Book of the Month: More News As It's Made

Last month I blogged about the small community of Action Force fans keeping the toy line alive with new figures and custom toys. David Gillis is one of the leading Action Force customisers and his creative customs show just what Action Force could have been if commercial pressures hadn't crushed the original toy line into the GI Joe mould. 

David also has a good eye for photos, and this coffee table book of his Action Force photography was on my radar for a while. A 'black Friday' deal finally convinced me to order myself a copy. And I'm very glad I did.

Briefly, the book is gorgeous. Beautifully laid out to show off the photos, with a mix of scenario-building and real-life details for a lot of the photos. David's love for Action Force really shines through each picture and snippet of backstory.

Presented as photos from the files of the Action Force Photogtaphic Unit (AFPU), the book is split into sections for the four elements of Action Force and then a section on the Enemy led by the evil Baron Ironblood. 

Q-force is the naval and aquatic arm of Action Force. 

At one point in tbe book, David describes Q-Force as "underrated", which I would agree with. The figures still pop up regularly 'on card' and seem easier to find than other parts of Action Force, although Space Force runs them close. 

I've included pictures of two custom vehicles because they are both developed from Star Wars "mini-rigs". Around about the time The Empire Strikes Back was released, Kenner produced some small one figure toys that didn't feature in the films. They were in the pocket-money range for kids, unlike other Star Wars vehicles.

I love how David has taken these vehicles and repurposed them for Space Force.

The more popular parts of Action Force were the SAS Force and the infantry Z-Force. I have a feeling neither would be used on toys now - SAS has probably been copyrighted by the Army, and "Z" has become a Russian propaganda symbol used to express support for the invasion of Ukraine. 

But back in the 80s, Z-force were the good guys.

Stories featuring good guys also have to have bad guys and the ultimate bad guy challenging Action Force was Baron Ironblood who commanded an army of brainwashed soldiers known as the Red Shadows. 

David has created some new characters who have also sworn allegiance to the Baron, but most of the Enemy photos feature the original Red Shadows and Muton robots in various scenes. 

Overall, I think this book would be interesting enough for people who don't have a nostalgic connection to Action Force. The photo work is excellent and the write ups add some great little details to the pictures. 

More News As It's Made is available from Total Toy Books.