It’s been a while since I covered a Red Lasers Army custom, so here’s one of my favorites from last year’s run, in terms of both design and its place in the Joe mythos. Vipers are always a good bet for an interesting repaint, and I’ve been a fan of this trooper’s variants since the late 90s Toys R Us
Read more
I have no idea what this book is about, but if I’m judging a book by its cover, I think I need to find out. How can it not be amazing if Cobra encounters a Yeti? Maybe one of our UK readers can shed light on it. I know the Ladybird licensed offerings like Masters of the Universe were storybook
Read more
Finally–the entry you’ve been waiting for after all these years. 1984 Storm Shadow? No–it’s the Roboskull! This is the most awesomely crazy enemy vehicle ever. Only the Cobra Rat is second to it, at least in my warped opinion of such things. How can you go wrong with a TIE Fighter inspired design with a skull stuck in the middle
Read more
I am intrigued by the Action Force packaging for a couple of reasons. The bold and angular style of the box layout is an interesting counterpoint to the American GI Joe series of the 1980s. For UK exclusive items like the Roboskull, we unfortunately have nothing with which to compare it. The packages also remind me of Kenner’s Star Wars
Read more
While the internet is a wonderful tool and an amazing resource, there’s something about holding a book in one’s hands that can’t be fully replicate online. As a toy collector, I like to flip through pages and gaze at printed photos as much as I like to swipe and scroll on a screen. As such, I like to have toy
Read more
Here’s another example of Action Force in an Argos catalog, although this time sharing a page with the A-Team and Masters of the Universe. He-Man and company appear to be a couple years behind their US release schedule. So my question to UK readers this time: were Hannibal, B.A., Murdock and Face as popular overseas as they were here in
Read more
I am a sucker for bio pages in comics, and Battle Action Force is a great source for learning more about the UK team via pin-up type pages. I didn’t even realize that there were code names for the AF action figures. You can learn something new every day from all-encompassing sites like Blood for the Baron. Speaking as a
Read more
Battle Action Force featured datafile entries in addition to the main series story. These pin-up style pages gave extra details about the various characters, forces and vehicles in the Action Force comic strip. The SAS Attack Trooper is one of my favorite Action Force figures. These guys are a different among rank and file Joe and AF in that their
Read more
I’m a catalog nut, and particularly enjoy diorama setups from the golden age ads of the 1980s. I pored over the Sears, Wards and JC Penney catalogs enough to call them up from memory. As such, I’ve been on the lookout for ads that I haven’t seen before. UK department store Argos is of course unknown to me, but I
Read more
I’ve long sung the praises of Blood for the Baron, the premiere online resource for all things Action Force. For a collector with a historical bent, it’s a gargantuan resource of information regarding the small-scale GI Joe’s UK cousins. Now there’s an equally exhaustive reference book for the toys and ephemera. The Palitoy Collectors’ Guide was a Kickstarter project that
Read more