The collection of Japanese Anime action figures is very much a sub-genre within action figure collecting as a whole and I certainly wouldn't profess to having anything other than the slightest passing knowledge of the subject. Having said that, however, I know a handsome looking action figure when I see one, so this impressive sculpt of Dragon Ball Z hero Goku immediately caught my attention when I saw him on a market stall in Rome recently. Curiously, Japanese animation TV series have always … [Read more...]
I know you are, but what am I?!… Pee-wee Herman!
Love him or hate him, if you were alive in the 1980s you can't have missed American comedian Paul Reubens in the guise of his alter-ego Pee-wee Herman. Star of Pee-wee's Playhouse, an enormously successful and groundbreaking Saturday morning television show for kids in the US, worldwide audiences were first introduced to him via Tim Burton's debut film Pee-wee's Big Adventure, which turned the road movie on its head and Pee-wee Herman into a cult favourite.The last couple of decades have … [Read more...]
Sea Shark Diver from the Fisher-Price Adventure People
Kenner's 3 ¾-inch Star Wars action figures turned the world of movie tie-in toys on its head and became one of the world's most popular collectible lines ever. Before those toys were even a twinkle in the eye of a Kenner executive, however, the very first 3 ¾-inch line of action figures and vehicles was launched in the US in 1975 and went on to influence all those that followed - the Fisher Price Adventure People!These sturdy little figures were clearly designed to encourage kids' … [Read more...]
Lion-O from ThunderCats
There's been some very excited blogging throughout the Internet over the last few days ever since the Cartoon Network screened a preview of the all new ThunderCats at WonderCon. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, the new series is due to hit small screens this summer and will see the old heroes Lion-O, Cheetara, Panthro and Tygra back in re-imagined versions and darker story-lines. What better time, then, to dig out a vintage ThunderCats action figure of Lion-O from the original 1985 TV series … [Read more...]
Pulsar: The Ultimate Man of Adventure
It wasn't really until I had unwrapped this recent on-line purchase from his bubble wrap and held him in my hands that I fully appreciated the sheer scale of Mattel's classic 1976 action figure - Pulsar aka The Ultimate Man of Adventure. Measuring 14 inches tall from the top of his head to his chunky clip-on boots, he positively towers over his contemporaries like Action Man or his most obvious rival on toy store shelves, Kenner's hugely popular Six Million Dollar Man figure of Steve Austin, a … [Read more...]
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 … [Read more...]
C’mon, let’s save the world…with Ryan Steele from VR Troopers!
Virtual reality may have been all the rage in the early 1990s, but I confess I was just too darn old to have been into the hit live action TV show VR Troopers when it aired from 1994 – 1996, so I didn't instantly recognise this vintage Ryan Steele action figure when I found him recently – I just assumed, mistakenly, that he was one of the Power Rangers. This is a forgiveable mistake for the uninitiated, though, given that VR Troopers was very much a sister show to the very similar Mighty Morphin … [Read more...]
Meet Raider, a diecast Shogun Warrior by Mattel
Happy New Year! Here's a great thrift market find I stumbled upon recently to kick off a new year of action figure blog posts. I don't usually collect vintage diecast figures, but when this 5-inch Shogun Warrior caught my eye I suddenly understood the popularity of these Japanese robots – the sheer weight of the metal when held in the hand lends a certain authority to the figure which is very appealing.There were four different Shogun Warriors action figures: Dragun, Mazinga, Poseidon and … [Read more...]