ACTION MAN
Missile Assault 1983
Period: Eagle Eyes
Dates: 1983
Cat No: 934843
Description:
The 1982 ‘Special Team’ (later to be rebranded 'Special Operations') was a 4 figure Action Man outfit range consisting of Ground Assault, Underwater Assault, Arctic Assault, and a year later, the Missile Assault was released (1983). They were a futuristic fighting force designed to tackle a number of exciting terrains. The creative work of Greg Hughes, conceptual designer, this exciting imaginative departure was set to introduce a range of associated futuristic ‘Wolfpack colour schemed’ vehicles before the plug was pulled on Palitoy in 1984. (example here)
34281 Ground Assault
34281 Arctic Assault
34281 Underwater Assault
934843 Missile Assault
Action Man' Special Team' Missile Assault:
34281
MISSILE ASSAULT: Camouflaged combat jumpsuit, armband, grey coloured rubber balaclava, grey plastic webbing with pouches and water bottle, grey gloves, grey boots, grey helmet with built in visor and fabric emblem, grey missile launcher, 3 x grenades. Equipment Manual.
Notes:
These outfits were produced when Action Man sales were on the wain, and the number sold were lower than the majority of Action Man outfits, which make them amongst the rarer of uniforms to find complete especially the Missile Assault. The other three uniforms were shown on reverse of the packs, without the Missile Assault figure show so didn't look planned at that stage. Material divisional badges tend to fall off of helmet and sleeve (replacements available here) and balaclavas perish. The oversized boots rattle a little on the figures (strangely based upon those oversized type previously borrowed from the Six Million Dollar man toy line) and the cumbersome plastic gloves totally negated the development of gripping hands, making weapon holding impossible. The Missile Assault is the rarest of the three, and the Underwater Assault frogman rubber outfit is super rare due to perishing material.
Action Man Special Team Missile Assault
Action Man Special Team Underwater Assault
1981 (last) Action Man Official Equipment Manual
Action Man Special Team Missile Assault
Action Man Special Team Ground Assault
Replacement Missile Assault repro fabric badges available:
Action Man Missile Assault Packaging
Missile Assault was not pictured on the box backs of the other three outfits (image courtesy of Vectis Auctions)
