Art Design: An economy sized window box with colorful graphics. A large 16X20" folded poster is also included in the box.
Headsculpt: This is the Alex Mann head (with a molded-on cellphone headset) which the Action Man action figures have been using since 1995. There have been two recent Action Man cartoons. The first one lasted from 1995-97, and it concentrated on spy missions and fighting Dr. X. The second series lasted from 2000-2002 and it was about an Extreme Sports star who fought Dr. X. Thanks to the second version of the TV series; the Action Man collectors were treated to more sports themes, sporty vehicles, and some allies like Redwolf and Flynt.
Articulation: This is the new version of an Action Man body. The big biceps are slightly smaller, and the waist has been slimmed slightly. He has cut joints at the biceps, but he otherwise has the same articulation as an economy GI Joe.
Outfit and Gear: The outfit is a pair of nice orange swimming shorts. The gear is a water gun that uses super-soaker pump-action technology and can fire a thin stream of water about six feet. The water gun is attached to a small orange plastic keyring which can be removed from Action Man's swim shorts and attached to your own keychain, shorts, pants, etc.
Overall: Action Man Aqua-Blaster and his miniature super soaker & keyring pack a lot of fun for anyone (especially kids). This figure is available online at about $10.-$15.
Joe Namath: The Action Man neck-post is the same as a Classic Collection GI Joe, so it is easy to customize with any compatible heads. In this case, I used a 1970 Mego Joe Namath head thanks to super-collector Steve Sherman. After the 1969 Super-Bowl III victory over the Baltimore Colts, Broadway Joe (the New York Jets football player and 12" action figure) was a very popular sports star. However his original Mego body had open hands that could not hold hold weapons (and a football-passing arm-spring). The open hands made it hard for Joe to fit in with his GI Joe pals. Back in 1970, it was not possible to improve on Joe Namath; but now he has a cool, young, muscular AM body.
Grade: B+
