New member looking for Obscure Action Figure with Light

[johnfromjohn]

In the late 70s or early 80s there was a line of action figures all of which included a functioning light (meaning a little light bulb you could turn on and off).  All of them (except one) had the light built into the action figure, for example in one the light was built into it's chest.  The only exception was a man with dark green skin and black hair who had some type of staff with a light on top.  Over the years, I've spent a few hours here and there sifting thru action figure images on the internet and I've never came across them.  So I figured I'd ask the experts.  Any idea what this line of action figures was called?  Or even better do you know anyone who might have/sell one?  I'm interested specifically in the man with the dark green skin and staff.  Thanks in advance for your time!

[Thor Laserpunch]

I was thinking something along the lines of Ideal Star Team or maybe some Remco thing, but pretty sure neither are what you’re looking for. How big were the figures? Mego size/12”/smaller? What genre? What kind of body construction and articulation? Did it have fabric clothing/capes or other media than plastic or rubber?

[johnfromjohn]

First of all thank you for taking the time to try to help me.

Size: I think they were 6"-8" tall.

Body construction and articulation: The joints and range of motion was really the thing that made the "green man" so cool. At the time I remember most action figures had a pretty fixed range of motion, but this guy was pretty realistic IMO. The upper arm was one piece of hard plastic (obvious I know) and the forearm was a second piece of hard plastic. The two pieces were connected with some type of elastic band type material (I think) but the two pieces were pulled together so tightly that you didn't actually see the elastic band. This resulted in the lower arm moving in any plane respective to the upper arm as opposed to being in a fixed plane like many action figures at the time (as I remember it). The hands were softer black rubber/plastic. The head was also a softer plastic and was empty. I feel like it's construction was ahead of its time, and I always imagined some really talented designer/engineer being stuck on a line of toys with a really terrible "motif".

Did it have fabric clothing/capes or other media than plastic or rubber? My memory is pretty hazy especially as it applies to the other action figures in the line, but I think the "green man" had some type of cloth cloak, but I don't think the other other figures had any cloth type accessories.

I'm not sure if this is what you mean by "genre" but: They all looked humanoid but not human. The "green man" was the closest to looking human and he had dark green skin and orange eyes. Also I want to stress that the light bulb was not some "oh look it lights up" tiny little bulb. I'm not saying they put out as much light as a flashlight, but it was more substantial than the typical little "glowing" toy.

Finally I checked out the "Star Team" and confirmed that isn't it. I also did a google image search of "remco vintage action figures" and I don't see anything like it. If you can recommend any other sites where I can just search thru images that would be awesome too.

Thanks again!

[Thor Laserpunch]

By genre I meant is it space/sci-fi, fantasy, etc. I am drawing a big ole blank though. I can’t imagine anything with the kind of arms strung together at the elbow as you describe. If you don’t get help here, I’d try Mego Museum forums.

Could this possibly have been a 60s or early 70s toy that you got in the late 70s/early 80s?

[johnfromjohn]

Thanks again.
I'd say a genre of space.

I think we got them around 1978, but if I remember it was from a pretty ancient K-mart kind of place that might have had inventory laying around for a while. Again I really appreciate you taking the time to help. I'll try the other forum

[Thor Laserpunch]

Well good luck. Sounds pretty interesting if you wouldn’t mind posting back if you find it.

[figurecollector]

The first thing that came to mind with green skin and red eyes was Martian Manhunter for me, but I do not believe there was a figure of him in the 70's. If he did exist, he probably did not light up.

[Thor Laserpunch]

I feel like we should know this!

[spockoda]

Could it have been Pulsar, The Ultimate Man? Only thing wrong with my theory is he was made by Mattel so I don't know if that would put him in the "obscure" category. Pulsar came out in 1978 so hmm......

[Thor Laserpunch]

Pulsar had the pulsating guts gimmick tho, not a lightbulb.

[spockoda]

Aug 24, 2018 17:43:09 GMT -6 Thor Laserpunch said:

Pulsar had the pulsating guts gimmick tho, not a lightbulb.

Hmm, we're all human so I wonder if this guy is maybe mis-remembering this toy? Although putting a light bulb in an action figure would probably stick out in your mind. This is a tough one.

[Thor Laserpunch]

I was originally thinking of that green guy from Blackstar but the details are too super specific.

[rihia2k]

Initially I had lines like Blackstar, Lords of Light pop to mind, but the more I read, the more lines were eliminated. More clues = harder the case in this instance.
Perhaps it was a toyline well enough established in Europe or Japan but imported in scant amounts in a few US areas.

And the internet does have its limits, I've searched tirelessly, TIRELESSLY, for a bootleg released in my parts with a Remco Greg Gagne head & Galoob Golden Girl body and now I accept it has simply never been uploaded or archived. Despite the wonders of the net there are still films, music and toys I know of with only the same old handful of results available through search engine use.

Having functioning lights would suggest this wasn't some cheapo instantly forgotten line though.

[rihia2k]

I feel like the Ideal Star Team, Colorforms Spacemen, or even Major Matt Mason is the right kind of road to start down.
Just simply image searching these could bring up a lateral result.

[johnfromjohn]

Thank you so much for the interest in my question. I apologize for being MIA for a few weeks. I'm a programmer and unexpectedly got an unreasonable deadline thrown on my team, so it's been 90+ hrs per week for the last month. I've still got several weeks before I'm done, but I suddenly remembered posting this question. I really appreciate the help and I'll follow up on the leads that you've provided.

Since you've been nice enough to comment I'd like to answer your questions and comments, but I'm not expecting you to reply again, you've already spent enough of your time on my odd question.

figurecollector - I'm a comic book fan and while I was more Marvel and DC, I'm relatively familiar with Martian Manhunter and can say it definitely wasn't him.

@spockoda - I'd never seen Pulsar before, looks pretty cool, but unfortunately not it. I've only spent 2 minutes googling but I'm not getting any hits for "The Ultimate Man". I'll try some more later after my project completes. With regards to "obscure"...I love comics, computers, D&D, etc. but other than playing with Action Figures as a kid, this is the only time I've spent on the subject. I say "obscure" b/c I've never seen them after my childhood and hours of searching the internet has produced nothing. Maybe that means they are obscure, or it could mean I'm terrible at searching.

@thor Laserpunch and rihia2k - I've googled Blackstar, Ideal Star Team, Colorforms Spacemen, and Major Matt Mason. All were stuff I was unfamiliar with but unfortunately not what I'm looking for.

spockoda has an interesting point about memory. I purchased two of these action figures when I was a kid. The one with a light in it's chest (as I remember it)...I lost it pretty early on. I have a very sketchy recollection, but I remember it looking something like the "Man-E-Faces" from He-man. I could be wrong about the functioning light in it's chest. It was a long time ago and the tricks that memory can play is amazing. However I want to contrast that to the "Green Man". As I remember it he had a staff with a light on it, and I remember him being the only one that didn't have the light built into his body...b/c to be honest I found the lights to be odd. Again I lost the staff pretty early on, so I could easily be twisting that in my mind. However...the "Green Man" was my #1 toy for most of my childhood. I broke his head off, lost his clothes, broke at least one arm off and played with him for so long that my parents probably started to worry about me. I literally used masking tape and scissors and fashioned him a pretty cool outfit complete with hoodie, which held his broken head perfectly in place. I just want to clarify that I could be mis-remembering the nature of the lights, but I am absolutely positive about the color of his skin, eyes, hair and the nature of his joints and hands. As a kid I was always frustrated that most of the action figures were very 'non-lifelike'. For example, the original starwars action figures...you could rotate their arms at the shoulder joint, move their legs a little at the hip joint and I think rotate their head from side to side...just didn't help you while you were trying to imagine them fighting, etc. The "Green Man" was ridiculously superior to everything else in this manner...which is why I played with him for so many years. I've often wondered if it was some toy line from Europe or Japan like rihia2k suggested b/c it was just far superior to every other action figure I had my entire childhood.

OK Thanks again for the help! I'm going back to my job as a rented mule (aka computer programmer).

[Thor Laserpunch]

Did you definitively rule out Lords of Light? www.innerspaceonline.com/lolhome.htm

[mylittleporkchop]

Super Joe by Hasbro. The green skinned guy with black hair sounds like Darkon who had a lightning shaped sword. The other character the original poster mentioned sound like Super Joe himself and the characters Luminos or The Shield from the range.

In the UK Palitoy held the licence for these and renamed the line "Commander Power" - much of the US range wasn't released as part of the Commander Power range by Palitoy. The Gargon from Super Joe was released in the UK as part of the Action Man range around 1977 - 81 and billed as part of the Action Man Space Ranger sub theme.



The OP's date - 1978 - fits in with my opinion, also, his description of the way the figures were constructed and their posability - rubbery hands, vinyl/rubber joints that connected limbs together, limbs in halves that were "sonic welded" together. Finally, the OP seems to be mistaken, Darkon aka "green man" didn't come with a light up sword, it was just chromed. He DID have a red light in his chest armour - all the figures and accessories were 8inches tall in size and either accommodated batteries or their accessories and chest armour took batteries.

Gor, Super Joe, Darkon and Luminos bore light up features whilst the other Human Super Joe team members didn't have any light up features.

One final bit of trivia, in France, Ceji Arbois who held the licence for Groupe Action Joe (the French licencee of G.I.Joe from 1976 to 1981) utilised the Super Joe moulds to create a range based on the Manga cartoon Goldorak which was immensely popular in France in the late 70s early 80s. Ceji Arbois also used the moulds to create upsized versions of some of the accessories to the fit the 12inch Groupe Action Joe dolls too.





Here's a link to the range:

gijoe.fandom.com/wiki/Super_Joe_Adventure_Team



However, joepedia omits The Shield character from its entry. Hope that solves the mystery. It's definitely the Super Joe range.