Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Kenner The Six Million Dollar Man Critical Assignment Arms

This is Kenner's Six Million Dollar Man Critical Assignment Arms set from 1976. That title's a mouthful...but deservedly so. The SMDM toys were some of the best toys ever created. This set again demonstrates the great playability that Kenner injected into this line.

The set came with three different bionic arms to equip your Bionic Man (sold separately) with new bionic features. Each arm popped on and off easily and had a roll of rubber skin to cover the bionics to keep Steve's bionic-ness covert. It also came with a white short-sleeved t-shirt (complete with SMDM logo on the chest) to provide easy access to Steve's new arms.

The set features a "Laser" arm that lights up when Steve's hand is bent back at the wrist, a Neutralizer Arm with spring-loaded karate chop and neutralizer gun behind a door in the bicep, and the Oxygen Supply arm with oxygen mask.

A more thorough explanation of each arm's features can be seen in the instructions below.

I had this set as a kid but managed to lose every arm over time despite still having my original Steve Austin figure. I love the concept of this set and the opportunity it provided kids to add brand-new play features to a toy they already owned...vs. selling a whole new figure with new arm features (although Kenner did that from time to time, as well).

Am I just getting old or do they not make toys like they used to? I'm probably just not paying as much attention to newer licenses and toys.


Included instructions (front and back)

12 comments:

  1. You are getting old but your right they don't make them like they used too.

    According to the directions illustrations it looks like when you put on the laser are Steve turns into Spiderman with web slinging action.

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  2. That is so awesome - I would buy the heck out of these dollies and their accessories if they still made them!

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  3. That is great!!! What a find. :)

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  4. What an amazing toy! I liked the SMDM figure before, but this really pushes it over the edge. Clever and creative and lots of fun! Thanks for the pics.

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  5. I'm glad I never knew anyone who had these, I'd have been so jealous.

    What that also brings to mind is the MST3k skit of Johnny Longtorso, the action figure who is, himself, sold seperately. ( http://tinyurl.com/d9o7nh )

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  6. They also don't make programmes like this anymore. Now, things are either kids shows or adult shows. There's nothing in between like SMDM. Steve Austin was a cool figure just like Pulsar, Hypnos and Rom. But that's just the old man in me talking now. Don't get me started on Major Matt Mason!

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  8. This is pretty cool. If someone had a good idea of hoe to take advantage of their products that was definitely Kenner. Everything was made around the SMDM and it all fit perfectly. Sometimes I wished I was a kid in those years to have been able to have all those things

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  10. I have a Steve Austin with 2 of these left arms and was wondering where they came from cus others I've seen on Ebay were not like this. Thanks for the info.

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  11. Sweet looking indeed. I have two of these in boxes and two of them out of boxes complete sets. I myself have been collecting The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman toy lines prospectively for over 30 years now.

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  12. You can purchase these from auctions, some antique stores, collectors, from "Savors" cheap used garage sale discount stores; sometimes, or various used merchandise discount stores, and some Salvation Army stores as well.

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