One of my favourite Action Man uniforms as a kid was the German Stormtrooper and the Stick Grenade in particular. A seemingly simple combination of a hammer handle and a tin can, I loved to get my Palitoy Fighting Man to hold the stick grenade in the classic throwing position. There was just something about its design and here's a couple I saw on Ebay.
I led a very militaristic life as a kid to be honest. War was a constant in the Sixties playroom and in the real world on the telly. My mates and I battled in the garden till the sun went down. We had everything, from field dressings to cap grenades but we never had a life size stick grenade like our Action Men.
Out of interest I recently checked to see if any toy firm back then actually released a stick grenade and lo and behold, Marx did! Here's a snap of a carded one from Worthpoint.
It appears to have been a single unit of plastic, which had a cap firing mechanism. Made in Swansea, Wales, it was called a 'souvenir' grenade, which is an odd word to use. My mates and I would have happily lobbed a few of these around the garden battlefield.
Did you have a favourite Action Man or GI Joe accessory?
Known to British troops as a "Potato Masher", a strange souvenir indeed.
ReplyDeleteDidnt know That. Thanks Terran!
DeleteI've not seen or heard of the Marx German grenade before. Looking at the above pic, I would've loved one as a kid. As for Action Man, there were so many fun accessories made, I can't pick a favorite, Woodsy.
ReplyDeleteI know Tone. Accy Man was simply the best!
DeleteWe even had a rocket like one:
ReplyDeletehttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ6gGNIXc8U
ha ha, I see what you mean!
DeleteI loved the Mortar, Bazooka and Rope Grapple Gun!
ReplyDeleteAll fab things! Another of my faves was the rifle rack full of the various rifles!
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