BOXED COMBAT DIVISION/SPECIAL OPERATIONS FIGURES 1983

1983 saw Palitoy totally change the artwork for the Boxed figures and they released six different ones.

Basic Figure (Special operations)
SAS Commander (Special operations)
Soldier (Combat Division)
Helicopter Pilot (Combat Division)
Talking Commander (Combat Division)
Space Ranger Captain



These were basically just repackaged existing figures except for the
Talking Commander who was issued with a nice SAS badge to his peaked cap. Also the Helicopter featured a blue pilot on the artwork but actually contained a green helicopter pilot.
These changes make those two boxes the rarest of this set though the space ranger is also a tricky one to find
Sadly although Palitoy were pulling out all the stops now with exciting new artwork and new concept figures such as the Assault Team and the very successful SAS sets  Palitoy had by now sold out to General Mills and in little more than a year they would pull the plug and retire Action Man in 1984

a great collection matey . on a personal level, I think I favour the older boxes

Me too Dal. I always thought these were pants

These to me are great!! only because this was the only box design that I received brand new AM in apart from zargon! My memory must be getting hazy though as I never had the green pilot overall but I did receive a new heli pilot around this time along with my capture copter which was Dec 83 for my 5th birthday! I still have my original blue overall from then, could a few blue ones have slipped though while they were getting sloppy?

Also if palitoy had sold up to general mills by then does that mean the BPEE talking commanders marked as general mills are very last issue?

The go faster type stripes (ribbon lines?) on the boxes are typical designs from that time, Hornby also went with a similar graphic style on their model train packaging in the 80's. I have the Combat Division soldier box and figure somewhere (3rd in from left) it's a reissued 40th one, it's very nicely done

Rossini wrote:

These to me are great!! only because this was the only box design that I received brand new AM in apart from zargon! My memory must be getting hazy though as I never had the green pilot overall but I did receive a new heli pilot around this time along with my capture copter which was Dec 83 for my 5th birthday! I still have my original blue overall from then, could a few blue ones have slipped though while they were getting sloppy?

Id say they were originally blue then as Palitoy came to a halt then they got rid of whatever they had left ????

Saying that Palitoy was halted all of a sudden so maybe they just then got rid of everything they had left ????

Rossini wrote:

Also if palitoy had sold up to general mills by then does that mean the BPEE talking commanders marked as general mills are very last issue?

Yep id say that was the case Agent Bond

This was also the only boxed figures that actually came with stars on the box so thats why they are considered quite rare if fully intact

Danthecoat wrote:

.... Palitoy had by now sold out to General Mills and in little more than a year they would pull the plug and retire Action Man in 1984

Oh the humanity!!

I feel genuinely sorry for people who were still kids when Action Man ceased production. For me that would have been the sort of childhood trauma I'd have never recovered from!

After out growing AM in the mid 1970's I see these 1983 sets as my 2nd era as they were what was about when I first tried my hand at adult collecting!

Also Palitoy must have run out of SAS cap badges by the end despite it still being shown on the box art because all of my last issue talking commanders came with 19th/21st Lancers ones.

Thats intersting about the badge Steve Ive also heard today that the helicopter pilots were sometimes blue

Danthecoat wrote:

Me too Dal. I always thought these were pants

Yep me too Seemed like a step back in artwork, oh well

Nice boxes!

So they were still making vintage Action Man figures in 1983???
Gijoe ended production of there vintage figures in 1976...

Danthecoat wrote:

 Palitoy had by now sold out to General Mills and in little more than a year they would pull the plug and retire Action Man in 1984

PALITOY SOLD OUT TO GENERAL MILLS IN 1968 VERY LONG CHAIN ON THAT PLUG

Joefan wrote:

Danthecoat wrote:

 Palitoy had by now sold out to General Mills and in little more than a year they would pull the plug and retire Action Man in 1984

PALITOY SOLD OUT TO GENERAL MILLS IN 1968 VERY LONG CHAIN ON THAT PLUG

You been here since July last year and this is your first post? talk about long chain. I shortened the history to simplify things but if you are to quote Wikipedia please include it all.

QUOTE


Palitoy effectively ceased to be an independent business in 1984 when its parent company, CPG, part of General Mills
, closed its entire design department leaving it effectively just a sales and marketing operation.

Which one are you????