Dramatic Action Man images published by widow

A widow has marked what would have been her late husband's 50th birthday by publishing a book of his imaginative Action Man photos.

Steve Gilmour, from Norwich, was a graphic designer and had taken over 100 photos of the classic plastic toy figures over two years in various imaginative poses.

He died aged 45 in May 2022, less than a year since being diagnosed with a rare brain tumour, a grade four gliosarcoma.

His wife, Hannah Colby, said: "Steve was the most creative and imaginative person that I've ever met. He had a fantastic brain, wonderful mind."

Action Man was first produced by Leicestershire-based Palitoy in 1966 and was based on the US toy doll GI Joe. It has had a range of clothes - mostly military, but also costumes including astronaut, deep sea diver and cricketer.

Gilmour was diagnosed in August 2021 and went through radiotherapy, chemotherapy and an operation.

In January 2022, he was told that he had been given the all-clear and that his cancer was in retreat - but it returned two months later and he died that May.

The book in his memory, titled Lights, Camera, Action Man, was launched on Sunday at an official Action Man convention in North Weald Village Hall in Essex, to celebrate 60 years of the toy - which has undergone a range of physical changes over the years, as well as an ever-expanding range of dolls' costumes.

The couple met in 2020 when Colby booked a band which Gilmour was the drummer in. She recalled there being "an instant attraction".

She said that it was a mixture of the pandemic and Steve being made redundant that gave him the time to develop his creative skills and take the photographs - which he shared on social media under the name @toywithit.

According to Cancer Research UK, a glioblastoma (which a grade four gliosarcoma is a variant of) is a fast-growing type of brain tumour and is the most common type of cancerous primary brain tumour in adults.

Following Steve's death, his wife established a fundraising group in his memory to support Brain Tumour Research. The group is named Band Together, with links to the bands he was a face of in Norfolk's music scene.

Rob Wisdom, an Action Man collector and enthusiast, worked with Hannah to preserve Gilmour's work in the book and said: "Steve was a one-off, he really was.

"I think there's a child in all of us and Steve embodied that."

Gilmour's friend Adam Jarrett was also at the convention to celebrate the book launch.

He added: "That particular disease [brain tumours] does take a lot of people who are very much young and there is no fairness to it, but it's nice to know that in his memory we're able to keep his work alive, his hobbies alive."

According to the Brain Tumour Research charity, brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer.

Money raised from the book will go to that charity.

Colby said: "Anything I can do to further research [to give] other people a chance of life, I will do it without question."

The book features 130 images of Action Man figures in dramatic and imaginative scenarios.

Colby added: "Losing Steve felt like the tragic end to a chapter, but through Lights, Camera, Action Man, his story continues."

A Brain Tumour Research spokesperson said: "We are incredibly grateful to Hannah for turning Steve's passion into something that will help drive change for future patients.

"Through this beautiful collection of photographs, Steve's creativity and spirit will continue to inspire others while raising vital funds for research."

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