Ready for Action

Mail-Order Minute Men

Seriously? Two hundred four action figures for only $1.94? Even in the early 1960s (which is when the above ad appeared in issues of Charlton Comics), the offer seemed too good to be true.

And maybe it was for the kids who paid their hard-earned allowances only to receive a tiny box containing bits of colored plastic that didn’t look like the figures in the ad.

Imagination Required

Above: Minute Men action figures, circa 1960

The photo of the three plastic minute men is from Doug’s Soldiers, a wargaming and toy soldiers blog, where you can find out more about the early action figure set that included “12 CANON LEADERS, 12 DRUMMERS, 12 MINUTE MEN” and more!

I never took the bait. But I do remember seeing those ads and dreaming about what it would be like to command an army of toy soldiers.

In a way, that dream was realized with the arrival of G.I. Joe—the first lifelike action figure who stormed onto the scene a few years later.

True Action Figures

Hasbro coined the term action figure in 1964. Since then, the posable warrior has become more than a toy. Mental Floss reports that an early G.I. Joe figure recently sold for $200,000—which has me contemplating digging through the attic for a few classic Joes I know must be bivouacking up there.

But beyond their possible resale value, action figures are just plain cool. And so Chris and I were delighted when freelance designer Jason R. Hogue sent us his concept art for a line of new-age Minute-Men toys—all based on characters from the forthcoming science-fiction adventure novel Minute-Men: Execute & Run.

Currently, the Minute-Men action figures are digital only, but Chris is looking into producing a line of limited editions. When he does, you’ll read about it here.

Meet the Minute-Men

Above: Art from Christopher Connolly, based on the characters in Minute-Men: Execute & Run.

Even though Jason Hogue’s digital renderings are not currently available for sale, they nevertheless provide a great way to introduce five of the characters you’ll be meeting when Minute-Men: Execute & Run debuts this fall.

So … click the player below, and get ready for some Minute-Men action!

Challenge #2: Murdered Movie Darlings!

Last time, I shared six images, each representing a deleted scene from a well-known film.

The challenge was to identify at least one of the films and describe what is happening in the missing scene.

Here are those images again, this time with film titles included:

As for what is happening in the scenes, you can read all about it (along with some submitted responses) by clicking the Blog Site button below.

Challenge #3: Magazine Merch of Yesteryear

Plastic minute men weren’t the only things comics and magazines offered for sale in the 1960s.

Five of the images below represent things that could be ordered and shipped through the US Mail back in those crazy days of yesteryear. You filled out a form, sent in your hard-earned cash, and sometime later, your friendly neighborhood mailman delivered it straight to your home.

The Challenge: Only one of the items described above was not offered for sale. Maybe no one thought of it. Or perhaps it was too outrageous for even the 1960s. Either way, if you are the first respondent to identify it, we’ll send you a copy of Minute-Men: Execute & Run upon its release in October.

As an alternate challenge, if you have a true story about ordering any of the above items (or possibly something even more outrageous), please send it along.

The easiest way to respond is by leaving a comment here:

Next Newsletter Drops July 8

We have some very cool surprises planned for July.

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Like the members of the Minute-Men team, we can’t do this alone. Join our team, make every second count, and we’ll meet you back here in July.