Action Man Timeline

Action Man was produced in the UK by Palitoy from 1966 to 1978, then by Hasbro from 1992 to 2006 and briefly again in 2009. The Hasbro line began initially as a relaunch of the original UK Palitoy action figure range.

For more information on the history of Action Man, click here (opens in a new tab)

We have tried to categorise the Action Man figures we have for sale by year of production, so please scroll down the page to find what you are looking for. All prices include UK postage

1966 to 1969 – Painted Head Action Man

Following the success of GI Joe in 1964, Action Man was launched in the UK in 1966 by Palitoy, it featured a robust, articulated plastic body, strung with elastic, and had one of four painted hair colours.

1970 – Flock Hair, Gripping Hands, Eagle Eyes

In 1970 Palitoy introduced the Flock hair and in 1973 they started producing the softer Gripping hands. 1976 saw the introduction of the Eagle Eyes, a small lever at the back of the neck moved Action Man’s eyes left and right. Many of these figures were released using the 1964 torso.

1978 to 1984 – Blue Pants Eagle Eyes

Commonly referred to amongst collectors as a BPEE, this figure was visibly more muscular and featured a Dynamic Physique, Eagle Eyes and of course the Blue Pants which replaced the original flesh coloured hip section.

1991 – Gi Joe makes his comeback !!!!!

In 1991 GI Joe made his comeback with Duke being released as a “Target” exclusive and was the first 12″ figure to be released since 1976. With his flocked blonde hair, poorly articulated body and a larger than life electronic assault rifle GI Joe enjoyed a successful if not brief relaunch.
Duke was kitted out with desert camouflage shirt and trousers, tan helmet, backpack and boots. His weapons included an electronic assault rifle with lights and sound, a black 9mm pistol with black holster and brown strap, a black knife with black sheath and brown strap and an Operations Manual. 

1992 – Collectors Limited Edition

Following on from the success of the Target Exclusive, Hasbro released a four figure Collectors Limited Edition range which were individually numbered with electronic light and sound battle weapon.

1996 – 30th Anniversary

In 1996 Hasbro brought out a limited Collectors 30th Anniversary Edition similar to the 1966 Action Soldier.

2006 to 2010 – 40th Anniversary

In 2006 Modellers Loft was granted a licence to create a collectors edition Action Man 40th Anniversary range. The majority of the Action Man figures and uniforms were virtually identically in appearance to those of the 1966-84 period.

1993 to 2006 – Hasbro Modern Action Man

in 1993 Hasbro launched a new range of Action Man which adopted an all action, adventure seeking, good versus bad theme. The new range was chunkier and had many body variations, with moulded weapons and differing degrees of articulation. The ‘Hasbro’ range came to an end in 2006.

James Bond 007

Released by Hasbro (1993-2006) the James Bond 007 range consisted of six figures from the movies: Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, The Spy Who Loved Me, Golden Eye, Tomorrow Never Dies and The World is Not Enough.

Action Man Villains

Every hero needs a villain, and Hasbro introduced a range of bad guys for Action Man to pit his wits against, including the man famous for giving him his legendary scar, Dr X.

2016 to 2017 – 50th Anniversary Limited Edition

In 2016 Art & Science International introduced the 50th Anniversary range. The new figures were like the original elastic strung hand-made figures, but had the 1970’s flock hair and 1973 gripping hands

2018 – New Generation Action Man

In November 2018 Art & Science International introduced six new budget Action Man products aimed at the 3+ age group. The safety tested ‘Kids’ range had new bodies with fewer points of articulation, but the familiar iconic head with trademark scar, new scale dog tags and all-new contemporary uniforms of a Soldier, Pilot and Sailor. The ‘Deluxe’ versions had different uniforms and themed accessories.

2022 – 4th Generation Action Man



On the 9th of September 2022 Art & Science International introduced a 4th generation of Action Man. Each of the limited edition figures has a new body, new uniform, vintage style head with detailed features and 30 points of articulation!

Action Man T-Shirts, Hoodies & Vests

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