Action Sailor (1994)
1994 was such a bittersweet year for a Joe collector, well, at least for this Joe collector. Having jumped back into collecting just three years earlier, not only was I starting to gain some ground on picking up the figures I had missed, but I was excited at the prospect of new figures on the horizon.
Those prospects fizzled out when I learned through the toy magazines of the day that the Real American Hero line would be going away after the 30th Anniversary of the brand had just ended. I was doubly disappointed since I had truly enjoyed the adaptation of the 60’s Joes into the smaller scale.
Action Sailor is a repaint of the single pack release, and was available in a multi-pack that also included a repainted Action Pilot and astronaut with Mercury space capsule. The orange wet suit was based on a variant from the other figures in the anniversary collection, which generally focused on the original four figures released in 1964.
The figure follows the standard diver design of figures like Torpedo and Wet Suit, yet thankfully doesn’t reuse any of the previous diver figures’ body parts. Wet Suit’s hand held light does make an appearance however. The figure successfully translates the old look into the smaller scale, getting even the little details, such as the zipper, belt and leg knife, correct.
While the collectors club has given us some AT sets recently, hopefully Hasbro themselves can find a way to incoporate more 12 inch designs into the small scale when the brand’s 50th anniversary rolls around in a couple of years.
Wet-Suit’s flashlight isn’t the only reused accessory–the fins come from the 1992 Wet-Suit and Eel.
I read Hasbro’s announcement on the brand’s fate in a toy magazine, I think it was Kirk Bozigian who said “G.I. Joe, as you know it, will go away.” Stuff like TMNT and Power Rangers were topping the sales chart, so it was no huge surprise to see G.I. Joe end the RAH run after 12 years.
Sgt. Savage had lots of potential but the line’s launch didn’t match its ’82 predecessor in terms of ferocity. We needed to see more characters rather than just 3 guys and a couple of villains, repainted right out of the gate to boot. The vehicles looked awesome, however. But compared to the Kenner-esque Extreme concept which followed, the Savage line was a stroke of genius.
It was really inner corporate compromising that ended 3 3/4″ GI JOE and why the Kenner people got to do Extreme. Hasbro absorbed Tonka, which owned Kenner, and decided to keep Kenner’s people on as toy developers. I never read the whole story, but GI JOE lasted longer than any Kenner series, even vintage Star Wars, but Hasbro canned its longest running and iconic line to appease a company it bought out?
You might have read it by now, but for anyone interested in the story behind Hasbro and Kenner’s shotgun wedding and Hasbro’s competition with Mattel during the 80’s and 90’s, check out G. Wayne Miller’s “Toy Wars” which provides a fascinating account of the RAH era alongside the company’s overall history.
The mask is awesome!
Maybe they let them do Savage so Hasbro had an easy reason to fire them. I was only 8 in 94 when Joe was canceled. Luckily my mom continued to snag figures at antique shops and garage sales.
I like all the action soldier figures fom ’94….
This is really an awesome figure. The orange and black are a visual feast and the accessories are very well done. I don’t understand why these figures are so unpopular. But that keeps them cheap despite the late production run.