Stretch X-Ray – Stretch Armstrong’s Nemesis

Every hero needs an enemy and the Stretch Armstrong action figure had “Stretch X-Ray” for his arch-enemy. The evil X-Ray was designed as a “see through” (as in transparent) nemesis to the good guy Armstrong. He could be stretched to lengths of four feet and still snap back to his original size.

Stretch X-Ray was to Stretch Armstrong what Lex Luthor was to Superman. He was ugly, and his guts were visible inside his translucent body. He was made in an orange or yellowish color. The top of his head was very brainy, in fact, it looked like the brains were external. He had sharp jagged teeth and beady red eyes. He came along about a year after Stretch Armstrong, in 1979. Kenner toys gave him the title of, “The See Through Invader”. He was advertised as a “worthy enemy” of Armstrong and he could get tangled up in mortal combat with him.

Stretch X-Ray was positioned to be the alien enemy of Armstrong. He was depicted as getting the hero into all kinds of dangerous holds and pins. The “deep squeeze”, “visible vise” and “bone crusher” positions were the fights that cranked up the playing desires of the sales prospects, usually boys. He was never given clothes. Since he is now rarer than Armstrong, he will fetch a fairly good price for those who are collectors of action figures. Stretch X-Ray originally sold for $10.97. They are now selling for around $300 to $500.

The Stretch X-Ray action figures were able to be stretched up to four times their normal size without doing any harm to the toy. According to some, the liquid inside the X Ray stretch version was thicker than the other stretch figures. This made him more durable. Silicone was added to the skin of the Stretch X-Ray to make him even tougher. The way to tell if one of these has been used heavily is to look at the color of the skin. If there are splotches on it, it means he has been stretched plenty of times. The opposite is true also; no splotches means he was not generally played with. The clearness of the skin will determine what a Stretch X-Ray is worth. The top price can reach up to $800 dollars. Recently an X-Ray sold for just under $400 dollars on ebay.

Some say that the Kenner Stretch X-Ray is one of the easier action figures to find for those who collect them. But the prices that the “X Ray” commands would point to him being rarer than Armstrong. He also has managed to last longer and in usually better shape than Armstrong, thanks to his superior craftsmanship. He was a tool that was sorely needed to boost the dragging sales of his arch-enemy, Stretch Armstrong. Kenner put the “X Ray” alien toy out to pasture soon after his release, but he is not the rarest of their action figures. That honor goes to some other Kenner toys.

Here you can see X-Ray’s “see through” torso.  Not exactly sure what that is supposed to be inside of him but it looks like some sort of mix of spine and intestine.  Probably pretty appealing if you’re a kid.

The box and poster for X-Ray were very appealing to kids as well. They showed a number of different poses as well as a few wrestling style moves that X-Ray could utilize on Stretch Armstrong should he get his alien hands on him.

As I mentioned above a Stretch X-Ray in good condition in the box with coffin will sell for $300.00 to $600.00. Loose he’ll sell for over $100.00.  In fact, I saw one auction where his head alone sold for $78.00.  I guess if you have an X-Ray with no head then you’ll pay any price to get one.