Category Archives: News

Action Man Returns (Again!)

Action Man is back again with a new range of figures that are an evolution of the last wave of toys released. This time Action Man is using the super articulated World Peacekeepers body that we showed in our What Almost Was article alongside a new range of outfits and accessories.

The new range of Action Man figures retains the same packaging design as the previous range but the figures now have gripping hands and better articulation with over 30 points of movement. However this does come at a slightly higher price than the last range. The current selection of basic figures are:

  • Action Soldier
  • Officer Cadet
  • Marine Ops

These figures come with a uniform and dog tag but no accessories.

The deluxe range consists of:

  • Freeze Force
  • Night Ops
  • Deluxe Action Soldier

These figures come with a selection of re-purposed World Peacekeepers accessories.

This new Action Man range is still being produced by Art & Science but distributed by Peterkin, who are also the UK distributors for World Peacekeepers.

These new figures are available at site sponsor Action Figure Supplies.

Action Man at the Movies

Action Man has appeared in several major motion pictures over the decades, often in a blink and you’ll miss it cameo. Here are just a few examples of Action Man appearing on the big and small screen over the years.

The Borrowers (1997)

An oversized Action Man figure is visible on a shelf in this movie adaptation of Mary Norton’s classic book The Borrowers. The Action Man in question is based on a talking Street Commander figure from the 1997 range.

ACTION MAN has just made his major motion picture debut in THE BORROWERS. It’s a superb action packed version of the 1950’s children’s classic which concerns 4″ tall folk who successfully foil an evil lawyer whilst living under the floor boards.

ACTION MAN puts in a towering performance, looming large over such stars as JOHN GOODMAN, JIM BROADBENT, CELIA IMRIE and MARK WILLIAMS. It’s no trade secret that director PETER HEWITT felt that, rather than shrinking his stars to fit the play-room scenes starring ACTION MAN, it might be more sensible to make the greatest hero of them all … even greater.

Enter a 16′ replica of ACTION MAN, dressed in combat gear, Britain’s biggest jacket and size 24 boots, complete with his trademark scar, reverse thumbnail and closely cropped flock hair.

Moonraker (1979)

Yes that’s right, Action Man is in a James Bond movie! In fact he fights alongside Bond against the evil Hugo Drax’s forces in space. In the climactic space battle towards the end of the movie the USA send several space shuttles full of Marines to attack Drax’s orbiting space station. The figures used in several of the wide shots of the battle are in fact Action Man figures in custom built spacesuits as this image from an auction of props and models from the Moonraker movie shows:

Strangely there was a James Bond action figure released to coincide with the movie, in a space suit, but the figure was made by the Mego company.

Do you know of any more films Action Man has appeared in? Let us know in the comments!