O.M. is a French animated television series, which chronicles the adventures of five teenagers , set in the fictional Landmark City...
Comic. Both comics were published every three weeks. After the cancellation of the Action Man TV Series
Action Man (TV series)
Action Man may refer to:*Action Man *Action Man *A.T.O.M....
in 2002, the comic was the only source of official story line for Action Man apart from the films.
The final editor was Ed Caruana who also edited the A.T.O.M. comic.
Panini Comics own the Marvel UK
Marvel UK
Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US produced stories for the British weekly comic market, though it later did produce original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon and Grant Morrison.Panini Comics obtained the...
licence and Marvel UK had previously been responsible for the creation of an Action Force
Action Force
Action Force was a 1980s range of European action figures initially based on Action Man, and later used to introduce G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toys to European markets...
comic.
See also
- Action ManAction ManAction Man is an action figure boys' toy launched in Britain in 1966 by Palitoy as a licensed copy of Hasbro's American "moveable fighting man": G.I...
- Action Man: 40th AnniversaryAction Man: 40th AnniversaryThe Hasbro Action Man: 40th Anniversary is a reproduction of the early period British Action Man figure as collectors set.-40th Anniversary reproductions; 2006-:...
- A.T.O.M, a spin-off of Action Man.
- Action Man (TV series)Action Man (TV series)Action Man may refer to:*Action Man *Action Man *A.T.O.M....
- Max SteelMax SteelMax Steel is a science fiction–action, CGI, animated series which originally aired from February 25, 2000 to January 15, 2002, based on the Mattel action-figure of the same name. Max Steel ran for three seasons, totaling thirty-five episodes with a predicted audience of young males from the ages of...
- G.I. JoeG.I. JoeG.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...
- GeypermanGeypermanGeyperman was the name of a Spanish action figure manufactured by the company Geyper during the 1970s.Geyper, although a Hasbro licencee, used Palitoy's product line as the basis for their outfits...
- Playscale Miniaturism
External links
- King, K. (2000) Action Man - the real story 1966-1996 (ISBN 978-0-9538870-0-2)
- Le Vexier, E.; Gavigniaux, H. trans.(2004) Action Joe - The Story of the French GI Joe (ISBN 978-2-915239-21-8)
- United States Patent and Trademark Office
- Virtual Toy Chest.
- Geyperman - page on the Hasbro-authorized Spanish version.
- UK based collecting club for 12" dolls.
- AMCC - Action man & 1:6th collecting forum, based in the UK.
