Debs – Page 6 – Vintage Action Figures

Jane West the Movable Cowgirl by Marx!

The secret behind the success of the 1960s and 70s Best of the West action figures was surely the loving attention to detail which toy makers Louis Marx & Co. lavished upon its flagship line. Cast in solid poly-plastic with vinyl accessories, the most striking thing about these figures today is the exquisite molding – every last fold and crease, shirt cuff, trim and button, is faithfully reproduced, with each figure issued with, quite literally, dozens of individual pieces of equipment and clothing.

Launched in 1965 with cowboy Johnny West, the head of what would become an entire extended Western family, at 12 inches in height the Best of the West

Oodles of fun with the Ood from Doctor Who!

With Doctor Who Season 7 Part 2 now well under way on BBC television with Matt Smith’s eleventh incarnation of the Doctor officially joined by new sidekick Clara Oswald portrayed by Jenna-Louise Coleman, and news buzzing throughout the Internet of the return of David Tennant and Billie Piper in a super-duper fiftieth anniversary special to air at the end of 2013, I thought it might be fun to take a closer look at a Doctor Who action figure.

Last summer I visited the hugely enjoyable interactive Cardiff Bay Doctor Who Experience – a must-visit exhibition for any Whovian – and got to see the original costumes, props and aliens from the show up close.

Logray, the Ewok Medicine Man

Few characters in the original Star Wars trilogy have divided fans more than the Ewoks, with those that love ’em on one side, and the rest of us, who would happily throttle the flea-bitten teddy bears, on the other! Unfortunately, they’re rather hard to avoid in Return of the Jedi. I do confess, however, to actually rather liking this vintage Kenner figure of Logray, the Ewok Medicine Man – and not just because he looks like a sinister version of Garfield the cat!

Logray is impressive as one of the best movie-likenesses in the entire Kenner 3 ¾ inch original Star Wars figure series – check out his beady black eyes and sharp teeth.

Let’s twist again… with Kenner Super Powers Red Tornado!

It’s been a while since I featured any of the figures from one of my all time favourite 1980s toy lines – Kenner’s Super Powers. Hands down one of the best crafted action figure series ever, these sturdy 4 inch superheroes, with their accurate paint work, near perfect comic book likenesses, and their built in “super power” action gimmicks, continue to be loved by collectors today. I plan to collect them all!

Kenner’s Super Powers had a short, but sweet shelf life and ran for only two series from 1984 to 1986, with our Red Tornado here first appearing in the second series in 1985,

Find and fulfill your destiny: Harry Hamlin as Perseus in Clash of the Titans!

Ahh, who can resist a 1980s blockbuster?! The 1981 version of Clash of the Titans, based very loosely on the Greek myth of Perseus, certainly had it all: epic special effects, Styrofoam sets, stop-motion monsters, and a cast boasting not only the cream of British theatre such as Laurence Olivier as Zeus and Maggie Smith as Thetis, but also a then relatively unknown young actor called Harry Hamlin in the starring role. A box office smash back in the day, it’s a cult classic amongst fantasy film fans nowadays. Watching the CGI effects in the 2010 3D remake, in fact, only made one nostalgic for stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen’s Kraken in the original movie.

Another Warrior is on the Mesa: TRON Warrior by TOMY!

When Walt Disney released the science fiction movie TRON in 1982 its special-effects and computer animation were seen as ground-breaking. A moderate box office success on its release, TRON has since achieved cult status, and the film is often cited as being the inspiration behind the CGI effects and computer animation in today’s blockbusters. Pixar boss John Lasseter has even claimed that “without TRON there would be no Toy Story.”

TRON was, of course, the perfect movie for a tie-in marketing franchise, with home video and arcade games the obvious spin-offs, as well as comic books and an animated television series too. After Kenner’s hugely popular Star Wars action figure line, a series of 3 ¾ inch action figures was another a must-have TRON marketing item.

Popeye and Olive Oyl Bendees by Amscan

Before super-heroes donned their capes and took over the world of the comic books, another kind of hero inspired a generation – Popeye the Sailor! In fact, he recently celebrated his 84th birthday, having first graced the pages of the King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre way back in 1929. Over the years he has appeared, not only in print, but also in cartoon shorts and full length movies on the small and big screen, and his face has been used to endorse just about everything from oatmeal to – what else?! – canned Popeye Spinach! His girlfriend Olive Oyl is even older, having been a Thimble Theatre main character for 10 years before Popeye wandered into her comic strip life.

Han Solo wraps up warm on Hoth!

One of the things you’ll notice when flicking through the recent (and highly recommended) Star Wars: The Ultimate Action Figure Collection* coffee table guide is just how many pages are dedicated to everybody’s favourite Star Wars rebel Han Solo. A whopping nine pages feature the man himself in all his various costume changes, including this vintage 3¾ inch Kenner version in his Hoth Outfit as modelled in the stunning opening sequence from Irvin Kershner’s The Empire Strikes Back.