Action Man

Action Man is an action figure originally produced and sold in the United Kingdom by Palitoy Ltd of Coalville, Leicestershire from 1966 until 1984. The figure was originally based on the United States G.I. Joe figure but with a British military theme. more...

Military styled Action Man made a brief resurgance in the early 1990s but since 1996 Hasbro has used the name without any military theme as a modern adventurer complete with arch-enemy.

Developmental History

Origins

Palitoy (a British subsidiary of General Mills) licensed a copy of GI Joe from Hasbro. Initially Action Man, his equipment and accessories were all straight copies of GI Joe, but after a while he developed independently. The range of accessories favoured the British themes, although American outfits and equipment were produced. One of Palitoy's innovations was the flocked hair which crossed over to the GI Joe line. The first Action Man figures were Action Soldier, Action Sailor and Action Pilot. They were accompanied by outfits depicting the participants of the Second World War.

Over the subsequent years, Action Man's outfits and equipment tended to follow military themes, and British units and equipment featured. The non-military was also covered with adventurous elements such as mountain rescue, arctic exploration, and deep sea diving. Among the larger accessories produced for Action Man were versions (not to true 1/6th scale) of the Scorpion tank, Ferret armoured car, the 105 mm Light Gun, Airportable Land Rover.

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