All the griping and complaining has finally paid off. After decades of being saddled with them, “action features” have pretty much been eliminated from the 6-inch scale. To some, that’s a good thing. No longer are adult collectors saddled with ugly knobs, hindered articulation, and the stigma of playing with toys clearly meant for children. But maybe, just maybe, we lost something when these action features were done away with. Here are 10 action features that deserve to make a comeback!
10. Magnetic Parts!
Back in the day, Mego’s 12-inch Spider-Man was just about the coolest version of ol’ Web-Head out there. But you know what was even cooler? Megos 12-inch Magnetic Spider-Man! Having a Spidey who actually stayed where ya stuck ’em was a glorious thing; you could pop him onto the side of the refrigerator before bedtime and find him waiting patiently for you the next morning. Though Mego might have been the first, later companies like ToyBiz also used magnets extensively in their Spider-Man figures. It’s a gimmick that deserves to come back. Not only would magnets allow our various wall-crawlers to stick to stuff, but they could also be used to swap out body parts without depending on delicate pins, as well as increasing a figure’s overall range of articulation.
9. “Flowing” Blood!
I had a lot of great stuff as a kid, but there were a few things I desperately wanted but never managed to get my hands on. One of them was an oversized toy called Pulsar. At 14 inches this big galoot towered over all other action figures, but his sheer size wasn’t just for show. Pulsar had an amazing action feature: lifting his shirt revealed a clear chest cavity loaded with internal organs. With the push of a button the heart would pump, the lungs would open and close, and “blood” would flow through his veins. The gimmick returned in Mattel’s 1987 release Mosquitor, whose red liquid-filled chest bubbled, simulating the ‘skeeter-like beastie sipping a foe’s blood.
8. “Eagle Eyes!”
Another innovation from the good folks who gave us G.I. Joe, the “eagle eyes” were the precursor to the PERS system of more expensive toys today. For those of you unfamiliar with the process, a tiny lever in the head allows the eyes to move. I’m not exactly sure how to pull this off in 6-inch scale, but it would add a lot to a figure’s playability. I have dozens figures on my shelf with wonky eyes and would love a solution other than attempting to repaint them. Seriously, with his upturned eyes, my DCUC Aquaman looks cattier than my 14-year-old daughter. Something must be done.
7. Glow-in-the-Dark paint!
Speaking of paint, the glow in the dark stuff is the best. In fact, I love it so much I’m not sure why I’m not painting with it right now. It makes neat stuff even neater and mundane stuff… well, slightly less mundane. Slap it on a crappy cardboard puzzle and it becomes a phosphorescent wonderland. Spray it on an action figure and the fun really begins. Hasbro could do an entire GID series: classic Moonstone, Man-Thing, Ghost Rider, Astral Form Doctor Strange, a redo of Big Time Spider-Man… just think of the possibilities.
6. Neon Night-Ninja Gear!
Rich guys buy a lot of crap they don’t need, and there’s no reason Bruce Wayne should be any different. If anyone should have an atomic-powered, lime-green street-luge it’s him. While I’m not saying I’d want every version of the Dark Knight wearing Neon Night-Ninja Gear or Cyber-Pirate Fractal-Tech, these cornball gimmicks can go a long way in keeping a line alive at retail. People poo-poo all the Batman variants created over the years, but they ensured the product lasted long enough to get fan-demanded villains and sidekicks out as well.
5. Expanding breasts!
In 1975, Mattel released Barbie’s Sister, Skipper. Skipper “grew up before your eyes” thanks to a crank in her arm that made her little plastic boobs slightly bigger. It was a controversy at the time and the figure was pulled from shelves. Happily, we live in more enlightened times, so there’s no reason our toys shouldn’t go from A-cups to a double-D. And just so you don’t think I’m sexist, make sure the male action figures have it too — imagine Kingpin’s moobs expanding before your very eyes.
4. “Lifelike hair!”
One innovative action feature toy manufacturers have almost universally abandoned is “lifelike hair.” Originally pioneered by Hasbro for their G.I. Joe line, the technique has been used over the years to varying success. These days, you just don’t see toys with lifelike hair, but I propose bringing it back in Marvel Legends. Imagine a classic Luke Cage with an afro, Punisher with three-day stubble, or the Owl’s crazy feathered look. And it doesn’t just have to stop at their heads: Logan with furry forearms, a Beast figure with blue flocked hair ala Mossman — the possibilities!
3. Secret-Identity Outfits!
Because you can’t be a superhero all the time. Mego provided Batman, Robin, Superman, and Spider-Man with alternate outfits and heads so their figures could “transform” back into their civilian identities. One could argue Ideal beat Mego to the punch with their Captain Action figure, but Superman’s secret identity is Clark Kent, so that’s a moot point. However you slice it, being able to to change your figure’s identity is a pretty neat feature. Hasbro has been doing well giving collectors extra unmasked heads, but I think we can take it further.
2. “Stretch” powers!
A no-brainer. We need a Mister Fantastic that can stretch. I’m not talking a set of stiff rubber arms that barely move, I’m talking about a Reed Richards we can literally tie around other action figures. How would that be possible? Well, I don’t know — but if some industrious company can come up with a way to do it, then they’ll sell a million of ’em. Reed has never come close to having a toy accurately represent his power set — it was so outside the realm of possibility for Mego, the company simply claimed that Reed turned invisible in the TV commercials! The sooner we have a rubbery Reed, the closer we are to realizing the dream.
1. Holograms!
Holograms were going to save us in the 1980s. I don’t remember exactly how it was supposed to happen, but they were going to be a big part of our future. Toy manufacturers were certainly betting on it; every figure in Hasbro’s 1987 line Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light sported a holographic sticker representing the character’s animal totem-based powers. Rival manufacturer Tonka’s The Super Naturals went one better, making the entire front of the figure a holographic image. For a while holograms were everywhere, and they could be again. Imagine what Hasbro could do with holograms today — an Armin Zola figure with a 3-dimensional face, perhaps? I’m ready for an upgrade!
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