Hello Guys,
I joined this forum just to add few pictures to this thread because I really like this relatively obscure Action figure line.
For what I think, there were three lines M-Force figures: Two by Marchon in the USA and Two (maybe three) by Ceppiratti in Italy.
- The first line (1985) made by Marchon (and maybe by Ceppiratti too but I’m not sure) was sold on card with M-Force logo on black background. This line included 6 figures.
- The second line (1986) made by Marchon and Ceppiratti was sold on card with M-Force logo on blue background. This line included 12 figures.
- The third line (1986-87?) made by Ceppiratti was sold on black card with updated M-Force logo and pictures of figures. This line included the same 12 figures with a Karate-chop action feature. The logo was updated to display this new feature.
First line (1985). (See picture on the previous message)
Include six figures but the back of the card display seven of them. The main one seems to have been a prototype and is also displayed as the pilot of the hard to find vehicle (that I only have seen once on eBay).
The six regular figures are: Slam, Snake, Rizzo, Zack, Ace and Mean Jo Ling. Each figure was displayed with a specific head (= prototype head) but “real figures” were sold with only three types of head.
Slam, Snake, Rizzo and Zack came with the same head that was the displayed as the prototype head of Snake. Depending of the character, this head came in different hair color with or without beard of “five O’clock Shadow”:
- Slam: Black hair – no beard.
- Snake: Black hair – with black beard.
- Rizzo: Red hair – with moustache and five O’clock shadow.
- Zack: Brown/grey hair – with five O’clock shadow BUT was probably also available with brow/grey beard.
Ace’s head was different than the one of its prototype (Ace’s prototype head will later emerge for another figure).
Mean Jo Ling was the only one sold as expected.
One important thing to notice is that these first figures were sold with the accessories they were displayed with on the backcard: Snake with a bow and Rizzo with a crossbow.
Personal thought: Slam, Snake, Rizzo and Zack were wearing camouflage cargo pants when Ace and Mean Jo Long were wearing black pants. Considering what will be done later with the prototype head of Ace, I THINK that Ace and Mean Jo Ling were supposed to be the bad guys… That’s just a feeling.
Second Line (1986)
This time, figures forms two groups: good guy (Defenders) and bad guys (The Enemy – or Skorpions in Italy).
Here is a comparison of the back of an Italian (Ceppiratti) and an American (Marchon) "blue" cards from this second line.
The figures are nearly the same.
Good ones: Rizzo, Zack, Snake, Slam, Ace and Lightning
I never have seen Rizzo or Snake sold on a “Blue card” with their corresponding accessories. I’m curious to know if they were. Let me know if you already have seen one of these.
Slam became an AA guy in this second line. Here is a comparison picture of the Slam V1 and V2 (AA). This second Slam got a repainted “Ace” head.
Rizzo came with what looks like his original prototype head (with a smaller skull and a longer neck) and (it’s a shame) without his crossbow. On the nex picture, you can compare the Rizzo V1 (on the left hand side - the figure I'm desesperately searching for) and V2 (on the right hand side - that I have):
Strangely, there is two variations of Ace. He came either as it was in the first line (with sleeveless shirt and black cargo pants) or as pictures on the backcard with green shirt with sleeves and tan camouflage cargo pants. Both of them came with the traditional bazooka and two silver shells. As I have both of them, I can say that these two variations were sold on blue card but I cannot say if one is rarer than the other.
Nothing to say about Zack or Snake. On blue card, it seems that Snake never came with his bow and that it is possible to find Zack with beard or with five O’clock Shadow.
Lightning was a white Ninja. Lightning is definitively a killer figure (if you can accept the idea of a ninja wearing army boots).
Before to talk about the “bad guys”, I want to say that were also boxed sets including one or two figures. Some of them can be barely seen on the back of all the cards.
- The “Awesome Arsenal Pack” included all the weapons from the line and one figure.
- The “Motorized Attack Pack” included a motorized helicopter and one figure.
- The “Double Muscle Fighting Foes” included everything from the two previous packs and two figures.
Because I’ve seen it when I was young and because I already have read a comment about this other pack, I know that a “Parachute Pack” was also produced and came with one figure (more about that later).
All these packs came with figures but which ones? As you can see pictures on the backcard, those are always “classic” figures from the first line (Ace, Zack and Slam but not the AA one).
Personally, I remember that the Helicopter pack was sold with a special figure that was made using an Ace head with yellow hair and beard (I cannot say “blond” hair here). I found a picture of an Italian version of the helicopter pack some years ago but I’m unable to read the name of the character on this one (-_-)’.
Talking about the bad guys now. They includes: Blood, Ivan, Slasher, Pyro, The Shadow and Mean Jo Ling. Their corresponding name in Italy are: Schwarz, Redfox, Grifo, Iguana, Panther and Tay Boa. I Like the italian names more than the american ones but (no offense) that’s personal (^-^)’.
See the first picture of this message before to read the description.
- I have nothing to say about Mean Jo Ling (/Tay Boa) because that’s the same than the one of the fist line.
- Pyro (/Iguana) was created using the Mean Jo Ling head but he wears glasses and the same jacket that Zack but in black. He is pictured with a dark green camouflage cargo pant but was probably also available in lighter colors (see the last picture of this message). He’s not the most interesting figure.
- The Shadow (/The Panther) was a black Ninja. The Shadow is definitively a killer figure (if you can accept the idea of a ninja wearing army boots). I missed one boxed more than 10 years ago... It was in a garage sale and the still boxed figure was perfect. How stupid I could be (-_-)'
- Slasher (/Grifo) is interesting. He was created using the same head than Snake but with black hair and black goatee. Be careful with this figure!!! I missed one a flea Market some years ago because I suspected some painting defect. The figure seems to come with black pants’ legs (always) and with camouflage painted crotch (sometimes). Note that I already have seen it with black crotch. I don’t know how unusual it can be.
- Ivan (/Red Fox)! What a strange figure… He was created with what seems to have been the prototype head of ACE but with red hair and five O’clock shadow… Like Rizzo, he’s wearing such infamous painted T-shirt of the 80’s (^-^)’…
- Blood (/Schwarz and I’ve always named mine “Schwartz”) is a delightful AA character created with Ace’s head + moustache! He’s wearing black clothes and a red (painted) T shirt! The coolest bad guy for me (just after The Shadow).
On this last picture, you can see a very strange figure that I found years ago. He’s wearing black cargo pants (like most bad guys) and was created with a head that looks suspiciously like the prototype head of the original Slam (you can compare – you will think the same). I have absolutly no idea from which set or pack this figure came from…
Let’s talk a little bit about the third line made by Ceppiratti only. The same 12 figures were sold on black card with updated M-Force logo and pictures of figures. The 12 figures came with a Karate-chop action feature. The package also included a child-sized dog tag (^-^)!
Here are pictures of a carted Redfox (Italian version of Ivan) from this third line.
And to finish, this amazing figure that I’ve always called Drako for some obvious reason that you can understand if you already have seen Rocky IV…
For what I can remember (but I can be wrong), this figure was sold either with the famous “Parachute Pack” or the “Double Muscle Fighting Foes” (together with a Slam or Zack figure). He was created (probably before Ivan/Redfox) with the prototype head of Ace.
There are some other very obscure figures like the one you can see on this last picture from an old eBay auction. You can see the famous parachute but also, in the middle of the top row, a figure with tan camouflage cargo pant, green shirt with sleeves and what could be a head of snake with pale brown hair. I never have seen this figure on another picture or “in the flesh”…
There is still a lot of things to discover about this line…