Jitsu, the “Evil Master of Martial Arts”, was produced in Hong Kong, Mexico (Aurimat), Argentina (Top Toys), France, Spain and India. This figure comes with removable armor and a katana. Jitsu has a twisting punch action as well as a spring-loaded chopping right arm.
The France Jitsu figure is known for its reddish-brown skin tones, oversized biceps, orange-tinted accessories, and a gold chopping hand molded in red plastic.
There are two main variants of the France Jitsu: the soft boot and the hard boot versions.
The soft boot variant features rubber boots and gold-colored leg bands that are integrated into the legs. The figure is marked © Mattel Inc. 1983, with the “FRANCE” part scratched off. The armor is marked © Mattel Inc. 1983 across three lines, and the weapon has no country of origin (COO) marking, only the part number 4924-2039 and a batch number, typically 1, 2, or 3. The katana is matte, in contrast to the shinier, unmarked Hong Kong version, and its batch numbers are evenly aligned rather than staggered or uneven.
The hard boot variant comes with the standard hard plastic boots and regular (non-integrated) leg bands. This figure is marked © Mattel Inc. 1983 FRANCE, and the armor is marked © Mattel Inc. 1983 on a single line. The sword is matte and marked 4924-2039 FRANCE, with a batch number such as 1, 2, or 3.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:
1. Rubber Head
2. Reedish brown skin tones
3. Large biceps
4. Orange-tinted accessories
5. Red-mold chopping hand
SOFT BOOT:
MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1983. (Erased FRANCE COO)
ARMOR MARKED: © MATTEL INC 1983 on 3 lines
SWORD MARKED: 4924-2039, and a batch no. such as a 1, 2 or 3
STANDARD BOOT:
MARKED: © Mattel. Inc. 1983. FRANCE
ARMOR MARKED: © Mattel Inc 1983 on one line
SWORD MARKED: 4924-2039 FRANCE, and a batch no. such as a 1, 2 or 3
