Debs – Page 16 – Vintage Action Figures

Hammerhead: The Eyes Have It!

When Kenner launched its 3 ¾ inch Star Wars movie tie-in action figures in 1977 it soon emerged that kids wanted not only the major players – Han, Luke, Leia, Chewbacca et al, who appeared in a first wave of 12 carded figures, known ever after as 12 back figures – but that there was also a clear market for practically the entire cast! No matter how few the seconds of screen time, there was a place for every weird and wonderful being that had populated any of the movies in the original trilogy.

Hammerhead here, first appeared alongside those other handsome devils Greedo, Walrus Man and Snaggletooth in the exclusive Sears 4 pack Star Wars Cantina Adventure Set,

Kenner Super Powers: Aquaman!

Ever since I picked up a vintage Kenner Super Powers action figure of The Flash last year my flirtation with this line has grown into a full blown love affair, accompanied by an inkling sensation that I’ll surely give in to weakness and end up collecting every figure in the series!

First released in 1984 and enjoying the briefest of runs until 1986, these 4-inch DC Comics superheroes action figures remain some of the best looking sculpts ever – this version of Arthur Curry aka Aquaman, King of the Seven Seas, is a fine example of all that’s great about these figures, with a near perfect Silver Age comic book likeness.

Star Wars Variations: Lando Calrissian in Skiff Guard Disguise

Billy Dee Williams, who played Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi in the original Star Wars Trilogy, came away with something which none of the other cast members managed to obtain – a series of action figures that actually looked rather like him! Of all of the Lando figures, this stunner which shows our redeemed hero in his Skiff Guard Disguise, is not only my absolute favourite Lando, but also one of my favourite vintage Kenner Star Wars action figures from the entire line.

Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean

Shiver me timbers! It’s Jack Sparrow!

As film producers and toy manufacturers are well aware, you simply can’t keep a good franchise down! With Johnny Depp sharpening his cutlass once more this summer and reprising his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, On Stranger Tides, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at one of the action figures that accompanied the last outing At World’s End. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley may have finally jumped ship, but with Ian McShane as Blackbeard and Keith Richards as Captain Teague on board I’m sure the new film will be great fun!

Secret Wars: Falcon

One of my favourite action figures from the vintage Mattel’s Secret Wars 4 ½ inch series featuring superheroes from the Marvel Universe is, without a doubt, the Falcon. He may not have actually featured in Marvel’s tie-in Secret Wars limited series of comics, but fans seem more than happy to overlook that detail when faced with an action figure that looks this good!

The Falcon had, however, starred in his own 4 issue miniseries from November 1983 to February 1984, so maybe the powers that be at Marvel thought this was as a good a time as any to slip a Falcon figure into this series.

Kenner Super Powers: Superman!

Whilst the star of the last post Captain America may have been top dog over at Marvel with the Mattel Secret Wars action figures, DC Comics had their very own leader of the Kenner Super Powers line – none other than The Man of Steel himself, Superman!

It’s a testament to the sheer quality of these Kenner figures, that nearly thirty years later you’ll most likely find that the “super power” action feature of any vintage figure you happen to come across is still working just fine. This Superman may have lost his cape, but he still has his “super action punch” if you squeeze his legs together – Ka-pow!

Secret Wars: Captain America

2011 looks set to be another great year for superhero action movies – Thor, Green Lantern, yet more in the X-Men and Transformers sagas, and the hotly awaited Captain America: The First Avenger, starring Chris Evans (no stranger to Lycra after his turns as Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four films) will all be hitting the big screen this year. Superhero flicks, of course, bring with them a slew of merchandising and a deafening kerching! as the tie-in products fly off shelves…or gather dust if they bomb at the box office, only to land in the bargain bin months later! Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing a Chris Evans as Steve Rogers aka Captain America action figure, but in the meantime here’s a vintage Captain America from a classic line – the Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars by Mattel.

Raiders of the Lost Ark: Cairo Swordsman

Back in 1982 when Kenner launched its wonderful series of 3 ¾ inch action figures – Adventures of Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark – they provided Indy with pretty much all the main villains from the film, allowing kids in bedrooms all over the world to re-enact their favourite scenes. One of those bad guys in particular has acquired almost legendary status, which is remarkable considering he is only actually seen on screen for a matter of seconds! (I’ll assume at this point that anybody reading this post has seen Raiders of the Lost Ark – if you haven’t, stop reading this paragraph – big spoiler alert coming up!)