Action Force - Z Force by Palitoy

when i first set out to produce a five-part video series covering the palatoya action force range from 1983 and 1984 i was quite reluctant because at the time i had a far from complete collection of the toys and my gut told me that the series would take over 18 months to produce which is a serious commitment for any youtuber to make but thanks to luck passion some incredible generosity and the support of all you fantastic toy fans here we are with the final episode and i promise you this one's going to be epic i am now very fortunate to be able to say that i have practically every single action force toy from that era and since the beginning of this journey i always knew the action 4 said force would be the last team we would cover in the series because quite simply the zed force is the largest of the teams with the most toys to collect some of which are quite rare and it's always good to go out with a bang so in this final episode we'll be covering the action forces conventional land army the zed force [Music] when the star wars toy line first burst onto the scene in 1978 it was an overwhelming success and the three and three quarter inch scale adopted for the action figures quickly became the new industry standard british toy company palatoy paid close attention to the changing play patterns of young children so when sales of their flagship toy line action man began falling in 1980 the company decided to shrink action man down from the larger 12 inch size to match the scale of star wars toys this new range of products now branded action force was first released in 1982 and the initial launch featured the 12 best-selling action man designs now produced as three and three-quarter inch scaled action figures with five points of articulation to provide a wider range of products palatoi also produced a variety of toy vehicles and a large cardboard playset the new action force range was an instant retail hit so as paletoy entered 1983 the company saw an opportunity to diversify the range and a new storyline which featured in the battle action force comics united the range into an ongoing conflict with an enemy team commanded by the evil baron iron blood the action force was split into four new operational units space force for operations above the earth's atmosphere zed force the conventional land army q-force for nautical missions and the covert strike force the sas in this all-new five-part series we're going to take a detailed look at each of these action force teams discuss the designs of all the different toys in the range and provide some insight into how the original designers developed these products while working for the legendary british toy company palatoy [Music] hello action force fans my name is tony and welcome to part five of this special series and in this final episode we are very honored to be collaborating once again with michael french host of the excellent youtube channel retro blasting according to palatoya's 1983 trade catalog the zed force are also known as the heavy brigade the heavy punch of the action force and the toy line features a complete range of highly detailed military figures with a wide selection of superb vehicles and accessories to enhance the play value of the product as depicted in the battle action force comics the zed force infantry represent the best of the best and these battle hardened soldiers fight alongside the other action force units most often against baron iron blood and his army of red shadows baron arnblad's introduction of the laser exterminator has forced the country to expand its military capacity underwater with q-force seen here operating from their floating missile base in space from this cosmic cruiser and revealed tonight for the first time the newly developed zed force battle tank supporting it on land the sas missile system attack jeep and the zed force cannon more news as it's made from new action force the zed force is the largest of all the action force teams and for the all-new 1983 product range palatoy offered up the zed force battle tank the zed force jeep the attack cannon and the rapid fire motorcycle along with the zedford's captain the infantryman the radio operator the z4 sapper and as a mail away exclusive the zed force commander the zed force captain's real name is grant campbell code name skip and according to his data file captain campbell is a winner all the way and does not accept second best from any of his men the zed force captain action figure is a repaint of the first series action force british paratrooper who this time around is wearing the trademark zedford's green and black camouflage uniform with a red beret and the zed force logo is proudly displayed on each shoulder of his combat shirt moulded around the figure's waist is a 58 pattern webbing system so captain campbell can carry ammunition and spare kit and the figure is equipped with a rope and grappling hook and armed with an slr rifle the zed force captain figure also features a very handsomely sculpted face that looks remarkably similar to the face of palatoya's 12-inch action man figure upon which it was based the next figure in the lineup is the zed force infantryman these dependable soldiers are the backbone of the action force and they won't let you down in a firefight as with the majority of zedforce figures the infantryman wear a uniform that is adorned with the trademark zed-force green and black camouflage pattern with the main difference here being that the infantryman wear a hooded combat smock instead of a shirt the zed force infantry are all armed with mp5 submachine guns and equipped with backpacks for carrying extra kit whilst on foot patrol these backpacks also feature some additional straps at the top which can be used for stowing the mp5 when it's not in use the final two single-carded figures released in 1983 are the z4 sapper and the radio operator the sapper is a repaint of the 1982 commando action figure and is armed with an m60 machine gun and ammo case this figure features camouflage trousers and a green shirt with two ammo belts worn across the chest along with three bright red hand grenades but i'm not sure why because throughout my entire military career i have never come across red painted grenades of any kind the zed force radio operator is codenamed breaker which i'm sure is a nod to the gi joe communications officer of the same name and this figure is very similar in style to the zed force captain with the main differences being that breaker wears plain green combat pants and a forage cap instead of a beret this cap is also removable with his other accessories being a sten gun and a communications backpack complete with headset supporting this formidable unit of ground specialist troops is an array of highly advanced vehicles and artillery the jeep is the only z-force vehicle that palatoid designed from the ground up with all the other vehicles in the range being uk repaints of existing hasbro gi joe vehicles and the jeep is a recolor of the first series af3 vehicle the zed force jeep is a simple but quite sturdy toy that can carry up to four seated action figures with another two figures being able to hitch a ride on the side rails the jeep is equipped with a flip down windscreen and a removable antenna and is armed with a red laser cannon but the jeep's coolest accessory is the driver action figure codenamed wheels at first glance this figure may just look like another zedforce infantryman but the two figures are distinguishable by the different coloured ammo pouches worn on their belts another very cool feature with the zed force jeep is that it can turn the boat patrol into a roof when conducting operations with the sas while the zed force jeep is fast and maneuverable when the team requires a combination of heavy artillery and high speed capability they call in quarrel and the rapid-fire motorcycle and here to discuss this toy in greater detail is michael french from retro blasting ah the ram cycle one of the original 1982 gi joe vehicles in that signature army green complete with a gatling cannon on the side i was still way into star wars at the time of this vehicle's release but it felt like every other kid in the neighborhood had it the cycle was notable for not having handlebars due to the fact that the joe figures did not yet have a swivel arm so anyone riding just shoved their forearms under the instrument panel even though the ram cycle did not come with an action figure and the box art depicted breaker writing it i've always associated this vehicle with rock and roll which may have been due to his frequent use of the motorcycle in the original marvel comics and it should be mentioned that stalker famously drove the ram cycle right through the middle of a u.s military base in the original animated miniseries with its vulcan gatling cannon now conveniently a laser cannon instead the ram or rapid fire motorcycle shouldn't that be rfm motorcycle whatever it was a great joe vehicle option for kids on a budget with its only weak points being the often lost gray saddle bags and the attachment point for the cannon sidecar which could snap off over time with excessive use it wasn't until a few years ago that i learned of the rams re-deco for the action force line and in fact the action force rapid fire motorcycle with quarrel was my gateway drug into collecting pallet toy action force toys the colors on the action force version pop with the brighter green contrasting against the now black vulcan cannon and true black saddle bags in the research i was surprised to learn that quarrel is actually swiss i'd assumed she was british her real name heda porva learning that the scarlet figure was not simply repainted but truly re-characterized into a new person entirely within the mythology made this figure a must-have for my vintage joe collection it should also be noted that quarrel is the only female figure to be released into the line in either 1983 or 1984 and this toy ranked highly among my personal favorite action force toys when i was a child now we get to the most fearsome weapon in the zed force arsenal the battle tank this motorized tank is a uk recolour of the gi joe moba and comes complete with a repaint of the hasbro design driver action figure who maintains his gi joe code name of steeler which is a quite unusual occurrence in the action force toy line with most hasbro figures being renamed for the uk market steeler is armed with a grey not black oozy submachine gun and wears a red helmet with a grey flip down visor beyond the action figure the zedford's battle tank was produced with very few accessories and to complete the toy you simply need to ensure that you have the cover for the battery compartment and the machine gun barrel that attaches to the command turret the battle tank's main gun is retractable a feature that i believe was included to allow the tank to fit inside the retail packaging the gun is fixed to the main battle turret and the barrel can elevate while the battle turret can traverse in either direction two d-sized batteries power the battle tank's motor which is activated by pushing the command turret either forward or reverse [Applause] the battle tank can also turn either left or right by turning the command turret in the direction you want it to go i never had the zed force battle tank when i was a child but i can imagine this would be quite a frustrating toy once you run out of batteries because there's no way to drive it around manually it just kind of sits there when the zed force needs artillery support they call in the attack cannon which is a uk variant of the gi joe flat cannon the zed force attack cannon is mounted on a tripod base and is operated by a single zedforce trooper who is positioned in the rear-mounted seat and the barrel of the cannon can be rotated and elevated simultaneously rounding out the 1983 zed force line is the commander action figure this figure was the action force mail away exclusive for 1983 and children could add the commander to their forces by collecting five medals that were printed on the reverse side of the action figure card backs the zed force commander is a simple repaint of the first series action force commander figure which in turn was a scaled down version of the very popular action man talking commander figure the zed force would prove to be one of the most popular action force teams released in 1983 so when palutos started developing new toys for 1984 the zed force received some very special treatment gentlemen the world is in terrible peril from this man baron ironblood an evil genius who is determined to rule the world these are the creatures he has created to help him now you must create your own action force dedicated to the barons downfall captain campbell you will take command of zed force land-based attack troops captain buckingham the sas cracked commando squad captain mclaren q-force sub-aquatics and captain connor's space force expect the unexpected where will the baron strike next action force toys the battle has just begun for the 1984 zed force range palatoy offered many new products including the zed force armored troop carrier the whirlwind the lance the dart and the shaft along with the zed force medic and the minesweeper action figures and finally the absolutely stunning z-force command center playset the medic and minesweeper figures were both sold on single-figure cardbacks however they are much more difficult to find today when compared to the z-force figures that were released the previous year the minesweeper is codenamed scout and this figure is equipped with a mine detector and three anti-tank landmines the minesweeper also comes with a backpack which is unique to this figure and features a recess where the mines can be stowed and held in place with a single strap the z-force medic is code named doc and is easily identified as a battlefield medic by his white helmet in tunic which both bear the red cross symbol dock is equipped with a rescue flare launcher and a medical case that opens up to reveal all his combat first aid equipment which was represented on a pair of stickers both of these figures are nice additions to the zed force ranks and they fulfill roles that are vital to the capability of any frontline combat unit another hasbro designed toy to be adapted for the zed force range is the armored troop carrier also known as the atc although pallatoy adapted this toy vehicle from the gi joe apc it is far more than a simple recolor of a hasbro design and proves that palatoid were the masters of kit bash customizing long before it became a sub-genre of our toy collecting hobby shortly after acquiring quarrel and the rapid-fire motorcycle i happened upon a photo of the action force armored troop carrier given that the gi joe apc was very likely my second gi joe vehicle ever in childhood and one of the most useful toys i ever owned for transporting my various figures outside the house i was intrigued by the action force version at first glance as with the rapid fire motorcycle the troop carrier was redone in the brighter green with black accents and i could instantly see that it came equipped with larger more aggressive rubber-like tires but what struck me even more was the enhanced turret the american apc's turret was an inert cap over the back lid of the vehicle i used to pop it off and stuff additional figures down into the vehicle and then put the cap back on so to speak palatoy clearly saw the necessity for some improvements regardless of it being the most easily lost piece of the atc the radio antenna is a very nice added detail and thankfully quality reproductions are not hard to find the opening hatch that allows a figure to conduct some combat direction or impromptu reconnaissance from the relative safety of the carrier is a very nice improvement to the design as to the rocket rack it's a cool addition that shows pallitoy really wanted to give the atc some formidable defensive weapons however the mounting point is easily broken and god help anyone who's standing up in the turret if a rocket is accidentally launched another nice enhancement is on the rear bumper designed to be a carry handle on the original palletoy wisely added a tow hook to the back so the atc could pull artillery pieces like many of the other vehicles in the range if you're american and a gi joe apc owner i can practically hear you now this vehicle is gaudy you'd like to think that wouldn't you and you're probably still on the fence about which version is better but let me tell you the interior of the atc doesn't just push the envelope it stamps it and it mails it palatoy must have looked at the holy barren interior of the apc and said there's too much lost potential here the intent of the gi joe apc was simply to be a figure carrier 28 in total 18 sitting and 10 standing but what kid had 28 joes in 1983 there were only 33 figures at that point anyway and only 25 of them were good guys and with action force using a mix of five poa figures and a few repurposed o-ring joes in the line an interior of 16 rear seats would be useless to most action force kids instead palatoy made the rear of the vehicle a true mobile command center and completely redesigned it with surveillance and weapons computer stations areas for tools and first aid kits a weapons storage locker a medical station with a stretcher that pegs in securely to the examination table foot pegs for 16 figures and six seats four being specifically for the o-ring figures while the two front seats have enough legroom to accommodate either style of figure easily the atc pulls every bit of lost potential out of the apc's design and makes it a truly exciting vehicle in the history of action force and gi joe frankly i feel robbed that we didn't get this version in the united states because it would have been my favorite gi joe vehicle of all time it immediately became a holy grail for me to find and thanks to the immense generosity of carl downing and george aitken i can say i now have one in my collection alongside larger vehicles such as the atc the zed force was also afforded a number of smaller accessory sets in 1984. the zed force battle gear set was sold on a card back similar to the way the action figures were sold and the set includes many common zed force weapons and accessories although this time around they have been moulded in green plastic where the battle gear set was sold on a blister card the zed force were also issued with three remote controlled weapons which were sold in small boxes and these are all adapted from the hasbro design gi joe pack rats these three weapon systems include a flamethrower codename shaft a machine gun code named lance and a missile launcher codenamed dart all three of these accessories are quite fragile and feature several unique parts making them difficult to find complete today especially the small handheld devices that a child could use to pretend that the z-force control these weapons by remote a slightly larger accessory issue to the zed force in 1984 is the whirlwind this heavy weapon features twin-mounted gatling guns and the whirlwind is operated by a single zed force trooper the whirlwind is trailer mounted and can be towed into battle behind the atc and once it reaches its destination the wheels fold down to establish a more secure firing position the gun base swivels and the barrels elevate in unison and the whirlwind also features two panels which can be removed to reveal the weapon's ammo loading ports when combined with the attack cannon the shaft the lance and the dart the zed force are able to establish a formidable fire support base and one that baron iron blood and the red shadows would definitely think twice about attacking head-on before we talk about the zed-force command center playset we need to discuss the toy that got away towards the end of 1982 palatoy's chief designer bob rikin came up with the idea for the action force mobile command center with this sketch being drawn by a young graduate designer named max these never before seen images show the prototype concept for the mobile command center which was based on the gi joe adventure team big trapper vehicle bob envisioned a large vehicle where children could use lots of action figures and also used the toy as a storage container the concept was not used in 1982 and when the design team was developing ideas for the new action force teams for 1983 bob tried to use the concept again this time as the zed force mobile command center however palutoy's marketing department made a deal with hasbro to borrow their tooling for the gi joe apc mobat and many other vehicles and the mobile command center never came to be now we get to the final toy that palatoy ever released for the zed force and this playset sat atop my holy grail wants list for a very long time before i finally acquired one earlier this year the zforce command center is a repaint of the gi joe headquarters command center playset that was first sold in the united states in 1983. for the british release of this toy palatoy painted the structure in the trademark zedford's green and black camouflage pattern and it should be noted that there are two variations of this playset one with a crisp camouflage pattern and one with a fuzzy camouflage design before we discuss the finer details of this playset let me first point out the other differences between the zedforce command center and its gi joe counterpart firstly most of the smaller accessory attachments for the zed-force version of this playset have been manufactured in red plastic instead of the grey plastic used for the gi joe headquarters accessories and this was a conscious decision made by palatoy to give the command center the same design aesthetic as the rest of the zed force toy line secondly and more significantly the zed force command center was sold with two action figures included one of which is a repaint of the gi joe gun hoe figure renamed gaucho and the other is a repaint of the popular stalker action figure which was renamed as jammer these two figures are extremely difficult to find today and rank among the rarest action force figures ever released jammer is armed with a submachine gun and wears a camouflaged outfit with the zed force logo worn on the center of his chest and this figure represents the zed force communications engineer who can often be found stationed at the command center's control console gaucho on the other hand comes without any accessories and this particular figure was very kindly donated to the channel by alex leslie however when alex sent us gaucho he wasn't in the graces of condition so i have to sincerely thank my good friend joseph for his masterful restoration of this vintage action figure in the action 4 storyline gaucho is a former circus strongman and is the strongest soldier in the zed force he is also a brilliant mechanic and can often be found repairing vehicles in the motor pool area the zed force command center is stacked to the brim with exciting play features so let's take a closer look at this incredible playset the aforementioned motor pool area features a mechanics lift so that gaucho can work on the underbelly of the zenforce jeep this is also the most cleverly designed area of the playset because hasbro wisely incorporated enough features to enable a variety of different vehicles to integrate with the playset most people know that the vamp jeep can be parked here and that the laser cannons can be pointed through the armaments but what a lot of people don't know is that there are recesses on the mechanics ramp to accommodate the polar battle bear a toy that never made it into the action force lineup as well as posts that are designed to accommodate the gi joe heavy artillery laser but unless the z4s capture an enemy team laser exterminator these features are useless the whirlwind also fits seamlessly in this firing position as does the attack cannon the compatibility between this area of the playset and the other vehicles available in the line is very well thought out but considering that not all the gi joe vehicles were brought into the action force line and that some of them were issued to different teams you could say that palutoy missed a bit of a trick here and speaking of integration this is also applicable to the heavy equipment supply depot where the z-force battle tank can roll up the ramp and park in a position where the main gun can protrude for the armored wall both the motor pool area and the heavy equipment supply depot feature weapons racks where the zed force troops can store their small arms the front of the set features the double devastated cannon which is operated by a single zed force trooper and scattered along the command center's armoured walls are a variety of weapons cameras and searchlights the zed force command center also features a helicopter landing pad but since the z4s have no aircraft to speak of the airframe most often seen landing here is the sas hawk a weapon storage unit is located at the rear of the command center and is used for stowing spare zedforce equipment while the control console features flip-up computer screens and a pair of matching chairs finally in the heart of the command center is the prison where the action force can hold captured enemy team personnel the zed force command center is the largest toy ever produced for the palatoid action force toy line and it is a sight to behold when you have it in hand when i finally received this playset earlier in the year i was surprised by the sheer size and weight of this toy as well as its immense playability but what struck me the most was its overall appearance this toy is simply gorgeous despite the massive popularity of the action force toy line and its phenomenal retail success the general mills toy group who owned the palatoid company at the time were pursuing a global branding model and they made the very sad decision to close the palatoid design department in late 1984. so in 1985 and with no new palatoid design product action force basically became a rebranded gi joe toyline and even though a few select z4's toys were featured in 1985 the days of the zed force fighting against the baron and his army of red shadows were lost to history while palestine may not have created characters that are as memorable or iconic as the ones that sprang from the pages of the original gi joe comic they sure did know how to market the brand effectively and the z-force with their green and black camouflage and red accents are instantly recognizable and their striking camouflage uniformity makes the complete set an absolute joy to behold some collectors also state that action force are inferior to gi joe due to their limited articulation but they rarely say the same thing when comparing gi joe to star wars and in my personal opinion i feel that the action force toy line stands apart from comparison with these other brands since the range was gifted the benefit of both worlds some of the figures feature the added articulation that was afforded to the gi joe brand while the five-point articulation construction of the other figures enables superior sculpting that isn't interrupted by ball joints or rivets from 1982 to 1984 palatoid's action force toy line represented a zeitgeist moment in the memories of countless british children and before i wax poetic about this marvelous toy line well any more than i have already let me quickly touch on a couple of toys that were missing from earlier episodes of the series firstly we have red jackal the infamous repaint of the destro action figure which i did not own when i filmed part 1 of this series but i am now very pleased to have him command the hyena vehicle that i restored which is just one of the toys that have been very kindly donated to the channel by george aiken a man whose generosity knows no bounds and a man who is also responsible for inspiring me to produce his action force video series after he sent the channel an incredible gift box back in november of 2019. i'm going to take a moment here all right can you see that that is a bag of action force um z4 soldiers let's let's get these guys out secondly we need to talk about the red shadows escape armor a toy that i said i wasn't interested in when i made the enemy team video but now that i own a minty example i am sincerely grateful to gary atkinson for selling me this toy at such a decent price wow this has been a long video but i must say that the conclusion of this video series is a very bittersweet moment for me i have thoroughly enjoyed collecting this quintessentially british toy line but more importantly than that i have taken great pleasure in producing this video series for all of you to enjoy and if i have turned just one of you into an action force toy collector then my work here is done palatory's action force toy line represents the best of british and all encompassing range that fulfilled every possible childhood dream and thrilled us with exciting playtime adventures and it is testament to the magnificent skills of toy designers such as bob riekin brian turner and many others but we are still talking about these toys to this very day i would like to sincerely thank my co-presenter michael french and the retro blasting team for their contribution to this video and we really hope you enjoyed it because we had a lot of fun making this one and if you missed our other action force video entries i encourage you to check out the playlist by clicking right here or to check out our video where we talk about the development of the magnificent robo skull toy you can click right here i'm tony from analog toys thank you all for watching and i'll see you in the next video

Channel: Analog Toys

Views: 63,403

Keywords: star wars, action man, toy collecting, vintage toys, gi joe, mego, hasbro, kenner, palitoy

Id: jcgHUho0I98

Length: 30min 11sec (1811 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 30 2020