Today I'm finally starting to check out The Order of the Crimson Moon, the latest collaboration between Fresh Monkey Fiction and Big Bad Workshop. This line shares parts with other Big Bad Workshop lines such as Operation: Monster Force, Soldiers of Fortune, and C.O.P.S. & Crooks but has a unique story set in the 1970s that involves a Transylvanian werewolf cult, the Order of the Crimson Moon. There are heroes mentioned in the story but they haven't been revealed yet. It even seems possible that the story might take place in the same universe as Operation: Monster Force. One of he big selling points of this line, however, is that these guys are somewhat similar to the British Action Force villains by Palitoy. Action Man, released in 1966, was Palitoy's take on the American 12 inch G.I. Joe. After the success of working along with Kenner in releasing smaller scale Star Wars toys in the UK, Palitoy also shrunk Action Man down, releasing the 1/18th scale Action Force toyline in 1982. In 1983 Action Force released an enemy faction, first known as just the Enemy but later referred to as the Red Shadows, and the leader was Baron Ironblood. So.. who is Count Ironmoon? Well, he's awfully similar to Baron Ironblood, though he has a different head and headgear. A head and headgear that's quite similar to another vintage Action Force figure, the Black Major. I'll get to that in a minute, though. This guy is both a fantastic homage to a vintage Action Force design and a rather unique looking villain who mixes the style of a fascist dictator with a James Bond villain. Ready to check out a new villain for your 1/12th scale heroes to fight? Then join me after the break...
The Facts:
Height: 6 3/8ths inches
Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, boot swivels, double hinged knees, thigh swivels, balljointed drop-down hips, balljointed waist, balljointed mid-torso, lateral pectoral hinges, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, forearm swivels, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck base, hinged neck, and a balljointed head.
Accessories: Hat, pistol, 2 firing effects, regular whip, coiled whip, 9 swappable hands, and display stand.
Non-Scalper Price: $38-$40 dollars
The Positives:
* Count Ironmoon is wearing a pretty wild looking outfit. It makes me think of one of the outfits like the enemy officers wear in Spaceballs or something similar to M. Bison in Street Fighter. There's a standard body under there (with lapel pins) but the "jacket" over the torso is a shell sitting over the figure. That red shield piece really gives it a look that seems to allow this outfit to fit the villains for a military line, a superhero line, or even a sci-fi line. Does this guy seem like he could be leading a fascist aligned werewolf cult? Sure, why the heck not. He's even sporting a big skull and crossbones on his chest; he's letting you know he's not playing. The white of his outfit is pretty bright which isn't something you see on most villains.
* Does the portrait for Count Ironmoon look familiar? It's actually one of the portraits from
The Spy (Black Tuxedo) that was released in the Soldiers of Fortunel line. That line is all about generic characters, so I'm assuming that this portrait was designed for TOOTCM first. I liked it as kind of a cocky spy but it also looks good for a villain. The eyepatch keeps it from looking overly generic and the arched eyebrow and black hair fits well with the clearly custom designed uniform. Count Ironmoon definitely seems to care about his appearance.
* Count Ironmoon's hat fits on his head quite nicely. It's very snug and secure which surprised me considering the type of hat. As I mentioned above, the hat is very similar to the Black Major from the vintage Action Force line and is a neat "throwback" to that part of toy history.
* The articulation on on Count Ironmoon is the same as the articulation on most Operation: Monster Force and Soldiers of Fortune figures, so it's just as good as those lines have been. The plastic quality of the 2026 releases from BBW/ FMF feel a bit better in hand than last year's releases as they feel a bit more flexible with smoother joints. His torso cover does restrict the torso articulation a bit, but the solid waist movement makes up for it. He also has swivel boots and forearms, something not every other figure has.
* Nine swappable hands are included that change in and out easily. There is a pointing right hand, a pair of standard grips, a pair of pistol grips, a pair of grasping hands, and a pair of fists.
* Gridiron Studios is credited with designing the weapons and everything feels good and has a high degree of detail. First up is a really cool pistol that has a definite retro sci-fi aesthetic. This is a sweet looking pistol with a shape that seems reminiscent of a Luger but with all kinds of greeblies and such added on.
* There's a very minimalistic holster hanging from the right side of Count Ironmoon's belt. The pistol slips inside and does stay put, though it will bounce a bit when he's moving.
* Count Ironmoon also comes with a whip. Not just a standard leather whip, though; this thing looks like it's made of metal, or at least covered with metal rings and such. It's coiled, so it's really just for display and posing, but it's a neat extra.
* It also fits really nicely on his loop on the Count Ironmoon's belt. But wait... what if you need him to fight with his whip?
* Then how about this whip? Yes! Not only is this extended in a cool action pose but it's also crackling with electricity. An electric whip? OK, seems like it would absolutely pack a punch. This just looks really cool and it's an excellent unique accessory for Count Ironmoon.
* Two firing effects are included for use with the pistol: A firing effect and a wisp of smoke. Both fit in the barrel easily and give your display some nice intensity.
* Lastly, a display stand is included. It's the same flat rectangle stand included with the Soldiers of Fortune and C.O.P.S. figures though now it's emblazoned with the logo for The Order of the Crimson Moon.
The Negatives:
* I do have a couple gripes about this guy and they're both about the placement of the skull and crossbones logos. First, the skull and crossbones on Ironmoon's chest seems like it's placed a bit too low, plus it's off center. I don't feel like the Count would tolerate that from his tailor.
* Secondly, why is the skull and crossbones not straight and even on center of his hat? It looks like it's been rotated too much.
Just FYI:
* Do you want to have a 1/12th scale Baron Ironblood on your shelf? Then take the body from Count Ironmoon, add the head from Major Noir (seen here), and then add the helmet from the
Crimson Moon Legionnaire (which I don't have) and you have a pretty good classic version of the character. Funny how that works, right?
I'm no expert on Action Force but check out
Blood for the Baron,
Lexi's Toy Loft, and the excellent documentaries by
Analog Toys to get caught up to speed. Did you know this guy became Cobra Commander in the Action Force comics?
I'm still not sure if I'm going to blend this guy in with my Operation: Monster Force figures and keep him as Count Ironmoon or if I'm going to mix him up so he's Baron Ironblood. Maybe he'll be between my G.I. Joe: Classified Series and my Action Force figures? He's a cool figure though he feels a bit light on extras for the price. I'm also disappointed by the paint stamps for the skull and crossbones not being lined up properly. Overall he's a Good and a 1/2 figure. He's still quite fun and probably fills a gap in the collections for our friends across the pond but the sloppy paint stamps do bring him down a bit. Still, the electro whip? Incredible.
This is the first figure of Count Ironmoon I've reviewed on the site.
Back in the 80s, every kid in the UK knew of the legendary SAS, Britain's real life elite forces. Growing up with the spectre of the IRA terror attacks on the mainland, there was a quiet awe reserved for the boys from Hereford, so it made a perverse sense to make one of the four branches of Action Force the SAS. Not a rebranded branch like Z Force (Royal Marines) but straight out SAS.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm not sure how it was supposed to work outz but it also meant that when Palitoy started incorporating ball/swivel joint figures into the line, the first Joe import to the SAS was Snake Eyes _ or 'Stalker' as he was known in the UK. The SAS line was quietly dropped, and longstanding villains like the Black Major killed off in the comics, but for a few years we had some great toy universe of our own, and this version of the Black Major is a fabulous tribute.
Your knowledge of our toy lore is outstanding sir. Thank you for taking the time to tell others about this much loved line from our childhood.
Thank you for your kind words and your personal insights into the line! I've been aware of Action Force and Action Man for quite some time, though mostly just because of the various nods from the various G.I. Joe releases that paid tribute. I've watched Tony's videos from Analog Toys a couple times now and really enjoy the history and lore of this line.
DeleteI've got more reviews coming up. I'm working on a review of the Major Noir figure (a take on the Black Major) right now.
its strange to me that hasbro never jump on any of what was going on in the UK , I mean it would have been less work to rebrand an already existing figure than have all new sculps made.It worked for mattel and transformers.
ReplyDeleteIt is odd there wasn't more back and forth. Essentially Palitoy just merged G.I. Joe in and then phased out their own designs. Maybe Hasbro thought the Action Man figures were just too limited in articulation at that point considering what was being offered in the US?
DeleteAction Force remains one of my all-time favourite toy lines! I remember Baron Ironblood sacrificing the Red Shadows and emerging as Cobra Commander in the Battle Action Force comic!
ReplyDeleteIs there a good way to read the collected Action Force comics? The G.I. Joe comics have received many solid re-releases (and I have my mostly complete original run) but I'd love to read Action Force, too.
DeleteThe Battle Action Force treasury editions are about as good as you'll get for now (US seller on eBay has all three volumes for £100). Originally it was going to be published by Blood for the Baron - someone put a halt to it so we're left with a decent hardcover minus BFTBs extras.
DeleteIf you get a chance, do check out Zoidstar - they've kept the entire Zoids series and it's excellent. If you're only familiar with the revamp, this is sterling stuff + particularly the Grant Morrison stories. Be warned, the stories have that ruthless streak prevalent in British comics of the time..m
Battle action force treasury editions are about as good as you'll get for now (there's a US eBay seller asking £100 for all 3 if you're willing to splash out) - even the recalled versions go for around £50.
DeleteIf in the meanwhile you'd like a small diversion on Brit comics from that era, look at Zoidstar's collected copies of Zoids comic online. Originally published with Spider-Man as a weekly run in the UK, it's a dystopian survival saga that - unusually for the backup strip - had a meticulous arc plotted to tell a 50+ issue storyline. Some of the stories are downright ruthless (the Metallon storyline is heartbreaking), while the later series benefits from Grant Morrison's apocalyptic vision of the future. Worth the time to track down and read, sir
Spider-Man and Zoids Is fantastic! I still have every issue.
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