Keeping Action Force alive

I have to admit that when I was a kid I liked my Star Wars figures, but I loved my Action Force toys. It's an almost forgotten toy-line now but there is a small committed community of collectors and hobbyists keeping it alive.

In fact, there is enough interest in this quirky British toyline that even some big companies are paying a nostalgic nod to it. I blogged almost two years ago about how Reaction had resurrected Red Laser. Since then, they have also released Red Jackal - who was a repaint of the GI Joe character Destro in the original Action Force line in the 1980s. 

Naturally, I acquired a Red Jackal when he came out.

But then recently, I decided to buy two figures made by a guy called Matt who has a charming little sideline in 3D printed figures. He has reproduced a figure called Skeletron, that was the mailaway bonus figure in the final wave of the original Action Force. Kids could save up proofs of purchase and send off for a freebie figure - in this case a robotised skeleton. 

Matt has also created his own "what could have been" figure of a Kraken Kommander. The Krakens were produced in the last wave of Action Force - the story goes they were thawed after being frozen for millennia and then cloned by the evil Baron Ironblood who used them to fight Q-Force, the naval branch of Action Force.

The figures are great quality. I picked a robotic silver Skeletron from the available options. It comes with a bonus replacement head and a gun that looks a bit like an 80s Star Wars weapon. 

Kraken Kommander comes with a couple of accessories too. I love the sculpt of his face. He oozes the supreme self confidence and superiority that the sculpts of the original Kraken figures had.

The arm details are excellent too. Even down to the printed logo and the scales on his forearms.

Both figures come with "file cards" - these replicate the ones that could be cut out from the back of Action Force figures. There isn't room for a filecard on the packaging here so it was a nice touch to include them.

I'm looking forward to digging out my original figures to compare with the new recruits!