Toy Questions Part 3: Heroes in Action

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http://www.plaidstallions.com/images/tl/heroesswat.jpg
This question comes in once a month, like clock work:


"I had these soldiers that were 3 3/4" and secured to a base, they made clicking sounds to simulate gunfire"



They are Mattel's Heroes in Action (http://www.plaidstallions.com/mattel/76heroes.html) line, a neat little line of 3 3/4" soldiers that seems to have sold much better in Europe than here. I pictured the SWAT set up there for variety but the majority of the line was military themed.

I think the concept and execution were solid but it may have been too soon after Viet Nam for these things to be popular.


http://www.plaidstallions.com/mattel/heroes.jpg (http://www.plaidstallions.com/mattel/76heroes.html)

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More... (http://plaidstallions.blogspot.com/2010/03/toy-questions-part-3-heroes-in-action.html)

[MegoMark71]

dont think i have ever seen these before.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I remember seeing ads for these in 70s comics.

If I didn't know better, I'd say this line came from the 80s. Mattel seemed way ahead of the times back then, with Big Jim's PACK and this.

Is it just me, or does that helicopter above look an awful lot like Mattel's later Secret Wars choppers?

Chris

[palitoy]

Is it just me, or does that helicopter above look an awful lot like Mattel's later Secret Wars choppers?


It's the same, Mattel is a very frugal company.

[highquality]

PS has really developed into a powerful resource. The info on AHI and Rack Toys alone is extensive. I'm glad you decided to take on the task. All this great stuff and info could've been lost to history.

If Lou is the Angriest Man in Toys, does this now make you like Shaft? You know what I mean. :grin:

It sounds better than the Authority on Obscurity. :wink:

[palitoy]

Thanks, I have a collection of vintage John Shaft like coats but that's where the similiarities end.


All this great stuff and info could've been lost to history.


What's weird is how this came to be, I would buy a magazine or catalog, take out the mego content but there would be so much other cool stuff. I'd go around offering it to other sites, some would take it with both hands, others were absolutely rude.

I just thought I'd run out by now but I'm on June currently and not done...

[Earth 2 Chris]

It's the same, Mattel is a very frugal company.

That explains a lot. I always wondered why those copters were so realistic compared to things like the Turbo Cycle and the Doom Roller.

Chris

[palitoy]

In the eighties, there was a Mattel series called "Real Men" they were weird finger puppet type action figures that played soccer and boxed. All of them were recycled Big Jim heads. Some of them were Big Jim's we never even saw in this continent.

[jwyblejr]

I've heard about these but have never seen them.

[turnbolt]

I love the Heroes in Action line and have been trying to recollect them for awhile now. I found these LJN knockoffs of this line from 1975 recently.

http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv236/turnbolt/ljn__soldiers.jpg

http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv236/turnbolt/ljn__soldiers-6.jpg

Does anyone know the name of this Heroes in Action knockoff line or have any info on it?

Also, are there any Heroes collectors out there. Would love to see your collections!

Here's my small one.

http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv236/turnbolt/army1.jpg

http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv236/turnbolt/army2.jpg

[Godzilla]

I really liked this line as a kid. I only had a couple, but one stills it son my desk at home. There just wasn't anything else like that action feature out then and it made them really cool to my young self.

[SainthoodDenied]

Me and my friend had quite a few of the swat and army guys. My friend and his brother even had the swat set with the van and helicopter.
They come apart at the waist pretty easy where the twisting, firing action works when they sit on their base. I have a couple upper torsos in my parts box now.

[knight errant00]

Was this line ever connected to Sgt. Rock?

For some reason (and it could just be goofy kid memory syndrome), I always remember these as having something to do with Sgt. Rock.

[Trappy Trek Freak]

I had these swat figures I loved them as a kid, I remember my mom ordered them from the Sears catalogue. Does anyone have any for sale?

[TrueDave]

I had a few. I found one in a cheapo box not long ago.
Very creative how they used flesh and green so no paint was needed

[turnbolt]

Was this line ever connected to Sgt. Rock?

For some reason (and it could just be goofy kid memory syndrome), I always remember these as having something to do with Sgt. Rock.

Nope. Not connected to that Remco Sgt. Rock line. That stuff came out about 5 years later and were in Scale with the RAH GI Joe's. These are a little smaller with only 3 points of articulation.

[DocDrako]

I loved these guys as a kid, although I had the military ones more often than the SWAT ones. "The Captain", as he was known by my brother and me, was my favorite. He had a USMC kind of hat instead of the helmet that the rest of the guys wore. What great memories! Thanks!

:2thumbsup:

[turnbolt]

These are really fun to collect. Lots of different characters, weapons, and vehicles. Some are very difficult to find. It just takes some patience. These are often mislabeled in auctions and most people just don't know what they have.