Type of organization Special space-based military unit | ||
Space Force is a fictional space military unit originated and designed by Palitoy as part of the Action Force range of 3 3/4 inch action figures and vehicles; similat to the G.I. Joe action figures and featured in the comic book Battle Action Force.
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Graphic Representation
A space-based unit, the characters and toys were released around the time of the second wave of enthusiasm for space travel and exploration at the start of the shuttle orbiter program (in 1981) during the space-friendly Reagan administration and the Star Wars era. The range was small and limited in scope.
Described in promotional material as:
"Action Force's eyes and ears above the Earth's atmosphere, they are able to issue early warnings of Ironblood's hostile plans."
the unit was introduced as part of the second generation of Action Force (see Action Force – second generation (1983)). In contrast to the First Generation releases and conventional land-based units Z Force and SAS Force, the figures and vehicles had no real-world equivalents or military reference points. Without a practical need for camouflage, the uniforms and equipment of Space Force were coloured in grey, blue and orange with the principal characters dressed in a style typical of late 1970s and early 1980s science fiction television and movies.
Space Force was the only Action Force range (including the enemy Red Shadows) without a member characterised as being from the United Kingdom or Ireland.
The Battle Action Force back-stories that accompanied the release of the figures were, given the outer-space angle, less extensive than were the case for the SAS Force and Z Force ranges for example. The comicbook storylines created a space station environment to enable stories to be written that included the vehicles, characters and equipment represented by the action figures, toys and datafiles. The space station however was never released as part of the Action Force toy range.
With limited theatres in which to operate and without toy representations of any space-based Red Shadows characters or vehicles other than the Roboskull, the comic stories (see Battle Action Force tie in) were limited, often to cameo roles in stories involving other Action Force units such as Operation Spearhead (a holiday special) and in Crossfire! Like Q Force, Space Force were never written into any storylines involving Cobra or the third generation Action Force characters however, the Moondancer character (pilot of the Triad Fighter) was one of the few Second Generation characters (including Q Force's Dolphin) whose profile was taken over to the AF (Third Generation) release in an unreconstructed form.
The action figures were, in keeping with much of the second generation of Action Force, repaints and repackages of existing G.I. Joe figures and vehicles as well as some First Generation toys.