This year when I was sitting at the Hasbro presentation the speaker mentioned how the 
rest of the world loves the 12 inch figure. Last year at the same presentation Hasbro informed the crowd that they would not be making 12 inch figures any longer…what a difference a year makes.
I have long been a fan of what can be referred to as the “full sized” G.I. Joe. I have been collecting them since the 1970s. I have an old black and white photo of my grandfather at Christmas holding me in his arms with a pile of G.I. Joe toys lining the wall. Of the few photos that exist of my childhood that is one of my favorites. It was probably that Christmas that made me such a fan of that scale action figure.
There is something about being able to change out the uniform and equipment to make the figure unique. I liked being able to customize that 1 figure to suit any environment or story line; that led to hours, if not days of playtime. My Joes could go from a jungle environment to an alien world to the ruined remains of a future Earth all by changing out their gear. Please understand that this was a simpler time, before Playstations, when you had to use your imagination. As time passed, the 12 inch figure faded into memory and was packed away, only to be replaced by 3 ¾ inch figures. Don’t get me wrong, Micronauts, Star Wars and the new G.I. Joes ruled back in the late 70s and early 80s, but something kept me longing for those days lost on alien worlds.
Hasbro eventually began to produce 12 inch figures again. And I, like most fans, snatched them up. The first ones were based on the very popular 3 ¾ inch line with Duke and Snake Eyes, each with very limited poseability. Over time the line expanded with G.I. Joes in uniforms from all over the world, from different eras and from places yet to be conquered. The early figures, which had “pop” joints like a cheap Barbie, soon evolved into ones with multiple points of articulation; evolving to the point where even the figures could be posed. It was a dream come true, but all dreams end.
Hasbro has brought back the 12 inch scale but it is a travesty. These blocky looking figures 
are solid plastic with 5 points of articulation at the neck, shoulders and hips. They look like crap. When I saw them at Toy Fair I thought they were prototypes but I was told in a very proud way that, “No those will be on shelves.” I was shocked. Hasbro isn’t just ruining G.I. Joe; these horrible figures are in the Star Wars and Marvel lines as well. I am thinking that if Hasbro could take a piece of 4×4, paint a picture on it and call it an action figure they would. When these don’t sell Hasbro will look at this and blame it on lack of interest in 12 inch figures.
There are companies that are doing it right. Mattel has kept the 12 inch Max Steel line alive and well in Latin America. Some of those are quite cool looking. Max Steel will be making a return in the States but it comes as no surprise that it will be a smaller scale. Hot Toys out of Honk Kong makes some beautiful figures. Also Sideshow Collectibles does a great job. The figures are highly detailed and very poseable. I love the way they look. Even the accessories and costumes are highly detailed. Both Hot Toys and Sideshow Toys are highly expensive. These are great on a shelf but not in a toy box. I know if I paid a hundred plus for a figure I wouldn’t be taking outside to play, which is too much of an investment to risk.
So where does that leave collectors? Not the serious “let me put this on a shelf” collectors but the people who actually play with their action figures. Fortunately another hero from the 1960s has made a return to save the day and his name is Captain Action. Originally produced by Ideal in 1966 Captain Action was a hero with many faces. Licensing rules were somewhat different in the late 1960s and Ideal was able to produce costumes for both Marvel and DC characters as well as characters from King Features such as Flash Gordon and the Phantom.
Created as the answer to the phenomena that was G.I. Joe (actually both figures had the same father: Stan Weston), Captain Action’s reign was short lived. Though the line expanded prior to its demise with a side kick Action Boy and a villain Dr. Evil, Ideal cancelled the line in 1968. The line was a great idea, one hero, and many identities. He was a child of the 60s. Captain Action was as cool as James Bond and as suave as Napoleon Solo (ask your parents on who the second one is). Captain Action was also Bruce Wayne, Kitt Walker, Britt Reed as well as being his own man Miles Drake (his identity in the comic book). This concept was amazing. All you needed was 1 figure and you could have any hero you could ever want just putting on another uniform.
Captain Action was gone but certainly not forgotten. 30 years after his initial demise a company called Playing Mantis revived Captain Action but lacked the costume choices from the 1960s. Playing Mantis had the Green Hornet and Lone Ranger but it didn’t have anything as great as Captain America or as lame as Aquaman. Again Captain Action faded into memory.
Fortunately Captain Action has returned once again to save the day. I 
am not kidding about saving the day since the affordable 12 inch figure market is in sad shape. Today Round 2 Corp. and Captain Action Enterprises have brought the classic figure back from the abyss. Last year they introduced the new Captain Action figure with a couple of costumes (Spider-Man and Captain America) and they looked amazing. Gone is the odd shaped head and depressed looking face sculpt; replaced with a much better looking face. This year the Captain’s nemesis Dr. Evil hit the shelves along with costumes for Thor and Loki. Again these all look amazing. The guys over at Round 2 have the right idea.
The new Captain Action line has not only the license for Marvel characters they have acquired the rights to do DC characters. Soon you will be able to have the Avengers battle the Justice League…a geek’s fantasy come true. We did see some great stuff at Toy Fair this year and the article can be read here. I can say for a fact right now without even seeing them here in front of me Captain Action’s Iron Man is 1000% better than the 12 inch one that Hasbro put out.
Captain Action has 25 points of articulation and retails for $29.99 which is not a high price for such a quality product. The uniforms run $19.99, again not such a high price point. The beauty of these affordable prices is the fact you don’t have to be afraid to play with them. Sure you can dress them up and put them on a shelf but if your son, daughter, nephew or niece asks to play with them you can go and buy them one of their own. (No one plays with my toys.)
A figure like Captain Action has endless possibilities. Aside from the licensed characters they can do a line of Captain Action specific uniforms which could come in at a lower price point. I would love to see a space suit for the Captain or a desert uniform. Personally I would like to see a S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform so I could have back up for my Avengers (like they really need it).
You may think that Captain Action doesn’t have anything to support the line like movies or a cartoon series but for Captain Action, every superhero movie supports the line. There also is an animated series in the works. Captain Action has his own comic book and is the subject of the novel, Captain Action: Riddle of the Glowing Men written by Jim Beard. It would seem that Captain Action is everywhere. I see this line snowballing into something that will take a bite out of the action figure market.
The big toy companies should take note of what the people involved in the return of Captain Action are doing and maybe follow suit. Kids (and I mean “of all ages”) want a figure with tons of accessories that you can pose in just about any position. I don’t know if Captain Action will truly be the savior of 12 inch figures but his design is a move in the right direction. The bottom line is that companies are in business to make money and the more parts a figure has the more it costs to make. If things don’t change in the future all collectors will have is Captain Action and his multiple identities. That actually isn’t such a bad thing.
