24th February 2026 marks the 23rd anniversary of the Action Force fansite BloodForTheBaron.com, and to celebrate this auspicious occasion, Action Force archivist Jim Marshall and a dedicated team have put together not one but two brand-new 300-page Action Force International Heroes Guidebooks – and just like previous releases, they look absolutely amazing.
Plus, they complete a two decade plus quest to document every aspect of the Action Force story, featuring pictures of rare European Action Force figures produced by Palitoy (the brand now owned by Hasbro) rarely even the most dedicated of fans since first release.
Working in collaboration with René L. Andersen from Action-Force.dk, each volume – a Kickstarter campaign running now – will feature over 2000 previously unseen high-resolution photographs.
Action Force International Heroes Volume 1 will cover the entire Action Force toy range from 1987 – 1990, while Action Force International Heroes Volume 2 will cover the years 1991 – 1994! Each printed book will be £50.00 GBP. (Backers will have the option to pay in three installments).
“Two decades of friendship, fan-service and teamwork have led to this moment,” says Jim, “and 23 years of painstaking research have finally come to fruition with the recent discovery of the last few missing Action Force images!
“On Christmas Day, I was lucky enough to come into contact with a Chinese GI Joe collector, who has a pristine collection of late-era Euro cards and boxes,” he expand. “In next to no time they graciously helped plug nearly every gap in the BFTB archive.
“It turns out that the Chinese-language cards are all based upon the European design, which is something I had never connected. It’s amazing how this hobby continues to surprise me as the years roll by!
“The archives have been stuck at near-completion for over a decade, it’s such a nice feeling to finally be able to put a pin in it!”
Because Jim and team have already done all of the research for these books long ago, the new finds complement their groundwork, so limited edition releases – a plan to produce just 100 copies of each revised guide book – are ready to rock and roll, assuming the Kickstarter is a success.
The two weighty guidebooks will be A4 in size again printed by Carly Press, as with previous BloofForTheBaron Kickstarter projects.
Backers can pledge for either book, or can back the FULLFORCE twin pack for a combined postage discount, a twin pack comes with an exclusive A2 colour poster, courtesy of none other than Action Force comics legend Geoff Senior.
“Not only that,” Jim teases, “ but every FULLFORCE backer will also receive a free repro Action Force iron-on patch.
The icing on the cake for fans is surely stunning matching cover by ActionForceRedux.com star Alejandro Cabral, as well as a thorough foreword by Stewart Allan, who runs the International Heroes: Action Force and G.I. Joe Facebook community and another dedicated archivist of the range.
Digital editions of each book will also be available, in either .pdf or .cbz format.
• Check out the Action Force International Heroes Guidebook Volumes 1 and 2 here
– To browse the full BFTB back-catalogue visit BloodForTheBaron.com/BFTB
The 1980s saw an explosion of new boys toys as diverse as transforming robots to fantasy warriors from all corners of the universe. The UK saw the launch of an updated version of the pocket toy soldier – Action Force. Globally, Action Force is generally perceived as the British cousin of GI Joe, the Real American Hero, which in part is true, but its influences stretch beyond that to include Action Man, Star Wars and multi-national corporate dealings. BloodForTheBaron.com is a dedicated source of information about the range
• Check out “Creating Comics: An Interview with Writer and Action Force fan Jim Marshall”
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: downthetubes News, Merchandise, Other Worlds
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