Collecting Captain Action is a challenge. Not only was it from a toy maker that wasn't small exactly, but it wasn't producing millions of toys like Hasbro GiJoe was. It also was only in the stores for a few years as well. Marx is a similar company, but let's be honest, Marx figures and accessories were made to last, and last they have. Same goes with the Hasbro GiJoe.
So regarding Ideal's Captain Action, scarcity is high, and demand is high because of scarcity, and also because of popularity of the licenses they had. They also weren't built to last unfortunately.
Ideal's deficiencies were many.
Bad paints, and masks that ripped too easily. The equipment/accessories were brittle and broke or were lost too easily. How did any of the GH pocket watches and Spiderman spiders survive?
The parachute was a cool toy no doubt, but how many poor Captain Actions were forced to spend the rest of their lives on crutches? This leads into the early Captain Action figures with the common broken elbows and wrists. Which was happily fixed on the 2nd issue body with the nylon joints. Action Boy's weak ankles are legendary as well.
Bodysuits that would snag if you looked at them the wrong. We know now that taking the hands off before putting on a body suit is the best option to avoid snags and runs, but how many kids on Christmas morning just wanted to switch Aquaman into Spiderman only to find they shredded Spiderman's right sleeve? The horror!
These all above were all immediate issues kids probably found right away.
Us collectors 50+ years later also got to deal with fun fact that the equipment/accessories loved to melt into unused trash while in contact with all of those rubber belts. Also all of the rubber bits and belts, Aquaman fins etc, shrinking so much they are unusable and wouldn't even fit on the figures anymore.
Sigh.....
But overall, this is another part of what makes collecting Ideal's Captain Action fun. Finding a piece that shouldn't have survived, but against all odds it did. It weathered sitting in a box for decades before showing up at your house, to be carefully taken out and placed on a figure for your collection. At least that's the plan, until you accidentally drop it on the floor and it breaks, (which I have done)....
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Originally Posted by PNGwynne
