PopCult

When I was a kid, my favorite action figure was Captain Action. He was a GI Joe-sized toy figure that could be dressed as other superheroes like Superman, Spider-man, Batman, Green Hornet, Captain America, and many others. Our cool thing of the week this week is an upcoming reproduction of the hard-to-find Aurora Model Kit of the Captain, which you can read about here.

Captain Action left a huge impression on me when he debuted forty years ago. I've written about him here, here, and here, and he's popped up on episodes seven and fourteen of Radio Free Charleston, and episode ten was called "Captain Action Shirt." So you can see, I'm a big fan. Joe Ahearn is the current keeper of the Captain's flame, and you can check out the Captain Action Enterprises website to see what other cool Cap products are on the way. You can get your own Captain Action Shirt here.

This model kit is being released to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the original release of the kit. It's an accurate reproduction, but it also comes with an alternate head and base, which are improvements over the original. Kit-builders will have a choice. They can make the kit exactly as it was in 1967, or they can build an improved version. Or they can buy two and make one of each. The model kits will retail for $30 to $35 each, which is quite reasonable for a limited edition of 1,000 kits. Comparable "garage kits" often sell for more than a hundred dollars, due to the high costs associated with a short production run.

This project is a joint effort between Captain Action Enterprises, and Moebius Models, a new company dedicated to preserving the legacy of the orginal, legendary Aurora Model company, which made the coolest model kits of the 1960s and 70s. Other cool upcoming releases from Moebius include Dr. Jeckyl as Mr. Hyde and the legendary Tom Daniel car, Rommel's Rod. This is a cool mission that will shine the warm sunlamp of nostalgia on the arthritic joints of many of us children of the 1960s.