When Ridley Scott’s ground-breaking sci-fi horror movie Alien first opened way back in 1979, toy maker Kenner - fresh from the unprecedented success of its Star Wars action figures - was perhaps the obvious choice to create a line of tie-in merchandising. Not surprisingly, however, given the adult film certificate on the original movie, Kenner’s initial attempt at creating an Alien toy in the shape of a not-so-cuddly and fearsomely huge 18-inch Alien “doll” didn’t go down too well with parents … [Read more...]
Who you gonna call this Christmas!?
Ghostbusters saw the 30th anniversary of its original release this past year. Sadly, the world also lost Harold Ramis, who played Egon Spengler and was one of the creators of this iconic movie, so this seems like a very good year to remember Ghostbusters at Christmas. In 2010 Toys R Us sold this exclusive set of 6-inch action figures by Mattel, based on a short scene in the sequel Ghostbusters II, where the team ran through the streets of New York wearing Santa hats. … [Read more...]
Happy Halloween! NECA Cult Classics Eric Draven from The Crow
With Halloween very nearly upon us I thought this would be an excellent moment to showcase this recent flea market find. Admittedly it will be quite a few years before this 2005 NECA figure celebrating The Crow movie character Eric Draven can properly be described as “vintage”, but he is such a stunning figure I couldn’t resist adding him to my collection.The tragic and untimely death of Brandon Lee in an on-set firearms accident during filming of the final scenes of the 1994-released movie … [Read more...]
The Emperor – The Dark Side of the Force
It’s a strange thought now, looking back at the original Star Wars trilogy, but Darth Sidious aka Dark Lord of the Sith, the biggest baddie and antagonist of the entire series, didn’t have any live action screen time until Return of the Jedi in 1983 (although a hologram did make a flickering appearance in the earlier The Empire Strikes Back). The archetype for hooded evil, Emperor Palpatine was played by Ian McDiarmid, who has had the very good fortune to reprise his role in all three of the … [Read more...]
Ernest Borgnine as Harry Booth – The Black Hole by Mego
One of the most unlikely – but nonetheless wonderful – additions to my vintage action figure collection over the last couple of months must surely be this beautifully detailed 12 inch Mego figure of legendary Hollywood and television character actor Ernest Borgnine. Borgnine died at the grand old age of 95 in 2012 after a glittering career, which saw him win an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1955 for Marty, and star in classics such as The Wild Bunch, The Dirty Dozen, and my personal childhood … [Read more...]
Sam Cobra – The Renegade Bad Man by Marx!
When toy maker Louis Marx & Co. launched its response to industry rival Hasbro's G. I. Joe (or Action Man, as he was known in the UK ) it was in the form of a 12 inch articulated cowboy “doll for boys” called Johnny West. First appearing in 1965, Johnny West marked the first character in the hugely collectible Best of the West action figure line, with clan leader Johnny quickly joined by other West family members over the years that followed – Jane, Jay, Josie, Jamie, Janice, Jimmie, and … [Read more...]
Han Solo in Carbonite with Carbonite Block!
While my love affair with vintage Kenner Star Wars action figures burns ever strong, I confess to the odd flirtation with newer figures from the Neo-classic era (1990–2000) when they are particularly good. I'm not a huge fan of Hasbro’s 1990s Star Wars revamp (rather unimaginatively named Power of the Force 2 to distinguish it from the earlier 1980s Power of the Force series, famous for its cardbacks with special collector's coins), but one simply can’t have too many Han Solo action … [Read more...]
Heroic Human…Robot…Monster? It must be Man-E-Faces!
Masters of the Universe, Mattel’s hugely successful action figure line of the 1980s, has proved enduringly popular. Big sellers back in the day, these figures can still be found loose on flea markets for a fair price, like this classic Man-E-Faces 1983 figure (dated stamped 1982) from the second wave of Heroic Warriors from the Original Series, which I picked up just the other day.Almost all the figures in this line came with a built in power punch action – twisted at the waist and then … [Read more...]