Eagle Force - Looks to make a return in 2015

     Way, way back in 1981 I was a very young boy and discovered this interesting line of little, metal soldiers.  They were bigger and way cooler than the little, green plastic ones I had played with up to that time.   What always captivated me about these figures were the neat little comic strips that were printed on the backs of the cards and showed the good guys (Eagle Force) doing heroic things like stopping a bombing and the bad guys (R.I.O.T.) doing decidedly unheroic stuff like stealing weapons and the like.  They were new, the good guys had cool, little plastic guns while the bad guys had a real ninja and a guy who used a flame thrower.  They even had a Jeep, a tank, a plane and mountain base shaped in the form of a big eagle.

 

 

 

     Not too long after I found them, they disappeared and I happened to discover a new line of figures, that was even bigger than Eagle Force, had more vehicles and even his own monthly comic book.  To be honest, I liked the toys, but they were completely blown out of the water when GI Joe made his historic return.  Eagle Force was much smaller and not as posable, but they had a certain "panache" about them that I think resonated with me through those little comics that were on their card backs. I spent the better part of one summer with a handful of figures acting out adventures that germinated from those simple comic strips.  

 

     When I think back about Eagle Force, I always wonder regardless of the action figures, what a full length, monthly comic book about Eagle Force would have been like.  Given the success of the GI Joe comic, and the compelling nature of the existing mini-strips, I think they would have been great.  One cool thing about the figures, as you can see, is that they each had a unique, personal weapon that was illustrated and spec'd through the comic strip.

     All these years later we now know what really happened to Eagle Force.  Mego, the company that produced the line filed for bankruptcy shortly after Eagle Force was introduced.  Looking back, I can see the idea of them being die cast metal as both good and bad.  On the one hand, for a small figure they were solid and well detailed, but from a business standpoint, they must have been expensive to produce.  Especially in an era dominated by injection molded plastic toys.  Both the toys and the comic strip were the creation of one man, Mr. Paul Kirchner. You can read more about this at the Mego Museum site: http://www.megomuseum.com/eagleforce/index.html.

 

 

      So who really cares about an obscure line of little tin soldiers from the early 80's and why am I writing about them as if they matter?  Because it just so happens that I am not alone in my fondness for these action figures.  It appears that 2015 very well may be the year that these figures take on a new persona of their own and step into the highly compatible word of molded plastic, 4" figures becoming like the very GI Joes that eclipsed them some 34 years ago.

   Recently announced on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eagleforcereturns, through a 3 way collaboration by Fresh Monkey Fiction, ZICA Toys and Boss Fight Studios, the good old Eagle Force may be set for a triumphant return.  What I think is intriguing is that while the figures will be upsized and also modernized, they will feature the original characters as they would exist had they aged and still been around today.  At this point in time I'm thinking along the lines of Bob from Acid Rain World as a grizzled, old combat vet.  Here is the first illustration, that of good guy leader, Captain Eagle: 

     
     You will notice that he features his iconic eagle companion and separate webgear vest and also holster and sidearm.  What followed next was illustrations for the bad guys, of both the R.I.O.T. Trooper and new addition, the R.I.O.T. Commando.  Army building, here we come:

    

   I have to admit that when I saw the bio mask in the drawing for the R.I.O.T. commando, my first thought was "Oh look, R.I.O.T. has a recruiting office on Acid Rain World".  But given how good those figures are turning out to be, I can only hope that these measure up.  I also have to realize that the old days of cold war battles are no long around and a modern figure should reflect modern tactics.

     Overall, I am excited about just the possibility of seeing this line come back to center stage.  Given what other figure lines are doing, I expect fully removable webgear, helmets, masks and multiple weapons.  For the two R.I.O.T. figures this is a necessity as they seem to be intended for army building which benefits greatly from out-of-the-box customization.  On that note, I guess we can only wait-and-see as to what happens next.  But I for one hope to be flying high with Eagle Force at this time in 2016. Here is one final shot of the original toys from the Mego Museum, just for old times sake: