Below you will see some images of carded European Force figures. They provide a great insight into what accessories were included with each figure.
Eclair includes a black rifle based on the 1986 Leatherneck's M-203. He also has a marbled green backpack from the 1986 Hawk figure as well as binoculars from the 1984 Duke.
Randon includes a remade 1984 Baroness rifle and a General Hawk backpack.
Mirage includes a Dragunov sniped taken from the Cobra Trooper and a version of Dial Tone's backpack. (I can not tell if it has the microphone, though.)
Thomis includes Dial Tone's gun and Buzzer's pack but does not include the gas can that attaches to the frame.
Le Colonel includes a Mainframe backpack, Major Bludd's pistol and a rocket launcher from Footloose. It's difficult to tell if all Le Colonels include the pistol. As you'll see below, it's common for the smaller accessories to move around. So, some of the carded Le Colonels appear to be missing the pistol. It's possible, though, that the weapon is simply behind the figure or other accessories after moving in the bubble.
Tonnerre includes a black Leatherneck M-203 and a green Dial Tone backpack.
MyGal includes the same Buzzer backpack frame as Thomis but also adds in the Dr. Mindbender electric prod.
Acarie includes a green and brown version of Airborne/Duke's backpack and Iceberg's long rifle.
Longue Vue includes the Duke binoculars, a Falcon pack and a 1986 Beach Head rifle.
Mains Dancier includes a Falcon pack with antenna, the gas can from Buzzer's pack (but no frame), a Low Light sniper rifle and a Low Light uzi. You'll note how the uzi moved around and is hidden by the figure. These smaller accessories tend to float. So, check around and get lots of pics if you can find a MOC version to ensure what gear is included.
Scorpion includes a 1987 Falcon shotgun as well as an Airborne/Duke backpack.
The final figure is Comando. This Flint/General Hawk hybrid is the only figure of which I have been unable to find a carded photo. The cardback shows the figure with a 1986 Viper rifle. I have images of a loose version. So, the figure does exist. But, for now, he remains the elusive, final figure from this series for which I need to verify his gear.
However, it's important to note a few things. There is a carded Eclair figure that does not include a rifle. But, it includes a marbled green version of Falcon's backpack and Duke's binoculars. As such, it seems that there might be variants among the accessories of these figures. With so few carded samples to go from, though, it's extremely difficult at this time to determine the scope of the variances within each figure.
Here is a cardback showing the figures:
You'll notice the weapons mostly match up with the carded figures. Le Colonel and Mains Dancier are notable exceptions, though. Both are show with weapons that were not, otherwise, included in this set of figures. With so few carded samples being available, it's possible there are examples of these characters with the alternate weapons. So, if anyone has any additional information regarding them, please contact me.
These figures are rare. But, as they're not branded as G.I. Joe figures, they do slip by the wayside and you can find them, mislabeled, from time to time. But, loose figures that are in decent shape will still fetch over $100. I'm sure some of the rarer figures would go for more. Carded versions are few and far between. Though, more have appeared in the past year. But, anyone after a complete set is going to spend quite a bit of money along with a great deal of effort to track these figures down.
Interesting bootlegs, even in these days of fan made factory customs, European Force has an unmatched distinctiveness.
ReplyDeleteThe weapons, especially that Mindbender prod, reminds me of early 90's dollar store National Defense knock-offs that would include a random bootleg Joe weapon in softer silver plastic, and of course, Bender's prod was among them. Actually, the weapons assortment matches much of European Force, except they didn't have an SVD. National Defense also used a swivel neck version of the Footloose torso and copies of Commando heads from the Schwarzeneggar movie line.
a couple of these could make for interesting customs, the flint/hawk combo looks pretty sharp
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