1975 GI Joe Atomic Man

GI Joe Home Page / 1970-1973 Adventure Team / 1974 Kung-Fu Grip / 1975 Atomic Man / 1975-1976 Life-Like / 1977-1978 Super Joe /

GI Joe – Atomic Man 1975


In 1975, The Six Million Dollar Man was dominating television, as well as the toy aisles. To compete with Kenner’s mega-hit toy line, Hasbro created the Atomic Man (Mike Powers) line. Only one figure, four adventure sets, three uniform sets and one playset were released for the Atomic Man series. There were rumors of other figures and accessories being planned for the line, but never produced.

For more information about Hasbro’s GI Joe Atomic Man Series from 1975, see bottom of the page for a complete summary.

GI Joe Life – Atomic Man (1975): Basic Figures

Only one figure was released with the Atomic Man logo and it was of course, the Atomic Man himself, Mike Powers. Sears released an Atomic Man exclusive, featured in a rare red box packaging version.

Atomic Man: Mike Power

Market Value:
Carded $200 – $275
Loose $60 – $85

Atomic Man: Mike Powers (Sears Exclusive)

Market Value:
Carded $500 – $600
Loose $60 – $85

Atomic Man: Mike Powers
Accessories: Camouflage Shirt, Brown Shorts, Hand-Held Helicopter Blade
Years Released: 1975
Scarcity Factor: The Carded Version is not hard to find, but the Sears Exclusive Boxed Version can be tough to find on the secondary market
Notes: Mike Powers was only released in 1975 with only minor variations to his packaging. The Sears Exclusive also featured Mike wearing a white jumpsuit with the Adventure Team logo later in the year.

GI Joe Life – Atomic Man (1975): Adventure Sets

The Adventure Sets released for the Atomic Man line were all re-packs with pieces from previous sets, with the Commando Para-Drop set being the only one with new pieces. All four of these sets are extremely difficult to locate on the secondary market and will cost a nice tax return check (or a very understanding spouse) to afford them.

Challenge of Savage River

Market Value:
Boxed $750 – $1,000
Loose $75 – $100

Challenge of Savage River
Accessories: Inflatable Raft, Outboard Motor, Life-Vest, Storage Box, Compass, Flashlight, Canteen, Map, Machete with Sheath
Years Released: 1975
Scarcity Factor: These do not often come up for sale and fetch big dollars
Notes: The Challenge of Savage River set was only released in 1975 and saw no major variations during its run. Like the other Atomic Man Adventure Sets, this can be a very difficult set to find.

Commando Para-Drop

Market Value:
Boxed $900 – $1,200
Loose $125 – $175

Commando Para-Drop
Accessories: Two-Piece Survival Crate, Parachute, Chain Saw, Binoculars, Walkie Talkie, Canteen, Mess Kit w/ Utensils, Animal Trap, First Aid Kit, Rope, E-Tool, Pistol, Rifle w/ Barrel & Stock, Flare Gun, Machete
Years Released: 1975
Scarcity Factor: These do not often come up for sale and fetch big dollars
Notes: The Commando Para-Drop set was only released in 1975 and saw no major variations during its run. Like the other Atomic Man Adventure Sets, this can be a very difficult set to find.

Dive to Danger

Market Value:
Boxed $800 – $1,000
Loose $100 – $150

Dive to Danger
Accessories: Three-Piece Scuba Suit, Swim Fins, Face Mask, Spear Gun, Shark, Buoy, Rope, Knife with Scabbard, Sled, Oxygen Tanks
Years Released: 1975
Scarcity Factor: These do not often come up for sale and fetch big dollars
Notes: The Dive to Danger set was only released in 1975 and saw no major variations during its run. Like the other Atomic Man Adventure Sets, this can be a very difficult set to find.

Secret Mission

Market Value:
Boxed $750 – $1,000
Loose $75 – $100

Secret Mission
Accessories: Life Raft wit Oar, Boots, Sweater, Machine Gun, Binoculars, Signal Light, Flare Gun, Camera, Radio with Ear Phones, Wire Roll
Years Released: 1975
Scarcity Factor: These do not often come up for sale and fetch big dollars
Notes: The Secret Mission set was only released in 1975 and saw no major variations during its run. Like the other Atomic Man Adventure Sets, this can be a very difficult set to find.

GI Joe Life – Atomic Man (1975): Uniform Sets

Three brand new uniform sets were released as part of the Atomic Man series, but still used pieces from previously issued packs.

Fangs of the Cobra

Market Value:
Carded $450 – $550
Loose $90 – $120

Fangs of the Cobra
Accessories: Brown Jumpsuit, Belt, Boots, Machete with Sheath, Survival Pouches, Snare, Map, Case, Green Snake
Years Released: 1975
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on secondary market
Notes: The Fangs of the Cobra set was a mix of previously issued set pieces and saw no major variations during its run.

Race for Recovery

Market Value:
Carded $550 – $650
Loose $175 – $225

Race for Recovery
Accessories: Jumpsuit, Cloth, Belt, Recovery Canister, Rock, Walkie Talkie, Compass, Grappling Hook, Rope Ladder, Alpenstock
Years Released: 1975
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on secondary market
Notes: The Race for Recovery set was a mix of previously issued set pieces and saw no major variations during its run.

Special Assignment

Market Value:
Carded $450 – $550
Loose $90 – $120

Special Assignment
Accessories: Blue Jumpsuit, Belt, Boots, Magnetic Flaw Detector, M-16 Rifle, Viewing Glasses
Years Released: 1975
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on secondary market
Notes: The Special Assignment set was a mix of previously issued set pieces and saw no major variations during its run.

GI Joe Life – Atomic Man (1975): Vehicles and Playsets

Only one playset was released for the Atomic Man series, with no Atomic Man logo vehicles seeing production.

Secret Mountain Outpost

Market Value:
Boxed $950 – $1,100
Loose $150 – $225

Secret Mountain Outpost
Accessories: Walls, Base, Door, Hand Wheel, Leg Barricade, Sensor Cables, Treadmill, Radar Screen, Flag Pole, Viewing Glasses, Shirt, Shorts, Sneakers, Instructions
Years Released: 1975
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on the secondary market
Notes: The Secret Mountain Outpost came with many cool accessories but the set itself was fairly simple. The viewing glasses allowed the user to have the “Atomic Sight” feature and look at a red image on the outpost wall.

Hasbro was having good success with their Joe Adventure Team line in the early 70’s but they wanted to add a little variety to their stable of characters. Bulletman and the Intruders were introduced to the line as part of their new Life-Like series of GI Joe figures, but they still needed something to compete with the mega-hit toy line of the Six Million Dollar Man by Kenner, so the Atomic Man was born. His real name is actually Mike Powers, and Hasbro created a short comic (bottom of page) with a fun backstory about how he came to have his abilities and joined the Adventure team. Hasbro wanted to initially use the word “Bionic” instead of Atomic, but Kenner acted quickly to legally block Hasbro from doing that.

Only one figure, four adventure sets, three uniform sets and one playset were issued for the Atomic Man series. Of course, there are rumors of other figures and accessories being planned for the line, and that “Bionic” pieces were even added to some existing figures as part of the line, but there was never any official release from Hasbro regarding it. Many collectors would typically include the Atomic Man figure and accessories with their standard 1975-1976 Life-Like Adventure Team series, but I keep them separate due to the distinctly different logos and packaging.

The Atomic Man packaging was very similar to the regular GI Joe Life-Like packaging, using the same Adventure team logo. The difference of course was the inclusion of the new Mike Power, Atomic Man logo, as well as a black background with speed lines to simulate him running. Atomic Man’s accessories and sets all featured the same Atomic Man logo and packaging, along with the regular Adventure Team logo.

Atomic Man mini-comic included with the figure