ACTION MAN

Underwater Assault 1983

Period: Eagle Eyes

Dates: 1983

Cat No: 34281

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' Underwater Assault:

34281

UNDERWATER ASSAULT: Rubber top, bottoms and hood, helmet, yellow belt, weapon, yellow harness, 'working' backpack with black harness, chest regulator, swim fins, yellow cuffs, knife with scabbard, 3 x tubes. 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 especiually the Missile Assault. The Missile Assault is the rarest of the three, and the Underwater Assault frogman rubber outfit is super rare due to perishing material. There were three clear flexible tubes – a short tube, to connect from helmet to chest regulator, a slightly longer tube to connect from chest reulator over shoulder to back pack, and a longer clear pipe connected to the central hole in the backpack – shown on the instructions leaflet whereby you could blow air into the submerged diver and regulate his depth by letting air in, and out. The red handled knife seems unique to this set. The dark grey-blue swim fins (or 'flippers') were the rounded front variety. Thanks to Tom for loan of figure for this page.

Action Man Special Team Underwater Assault