1:6 Capt. Action & Dr. Evil

A lot of you have expressed surprise that I haven't jumped on the Captain Action dollies 1:6 action figures yet and there are a couple reasons. For one, I didn't have these as a child. I was born a little late to get into these- the similar 9" Mego World's Greatest Superheroes were my first action figures. I also felt they were slightly overpriced- not terrible, but I'd been getting my dolly fix with Mattel's 9" Retro-Action line for $15-$20 a pop, which were styled like Megos anyway. Unfortunately, Mattel cancelled that line, but seeing these  basic Captain Action figures on sale at half off for $14.99 at TRU this weekend reignited my dolly love. This isn't the first revival of the late 60's Captain Action toy franchise, the first released by a company called Playing Mantis back in 1998, which included accessories for The Lone Ranger & Tonto, Flash Gordon, the Green Hornet & Kato, and The Phantom. Several Marvel Comics character accessories have been released for this latest incarnation of the Captain, and I heard that Superman & Batman outfits are being released this year.

The packaging is splendid on these, packed in big, clear box with a colorful cardstock backer and tray full of accessories. It also comes with a comic book- a practice that I personally love, and makes great marketing sense. Captain Action's comic was the best, featuring two very retro spy stories full of action and great writing that reminded me an old Challengers of The Unknown book I read awhile back. The Dr. Evil comic had fun writing, but was more like a short story with illustrations. From what I understand, DC Comics published a few comics back in '68 that had little to do with the original toy line, but these newer stories published by Moonstone have a real Blackhawk-type of retro machismo that fits perfectly with toy.

Captain Action has great articulation- I'm unsure how his body compared to that of  one of the more boutique Sideshow or Hot Toys figures, but it's more than adequate. I wish the joints were tighter, but he poses pretty well. His ball-jointed head is very expressive, and bicep swivels, hinge-swivel wrists, double-jointed knees & elbows, and waist swivel/abdominal crunch combo make him very well articulated.

There was a deluxe version of this figure released, but the basic Captain Action figure is generously accessorized, with lightning sword, ray gun with holster, and personal communicator which all fit on his utility belt, and cap that fits securely on his head. His communicator even flips open like a cell phone- really cool! This holster clasps shut very well, but I had problems with the sword sheath popping off the belt loop, His buckle was similarly problematic, two very shallow pegs that fit into tiny hole in the belt. The suggested age is fourteen years and up, obviously meant for a more careful collector with all the small parts.

The hands are made of a softer rubber than the hard plastic body, and securely hold Captain Action's accessories, the forefinger fitting snugly into the trigger guard of his ray gun. The spandex outfit closed up neatly via a velcro strip down the back and is fully removable, as are the hands pegged onto the forearms, so he can be transformed into Thor, Spider-Man, Captain America, or any of the other character accessory sets sold.

 I already said that his joints are a little loose for my liking, but with some patience, the figure can do quite a bit. I thought these looked a little goofy upon seeing them initially, but this is a very cool toy. The paint apps are great, especially on his accessories  his cap alone is expertly done, topped off with an expertly sculpted anchor badge, I assume a reference to his Navy background. I had a ball photographing him. He's a lot of fun!

I may of thought the Captain was goofy looking at first, but Dr. Evil is the most laugh-out-loud, ridiculous character I've seen in my life! I mean that in a good way. The blue skin, exposed brain, and gaudy medallion give him such a retro B-movie villain feel that he's hard not to like.

Dr. Evil gets fewer accessories, but they're nicely detailed. His medallion has a gold metal chain and translucent red jewel in the center, and he also comes with a great, Flash Gordon-type ray gun that totally rocks- very cool. My Dr. Evil has a seriously floppy right wrist, and perhaps even looser knees than my Captain Action, but I was still able to do a lot with him. 

He also gets a mask to disguise his grotesque head and evil machinations from Captain Action! It's a little work to pull the bearded mask over his chin, but it just fits. This really makes him look like a reject from the Village People in that silver evil scientist smock- hilarious! The head looks like Dr. Benton Quest from the Johnny Quest animated show.

These are some seriously fun toys I'd recommend to anyone into 1:6 scale, fully clothed action figures. I have to be honest in saying that I think thirty bucks seem high, but I've paid more for a 1:6, and with Marvel involved I guess they can ask that. I'm unsure if it's a nationwide, in-store sale on these, but the sale is on through March 9th. I may never have bought one at full retail price, but I'm sure glad I found them on sale.

More Later- Make It Fun!