Max Steel or Action Man?

[RonnyG]

I'm referring to the 12" action figure lines that came out in late nineties/early 2000s. Mattel and Hasbro were clearly competing for the boy's action figure line, and they appear to be copying each other. I wonder who was more successful??

I remember seeing them in the stores at the time, but I was at that age when I thought I was too old to be buying toys, so I resisted the urge to buy them.
Fast forward 20 years to the present, and now here I am collecting Max Steel (which is not too surprising since I already have a sizeable Big Jim collection). It all started when I found a loose Max in a thrift store, and it rekindled my interest. I then bought somebody's old Max collection on ebay, and I now have about 15 different versions of Max along with many of his cool accessories! Also included in the lot was a stray Action Man figure. I was curious to see which version I had so I did a search on google and youtube, and discovered he is the Operation Glacier version. That opened a whole can of worms because I watched the old toy commercials on youtube, and he looks just a cool as Max! I don't remember seeing these commercials at all when they ran originally. I bet they primarily aired on Saturday mornings.

Anyway, just curious to see if any members here collect either line?

Here's the TV Spots for Action Man:

[RonnyG]

Here's the TV Spots for Max Steel:

[PNGwynne]

I collected both. The early AM figures were quite nice, with full uniforms and lots of accessories and even some deluxe flocked heads. Both lines degenerated into a lot of molded detailing instead of clothes.

I really like the Max Steel body. At the time, I advocated Mattel using it for a 12 MOTU line.

LMK if you're looking for certain items, I have large collections of both including British/Euro releases for AM.

[Megotastrophe]

I had always thought Mattel should leverage their Barbie inventory into a Ken based Man of Action line.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Max Steel hung around long enough for my son to watch reruns of the show and a have a few of the toys, so I have to go with Max. The Action Man stuff really looked cool, and I was tempted by it myself.

Chrsi

[RonnyG]

I collected both. The early AM figures were quite nice, with full uniforms and lots of accessories and even some deluxe flocked heads. Both lines degenerated into a lot of molded detailing instead of clothes.

I really like the Max Steel body. At the time, I advocated Mattel using it for a 12 MOTU line.

LMK if you're looking for certain items, I have large collections of both including British/Euro releases for AM.

Yes, I'm not a fan of the molded on clothing, either. It looks tacky. I guess it's cheaper for the toy companies to manufacture it this way. Here's the Action Man I have. His coat and all the tools are molded on, but he has fabric pants. However, I do like the spring action arm that allows him to throw his pick axe with the press of a button..
1848744888861793915.jpg

I also like Max Steel body, too, but I think Max has a leaner, athletic build compared to He-Man, who looks more bulkier like he's on steroids IMO.

Thanks for the offer. It's good to know there's a fellow collector on the forum here I can turn to!

[RonnyG]

Max Steel hung around long enough for my son to watch reruns of the show and a have a few of the toys, so I have to go with Max. The Action Man stuff really looked cool, and I was tempted by it myself.

Chrsi

I never thought of it that way, but it might seem strange to collect a toy line that you're child might have collected or played with.
Which begs the question: Anyone here on the forum collect a toy line that you're child collected first?

[Earth 2 Chris]

I know Steve Moore still collects the Imaginext stuff even though I imagine his kids no longer do. Nothing wrong with that!

[RonnyG]

I know Steve Moore still collects the Imaginext stuff even though I imagine his kids no longer do. Nothing wrong with that!

^Yes, of course there's nothing wrong with that. I should've clarified more as I'm curious if the parent would have the same emotional attachment to it as their child did.
But now that I think about it, although Max Steel may have been aimed at a younger generation than myself, I really do see him as a modern day version of Steve Austin or Big Jim who was from my generation (plus Max was revealed to be the son of Big Jim on the TV series), and the 2000 Action Man feels like an updated, extended version of GI Joe (he even had the flocked hair and the same scar on his face).
Also, Max Steel's nemesis, Psycho, is a cyborg with a removable face like Maskatron from the Six Million Dollar Man. No wonder I'm digging Max Steel toys. They're just amped up versions of the toys I played with as a kid.

[RonnyG]

I had always thought Mattel should leverage their Barbie inventory into a Ken based Man of Action line.

That seems more and more like a possibility in today's day and age with changing gender roles and stereotypes, but 10 years ago, toymakers probably felt that little boys wouldn't buy anything remotely associated with the Barbie name because it was considered a girl's doll line. Nowadays, Mattel offers more diversity in their Barbie line.

[tay666]

I never thought of it that way, but it might seem strange to collect a toy line that you're child might have collected or played with.
Which begs the question: Anyone here on the forum collect a toy line that you're child collected first?

I have a few Monsters In My Pocket, and would like to try to complete the line at some point.
I remember buying them for my son when they came out, as he liked them.
I thought they were cool enough back then, and enjoyed helping him collect them. Sadly, they all disappeared one day. My wife still denies knowing what happened to them.