PopCult Rudy Panucci on Pop Culture

The PopCult Toybox: Even More Updates

1actioneliteNo sooner do we update you on Captain Action and MEGO-style action figures when a load of news breaks on both subjects. So let’s update you again.

Captain Action Enterprises announced a new partnership with Go Hero, Executive Replicas and Phicen Ltd to release a line of what will likely be very expensive, 1/6 scale action figures based on Captain Action. “Captain Action Elite” is the name of the new line. What’s most striking about this announcement is the lack of details. There’s no word on price, though most observers expect each figure in the line to be in the $100 to $200 range.

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This is really cool, but the price isn’t

One upcoming figure from Go Hero, Executive Replicas and Phicen, an ultra-detailed depiction of “Rocketman” from the movie serials, is set to retail for $320.

At that price, collectors might opt for vintage figures instead. We are still waiting for some kind of announcements about price, though, so they may have some surprises up their sleeves.

It’s also not clear which version of Captain Action will be in this line. Will he have the classic head from the 1960s, the new head, or will they invent a third version? They promise, “Captain Action, Doctor Evil, Lady Action, and Action Boy are all going to be redesigned using the cutting edge technology, high-end bodies that reflect the character, beyond that of the standard toy level that is currently available on the market. Action Elite is essentially a high-end Captain Action line that was meant specifically for adult collectors.”

Phicen Ltd. specializes in producing figures that have rubber skins over armatures, so there are no joint lines, so we can expect the bodies to be in that style, but beyond that, it’s a bit of a mystery.

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The Captain Action Rocket Pack

At C2E2 in Chicago last week it was announced that Go Hero will start with a Rocket Pack Captain Action with metal parts and high detail. The released artwork recalls the glory days of Captain Action’s cool accessory sets.

There will be costume sets from DC, Marvel, Dynamite and Moonstone Comics. The Lady Action figure will likely have switchable heads because it’s so hard to do the traditional Captain Action rubber masks with rooted hair.

More announcements are forthcoming. It’s expected that Lady Action will have costume sets to change her into Vampirella, a character currently published by Dynamite, who also publish the Captain Action comics. Last year it was strongly hinted that another Dynamite-published property, Red Sonja, was a strong contender for a Lady Action costume.

While this is good news, and this line will complement the current (affordable) Round 2 Captain Action line rather than replace it, the potentially high prices may push these figures out of the reach of the average collector. One of the purposes of the changeable costumes for Captain Action is that it’s another level of play value. I don’t think people who are going to shell out big money for adult collectibles are going to be that interested in play value, or buying multiple figures so that they can display all their outfits.

These are sure to look really cool, but if they cost too much I’m afraid I’m going to feel like I did when I was six years old and unable to afford the Dr. Evil Lab set again.

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The second wave of Super Powers Fist Fighters will all be Batman characters

Since my MEGO update last week, Figures Toy Company has unveiled plans to release MEGO-scale DC action figures with “Fist-Fighting Action,” which means they will throw punches when buttons in their backs are pushed. These figures will cary the “Super Powers” brand, and the first four will be Superman, Shazam (Captain Marvel), Aquaman and Green Arrow. They also announced a really cool set of 25 accessories to go along with their TV Batman line. This is your chance to get a Bat-phone, a giant bomb, Shark Repellant, Bat-cuffs, Batarangs and more.

Price and release dates will be announced soon.

FTC has also announced that the first wave of TV Batman figures will begin shipping later this week. Also, Wave Three of their retro Batman line and Wave One of the Teen Titans have been pushed back to late June.

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Stock your Batcave with this new set