ACTION MAN

Navy Frogman / Frogman 1966

Period: Painted Head / Flock Head

Dates: 1966 until c.1984

Cat No: various

Based on Action Sailor figure:

Accessory for the basic Action Sailor figure.

Frogman Description:

"Kit out your Action Man for every phase of military service with these authentic true-scale equipment sets", read the Equipment Manual. The frogman was popular, however few wetsuits have survived the ravages of time. He was not the only frogman - he was joined by a Deep Sea Diver in 1967 and an Underwater Explorer in 1970. A version of the Frogman outfit was launched in January 2017 within the 50th Anniversary range. Originally Action Sailor accessories could be bought separately and included:

Action Man Frogman Equipment Sets:

94239020 (or 34502)

NAVY FROGMAN SET - UNDERWATER DEMOLITION: Frogman suit (three piece including top, trousers and face mask), swim fins, air cylinders, knife, scabbard, wrist depth gauge, 3 x dynamite. Equipment Manual.

Equipment Cards:

94339500 (or 34601)

NAVY FROGMAN TOP: Zippered frogman top and headpiece. Equipment Manual.

94339510 (or 34602)

NAVY FROGMAN BOTTOM: Frogman trousers. Equipment Manual.

94339530 (or 34604)

NAVY FROGMAN AIR CYLINDERS: Air tanks. Equipment Manual.

94339520 (or 34603)
NAVY FROGMAN ACCESSORIES: Face mask, swim fins, wrist depth gauge, knife, scabbard. Equipment Manual.

Notes:

The Navy Frogman Set was a popular choice of children at bath time for many years, and production was pretty much for the whole production period of 1966 to 1984 with slight modifications, with omissions only in three Equipment Manuals covering 1977-1980. The 'Underwater Demolitions' moniker was dropped in 1968. It could be pieced together with equipment cards (see below). The Frogman suit is rare to find in original, elastic condition - all too many go brittle and perish. The 1st issue frogman top has an enclosed zip, with later issues the zipper was visible. The original wet suit perishes readily and we have also used the 50th Anniversary 'Scuba Diver' (2016) version in our images as an option to completing the figure, which is very similar, if not slightly lighter in weight and more generous of fit. The frogman originally had an orange mask when launched, but progressed to black in the 1970s. Yellow face masks belong with the Underwater Explorer. There were changes over some years of production, including tank and mask colours, and from 1979 there was an orange frogman suit available. A blue wet suit top was given to the Underwater Explorer. The Navy Manual available with the Action Sailor (that was included with the box) had details of how to set up figures, and the accessories available. See also Action Man Sailor Navy Dress Parade and Navy Attack.