ACTION MAN

30th Anniversary Limited Edition

Period: 30th Anniversary

Dates: 1996

Cat No: 27843.102

Collector's 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Description:

"In celebration of 30 years since his launch, this exclusive Limited Edition Action Man figure has been created to capture the spirit of the original (though the original 1966 body moulds have mysteriously vanished). Authentic sixties style accessories together with the original uniform style as well as a retro-look head make this a must for collectors, the young at heart and the children of the nineties" states the Hasbro day-glo orange packaging.

In May 1996 a 30th Anniversary Action Man Action Soldier was made available to buy alongside the rest of the (now three year old) Hasbro 'Modern Action Man' or 'MAM' range. It celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the launch of the basic Action Man Action Soldier of 1966 in the UK and was a brief departure from the current line up that Hasbro were producing in terms of theming and head-sculpts. The 30th Action Man wears a basic 'army denim' uniform very close to the original's 1966 shirt, trousers, tall boots and cap. The figure when compared to the original is heavier, has much larger gripping hands, and muscular build, with less articulation. The pistol and dagger are all noticeably larger than the original pieces by about 20%. It is not known how many were produced by Hasbro in this collector's 'limited edition' but it's likely to be at least 2,500 plus.

Action Man 30th Anniversary Edition Action Soldier:

30TH ANNIVERSARY ACTION MAN CONTENTS:

30th Anniversary Action Man figure, metal dog tag, shirt, trousers, green boots, backpack including entrenching tool cover, pistol belt with adjustment slider, canteen and cover, cap, helmet, dagger, M1 Garand rifle, map case, pistol, holster, entrenching tool, Browning machine gun, tripod, ammo box, 6 x grenades.

Notes:

The GI Joe Action Soldier was first released in 1964. It crossed the Atlantic in 1966 as the Action Man Action Soldier. This 1996 30th Anniversary Action Soldier, is similar to the first Action Man of fifty years ago, however is a different body form. A vintage style inner box was produced which is similar in appearance to the original, but does not have the same construction - rather it is a two piece 'coffin' box similar to the original GI Joe's type. Non-collectors do confuse often this edition thinking it from the 1960's. The belt buckle on the figure shown is reversed so the buckle tag points outward which is strange. It may have been a manufacturing anomaly. The small jacket buttons are a lot more to scale than the large 1960s-1980s versions.

1996 Action Man '30th Anniversary' Action Soldier