If you’ve been a regular reader of PopCult, you probably know that I’m a big fan of the classic Marx Toys Johnny West action figures. And you may also know that we are in the midst of a pretty strong resurgence for a toy that hasn’t been mass-marketed for four decades.

Our gift guide selection today is Johnny West, his friends and foes and horses, courtesy of some enterprising folks who have access to the original molds.

We will start with the horses. Johnny West’s faithful steed, Thunderbolt, has galloped back into action thanks to Steve Corn and Stevo’s Toys.

Stevo has put Thunderbolt back into production with the trusty steed and his saddle and gear once again made in the USA, sporting details painted by Stevo, himself. .

The horses are now available in different paint schemes, with white horses, black horses and Palaminos. Until Christmas, the price has dropped to forty-five bucks each, which includes brand-new tack (unless you order one of them that features vintage Indian tack. This is a great deal and shipping is very reasonable (free if you order over $100). Stevo also sells the tack separately and has other 1/6 gear available on his website.

Of course, to ride those horses, you’ll need some cowboys. One good source is Classic Recasts. James Wozniak has been importing new action figures made in Mexico from the original molds for Johnny West, General Custer and Sam Cobra. Many are being made in new colors that had never been used for these figures before.

Earlier this year I wrote about the 50th Anniversary editions of Johnny West and Sam Cobra (the outlaw). I think the Anniversary Johnny West may be sold out, but Sam Cobra is still available, and James has tons of other variant versions of Johnny, Sam and Custer.

You can contact James through Classic Recasts, or check out his eBay auctions to order.He’s always getting cool new stock in, and he has some really cool Johnny West items coming in the new year.

Of course, the folks who jump-started this hobby with high-quality reproductions years ago were Noah and Terri Coop, of Marxman Bros./ CXR. Sadly, Noah is no longer with us, but Terri still has a sizable amount of great reproduction gear, some of it re-engineered to be better than the original.

Terri’s in the middle of redesigning her website, so the best way to order anything from her is to contact her directly at terrilynncoop@gmail.com. For an idea of what Terri has to offer, you can check out the gallery at her old website, but drop her an email before ordering, to make sure that what you want is still in stock. She has replacement soft and hard gear for Johnny West, Fort Apache Fighters and Daniel Boone, some of it molded in all-new colors. CXR also has a limited number of their high-quality figures left, but check with Terri to see what’s available.

Johnny West was one of my favorite toys from my childhood, and it’s great that we can once again buy these cool toys to make us feel young and to share with future generations.