Debs – Page 12 – Vintage Action Figures

Hugh Jackman IS Van Helsing!

I actually found today’s action figure buried at the bottom of a toy box on a market stall some months ago, but have been waiting for the countdown to Halloween before posting him here. I was pretty pleased to find the companion figure to the Richard Roxburgh as Count Dracula we looked at last Halloween – the vampire’s arch-nemesis himself Gabriel Van Helsing, as played by Hugh Jackman in Stephen Sommers’ steampunk homage to the Universal Horror Monster films from the 1930s and 40s, Van Helsing.

Evel Knievel by Ideal

For anybody who was a child in the 1970s and watched his death-defying leaps over buses and other mind-bogglingly risky motorcycle stunts on television, Evel Knievel was nothing short of a legend and an iconic figures that seems to define that era. My sister and I were huge fans, yet this 6-inch Evel Knievel action figure by Ideal Toys never made it into our toybox as kids, so I was really pleased to track one down recently online.

As well as the sheer lunacy of some of the daredevil stunts that Evel Knievel attempted, he was also famous for the number of bones he broke in some of his more spectacular crashes.

Kenner Super Powers: The Joker!

After last week’s look at Morpheus from The Matrix, here’s another iconic figure who looks awesome in a purple suit – Batman’s arch-nemesis himself, The Joker!

Released as part of the first wave of Kenner’s 4-inch Super Powers line from 1984, this is one of the finest renditions of the “Clown Prince of Crime” ever made, which brilliantly captures the maniacal expression of the villain from the original Silver Age DC Comics universe. This groundbreaking Kenner line remains a firm favourite with collectors to this day and it isn’t hard to see why with such excellent attention to detail – from the mustard waistcoat, green shirt cuffs, molded pin stripe in his suit, down to his spats, this Joker is spot on from head to toe!

Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus in The Matrix Reloaded by McFarlane

Nobody could argue that Sideshow Collectibles haven’t raised the bar in recent years as far as action figures created exclusively for the adult collectors’ market goes, with their staggeringly good movie likenesses and attention to detail.

In today’s economic climate, however, there’s still plenty of room for companies such as McFarlane, who also manage to render celebrity sports stars’ or actors’ likenesses brilliantly, but at a more affordable price for the average collector. In creating action figures that often have limited articulation, their “action” figures sometimes border on the edge of being considered display figurines, but there’s no arguing with the beauty of a figure such as this version of Laurence Fishburne as he appeared as Morpheus in the The Wachowski Brothers’ 2003 sequel to the hugely influential The Matrix – The Matrix Reloaded.

Star Wars Variations: Han Solo on Bespin

The Internet has been abuzz with news of the Blu-ray edition of the original Star Wars trilogy which hit stores world wide recently, so I thought I’d stick with another vintage Star Wars action figure this post. Of course, I use the term “original” trilogy with some caution – as is well known, George Lucas has continued to ~~mess with~~ tweak the movies with every re-release to the exasperation of many fans. Probably the most controversial change occurred in the 1997 Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition version of the cantina scene in Episode IV: A New Hope, when Han Solo shoots and kills Greedo. In the new version, Greedo is shown as firing first as Han dodges the shot only to return fire and kill his opponent.

Star Wars Variations: Emperor’s Royal Guard

Whilst thinking about today’s post I noticed that this blog has been rather light on vintage Star Wars action figures for a couple of months, so lets correct that situation right away with a look back at an absolute gem – the Emperor’s Royal Guard. First appearing in 1983 on 65-back cards in conjunction with the release of Return of the Jedi, the Emperor’s Royal Guard illustrates the attention to detail Kenner dedicated to each and every character in their 3 ¾ inch Star Wars series and is as near to perfect as can be.

Diecast Black Condor Jetman by Bandai

I don’t have many diecast action figures in my collection, but whenever I happen upon one on a market stall I almost always have to buy it right away – a small toy with metal parts is always surprisingly heavy in the hand and makes it feel nicely solid and instantly appealing.

Little did I realise, however, when I found this 1991 Bandai action figure of Gai Yuki aka Black Condor from the early 1990s Japanese television series Choujin Sentai Jettoman (Birdman Task Force Jetman) recently, that Gai Yuki’s name would suddenly be in the news again.

Jack Nicholson as The Joker by Hot Toys!

Those masters of the movie-likeness Hot Toys and Sideshow Collectibles have created another spitting image 12-inch action figure that is sure to become a highly sought after collectors’ piece amongst Batman fans and admirers of Tim Burton’s vision of one of DC Comics’ most enduring superheroes – Jack Nicholson as The Joker from the dazzling 1989 Batman movie!

Released as part of the DeluXe (DX) Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series, this 1:6th scale action figure boasts a highly detailed head sculpt by the amazing Yulli, with paintwork and art direction by the maestro himself J.C. Hong, and with the highly sophisticated Hot Toys exclusive Parallel Eyeball Rolling System (PERS) you had better watch out – Jack really IS watching you!

The TrueType body has over 30 points of articulation, a variety of different hands, and of course, being The Joker, his outfit is reproduced in spectacular gaudy detail. He is also issued with all the weapons and Joker gimmicks – such as his chattering teeth and magic stick – you could wish for.