In the world of 12” action figures, the name that’s resonates the most with chaps my age is of course Action Man.
But there is a guy who appeared on the scene around the same time as Action Man arrived on our shores – he’s Tommy Gunn.
Produced by Pedigree, these figures were in only in production for brief period from 1966 – 1968 and were launched as a direct competitor to Action Man.
A few figures came into British Toy Auctions lately, as part of a vast collection of vintage action figures which included Action Man, Gi Joe, Mego, Marx to name but a few.
I must admit I had not come across Tommy Gunn before, and I was impressed at the level of detail. I have read that it was rumoured that Pedigree had contacts at the time within the Ministry of Defence and where thereby able to add more realism to weapons and equipment from the drawings they obtained – whether this is true, does not deter from the fact that these figures are now highly collectable, and to come across so many in a collection is a rare sight indeed.
Here are a few of my favourites from the collection.
I’m a massive fan of catalogues. There a great reference source for collectors, and often under used or simply forgotten about. I love reading them as they evoke great childhood memories, flicking through picking which toy you wanted next! I couldn’t resist taking a few photos of the ‘Tommy Gunn Equipment Manual’
Some of the accessories seen in the Equipment Manual are also featured in the collection which is being auctioned on 7th November 2002 – check out the whole auction here!
If you know more about Tommy Gunn, then please share your knowledge with us., and place any comments in the section at the bottom of the page!
Featured Image courtesy of our friends at www.britishtoyauctions.co.uk
There is a collectors guide detailing the whole Pedigree Tommy Gunn range. It is available on Amazon now. Tommy Gunn collectors Guide: for Pedigree Tommy Gunn by Harry Hyndman.
Many thanks for that – will be sure to add it to our library!
Having grown up with the standard 2″ rigid plastic toy soldiers on sale in the UK, I used to drool over the ads for G.I.Joe that I saw on the inside back cover of the glorious imported superhero comics from the US. The weapons, the cloth uniforms, the articulated joints! Oh the Humanity!!! I was seriously putting threepence (half my pocket money) away each wedk for a ticket to America so that I could acquire one of these marvels. Then, one day, on a visit to Blackpool with my parents I saw my first Action Man point-of-display stand and nearly had a fit! There they were: Soldier, Sailor and Airman with a small selection of outfits and weapons hanging from the pegs. My folks must have wondered what was going on as I suddenly changed from being that sullen child draged round the clothing shops into a half-crazed, over-animated freak in a split second. It took all the persuasive powers of a 9 year old to convince them that this was the moment I had been waiting for my whole life! Quite the challenge since A.M. came in at an outrageously expensive 29/6d, with the accessories at 10 shillings or so, and upward. As I recall, the figures came without any uniforms or equipment as I remember putting forth a very sound argument that real soldiers didn’t fight in the nude! I don’t remember much else about that day other than the outside view of that small toyshop and my naked A.M and my blister pack containing a set of olive green fatigues, plastic cap, belt & boots, Colt 45 “1911” pistol and holster, Garand M1 rifle with bayonet and being the happiest I’d ever been!
Needless to say more A.M’s joined the cadre with several coming via the collection of “stamps” from accessory packs being traded in for further AM’s. These chaps were all the plastic-hair variety, since the fuzzy hair didn’t appear until some years later.
Within a couple of months Tommy Gunn had arrived on the scene as a competitor to A.M. Though not quite on the same level as A.M., T.G. was at least somewhat cheaper and of course his equipment also fitted A.M. Small details such as T.G.’s boots having actual laces, set him apart slightly, though I was a bit disappointed that his joints became loose much quicker than those on A.M. and his poses seemed to lack some of the authenticity. It was an ongoing battle with my Dad, a primary school Headmaster, who couldn’t understand why his otherwise “normal”
son should suddenly want to start playing with dolls. Even explaining the blood-curdling adventures I had planned with my new-found plastic allies didn’t seem to alter his perception of my as a “bedroom cowboy” from that point on. I’m 67 now, with grandkids of my own yet I can still feel that frisson of excitement from that day back in the mid 1960’s!
Hi Martin – Many thanks for sharing your memories with us! One of the the wonderful joys about collecting toys, is the memories they provoke.