James Bond Action Figures Identification Tool with Pictures

The history of James Bond books and classic films

Only a year after the first James Bond book, Casino Royale, appeared on bookshelves, studios began adapting the character’s adventures in other mediums. CBS introduced a one-hour adaptation of the first book in 1954. Later, a South African radio broadcast brought Moonraker to life in 1958. James Bond also received comic book adaptations beginning in 1957. However, the format that eclipsed them all was the realm of cinema, where a decades-spanning franchise was born.

Sean Connery became the first cinematic version of the MI6 agent in the 1962 film Dr. No. As there was both a prior version of Casino Royale and Dr. No, which was published more recently in 1958, this novel was chosen to begin the film series. Sean Connery’s charm helped cement James Bond as a movie legend worthy of multiple sequels. Thus, he returned as the character for four more films: From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, and You Only Live Twice.

AC Gilbert James Bond toy line

As the excitement for James Bond rose with each movie’s release, the franchise looked primed to become a successful action figure toy line. AC Gilbert was The first company to allow the spy to conquer the toy aisle.  They began by producing 3-inch figurines for the first two films before they felt confident that the character would sell as a 12-inch-scale action figure. These toys coincided with the 1954 release of Goldfinger with two available characters: James Bond and Oddjob. They then expanded the line with clothing accessory sets in 1965.

Corgi James Bond vehicles

As Gilbert started the action figure scene, another company brought Bond’s iconic cars to store shelves. Corgi introduced a die-cast Aston Martin inspired by Thunderball in 1964. Their vehicle became a huge hit. So, they officially created an entire line-up of model cars in 1968. Corgi continued to produce James Bond vehicles well into the 1980s.

007 in the 1970s

As the decade ended, the face of James Bond changed. First, George Lazenby took on the mantle for the 1969 film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Sean Connery returned one last time to play the spy in the 1971 film Diamonds Are Forever. Then, Roger Moore moved into the role in 1973, and he remained the star of the films well into the 80s. Moore’s films included Live and Let Die, The Man with a Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, and A View to a Kill.

The Mego James Bond action figure toy line

Along with the change in times came a new company with its take on the James Bond license. Mego created three 12” scale action figures based on the 1979 film Moonraker. These action figures featured James Bond, Drax, and Holly. While America only received three action figures, Mego produced a fourth figure, Jaws, that was seen only in Europe. The region also received an exclusive variant of James Bond.

A secret agent in the Big Jim toy line

Mattel then joined in to create a vehicle based on the James Bond franchise. Released only in Mexico, Mattel introduced a few James Bond-themed toys to their Big Jim line in 1981. These action figures included James Bond, Professor Obb, and Boris. Then, in 1982, they added the Supermobil to accompany these action figures. A motorcycle, the Moto y Girocoptero Comando, was also released in 1983.

The 1980s and the 1990s

After over a decade as the face of Bond, Roger Moore stepped down, and Timothy Dalton took over the role. He only lasted for two movies, appearing in the 1987 The Living Daylights and the 1989 License to Kill.

As the 90s rolled in, a new era for James Bond began. In 1995, Pierce Brosnan took on the role in Goldeneye. He remained the face of the franchise until 2002, with a total of four films. His films included Tomorrow Never Dies from 1997, The World Is Not Enough from 1999, and Die Another Day from 2002.

Meanwhile, James Bond appeared in possibly his most famous game, Goldeneye for the N64, in 1997. Rare developed this game with a true passion for the material. It also included one of the system’s most popular four-player split-screen multiplayer modes. This mode included classic characters in addition to those from Goldeneye. Thus, players could go into a match with Jaws, Oddjob, and many others.

1990s James Bond toy lines

Even though a new Bond was on screen, toy companies were beginning to bank on fans’ nostalgia. Thus, Medicom introduced the 12” scale James Bond action figure in 1998. They based this action figure on his appearance in Dr. No. This action figure recaptured Sean Connery’s appearance as Bond and included a handgun and a briefcase.

This era also saw Hasbro return with a different 12” action figure. This time, they created 1999 toys that resembled various Bonds as part of their long-running Action Man toy line. There was a Bond from Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, The Spy Who Loved Me, Tomorrow Never Dies, and The World IS Not Enough.

The modern era of 007 films and action figures

In 2006, Daniel Craig became the most recent actor to take on the mantle of James Bond. His first movie returned to Flemming’s first novel, Casino Royale. His sequels included Quantum of Solace in 2008, Skyfall in 2012, Spectre in 2015, and No Time to Die in 2021.

Meanwhile, James Bond continued to appear in various action figures and other toy lines. For instance, Hot Wheels featured a James Bond series of cars in 2015. LEGO produced the Aston Martin DB5 in 2022 as part of the Speed Champions subline, and Playmobil also released an Aston Martin toy in 2022.