Action Man German Stormtrooper
The German Stormtrooper outfit was the first outfit I bought for my Action Man in the 1970s. It was a popular choice and it is one of the most collectable today.
Palitoy first launched it in the UK in 1967. They were a little behind the curve as interest in World War II in toys and models had been growing since the late 1950s. Airfix introduced World War II model aircraft in the late 1950s. In 1962 Airfix introduced a range of 00 gauge (small) plastic soldiers, which included World War II with models representing British, American, German, Italian and Russian soldiers.
Palitoy featured the 'German Stormtrooper' in the 1968 Action Man Equipment Manual. It might have been made from 1967. It was part of the 'Soldiers of the Century' series, which included British, American, French, Australian and Russian soldiers.
Palitoy derived the 'Soldiers of the Century' from the GI Joe figures called 'Action Soldiers of the World'. Unlike the GI Joe figures 'Soldiers of the Century' was a range of outfits and that did not include the figures.
The German Stormtrooper was a direct copy of the GI Joe 'German Soldier' figure introduced around 1966.
'Soldiers of the Century' finished in 1972, but Palitoy continued the German Stormtrooper outfit as part of the new 'Soldiers of the World' series between 1973 and 1976. They carried on producing it into the 'Eagle Eyes' era up to 1979. A redesigned version continued into the 1980s.
Uniform
You could buy the whole outfit or the uniform and equipment separately.
The uniform included jacket, trousers, the steel helmet (Der Stahlhelm) and jackboots.
Soldiers of the Century range 1968-72
- 34111 - Stormtrooper complete outfit
- 34212 - Stormtrooper equipment
- 34222 - Stormtrooper uniform
Soldiers of the World range 1973-6
- 34140 - Stormtrooper complete outfit 1973-4
- 34167 - Stormtrooper complete outfit 1975-6
- 34247 - Stormtrooper equipment 1973-6
- 34252 - Stormtrooper uniform 1973-6
- 34315 - Stormtrooper uniform 1977-9
Later versions
- 34315 - Stormtrooper uniform 1977-9
The Stormtrooper continued until 1979. In 1980 it was re-issued with a new uniform in a more realistic shade of grey. However, other details were wrong, such as shiny buttons and a jacket that did not button up to the neck. These outfits are quite rare.
Equipment
The equipment comprised:
- Schmiesser (Maschinepistole 40/MP40)
- Luger pistol and holster
- Belt with buckle carrying eagle and swastika and cartridge cases
- Two stick grenades
- Field pack
- Iron Cross medal
How realistic is the German Stormtrooper uniform?
The name 'Stormtrooper' is not right. German soldiers in World War II were not called 'Stormtroopers'. The name dates from the First World War. The original Stormtroopers were shock troops trained to break the trench war stalemate. They were only used by the German Army in 1918. Subsequently Stormtroopers were the SA, a paramilitary wing of the Nazi party used to intimidate opponents before the Nazis came to power.
According to Frances Baird in 'Action Man - The Gold Medal Doll for Boys' the uniform was based on one introduced in 1933. It is certainly based on the Nazi version of the German Army uniform. But the new uniforms were introduced in 1935.
How was the uniform designed?
The Action Man uniform was based on the GI Joe uniform. Jerry Einhorm from Hasbro was responsible for sourcing the historical information. He phoned around museums and found that the Virginia War Museum in Newport News, Virginia, USA had a collection of World War II uniforms. They had examples of German, Russian, British and Japanese uniforms. He took pictures of each uniform with a Polariod camera. Those images were the basis of the German Stormtrooper uniform, as well as the British Infantryman (British Commando in the GI Joe range), the Russian Infantryman and the Japanese Imperial Soldier (GI Joe only). [1]
The 1967 version of the uniform was dark green, later ones were bright emerald green. The real German soldier's uniform was feldgrau, a grey/green colour. The trousers were originally grey and later the same grey/green as the jacket. The GI Joe prototypes copied the colour accurately, but later revisions were made due to isues of supply. [1]
The real uniform also had four pockets on the jacket like the Action Man uniform, but they are four patch pockets. On the Action Man uniform the lower pockets look to be cut into the jacket. In fact just the flap is sewn on.
The red piping around the shoulder straps and red collar patches correspond to the uniform of a German artillery soldier, not an infantryman. German infantrymen had white piping and collar patches.
I can only conclude that the uniform at the Virginia War Memorial Musem was that of an artilleryman.
Other details, such as the eagle above the right hand pocket, are correct. Although the real eagle emblem also incorporated a swastika.
What about the rest of the kit?
The reproduction of the German soldier's equipment and firearms is accurate. Both the Luger pistol and the Maschinepistole 40 are very close to the original. The helmet has the correct markings for the start of the war. They were dropped in 1941.
The Iron Cross medal is not correct. After 1939 the ribbon was red, black and white. The Action Man one is black and white. An Iron Cross First Class was worn on the pocket without the ribbon. In day-to-day wear only the ribbon of the Iron Cross Second Class was worn on a button on the jacket. The medal you see German officers wearing around the neck is the Knight's Cross.
He does not have a gas mask. Most German soldiers carried one in a ribbed cylindrical tin.
The German Stormtrooper uniform probably squares with how most people in the 1960s thought it should look. His equipment is a good reproduction. The uniform is not as accurate as it could have been. Nevertheless it wasn't something that bothered me in the 1970s. It did not stop the German Stormtrooper uniform being a big seller for Palitoy.
How much is my Action Man German Stormtrooper worth?
The Stormtrooper uniform is very collectable. The late-issue version is particularly rare and is expensive.
- Jacket - up to £10
- Trousers - up to £10
- Boots - £5 to £10
- Complete uniform - £20 to £100 depending on completeness and condition
- Figure with uniform - £50 to £150 depending on completeness and condition
- Field pack - £5 to £20
- Belt with holster undamaged - £20
- Schmeisser (MP40) complete with no damage - £20 to £30
- Helmet complete with no damage - £15 to £30
- Iron Cross medal - £10 to £20
- Luger pistol - £2 to £5
- Holster - £5 to £10
- Grenades - £2 to £10
- Carded uniform, late issue 1980s - £300 to £500
- Carded uniform, 1960s or 1970s issue - £200 to £300
Should I buy a complete Stormtrooper or build up the outfit?
To buy the whole outfit from scratch I would budget:
- Jacket and trousers £15
- Boots - £8
- Helmet - £20
- Field pack - £20
- Belt with holster undamaged - £20
- Schmeisser (MP40) complete with no damage - £20
- Iron Cross medal - £10
- Luger pistol - £5
- 2 x grenades - £5
This assumes some canny shopping on eBay to get the cheaper end of the price range. You will need over £100. So instead it is better to look for a complete or part-complete outfit. You chould check that expensive items are included, especially the belt, Schmeisser machine pistol, field pack and Iron Cross medal.
German Stormtrooper repairs
Belt and holster
A few of the expensive items can be repaired or made from scratch. This particularly applies to the belt and holster. My 1970s' one was broken. I remember it being very poorly made and breaking in no time. I was not keen to fork out £20 for another equally badly made one. So I replaced it with one I made myself. I found an old vinyl glasses case was ideal to cut up. I used the old holster as a template. I sewed the holster and used velcro to fasten it. I also used velcro to fasten the belt as I had lost the catch. I was careful not to stick the velcro on the original buckle which had survived.
Helmet
If you have a reasonable helmet without the strap or stickers you can buy the stickers separately on eBay. The elastic strap can also be replaced.
Uniform
You can revive old uniform jackets by replacing the poppers. The jackets are cheap. So if you have some stickers missing, such as the collar patches or eagle, it is better to buy another jacket either to act as a donor or to replace your old one.
References
[1] 'The Complete Encyclopedia to GI Joe' by Vincent Santelmo, page 132
More on Action Man
- Action Man history and introduction
- Action Man outfits and accessories
- German Staff Officer
- Parachute Regiment
- British Infantryman
By Steven Braggs, February 2021, updated July 2021
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