Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases. They occasionally have a resourceful character struggling against incredible odds such as, life-threatening situations, an evil villain, and/or being chased in several ways of transportation (car, bus, truck, etc), with victory achieved at the end after difficult physical efforts and violence. Story and character development are generally secondary to explosions, fist fights, gunplay and car chases.

While action films have traditionally been a reliable source of revenue for movie studios, relatively few action films garner critical praise. Although action films have traditionally been aimed at male audiences from the early teens to the mid-30s, many action filmmakers from the 1990s and 2000s added female heroines in response to the expanding social conceptions of gender, glorifying the strong female archetype.

Hollywood has been making more action films than ever, mainly because the advancement in CGI have made it cheaper and easier to create action sequences and other visual effects that required professional stunt crews and dangerous staging in the past. However, action audiences' expectations have been mixed with the high level of computer generated imagery, and films where computer animation is not believable are often met with criticism.

While action has long been an element of films, the "action film" genre began to develop in the 1970s. The genre is closely linked with the thriller and adventure film genres, and it may sometimes have elements of spy fiction and espionage.

History

Early action films

During the 1920s and 1930s, action-based films were often "swashbuckling" adventure films in which Douglas Fairbanks wielded swords in period pieces or Westerns.

The 1940s and 1950s saw "action" in the form of war and cowboy movies. Alfred Hitchcock almost single-handedly ushered in the spy-adventure genre, also firmly establishing the use of action-oriented "set pieces" like the famous crop-duster scene and the Mount Rushmore finale in "North by Northwest". That film, along with a war-adventure called "The Guns of Navaronne" directly inspired producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman to invest in their own spy-adventure based on the novels of Ian Fleming.

The long-running success of the James Bond series (which easily dominated the 1960s) essentially introduced all the staples of the modern-day action film. The "Bond movies" were characterized by larger-than-life characters, such as the resourceful hero: a veritable "one-man army" who was able to dispatch villainous masterminds (and their disposable "henchmen") in ever-more creative ways, often followed by a ready one-liner. The Bond films also utilized quick cutting, car chases, fist fights, a variety of weapons and "gadgets", and ever more elaborate action sequences.

1970s

In the 1970s, Bond saw competition as gritty detective stories and urban crime dramas began to fuse themselves with the new "action" style, leading to a string of maverick police officer films, such as those defined by ''Bullitt'' (1968), ''The French Connection'' (1971) and ''Dirty Harry'' (1971); all of which featured an intense car chase inspired by the popular stuntwork of the Bond films. Dirty Harry essentially lifted its star Clint Eastwood out of his cowboy typecasting, and became the urban-action film's first true archetype. Proving that the modern world offered just as much glamour, excitement, and potential for violence as the old west, Dirty Harry signaled the end of the prolific "cowboys and Indians" era of film westerns. The cross-pollenization of genres (such as spy-films and war movies, or westerns and detective dramas) would become the norm in the 1980s. It should also be noted however, that the 1970s saw the introduction of martial-arts film to western audiences. Also inspired by the success of James Bond; specifically the Asian-influenced "You Only Live Twice", martial-arts-themed action movies exploded onto the western cinema screens with Bruce Lee's "Enter the Dragon" (1973), and his imported films like "Way of (or Return of) the Dragon" (1972). The latter also introduced action fans to then-rising star Chuck Norris as well. Though Jackie Chan's Rush Hour is often credited as popularizing the martial arts action film in the United States, the truth is Chuck Norris had been blending kung fu cops and robbers since "Good Guys Wear Black" (1977) and "A Force of One" (1979).

1980s

The 1980s would see the action film take over Hollywood to become a dominant form of summer blockbuster; literally "the action era" popularized by actors such as Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Chuck Norris. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas even paid their homage to the Bond-inspired style with the mega-hit ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' (1981). In 1982, veteran actor Nick Nolte and rising comedian Eddie Murphy smashed box office records with the action-comedy ''48 Hrs'', which is credited as the first "buddy-cop" movie. That same year, Sylvester Stallone starred in First Blood, the first installment in the popular Rambo film series. The film proved to be successful and was followed with a sequel in 1985, Rambo: First Blood Part II which became the most successful film in the series and made the character ''Rambo'' a pop cultural icon. Later ''Lethal Weapon'' (1987), proved that low-budget action plots (like a maverick cop with martial arts skills fighting drug traffickers), given the "Hollywood A-list" treatment (bigger budgets, more talented casts, etc.) could prove to be financial windfalls for the studios. The 1988 film ''Die Hard'' was particularly influential on the development of the action genre. In the film, Bruce Willis plays a New York police detective who inadvertently becomes embroiled in a terrorist take-over of a Los Angeles office building high-rise. The film set a pattern for a host of imitators, like ''Under Siege'' (1992) or ''Air Force One'' (1997), which used the same formula in a different setting. By the end of the 1980s, the influence of the successful action film could be felt in almost every genre- hybrids were becoming the norm; war-action hybrids (like "First Blood" and "Missing in Action"), science fiction action (like "Terminator", and "RoboCop"), horror-action (like "Aliens" and "Predator"), and even the occasional musical-action-comedy hybrid (like "The Blues Brothers").

1990s

The 1990s was an era of sequels and hybrid action. Like the western genre, the spy-movies and urban-action films were starting to parody themselves, and with the growing revolution in CGI (computer generated imagery), the "real-world" settings began to give way to increasingly fantastic environments. This new era of action films often had budgets unlike any in the history of motion pictures. The success of the many Dirty Harry and James Bond sequels had proven that a single successful action film could lead to a continuing action franchise. Thus the 1980s and 1990s saw a rise in both budgets and the number of sequels a film could generally have. Where in earlier decades, sequels were frowned upon by most filmmakers and filmgoers alike, the 1980s saw a serious effort on the part of studios and their stars to not only attempt to capture the magic one more time, but to continually top what had come before. This basic drive led to an increasing desire on the part of many filmmakers to create new technologies that would allow them to beat the competition by taking audiences to new heights of roller-coaster-like fantasy. The success of Tim Burton's "Batman" (1989) led to a string of financially successful sequels, and within a single decade, had proven the viability of a new sub-genre of action film; the comic-book movie.

Hong Kong action cinema

At present, action films requiring big budget stunt work and special effects tend to be expensive. As such, they are regarded as mostly a large-studio genre in Hollywood, although this is not the case in Hong Kong action cinema, where action films are often modern variations of martial arts films. Because of these roots and their lower budgets, Hong Kong action films typically center on physical acrobatics, martial arts fight scenes, stylized gun-play, and dangerous stunt work performed by leading stunt actors, while American action films typically feature big explosions, car chases, stunt work (usually with stunt doubles), and (more recently) CGI special effects technology.

Hong Kong action cinema was at its peak from the 1970s to 1990s, when its action movies were experimenting with and popularizing various new techniques that would eventually be adopted by Hollywood action movies. This began in the early 1970s with the martial arts movies of Bruce Lee, which led to a wave of Bruceploitation movies that eventually gave way to the comedy kung fu films of Jackie Chan by the end of the decade. During the 1980s, Hong Kong action cinema had re-invented itself with various new kinds of movies. These included the modern martial arts action movies, featuring physical acrobatics and dangerous stunt work, of Jackie Chan and his stunt team as well as Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao; the wire fu and wuxia films of Tsui Hark, Yuen Woo-Ping, Jet Li and Donnie Yen; the gun fu, heroic bloodshed and Triad films of John Woo, Ringo Lam and Chow Yun-Fat; and the girls with guns films of Moon Lee and Michelle Yeoh.

Most recently, due to the better availability of CGI technology at a lower price, action cinema outside of Hollywood has been able to provide viewers with a growing degree of big budget spectacle which was once only available from American studio releases (''Blood the Last Vampire'' (Japan), ''The Host'' (South Korea), ''Red Cliff'' (China), etc.). While the action movie genre continues to evolve over time, they remain a staple of motion pictures. However, with many leading Hong Kong figures leaving for Hollywood, the local Hong Kong action film industry has been in a relative decline. As a result, more recent Hong Kong action films have tended to be more storyline-driven, including popular films such as ''Infernal Affairs'', ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'', ''Hero'', and ''Ip Man''.

Current trends

Current trends in action film include a development toward more elaborate fight scenes in Western film. This trend is influenced by the massive success of Hong Kong action cinema, both in Asia and in the west. Asian martial arts elements, such as kung-fu can now be found in numerous non-Asian action films. Many credit Jackie Chan's Rush Hour to have been the first film to really get North Americans to enjoy the martial arts/comedy which has now appeared in numerous films. Now, a distinction can be made between films that lean toward physical, agile fighting, such as ''Blade'' and ''The Matrix'', and those that lean toward other common action film conventions, like explosions and plenty of gunfire, such as ''Mission: Impossible III'', although most action movies employ elements of both.

Sub-genres

Action Comedy - A sub-genre involving action and humor. The sub-genre became a popular trend in the 1980s when actors who were known for their background in comedy such as Eddie Murphy, began to take roles in action films. The action scenes within the genre are generally lighthearted and rarely involve death or serious injury. Comedy films such as ''Dumb & Dumber'' and ''Big Momma's House'' that contain action-laden sub-plots are not considered part of the genre as the action scenes have a more integral role in action comedies. Examples of action comedies include ''The Blues Brothers'' (1980), ''48 Hrs.'' (1982), ''Beverly Hills Cop'' (1984), ''Midnight Run'' (1988), ''Bad Boys'' (1995), Beverly Hills Ninja'' (1997), ''Rush Hour'' (1998), ''Charlie's Angels'' (2000).

''Die-Hard'' scenario - Which the story takes place in limited location; a single building, plane, or vessel - which is seized or under threat by enemy agents, but are opposed by a single hero who fights an extended battle within the location using stealth and cunning to attempt to defeat them. This sub-genre began with the film ''Die Hard'' and has become popular in Hollywood because of its crowd appeal and the relative simplicity of building sets for such a constrained piece. These films are sometimes described as "''Die Hard'' on a...". Among the many films that have copied this formula are ''Under Siege'' (terrorists take over a ship), ''Snakes on a Plane'' (poisonous snakes take over a passenger plane), ''Speed'' (''Die Hard'' on a bus), ''Under Siege 2: Dark Territory'' and ''Derailed'' (hostages are trapped on a train), ''Sudden Death'' (terrorists take over an Ice Hockey stadium), ''Passenger 57'', ''Executive Decision'' and ''Air Force One'' (hostages are trapped on a plane), ''Con Air'' (criminals take over a transport plane), and ''Half Past Dead'' and ''The Rock'' (criminals or terrorists take over a prison). ''Paul Blart: Mall Cop'' is a recent spoof of this trend (as ''Die Hard'' in a mall).

Disaster Film - Having elements of thriller and sometimes science fiction films, the main conflict of this genre is some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc, or nuclear disasters that are shown with heavy action scenes, special effects, over the top destruction and, in modern day, use of CGI. Examples include ''Independence Day'', ''Daylight'', ''Earthquake'', ''2012'', ''The Day After Tomorrow'', ''Poseidon'', ''The Towering Inferno'', ''Dante's Peak'', ''Deep Impact'', ''Volcano'', ''The Core'', ''Armageddon'' and ''Twister''.

Martial Arts - A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts films contain many characters who are martial artists, and these roles are often played by actors who are real martial artists. If not, actors frequently train in preparation for their roles, or the action director may rely more on stylized action or filmmaking tricks. Martial films include ''The Karate Kid'', ''Kung Fu Hustle'', ''Fearless'', ''Ninja Assassin'', ''Ong-Bak'', ''Shanghai Noon'', ''Kill Bill'', ''Fist of Legend'', ''Iron Monkey'', ''Drunken Master'' and ''Enter the Dragon''.

Sci-fi Action - Sharing many of the conventions of a science fiction film, sci-fi action films emphasizes gunplay, space battles, invented weaponry, and other sci-fi elements weaved into action film premises. Examples include ''Terminator 2'', ''The Matrix'', ''Total Recall'', ''Minority Report'', ''The Island'', ''Star Trek'', ''Aliens'', ''I, Robot'', ''Transformers'', ''Equilibrium'', ''District 9'', ''Serenity'', ''Akira'', ''Paycheck'', ''Predator'', ''Robocop'', ''Avatar'', ''Mad Max 2'' and ''The Fifth Element''.

Notable individuals

Actors

Actors from the 1950s and 1960s such as John Wayne, Steve McQueen and Lee Marvin passed the torch in the 1970s to actors such as martial artist Bruce Lee, Tom Laughlin, Charles Bronson, Chuck Norris, and Clint Eastwood. In the 1980s, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover had a popular string of "buddy cop" films in the ''Lethal Weapon'' franchise. Beginning in the mid-1980s, actors such as the burly ex-bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone wielded automatic weapons in a number of action films. Stern-faced martial artist Steven Seagal made a number of films. Bruce Willis played a Western-inspired hero in the popular ''Die Hard'' series of action films.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Asian actors Chow Yun-fat, Jet Li, and Jackie Chan appeared in a number of different types of action films, and US actor Wesley Snipes had many roles. As well, several female actors had major roles in action films, such as Michelle Yeoh, Lucy Liu and ex-model Milla Jovovich. While Keanu Reeves and Harrison Ford both had major roles in action science fiction films (''The Matrix'' and ''Blade Runner'', respectively), Ford branched out into a number of other action genres, such as action-adventure films.

European action actors such as Belgian-born Jean-Claude Van Damme (''Timecop'', ''Universal Soldier''), French-born Jean Reno (''The Professional''), Swedish-born Dolph Lundgren (''Showdown in Little Tokyo'', ''Universal Soldier'', ''The Expendables'') and English-born Jason Statham (''The Transporter'', ''The Expendables'', ''Crank''), appeared in a number of 1990s and 2000s-era action films. US actor Matt Damon, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his sensitive portrayal of a math genius working as a janitor in ''Good Will Hunting'', metamorphosed into an action hero with the car-chase and gunfire-filled Jason Bourne franchise. For a longer list of action film actors, see the List of action film actors article.

Directors

Notable action film directors from the 1960s and 1970s include Sam Peckinpah, whose 1969 Western ''The Wild Bunch'' was controversial for its bloody violence and nihilist tone. Some of the influential and popular directors from the 1980s to 2000s include James Cameron (the first two ''Terminator'' films, ''Aliens'', ''True Lies''); John Woo (Hong Kong action films such as ''Hard Boiled'' and US-made English-language films such as ''Hard Target'' and ''Mission: Impossible II''); John McTiernan (''Die Hard'', ''Predator''); Ridley Scott (''Black Hawk Down''); The Wachowski Brothers (the science fiction ''The Matrix'' trilogy) and Michael Bay (''Bad Boys 2'', ''Transformers''). For a longer list, see the List of action film directors article.

Producers

Avi Lerner

Boaz Davidson

Bob Weinstein

Don Simpson

Harvey Weinstein

Jerry Bruckheimer

Jerry Weintraub

Joel Silver

Menahem Golan

Yoram Globus

The Wachowski Brothers

See also

Hong Kong action cinema

List of action heroes

List of action films

List of movie genres

List of women warriors in literature and popular culture

List of genres

Sources

Inness, Sherrie A. (ed.) ''Action Chicks: New Images of Tough Women in Popular Culture'', Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.

Kim, L. S. "Making women warriors: a transnational reading of Asian female action heroes in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." ''Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media.'' No. 48, Winter, 2006.

Osgerby, Bill, Anna Gough-Yates, and Marianne Wells. ''Action TV : Tough-Guys, Smooth Operators and Foxy Chicks.'' London: Routledge, 2001.

———.''Spectacular Bodies : Gender, Genre, and the Action Cinema''. London and New York: Routledge, 1993.

Tasker, Yvonne. ''Action and Adventure Cinema.'' New York: Routledge, 2004.

References

External links

IMDB Top Rated Action Titles

Category:Action films Film Category:Film genres

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:''For the 2nd-generation Hasbro Action Man, see Action Man: 1993–2006. For the 40th anniversary reproductions, see Action Man: 40th Anniversary. For the TV show, see Action Man (TV series). For the pro wrestler, see Dick Beyer.''

Action Man is an action figure boys' toy launched in Britain in 1966 by Palitoy as a licensed copy of Hasbro's American "moveable fighting man": G.I. Joe.

Action Man was originally produced and sold in the United Kingdom and Australia by Palitoy Ltd of Coalville, Leicestershire from 1966 until 1984 (Palitoy also offered sub-licenses to various toy manufacturers in various markets).

The figure and accessories were originally based on the Hasbro (US) 1964 G.I. Joe figure (for 1966–1969 production). Hasbro's G.I. Joe figure was patented in 1966 Even the specific method of attaching the appendages was patented as a "Connection For Use In Toy Figures" The first Action Man figures were ''Action Soldier'', ''Action Sailor'' and ''Action Pilot''. All were available in the four original hair colours: Blonde, Auburn, Brown and Black. They were accompanied by outfits depicting the participants of the Second World War.

Action Man was subsequently reintroduced in 1993, based on the G.I. Joe Hall of Fame figure of that time.

History

Palitoy (from 1968 to 1980, a British subsidiary of General Mills) was the UK licensee for Hasbro Industries. Palitoy grew out of a plastics firm established by Alfred Edward Pallett in 1909 and went on to become one of Britain's leading toy manufacturers until its ultimate closure in 1984.

In the early years Action Man competed with the entirely British Tommy Gunn by Pedigree Toys who were the producers of the Sindy doll. The Tommy Gunn figure copied aspects of Hasbro's G.I. Joe, released two years earlier in the United States. Regardless, Tommy Gunn was generally regarded as a higher quality in terms of equipment and accuracy of accessories, especially since the Action Man of the 1960s was little more than a re-packaged G.I. Joe. However, he was ultimately unable to compete with Action Man and was discontinued in 1968. In the late 1960s and early 1970s many other companies produced competition for Action Man, but all were of the cheap blow-moulded variety, which produces thin-walled components lacking the articulation and sturdiness of the Palitoy components, which utilised more costly Injection and Rotational moulding processes.

Action Man was then developed with primarily British themes from 1970 onwards: military, adventurers, and sportsman, as Palitoy wanted to distinguish their product line from the U.S. counterpart. (Bill) William A.G. Pugh was the head of Action Man's product development at Palitoy, and can be credited with the development of innovations to the product line which included the flocked hair, gripping hands, and later "Eagle Eyes" which all crossed over to the G.I. Joe line, and by extension to that of other Hasbro licensees.

One series that truly set Palitoy's line apart from Hasbro's was the "Ceremonials". Although Hasbro had a set of Cadet ceremonial outfits, they did not match the scope and range of the British versions, which also included a horse of the Life Guards with full ceremonial regalia as an optional set. The non-military was also covered with adventurous elements such as mountain rescue, Arctic exploration, scuba and deep sea diving. One outfit was only available through the Action Man stars scheme; the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (and accompanying mastiff dog). In the G.I. Joe lineup, this outfit was sold with figure in a variety of configurations through Hasbro Canada.

1993–2006

Military styled Action Man made a brief resurgence in the early 1990s but between 1996 and 2006 Hasbro used the name without any military theme as a modern adventurer complete with arch-enemies Dr X and Professor Gangrene. Marketing changed from producing a basic figure with the option to buy several different outfits to whole packs of figure plus outfit and equipment for a given "mission". This specialisation together with improved production techniques led to figures with built-in abilities, such as karate moves or a working blowpipe.

A tie-in ''Action Man'' animated series was produced but was only available on video in the UK, because of broadcast rules about advertising to children: a toy could follow a TV production but not the other way around.

Collectors' version

Hasbro has since licensed in 2006 reproductions of a variety of the original boxed Action Man <3 figures, under the 40th Anniversary "Nostalgic Collection" banner, in a packaging format similar to Hasbro's G.I. Joe "40th Anniversary" collection.

Appearance; 60s - 80s

Figure construction

The original Action Man had a moulded hard vinyl painted head, with a livid scar on the cheek registered as a trademark, identical to G.I. Joe. Talking Commander figures often have the soft vinyl painted head also used for talking G.I. Joe figures. Action Man figures of the seventies tend to have a pinker coloration than G.I. Joe.; the feet are of the smaller original G.I. Joe variety. They were held together by elastic with crimped metal eyelets through which rivets passed, for the legs, and metal hooks retaining the neck post and shoulders. Pre-1970 bodies used the painted-rivets similar to G.I. Joe, 1970–1977 bodies have chromed rivets which were not used on the Hasbro U.S. version. Especially noticeable with 1970- on figures, the limb sections tend to be slightly smaller than the G.I. Joe counterpart, hence Action Man is slightly shorter in height. The pelvis, also smaller, has an extra ridge on each side immediately above the buttocks, which also distinguishes it from the U.S. version, trademarkings aside. The Canadian G.I. Joe body uses this pelvis. Bodies from 1978 on are all-plastic construction, with a flexible rubber connection for the neck post (this is subject to deterioration).

The initial releases had hands that were virtually identical to those of G.I. Joe. The hands were always an element of frustration, as noted by (Bill) William A.G. Pugh during setups for the annual toy fairs; he observed that it was hard to get them to really hold any of the accessories securely; being of hard vinyl construction, glue had to be used to secure the accessories. As a result, gripping hands were the next feature to be introduced in 1973; the hard moulded hands of the original were replaced by a flexible vinyl. These hands were designed by Bill Pugh A modified (simpler) version was used by Hasbro for G.I. Joe in 1974. A thimble was provided with each boxed figure to protect the fingers when changing its outfit. The early (pre 1978) vinyl is prone to breakdown as with the G I Joe version; the deterioration of 73-77 flex hands includes hardening of the outer layers, cracks and sometimes shrivelling.

Flocked hair and Eagle Eyes

The first innovation for Action Man was a form of flocking giving the effect of a short "fuzzy" hairstyle in 1970. Bill Pugh contacted the company he saw on a TV programme producing bottles covered with a flocked fibre. Dracon Limited, whose promotional items included a flocked car, provided the basis for the electrostatic process that would give Action Man his new look. With the introduction of the soft flock-haired head, all figures came with blue eyes unlike the painted heads and G.I. Joe Adventurers that still had brown eyes in some instances. This flocking innovation crossed back over the Atlantic and was introduced for G.I. Joe within the year. The equipment for Hasbro's G.I. Joe was assembled and tested in the UK before being crated and shipped to Hong Kong for mass production; Hong Kong was also the location of Palitoy's production. G.I. Joe's "sea adventurer" was a bearded redhead, never used in the UK market. The Action Man Sailor now dressed for the Royal Navy sported a similarly produced beard in blonde or brown only. Unlike G.I. Joe, Action Man was truly ubiquitous; he had only one face, regardless of euro-centric nationality, whereas G.I. Joe had two ethnic variants, commonly referred to as "Foreign Heads"; one European, one Japanese. Palitoy did not market the brown-skinned figure sold as African American in the pre-70's G.I. Joe lineup.

As a footnote to the eye colours mentioned above, for the initial 1970-71 production run, some "soft" painted heads (some perhaps left over from the Star Scheme) were treated to the flock-haired makeover by Palitoy and distributed to the public. These figures are commonly found as the blue-eyed variant, but the rare combination of flocked hair and brown eyes can also be found on an original action man. There are also a range of skin tones, some were paler, some were warmer in tone; all these permutations give each and every figure a personality of their own. The fact that these were hand-painted is often evidenced in the appearance of variations such as mismatched eye coloration. Given the length of time the figure was in production, it is quite possible to find heads that have been altered, but that still may appear to be "factory". The only action man that came with sideburns and not a full beard, was the "Georgie Best" footballer figure

The next major shift in marketing of the doll occurred with the introduction of an improved head with "Eagle Eyes" in 1976. Invented by George W. Ptaszek and James A. King at Hasbro The design utilized a mechanism operated by a simple lever at the back of the head, moving the gaze of the eyeballs back and forth - an improvement on the fixed stare of the original albeit at the price of a slightly larger head, and the loss of the original facial features of the previous 10 years. The head was only available in brown and blonde hair and only blue eyes, with bearded versions of each.

Trademarkings and ID tags

From 1966-77 he was tagged on his lower back "Made In England By Palitoy Under Licence From Hasbro ® 1964", instead of on his right buttock, as was G.I. Joe. Early talker variants were similarly marked. Later standard figures from 1978-1984 were marked "CPG Products Corp 1978"; Later talker variants were marked "© 1975 Hasbro® Pat Pend Pawt R.I. Made in Japan" or "General Mills. Toy Group. Europe © 1975 Pat. No. 1458647". Talker torsos were held together with 2 screws recessed in the left and right shoulders, and from 1978, 2 additional screws above the hip line.

Early Action Man came with a dogtag similar to G.I. Joe's; a thin stamped steel tag. From 1970 on, Palitoy devised their own design, made of hard plastic with "bullet holes" passing through the logo, and cast in grey or green, which was used until the 1980s. Talkers have the tag attached directly to the pull cord, standard bodies have the tag attached to a small chain. In the 1980s, a modified identity tag with decals to be applied was released; these decals vary according to the figure. On talker figures, the tag was tied directly to the pull-string, on standard bodies, it was suspended by a black cord around the neck. The Hasbro-authorised reproductions of the 60s metal and 70s identity tags are virtually indistinguishable from the original.

All original Action Man uniforms were tagged inside the neck collar; the early issue even had the bullet holes of the box logo; this was later discontinued. The fabric used for the tags also varied, by the late seventies/early eighties a synthetic fabric was used.

Body variations; 1978-84

In 1977, the official catalogue included four new figures. Three of them were variations on the standard Action Man; a cyborg Atomic Man (influenced by The Six Million Dollar Man), a dark-skinned (African ethnic) Commando Tom Stone, a red and silver superhero Bullet Man, and lastly a brutish Neanderthal look-alike; The Intruder, which was a minimally articulated figure. All were taken from Hasbro, though Atomic Man although taken from the same mould as G.I. Joe's "Mike Powers", was given flocked hair and a silver plastic "Heart Plug" with a black button in its center. "Tom Stone" was a repackaged African-ethnic Hasbro Muscle Body Action Adventurer, Palitoy never produced any of the ethnic figures in the line themselves. Both Bullet Man and Tom Stone utilized the body Hasbro patented: "Posable figure having one piece connector for torso, trunk and legs".

From 1978 to the end of the original period of Action Man in 1984, the body was replaced with an entirely new design; at a glance, the most obvious detail is fact that the flesh coloured pelvic area of the body was replaced with a blue section giving the effect of blue shorts rather than the sexless mannequin look; at the same time the body took on a more muscular tone. This body type was known as the "Dynamic Physique", and in 1980, a notch was added to the neck to allow the head to be held back in a "sharpshooter" (Palitoy's marketing description, added to the boxed figures) pose. This body was designed by Bill Pugh (and others), who was also responsible for the development of other Action Man innovations that transferred to both G.I. Joe and other market licensees. The U.S. patent was applied for in November 1977

The talking Action Commander released in the late sixties issued eight commands at random (depending on how far out you pulled the cord); "This is your commander speaking", Enemy aircraft action stations", Volunteer needed for a special mission", Enemy in sight: range 1000", "Action Man patrol fall in", Hold your fire until I give the order", "Mortar attack dig in", and "Commander to base request support fire". The 78-on Dynamic Physique Talker issued only 5 commands: "Enemy Tanks Approaching" "Give Me Some Cover" "Send Out The Patrol" "Whats the password" "Advance In Single File"

Spacemen

In 1980 one more figure not based on the Action Man doll was added: "ROM" the Robot, licensed from Parker Brothers and originally called Rom Spaceknight, that would be adapted into a long-running comic book series by Marvel. A new line was also released featuring spacemen; Captain Zargon (the Space Pirate), and Zargonite and Space Ranger Captain. Captain Zargon used the same body mould, but in black plastic with silver printed tattoos and a "skull" head inside a moulded helmet. At the same time Action Man gained a new set of equipment under the ''Space Ranger'' title, including a "Space speeder", a two-man four-in-one vehicle, and the single occupant "Solar Hurricane". The outfits were futuristic rather than previous space suits which had been based on the equipment of the Gemini and Apollo missions. Subsequent Space Rangers had cloth outfits, rather than the somewhat impractical rubber of the first release. One Space Ranger produced by Palitoy was only sold in the European market under the "Group Action Joe" licensee as Captain Cosmos.

Packaging; 60s-80s

Figure boxes

The initial releases of the basic figures were packaged in boxes just slighter taller than the figure, with dynamic graphics depicting the figures in action poses on the front and back, with photos of the various accessory sets on the left and right side panels. The graphics were direct copies of those used for the U.S. 1964–1968 production G.I. Joe. The boxes featured wood grain background detail for soldiers, blue background for sailor, and yellow/brown for pilot. The boxes opened at the top, rather than the lidded version used in the U.S, for G.I. Joe. The figure enclosed was dressed in basic fatigues appropriate to the military branch; but since this did not match the box graphics, it raised truth in advertising issues, since the purchaser could rightly assume the contents "should" match the packaging. As a result, the boxes were modified to include a photo image on the lower right of the actual contents; and from 1970-on, the graphics depicted the actual dressed figure as enclosed.

Wooden footlocker

As with G.I. Joe, during the 60s, Action Man had a wooden footlocker (Kit locker box) with plastic tray insert to store his accessories in. Overall dimensionally identical to the G.I. Joe item, but the production details varied.

Uniform sets

Starting in 1970, Palitoy largely departed from Hasbro's lineup though some items and accessories and vehicles were still based on Hasbro's moulds. Palitoy created a wide range of uniform sets for the UK market. British military formed a large part of this range, with ceremonial outfits being among the most spectacular. From a collectors standpoint, they are very desirable. Many outfits were available as complete boxed figure sets. Some outfits were sold in a box format, some came with a Locker Box to store the outfit when not in use. There were six "soldiers of the century", which matched Hasbro's six "soldiers of the world", with the exception of the Japanese outfit and figure, which was never offered in the Palitoy range. These sets included an "intelligence manual" that covered all the available offerings in the lineup, and pages on light and heavy weapons, officer rank insignia, and morse code. As with G.I. Joe, early issue clothing is consistently of a heavier and more durable fabric although in terms of scale, the thinner fabric is more appropriate. The standard boxed soldier from 1973 onwards was outfitted with the then current sweater, khaki trousers, short boots, scarf, black beret, and SLR rifle typical of the British Army of the time. A contemporary boxed talking field officer was also available. The deep sea diver was so innovative it was also patented by Sam Speers.

Uniform details

Palitoy was quite particular about the level and attention to detail for their uniforms and accessory detailing; so even though in some respects, some outfits were fairly simplistic compared to the actual outfit (certainly in comparison to the level of detail achieved with modern offerings from Dragon and other action figure companies) as can be seen in any of the product catalogs on offer from a variety of online vendors, Palitoy was fairly meticulous in the creation of appropriate insignia, such as the British Royal Military Police Cap and other uniform. There is no question that the standard dropped by the end of the 70s, for any number of reasons, not the least of which being rising production costs. With 60s and early 70s variations, often they were die-cast instead of plastic; the uniforms themselves were of heavy cotton; chevrons were typically embroidered and sewn on, rather than paper decals. Over the many years Action Man was in production, almost every item produced for the line had a multitude of variations.

Boxed sets

Over the course of Action Man production, a wide variety of boxed sets were sold; one popular at the time of the ''Colditz'' TV series in the early seventies was "Escape from Colditz", which provided both. Included were reproductions of a variety of Prisoner of war artifacts from Colditz, and a history. An "Escape from Colditz" board game was already released by Parker Brothers (UK), a division of Palitoy.

The Radio BackPack was also sold in a deluxe set with Action Man Field Officer. Spain's Geyperman, although a Hasbro Licensee, used Palitoy's product line as the basis for their product, as can be seen in the referenced offering.

Literature and star scheme

All boxed figures came with certain pieces of literature; usually an "Equipment Manual"; a catalogue of then current offerings that a kid could wish for, a star scheme card and a usage guide for the specific figure type that illustrated how to use and care for the flex hands, eagle eyes, etc., as appropriate.

Some outfits and figure sets came with instructions for proper use and care, they illustrate the identical items offered for G.I. Joe at that time; the only variation is the absence of Marine items offered in the U.S.

Other related items were also produced; in the 60s-70s there were companion leaflets for various sets that provided background information on the actual activity/military division, etc.; In 1977 six novels were published under the pseudonym Mike Brogan, and into the 80s, Action Man annuals were released.

Virtually all Action Man packaging from 1966 - on; the more expensive the item, the more stars it came with. These stars were intended to be clipped from the packaging, and affixed to a "Star Scheme" sheet that came with boxed figures. It had spaces for up to 21 stars, and included a list of the various items available for varying amounts of stars collected, with a "free" unclothed figure being the top item. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, his dog, and various outfits were available over the life of the program, which continued till the end of Action Man's production in 1984. Figures redeemed through the star scheme were sent in a plain manila cardboard box. The Star Scheme is credited with the poor availability of intact packaging for collectors.

Carded accessories and weapons

Small items were offered on blister pack carding in the 70s - 80s; Earlier versions of the robin James sullivan toys from the sixties were identical to G.I. Joes'; woodgrain background, plastic wrapped, with a small rivet hole for display/retail. The early items mirrored the G.I. joe releases, and were therefore primarily US weaponry. A vast array of small and heavy weapons were produced and marketed in this manner for the Action Man line. Examples such as the Emergency Highway were sold in the late seventies and early eighties. They were mostly priced to be affordable for children to purchase with their pocket money. Details that varied over the course of time were trademark stamping, coloration and straps; earlier items had elastic straps, later issues had plastic.

Vehicles

Among the larger accessories produced for Action Man were versions (not to true 1/6 scale) of the current British Army equipment: the Scorpion tank, Spartan APC, Ferret armoured car, the 105 mm Light Gun, Airportable Land Rover and trailer. There were also a Fire Tender, D.U.K.W., a VTOL "Pursuit" aircraft, Army Helicopter "Capture Helicopter", backpack Helicopter, Motorcycle with Sidecar, "Power-Hog", Police motorcycle, Submarine, Multi-terrain vehicle, Jeep, and a Trailer. Other large sets included a Training tower with zip line and the Mobile operations HQ. There was also a replica rigid inflatable boat with a battery powered outboard engine. The Space capsule was produced in 1970.

See also

A.T.O.M, a spin-off of Action Man

Reference

Further reading

Michlig, J. (1998) ''G.I. Joe; The Complete Story of America's Favorite Man of Action'' (ISBN 0-8118-1822-5)

Baird, F. (1993) ''Action Man - The Gold Medal Doll for Boys 1966–1984'' (ISBN 1-872727-36-0)

Harrison, I. (2003) ''Action Man - The Official Dossier'' (ISBN 978-0007165506)

Hall, A. (1999) ''Action Man - the ultimate collectors guide'' Vol.1 (ISBN 1-901706-141)

Hall, A. (1999) ''Action Man - the ultimate collectors guide'' Vol.2 (ISBN 1-901706-29X)

Hall, A. (1999) ''Action Man - the ultimate collectors guide'' Vol.3 (ISBN 0-9536199-0-7)

King, K. (2000) ''Action Man - the real story 1966–1996'' (ISBN 0-9538870-0-6)

Le Vexier, E.; Gavigniaux, H. ''trans''.(2004) ''Action Joe - The Story of the French G.I. Joe'' (ISBN 2-915239-21-5

Taylor, N.G. (2003) ''Action Man - On Land, At Sea, And In The Air'' (ISBN 1-872727-99-9)

DePriest, D. (1999) "The Collectable G.I. Joe" (ISBN 0-7624-0536-8

External links

Action Man Coloring Pages

Category:Action figures Category:Playscale figures Category:Hasbro products Category:Fictional English people

da:Action Man es:Action Man eu:Action Man fr:Action Man it:Action Man nl:Action Man (actiefiguur) pl:Action Man pt:Action Man ru:Экшн мэн tr:Action Man

Coordinates	55°09′17″N61°22′33″N
name	Philip Wan-Lung Ng
birth name	Philip Wan-Lung Ng / 伍允龍 / 伍允龙 / wŭ yŭn lóng
birth date	September 16
birth place	Hong Kong
occupation	Actor / Action Choreographer
yearsactive	2003 - present
website	http://www.alivenotdead.com/philipng Philip Ng }}

Philip Wan-Lung Ng (traditional Chinese: 伍允龍; simplified Chinese: 伍允龙; pinyin: wŭ yŭn lóng) is a Hong Kong based actor and action choreographer.

Biography

Ng was born in Hong Kong to Sam Ng and Frances Ng. He spent the majority of his youth in Chicago, Illinois before returning to Hong Kong to pursue a career in acting and martial arts choreography in film and television. He holds instructor certifications in various martial arts. Trained in Ving Tsun Kung Fu under the late Sifu Wong Shun Leung, Ng is also a sixth generation disciple of Choy Lay Fut Kung Fu, under the tutelage of his father; Sifu Sam Ng. Philip is also trained in Hung Gar Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, Jiujitsu, and Escrima. In addition to acting, Ng is also an accomplished fight choreographer.

Filmography

Film

! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
2011	''Naked Soldier'' (絕色武器)	Black Dragon
2011	''Beach Spike'' (熱浪球愛戰)	Coach
2011	''Treasure Inn'' (財神客棧)	Eagle King
2009	''Hands of the Dragon ''	Jack Lee
2009	39
2009	Bodyguards and Assassins (十月圍城)	Assassin Lip Chung Ching
2009	Somebody to Love	Jeff
2009	Tactical Unit - Human Nature (機動部隊-人性)	Fire
2008	Sixth Floor Rear Flat 2: Happy Funeral (六樓后座2)	Pete
2008	Playboy Cops (花花型警)	Robber	guest appearance
2007	Invisible Target (男兒本色)	Tiger
2007	Love Is Not All Around (十分愛)	Micheal
2007	Hui Lu	John Wei
2006	Undercover Hidden Dragon (至尊無賴)	Hung Fei
2006	Marriage with a Fool (獨家試愛)	Philip
2005	Dragon Squad (猛龍)	Lee Chun Pei
2005	Fight For Love	Hoi Tung (teenage)
2005	House of Fury (精武家庭)	King
2004	Enter the Phoenix (大佬愛美麗)	Bo
2004	New Police Story (新警察故事)	Philip (Wing's team member)
2003	The Twins Effect
2001

Television

! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
2010	Kung Fu Quest (功夫傳奇)	Host	RTHK documentary - http://www.rthk.org.hk/special/kungfuquest/
2007	Wing Chun (詠春)	Chan Wah Shun
2004	Dragonfly: Invincible (天下無敵)	Leo
2004	Made In Hong Kong	Main subject/actor	American Movie Classic documentary/drama

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director:

! Year	! Title	! Role
2011	Bloodtraffick	head action director
2009	Mr. & Mrs. Kok (神探妙夫妻)	head action director
2008	Kinta 1881	assistant action director
2005	Dragon Squad (猛龍)	assistant action director
2005	Mulawin: The Movie	assistant action director
2003	Star Runner (少年阿虎)	assistant action director

References

External links

Official blog and fan site

HKMDB profile

Philip Gongfu Town (Hong Kong fan site)

Philip Ng International Fans Club

龙行天下(China fan site)

Chinese discussion forum

lovehkfilm.com profile

Ng Family Chinese Martial Arts Association

Category:Hong Kong actors Category:Chinese choreographers Category:Stunt performers Category:Hong Kong kung fu practitioners Category:Chinese Wing Chun practitioners Category:Chinese wushu practitioners Category:Martial arts school founders Category:American people of Hong Kong descent Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign alumni Category:Living people