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SMDM Mystery Solved!

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  • Mr. Hollywood
    Museum Super Collector
    • Nov 29, 2012
    • 228

    SMDM Mystery Solved!

    Thanks to the below thread just posted on this forum:

    (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JkLRwTb3shw/Wv4pFVELzNI/AAAAAAAAJnU/Ang9Z0tMqAUDcWmX0yoRZK81hJDzS9KdgCLcBGAs/s1600/smdm1976.jpg) Happy Bionic Friday everybody! Like our Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/Plaidstallionsdotcom/) Check out our Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/plaidstallions/) (https://www.amazon


    We now know that the once thought of "Mexican bootleg" additional outfits were infact possibly made by, and definaltey sold by Kenner through Alden's Department Store (catalogue page from Alden's)!

    1. Alden's Exclusive Air Force Outift: additional outfit sold on a card with a WHITE cap!
    2. "Jumpsuit with life vest" which is the blue suit/ red stripes and orange life vest
    3. "Parachute outfit with parachute and crash helmet" (Suit/ orange helmet/ parachute)

    Notice that none of the outfits come with shoes. It's obvious that the standard red running shoes were worn with all outfits, accept Alden's Airforce which had black Maskatron shoes.

    Below are these suits I have my collection.

    Great news boys, and amazing what we can learn all these years later from a simply catalogue advertisement!

    IMG_5113.jpgIMG_5114.jpgIMG_5115.jpgIMG_5116.jpg
    Last edited by Mr. Hollywood; May 20, '18, 3:04 PM.
  • Mr. Hollywood
    Museum Super Collector
    • Nov 29, 2012
    • 228

    #2
    Here is an updated photo of the "jumpsuit with life saving vest" from my collection. I actually have two of these, one in the previous photo that has some wear on the stripes, and this mint version.

    IMG_5117.jpg
    IMG_0014.jpg
    Last edited by Mr. Hollywood; May 20, '18, 12:02 PM.

    Comment

    • Brown Bear
      Still Old School
      • Feb 14, 2008
      • 7057

      #3
      Those are cool. Wish I had all of them.
      Check out my website: Megozine Covers - Home

      Comment

      • sprytel
        Talkative Member
        • Jun 26, 2009
        • 6539

        #4
        Nice detective work on tracking down the origins of these! Those are awesome pieces for your collection.

        Comment

        • PNGwynne
          Master of Fowl Play
          • Jun 5, 2008
          • 19444

          #5
          Those are beautiful, especially the Air Force dress set.
          WANTED: Dick Grayson SI trousers; gray AJ Mustang horse; vintage RC Batman (Bruce Wayne) head; minty Wolfman tights; mint Black Knight sword; minty Launcelot boots; Lion Rock (pale) Dracula & Mummy heads; Lion Rock Franky squared boots; Wayne Foundation blue furniture; Flash Gordon/Ming (10") unbroken holsters; CHiPs gloved arms; POTA T2 tan body; CTVT/vintage Friar Tuck robes, BBP TZ Burgess Meredith glasses.

          Comment

          • jwyblejr
            galactic yo-yo
            • Apr 6, 2006
            • 11141

            #6
            I'm thinking that air vest are the ones that pop up alot on Ebay in GI Joe lots.

            Comment

            • Mr. Hollywood
              Museum Super Collector
              • Nov 29, 2012
              • 228

              #7
              Originally posted by jwyblejr
              I'm thinking that air vest are the ones that pop up alot on Ebay in GI Joe lots.
              Definitely could be, just make sure it's not a Joe version. This one has a larger head hole.

              Comment

              • Mr. Hollywood
                Museum Super Collector
                • Nov 29, 2012
                • 228

                #8
                Originally posted by sprytel
                Nice detective work on tracking down the origins of these! Those are awesome pieces for your collection.
                Thanks man, happened to notice it on that advert for Alden's and freaked!

                Comment

                • thunderbolt
                  Hi Ernie!!!
                  • Feb 15, 2004
                  • 34211

                  #9
                  yeah those generic knock off air vest show up quite iften in Joe lots. The actual GI Joe ones are marked GI Joe Life Vest. They probably show up in those Mr. Action bags of 12 inch accessories, too. The uniforms were more than likely generics made by LJN and sold by Alden. They look a lot like Mr. Action uniforms, especially the helicopter pilot and parachutist.
                  Last edited by thunderbolt; May 20, '18, 12:32 PM.
                  You must try to generate happiness within yourself. If you aren't happy in one place, chances are you won't be happy anyplace. -Ernie Banks

                  Comment

                  • Mr. Hollywood
                    Museum Super Collector
                    • Nov 29, 2012
                    • 228

                    #10
                    Originally posted by thunderbolt
                    yeah those generic knock off air vest show up quite iften in Joe lots. The actual GI Joe ones are marked GI Joe Life Vest. They probably show up in those Mr. Action bags of 12 inch accessories, too. The uniforms were more than likely generics made by LJN and sold by Alden. They look a lot like Mr. Action uniforms, especially the helicopter pilot and parachutist.
                    Definitely not generics from the stand point of one fits all. These are produced with the SMDM figure in mind as they are scaled up and have the slit in the rear professionally made and finished.

                    My previous thread on the subject did show the Mr. Action versions, however they were smaller.

                    I believe the SMDM versions were produced by Kenner as an in store exclusive with potential for mass release. Same format used for bionic Woman. Same was done by Kenner for Denny Fisher in the UK.

                    Regardless of which came first, we know based on the catalogue advert and the outfits themselves that they are legitamte approved and or made by Kenner SMDM US release outfits. That expands the line far greater than what was previously known.

                    Comment

                    • thunderbolt
                      Hi Ernie!!!
                      • Feb 15, 2004
                      • 34211

                      #11
                      I don't see anything in that ad that signals official approval, not familiar with the store, but Sears did a lot of the same thing (listing generics on the same page with Joe or Barbie or Steve Austin). The "and other 13 inch action figures" to me implies generic knockoffs made with Steve Austin in mind.
                      You must try to generate happiness within yourself. If you aren't happy in one place, chances are you won't be happy anyplace. -Ernie Banks

                      Comment

                      • Mr. Hollywood
                        Museum Super Collector
                        • Nov 29, 2012
                        • 228

                        #12
                        Originally posted by thunderbolt
                        I don't see anything in that ad that signals official approval, not familiar with the store, but Sears did a lot of the same thing (listing generics on the same page with Joe or Barbie or Steve Austin). The "and other 13 inch action figures" to me implies generic knockoffs made with Steve Austin in mind.
                        We can agree to disagree.

                        I am attaching a photograph of the back of one of the outfits to illustrate to you the fact that regardless of where the original design may have been born from at the end of the day the suits were specifically made for the $6 million man. And for Alden’s to have a special exclusive with Kenner I do not believe that their buyers or corporate would risk any type of exclusive agreement by selling bootleg material that was not approved and or made/ designed by Kenner.

                        We all know how common especially in the 70s it was for companies to knock off other designs for their own line with slight modifications as to avoid any type of intellectual or copyright infringement’s.

                        Because these outfits are so unknown you can consider them independent if you choose. however the fact that it is documented that they were explicitly advertised in an Alden’s catalogue for the six million dollar man and the fact that they are designed for the $6 million man’s specific action figure size and accommodating it’s action motions clearly makes them extensions of the toy line by basic deduction.
                        BD21D12E-D99E-47A2-A6E0-0B497A90355D.jpgE65CC43C-5330-46D7-9D4E-E1635CC1D1F4.jpg
                        Last edited by Mr. Hollywood; May 20, '18, 3:36 PM.

                        Comment

                        • Mr. Hollywood
                          Museum Super Collector
                          • Nov 29, 2012
                          • 228

                          #13
                          I also disagree with your statement of “generic”. note the wording on the vest ....inline with Steve Austin’s character background and the scale specific to 13 inch Steve Austin figure.

                          Not saying that Mr Action didn’t have the same but considering again the scale that’s what makes the difference between on for an 8inch figure, a 12 inch or 13.



                          image.jpg
                          Last edited by Mr. Hollywood; May 20, '18, 3:18 PM.

                          Comment

                          • Neutron X
                            Persistent Member
                            • Dec 22, 2007
                            • 1803

                            #14
                            Cool connection.The uniforms while sold in this case for 6 Million Dollar Man were technical not Kenner or they would be tagged. These are definitely a Alden's exclusive designed for 6MDM and were advertised as such. They were offered more than one year and I have a pic of another Alden's catalog page in my files. This doesn't make them any less cool just harder to find! My understanding is there was also a pattern sold in 1970s for making 6MDM clothing that further complicates finds.

                            This type of thing was done for GIJOE, BIG JIM, Evel Knievel,Lone Ranger and several others toy lines. My guess, this is before Kenner went into production making uniform sets for 6MDM, this was to fill the void. I have talked to several people who mentioned to me that some retail companies would request cheap(profitable)clothing sets from toy manufacturers to sell in their stores. This would match whatever action figure line they were stocking. A good example is Mego Action Jackson orange diving suit. Mego made the same suit larger to fit Big Jim but included Mego accessories. There is also a large black version that fits Gijoe. Both were mail order sets by Mego.

                            This was a hard concept for me to understand. I would find the same KO suit MIP but it would be 2 different sizes. I didn't understand why for the longest time. They were made for whatever figure was selling. some KO are a little too big and a little too small trying to cover all the bases.

                            Comment

                            • Mr. Hollywood
                              Museum Super Collector
                              • Nov 29, 2012
                              • 228

                              #15
                              Duplicate.
                              Last edited by Mr. Hollywood; May 21, '18, 10:50 AM.

                              Comment

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