A few moulds weren’t the only thing Palitoy borrowed from Hasbro for the 1983 Action Force range. They also pinched a few codenames - one, Steeler, was a straight recolour of the American figure of the same name, but Stalker, Doc and Breaker all had theirs reassigned. Frankly, this exposes Palitoy’s total lack of regard for anyone collecting both lines 25 years in the future, as I now have two completely different Breakers on the roster…

The Z Force Radio Operator figure was basically the same as the Captain (Skip), with some minor changes. The head was different (I think taken from the 1982 Australian Jungle Fighter), the camo pattern was omitted from the legs and the neckerchief and pouches on the back are left unpainted in green, while a new forage cap and radio backpack (a red version of which was also used on the Q Force Communications Officer), plus the extant Sten Gun were included.

The overall look is actually pretty good, though there’s just something about the cap that says “Middle Eastern action film cannon fodder”, which is a shame. That said, he looks alright without it, the only problem being that it helps the headphones for the radio set stay in place. The cap might have looked better in red, actually, fitting a bit better with the Z Force colour scheme. I don’t have the Sten, but Breaker’s arms can hold a fair range of weaponry. Lately I’ve settled on a Marauders Inc. Tommy gun, which fits nicely in both senses.

The radio backpack is probably the best of Palitoy’s attempts, and fits nicely over the figure. You have to be careful the headphone arrangement doesn’t get too bent out of shape, though it’s surprisingly sturdy. A tip is that if yours doesn’t want to stay in place, blu-tack the headphones to the figure’s ears and just leave it like that for a couple of days. All-in-all, Breaker’s a worthy addition to your Action Force ranks despite the usual low articulation; however, be prepared to have to hunt and spend to land one with the cap. The backpack doesn’t seem as much of a problem, while the gun can be easily substituted around.