Six Million Dollar Man Mystery

[MightyMegs]

So, I've heard for years now about Kenner releasing a SMDM department store exclusive, with a blue (instead of the usual red) track suit. And try as I might, I've never found a pic of it. But after buying a SMDM lot... it had a Steve Austin with a powder-blue track suit! The stitching, elastic and pattern are the same as the regular release suit (it's the second year style, with no elastic in the sleeves). I've heard it came with the regular sneakers molded in blue, which I didn't get unfortunately.
BUT...
It came with a second outfit, scaled for the bigger 13" SMDM... sort of a denim casual outfit with a karate-type top and sash... and Oscar Goldman shoes molded in black.

So all you Six Million Dollar Man fans and experts out there... has anyone else come across this? What store was it an exclusive for? And WTH is the second outfit?

[MightyMegs]

There is also a second yellow shirt... again, scaled for the bigger 13" Steve Austin. This one has a Made In Hong Kong tag.

[Seriousin]

Kinda wondering about this too. I may have a line on a MIB one and was curious of the details and value.

Haven't found much information anywhere online - except for this old Museum thread…

Six Million Dollar Man (blue Track Suit)?

Any additional information would be greatly appreciated by me also :-)

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

I seem to recall ads from back in the day for extra outfits for Steve. Maybe these are them?

Don C.

[MIB41]

Wow. I have collected Six Mill since the 70's and have NEVER seen this. It looks like Kenner went after his look in season four when he favored a blue running suit. I do have a couple of questions though. Based on that karate outfit, is your figure the third edition where there is no button in the back? In other words when you raise his left arm does that make the right arm perform a chopping or spinning motion? You might have scored even better than you know. The third edition is the hardest to come by. And if all of this is tied to THAT figure, then you have what may be one of the rarest pieces in the entire Kenner lot. I will investigate further and consult with my Six Mill brothers on this. Fascinating find. Thanks for posting!

[MightyMegs]

Wow. I have collected Six Mill since the 70's and have NEVER seen this. It looks like Kenner went after his look in season four when he favored a blue running suit. I do have a couple of questions though. Based on that karate outfit, is your figure the third edition where there is no button in the back? In other words when you raise his left arm does that make the right arm perform a chopping or spinning motion? You might have scored even better than you know. The third edition is the hardest to come by. And if all of this is tied to THAT figure, then you have what may be one of the rarest pieces in the entire Kenner lot. I will investigate further and consult with my Six Mill brothers on this. Fascinating find. Thanks for posting!

Nope, he's not the Biosonic Steve. It's the second year of the original style, with the removable left arm (first years figures have a left arm that can't come off. Both years have the removable right arm). Strangely, though... the second years usually have corrected feet that can move side-to-side... this one still has the first year design feet that only move up and down.

[MIB41]

Nope, he's not the Biosonic Steve. It's the second year of the original style, with the removable left arm (first years figures have a left arm that can't come off. Both years have the removable right arm). Strangely, though... the second years usually have corrected feet that can move side-to-side... this one still has the first year design feet that only move up and down.

Well bummer. But it still sounds like you have a nice rarity there. Regarding the feet, that figure might be part of the production that was still using what was left of first edition supply when they started up the next series. A pretty common variant in the line up. I'll let you know what I find out.

[MightyMegs]

The blue casual outfit has the hole in the back for the arm-lifting button. The yellow windbreaker doesn't have a similar hole... but since it's a jacket, they may have left it off intentionally. Now... I have found some Bionic Woman sized outfits that were exclusive to Montgomery Wards... but they were made by Mego, strangely enough. I was thinking these outfit might have been made by another company to be used by Six Million Dollar Man... but it's the Oscar Goldman loafers in black that throw me; I doubt another company would be so brazen as to cut molds for shoes, to make unlicensed outfits for a competitor's toy. So, I'm thinking theses are really Kenner.

[MightyMegs]

Kinda wondering about this too. I may have a line on a MIB one and was curious of the details and value.

Haven't found much information anywhere online - except for this old Museum thread…

Six Million Dollar Man (blue Track Suit)?

Any additional information would be greatly appreciated by me also :-)

A boxed version? Awesome! And did anyone save the pics from that previous thread?

[torgospizza]

but it's the Oscar Goldman loafers in black that throw me; I doubt another company would be so brazen as to cut molds for shoes, to make unlicensed outfits for a competitor's toy.

Was Maskaron's shoes Oscar's or Steve's remolded in black? I've never seen one in person in the past 35 years, so my memory's no good on this one.

EDIT: Looking at those pictures more closely, I'm pretty convinced those are all legit Kenner SMDM pieces. Thing is, I'm wondering if they might be prototypes. I believe the Bionic Woman had several alternate clothing sets for purchase and not all were made available, and I wonder if the "karate" suit and yellow jacket are similar pieces. The "Made in China" tag suggests they're more than mere mock ups, though. The blue track suit's the real deal, no question. Nice stuff, man--nice addition to your collection!

[MIB41]

Was Maskaron's shoes Oscar's or Steve's remolded in black? I've never seen one in person in the past 35 years, so my memory's no good on this one.

Maskatron's shoes are molded in black, but they were the snicker design. Not the leisurely shoes shown here. I initially thought that myself.

[Seriousin]

A boxed version? Awesome! And did anyone save the pics from that previous thread?

It's kind of a cool story. I purchased a house recently and my brother-in-law came over - so I gave him the grand tour. At my previous residence, I didn't have the room to properly display my toy collection and this was the first time he had seen any of it. My brother-in-law is just a couple of years older than I and we enjoyed many of the same action figures and toys growing up. While reminiscing, he said that his mother is a bit of an organized hoarder, never throws anything away and had carefully saved his childhood collection - which he was completely unaware had any value at all.

While viewing my displays, he spotted my Six Million Dollar Man shelf. One of mine is still boxed and he explained that, at his parents he has one that saw very little play and that, as a child, the box itself was kept shelved is currently in "perfect - like new condition." As he continued to look at my display, he said - "Why are the suits on all yours red? That looks pretty cool! The one I have, in the box, is in a blue suit." I asked him if he was positive and he said he was quite sure. He also stated that since his mom keeps everything - that there are many original boxes in the collection.

Sadly, there doesn't seem to be any Megos. Six Million Dollar Man, Evel Knievel, Star Wars and Hot Wheels are what he remembers.

We continued to chat and I explained that vintage figures and toys do, many times, have quite a bit of value. His parents live a few hours away and the next time he has the opportunity to visit them (he's currently busy in seminary school) - he'll pick up the toys and bring them to me. After receiving, I'll figure out the value(s) of the collection. The higher value items (boxed) - I will be auctioning for him. Affordable items (that I want) - I will be purchasing at a mutually fair discount (selling the remainder). The lower valued items (loose, common Star Wars, etc) I will be allowed to keep as payment for setting up the auctions.

I'm honestly not the biggest SMDM collector, so I'm not a huge authority on the line. I just know the ones I had as a child (etc.), so when he said, "blue suit" - I figured his memory was a bit foggy and really didn't really give it a second thought. That is until I came across this thread. After seeing it, I attempted to do a little online research and found very little information - except that it was possibly a department store exclusive like the Montgomery Wards' Secret Identity sets.

I'm crossing my fingers that the collection is as nice and well kept as he remembers. I've been in similar scenarios before and people usually don't accurately remember and/or completely exaggerate for the sake of storytelling. I know my brother-in-law and his family pretty well, so even if it's not a blue suit SMDM - I'm feeling pretty good what he's telling me about the collection as a whole.

[MightyMegs]

That IS an awesome story. I hope he has the blue suit, and maybe we can shed some light on this. And if he happens to have a Venus Space Probe in his collection no one wants...

It's kind of a cool story. I purchased a house recently and my brother-in-law came over - so I gave him the grand tour. At my previous residence, I didn't have the room to properly display my toy collection and this was the first time he had seen any of it. My brother-in-law is just a couple of years older than I and we enjoyed many of the same action figures and toys growing up. While reminiscing, he said that his mother is a bit of an organized hoarder, never throws anything away and had carefully saved his childhood collection - which he was completely unaware had any value at all.

While viewing my displays, he spotted my Six Million Dollar Man shelf. One of mine is still boxed and he explained that, at his parents he has one that saw very little play and that, as a child, the box itself was kept shelved is currently in "perfect - like new condition." As he continued to look at my display, he said - "Why are the suits on all yours red? That looks pretty cool! The one I have, in the box, is in a blue suit." I asked him if he was positive and he said he was quite sure. He also stated that since his mom keeps everything - that there are many original boxes in the collection.

Sadly, there doesn't seem to be any Megos. Six Million Dollar Man, Evel Knievel, Star Wars and Hot Wheels are what he remembers.

We continued to chat and I explained that vintage figures and toys do, many times, have quite a bit of value. His parents live a few hours away and the next time he has the opportunity to visit them (he's currently busy in seminary school) - he'll pick up the toys and bring them to me. After receiving, I'll figure out the value(s) of the collection. The higher value items (boxed) - I will be auctioning for him. Affordable items (that I want) - I will be purchasing at a mutually fair discount (selling the remainder). The lower valued items (loose, common Star Wars, etc) I will be allowed to keep as payment for setting up the auctions.

I'm honestly not the biggest SMDM collector, so I'm not a huge authority on the line. I just know the ones I had as a child (etc.), so when he said, "blue suit" - I figured his memory was a bit foggy and really didn't really give it a second thought. That is until I came across this thread. After seeing it, I attempted to do a little online research and found very little information - except that it was possibly a department store exclusive like the Montgomery Wards' Secret Identity sets.

I'm crossing my fingers that the collection is as nice and well kept as he remembers. I've been in similar scenarios before and people usually don't accurately remember and/or completely exaggerate for the sake of storytelling. I know my brother-in-law and his family pretty well, so even if it's not a blue suit SMDM - I'm feeling pretty good what he's telling me about the collection as a whole.

[MightyMegs]

Was Maskaron's shoes Oscar's or Steve's remolded in black? I've never seen one in person in the past 35 years, so my memory's no good on this one.

EDIT: Looking at those pictures more closely, I'm pretty convinced those are all legit Kenner SMDM pieces. Thing is, I'm wondering if they might be prototypes. I believe the Bionic Woman had several alternate clothing sets for purchase and not all were made available, and I wonder if the "karate" suit and yellow jacket are similar pieces. The "Made in China" tag suggests they're more than mere mock ups, though. The blue track suit's the real deal, no question. Nice stuff, man--nice addition to your collection!

I've scouring the net for days now, trying to find the slightest bit of information. No luck. I've even been checking under Denys-Fisher, is case it was a UK exclusive. I contacted the shop I bought them from and asked if they knew the person that they bought the lot from. They said he wasn't a regular, and had only seen him the one time he brought them in to sell... so no luck there either.

[Mr. Hollywood]

Any updates on this blue suit version?