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Action Force; Blood for the Baron anyone?

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 762
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in Books #1
Loved these to bits when I was a kid, Z-force, Space Force, Q-force, SAS Force (I guess the MOD never bothered to copyright it?). Gave new life to Battle comics and was bloody awesome for a few years. Wasn't so keen on Cobra and when they did away with the old forces and instead had a combined bunch of Yanks (whereas previously the forces were headed by 3 Brits and an American)

My favourite character? Almost ashamed to say, The Black Major who was evil yet a terrific character. Loved the history they gave Baron Ironblood, son of an aristocratic Swiss diplomat (familly motto Singo Ferris or "Our blood is of iron")raised in the UK, thrown out of the army after killing a colleague in an argument and ending up as a mercenary in the Congo, going on to form his own private army which fought in every war from the Bay of Pigs to Vietnam.

Anyone else read the comic? Or collect the toy figures?

Comments

  • StuBStuB Posts: 538
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    #2
    I have only read the odd issue of the comics, but as a kid the toys were one of my favourites for quite a while (along with transformers of course!). Memories of being allowed to choose a figure from Toy and Hobby if I'd been good when out shopping :)

    Now I get the fun of watching my two boys play with the surviving pieces - Z-Force base, Snake Eyes Jeep, various Q and Space force vehicles.

    Its a shame that they don't seem to have anything quite like them these days.
  • tingramretrotingramretro Posts: 10,974
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    #3
    I loved the original incarnation of Action Force (the comics and the toys) but I thought they lost the plot a bit when they effectively stopped being Action Force and let tha American GI Joe take over. The act of utter desperation that really sticks in my memory was when the comics tried to 'explain' that Baron Ironblood had adopted a new identity and become Cobra Commander (though we did at least get a wonderful story about the Black Major seeking revenge for his betrayal because of it later on).
  • makara80makara80 Posts: 3,033
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    #4
    Me!

    I loved this back in the day, in fact it's fair to say that Battle Action Force was my life in the early eighties! That and Terrahawks, Transformers and Star Fleet that is...

    B.A.F was a superb comic and I still have all my old copies, which I recently re-read... Just superb.

    Battle Comic purists tend to regard the 'Action Force' element with disdain which is a shame really as I always thought that the A.F parts fitted in quite well with likes of Charley's War, Johnny Red, and HMS Nightshade, etc.

    Yup, B.A.F conjures up some great memories for me of a time when we looked up to soldiers as true heroes and read of courageous deeds against the dastardly Nazis...or the Red Shadows.

    Btw, the Red Shadows live on! Recently the G.I Joe comic in America has paid homage to the Red Shadows and the Black Major with a special called 'Vacation in the Shadows'.

    Google it!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 762
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    #5
    makara80 wrote: »
    Me!

    I loved this back in the day, in fact it's fair to say that Battle Action Force was my life in the early eighties! That and Terrahawks, Transformers and Star Fleet that is...

    B.A.F was a superb comic and I still have all my old copies, which I recently re-read... Just superb.

    Battle Comic purists tend to regard the 'Action Force' element with disdain which is a shame really as I always thought that the A.F parts fitted in quite well with likes of Charley's War, Johnny Red, and HMS Nightshade, etc.

    Yup, B.A.F conjures up some great memories for me of a time when we looked up to soldiers as true heroes and read of courageous deeds against the dastardly Nazis...or the Red Shadows.

    Btw, the Red Shadows live on! Recently the G.I Joe comic in America has paid homage to the Red Shadows and the Black Major with a special called 'Vacation in the Shadows'.

    Google it!

    To judge by your post and taste in TV we may be long lost identical twins?:confused::)

    Yeah, the rest of Battle was great, the stories you list and especially The Sarge were my favourites. Re-reading them now it strikes you how incredibly violent and bloodthirsty they were. At least Battle;AF made the effort to explain the transition from the Red Shads to Cobra but the later efforts just lacked the class of the originals, I remember Cobra Commander was an ex-used car salesman whilst Baron IronBlood was the disgraced son of a Swiss diplomat, says it all really

    I had the Z-force jeep, SAS Wolverine and Red Shad Hyena, for the rest I had to adapt my Star Wars toys. We still break them out when my nephews come over and they love to play with them. You can still get action figures nowadays but they're all bulked up like they're on steroids and don't have any cool backstory
  • Conall CearnachConall Cearnach Posts: 874
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    #6
    I loved the Black Major and the Red Shadows. Who was the Japanese scientist guy who had a huge laser? He was cool too. The figures were just regular solider types given a snazzy paint job. The Red Shadows were German storm troopers with a new head and red uniform.
  • tingramretrotingramretro Posts: 10,974
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    #7
    Conall Cearnach wrote: »
    I loved the Black Major and the Red Shadows. Who was the Japanese scientist guy who had a huge laser? He was cool too. The figures were just regular solider types given a snazzy paint job. The Red Shadows were German storm troopers with a new head and red uniform.

    The Space Force figures were all original designs, as were Baron Ironblood and his Mutons.
  • makara80makara80 Posts: 3,033
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    #8
    Conall Cearnach wrote: »
    I loved the Black Major and the Red Shadows. Who was the Japanese scientist guy who had a huge laser? He was cool too. The figures were just regular solider types given a snazzy paint job. The Red Shadows were German storm troopers with a new head and red uniform.

    Red Laser (a repaint of Cobra Commander of course) was the chap with the, ahem, huge laser!
  • makara80makara80 Posts: 3,033
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    #9
    saturn5 wrote: »
    To judge by your post and taste in TV we may be long lost identical twins?:confused::)

    Yeah, the rest of Battle was great, the stories you list and especially The Sarge were my favourites. Re-reading them now it strikes you how incredibly violent and bloodthirsty they were. At least Battle;AF made the effort to explain the transition from the Red Shads to Cobra but the later efforts just lacked the class of the originals, I remember Cobra Commander was an ex-used car salesman whilst Baron IronBlood was the disgraced son of a Swiss diplomat, says it all really

    I had the Z-force jeep, SAS Wolverine and Red Shad Hyena, for the rest I had to adapt my Star Wars toys. We still break them out when my nephews come over and they love to play with them. You can still get action figures nowadays but they're all bulked up like they're on steroids and don't have any cool backstory

    Agreed, great times!

    One figure I remember quite vividly was the Kraken. He was a green humanoid lizard who came with a net and trident gun thingy. B.A.F made quite a hullabaloo about this character by dedicating a whole story to him and his connection with the Red Shadows. I also remember that you had to collect tokens from the comic to get 'Kraken' via mail order. Don't think he was ever commercially available...though I could be wrong.

    I still remember the day mine arrived in the post, back in the days when 'allow 28 days for delivery' meant just that :)... at the very least!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1
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    #10
    Hi fellas, I came across this thread by accident - but if anyone is interested I have an Action Force fansite at http://www.bloodforthebaron.com/, including scans of all the Battle Action Force comics!

    Did you know we managed to bring back the Red Shadows?

    http://www.bloodforthebaron.com/toys/convention/002/images/002.jpg
  • ShaunIOWShaunIOW Posts: 11,326
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    #11
    I used to buy Battle then Battle/Action every week, but after it turned into Battle Action Force and stopped the traditional stories I lost interest and cancelled it.
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