1976 Mattel Heroes in Action Catalog

After the Vietnam war, toy soldiers sure weren't a hot item. G.I. Joe retired to become an adventurer and the only soldier type toys were usually knock offs, many major companies shyed away from looking pro military.

Mattel's Heroes in Action were an interesting throwback to the 60's, a 3 3/4" action figure line that was part toy soldier and all man! These muscular, aggressive looking brutes even made a "rat-a-tat-tat" sound to simulate machine gun fire. In 1976, Mattel added a new line, the SWAT Team, sadly the trend never caught on and Heroes in Action were retired this year. I've heard the line enjoyed more popularity in Europe, where war toys were still in fashion.

Click on the images below to see larger pages with descriptions:

Heroes in Action : S.W.A.T Team

Heroes in Action Submarine

Missiles Mortar and Machine Guns

Heroes in Action Figure Assortment

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