Most G.I. Joe collectors are intimately familiar with the fact that across the pond, our Real American Hero (and the 12″ version that came before) were introduced under a slightly different moniker.
Action Man hit the ground running over in Europe back in the 60s and is celebrating his 50th Anniversary this year in a pretty huge way.
In Loveland, Colorado today at the 2016 G.I. Joe Convention, Dave Tree, reknowned Palitoy and Hasbro UK expert (as well as the mastermind behind UK G.I. Joe & Transformers convention Roll Out Roll Call), revealed some exciting plans for Action Man throughout the rest of 2016 and into 2017. He held a fantastic panel and has graciously allowed GeneralsJoes to display his panel slides RIGHT HERE. This is awesome, and I’m honored that Dave is willing to let me do this, because there is some pretty exciting breaking news here.
In 2016, Action Man will be celebrating his 50th Anniversary with SIX new products, all 12″ action figures, very reminiscent of original figures from his original years of release. Looking forward, there are TEN proposed products for 2017 in the UK as well.
Along with this, Action Man is poised to make his debut in comics with IDW Publishing, playing a large role in the upcoming Revolution story line. Along with all of this, some pretty exciting news as Action Man will actually be launched into space!
This coming Sunday, June 19th, the Mercury 10 Action Man will be sent up to orbit as a celebration of his 50th Anniversary. Dave Tree revealed all of this for the FIRST TIME at JoeCon today, and again, has kindly offered his slide deck to GeneralsJoes, which is mirrored below.
Regardless of whether or not your an American G.I. Joe fan or a European Action Man fan, the two brands have a ton of shared history and it’s pretty fantastic to see how Action Man’s 50th Anniversary is being celebrated. Folks who love the vintage aesthetic and long for some new and exciting 12″ product be prepared, because some great stuff is no the horizon!
Huge thanks to Dave Tree again, and check out all of the mirrored images below. If you like what you see here, please try and make plans to attend Roll Out Roll Call, one of the most exciting international toy conventions out there, and a sure fired source for one hell of a good time.