Art Design: A really loud and obnoxious anime dude with spiked hair is the new logo for Action Man. Anyone that thinks that GI Joe's Sigma 6 is awful should look at this A.T.O.M. series of figures.
Alpha Teens on Machines: There are four "goodies" and four "baddies." While the cartoon and the comic book seem to be shooting for the teenage crowd, the ad copy seems to be directed at toddlers.
The villains are called "baddies" and they have names like Dragon, whose real name is Kickind Dargon, Spydah (eight suction cup tipped legs), Flesh, and Alexander Paine, the leader of the baddies. The individual figures cost $10. Each figure brings weapons and/or a helmet, sea sled, turbo board, etc.
The Goodies also have silly names like Ollie Sharker is "Shark." Shark is probably the only figure from this set who looks pretty good. He has his own yellow sea sled. The 12" Alex Mann has become the 5" Axel Manning. If you visit the Action Man website, you can find out the amazing back story for each character. This line seems to have been inspired by the popularity of the Spy Kids movies or Kim Possible cartoons?
Articulation: Some of the figures cannot bend their legs at the knees. The rest have a basic limited articulation which is less than ninety degrees at the elbows or knees. Some have ankle joints (and nicely sculpted running shoes). The heads can bend in every direction, but not much. Dragon has leg kicking action.
The Vehicles: Like every Action Man line, this one also has some interesting vehicles. The "Slamma" is on the left. The back pops down to reveal a giant speaker and a couple of turntables and a DJ music soundboard so the Alpha Teens can do DJ mixes at parties. The top of the van has a mega-laser. The van sells for about $50. (30BPS). The XT-9000 race car looks awesome. It seats two and costs $30. (18BPS)
Overall: This A.T.O.M. line is disappointing. Only Shark and the XT-9000 race car have any spark of collectability. The A.T.O.M. series is a bit unoriginal and derivative. The figures look like a million other action figures. The paint apps on the figures is average. The positive side is that for young kids, the ATOM sets are fun. My five year old nephew thought they were great for smashing up his Power Rangers. He had a blast rolling Turbo Board Axel off tables and crushing his Ultra Corps! figures.
Update: August 2006: These ATOM sets are now available in some U.S. retail stores (Target)!
Grade: D+ for the figures
