Blood for the Baron!

In an ever effective attempt to stave off yet more magnolia paint, and as I geekily rifle through the undergarments of Palitoy and Action Force, I came across some 'interesting' (word used loosely) numbers.

Actually, it was on the back of the Black Major's code book - a letter and 4 numbers - L1182. Hmm, I thought...

It seems that Palitoy had a code number system for all their printed objects. It appears on the bottom of most/all of their material - vehicle plans, sticker sheets and even flyers for joining Action Force. And so, here, and for the first time (and for no reason other than I can't be arsed doing more decorating!), I present a small piece of Palitoy history...

The first number is, where applicable, the one found on the bottom edge of the vehicle plans. The second, where applicable, is found on the sticker sheets. There are blanks, which means they don't have one. The word 'possibly' means that I have been unable to find out definitely (any help is appreciated - just have a look on the relevant plans). They are in Number order at the moment, which shows the order in which they were released. Where the word hand appears after the stcker number, it means that the number was hand written on. I'd love to know whose writing! Also, any ideas what the 'L' stands for?

AF Base
AF3 L1019 L1019
AF5 L1018
AF7 L1063 L1064
AF9
Black Major's Codebook L1182 None
Enemy - Escape Armour L1442 05.1428
Enemy - Hyena L1437 None
Enemy - Laser Exterminator L1185 None
Enemy - Roboskull L1440 None
Enemy - Shadowtrak L1184 None
Join AF Flyer (Large) L1500 None
Join AF Flyer (Small) L1204 None
Q Force - Sea Skimmer None L1433
Q Force - Sealion L1473 L1472
Q Force - Stingray L1489
Q Force - Swordfish L1336 L1335
SAS - Boat Patrol L1495
SAS - Hawk L1438 05.1424 (Hand)
SAS - Mobile Missile System L1213
SAS - Panther L1188
SAS - Para Attack L1483
SAS - Silent Attack L1443
SAS - Wolverine L1446
Space Force - Cosmic Cruiser L1331 L1329
Space Force - Satellite Defence L1334
Space Force - Triad Fighter L1439
Z Force - ATC None
Z Force - Attack Cannon L1211 None
Z Force - Command Centre L1447 None
Z Force - Dart L1434 05.1418 (Hand)
Z Force - Jeep L1191 None
Z Force - Lance L1435 None
Z Force - Rapid Fire Motorcycle L1193 None
Z Force - Shaft L1436 None
Z Force - Tank L1195 None
Z Force - Whirlwind L1445 05.1421 (Hand)
AF - Flying Submarine L1516
AF - Hovercraft
AF - Sealion L1473
AF - Silent Attack L1443
AF - Skystriker
AF - Triad Fighter L1524
AF - Wolverine
Cobra - ASP
Cobra - CLAW
Cobra - Escape Armour
Cobra - FANG L1436
Cobra - Hyena L1517
Cobra - Night Attack Jeep
Cobra - Roboskull
Cobra - Swamp Skier
Cobra - Water Moccasin
ATT - Blitz Buggy L1451 Z Jeep (Hand)
ATT - Turbo
Die Terror Bande - Laser Schleuder
Die Terror Bande - Power Truck L1459
Join AF Flyer (Small) - German Language L1452 None
SATT - Nautilus
SATT - Super Gamma Jeep
TSATT - Tefengleiter
TSATT - Wellenjet
WATT - Nahkampf-Schlitten
WATT - Raumgleiter

As you can see, not everything does have a code, but most does. If you can think of anything else that might (anything printed), especially the German stuff, which has different codes (presumably as it is printed in German) please post here, and I'll add it to the list.

L stands for Lovely Job

This is next level Geekery!

Power Truck L1459

I thank you both.
That's it now. I have done all I can to avoid the painting. There is nothing left to do, except paint!

Actually, that's not strictly true... I have a few more projects.
And a few new variants to describe!
Oh, and the expanded matrices...

Great work and ->

Red Shadows Shadowtrak L1184 Vehicle plans
Red Shadows Laser Exterminator L1185 Vehicle plans
Red Shadows Hyena L1437 Vehicle plans
SAS - Hawk L1438 Vehicle plans
Red Shadows Roboskull L1440 Vehicle plans
Red Shadows Escape Armour L1442 Vehicle plans
Z Force Command Centre L1447 plans
Space Force - Triad Fighter L1524 Vehicle plans (V2 perhaps?)
Z Force ATC No marking on Vehicle plans (although small scuff on my one)

Are the numbers on the inside of the boxes noteworthy? Also some of my boxes have Manufactured in England but France is scribbled out on SAS Hawk/SilentAttack/ATC but not Tank/SwordFish. Some vehicle plans appear to be black ink compared with usual blue prints but is this fading or variant?

Thanks guys.
Mr Pirate, thanks for the German number

Mr Orc - You, sir, are a star!

OllyOrc wrote: Are the numbers on the inside of the boxes noteworthy?

I think we both know the answer to that!
I had no idea there were numbers on the inside...

Scribbling out France... well, we've all thought about it!
But seriously, no idea, unless they were originally made in France and England, but later on this changed? I suppose the company has to obey advertising laws.

Blue vs Black blueprints... I had thought about that perhaps being a thing, but don't know if they come in both colours. Anyone have an idea, or an example of a blueprint in both black and blue?

I'm guessing that the first vehicle wave, such as the Tank & Swordfish were made in England & France and have no number on the inside of the boxes. Then production was stopped in France for the later waves like ATC, Silent Attack & Hawk, that do have numbers on the inside of the box but France scribbled out.

Tank Swordfish SAS Hawk - 171C4 16 Silent Attack - 103C4 35 ATC - 180C4 17
Panther blueprints - not sure if black is faded blue or variant (**Update - See list below as now think black ink was used first and gradually replaced with newer blue ink blueprints in the window boxes. Then replaced for even newer assembly blueprints, inside the new picture card boxes) Other loose Black Plans

"They are in Number order at the moment, which shows the order in which they were released"

Nice one! (or Yahtzee!!! we might hear being said by our esteemed colleague SteveD)



TimeLine L = Line 10xx -> 15xx = 1982->1985

Line 10xx 1982 Original historic Action Force - Window Boxes
AF Base (Initial picture box concept)
AF5 L1018
AF3 L1019 L1019
AF7 L1063 L1064
AF9 (carded)

Line 11xx 1983 - Window boxes with black ink blueprints
Black Major's Codebook L1182 None (carded)
Enemy - Shadowtrak L1184 None
Enemy - Laser Exterminator L1185 None
SAS - Panther L1188 (black roll bars)
Z Force - Jeep L1191 None
Z Force - Rapid Fire Motorcycle L1193 None
Z Force - Tank L1195 None (picture box concept)

Line 12xx 1983 - Window boxes with black ink blueprints
Join AF Flyer (Small) L1204 None
Z Force - Attack Cannon L1211 None
SAS - Mobile Missile System L1213

Between 1983-1984 Carded made in England
Boat Patrol, Stingray, Para Attack & Satellite Defence (no plans as couldn't fit on carded)

Line 13xx 1983-1984 - Last window boxes but with new blue ink blueprints instead of black (with all previous Lines now adopting new blue ink blueprints but still using up their old black ink ones). Also sees the introduction of new picture coded boxes made in England and France
Space Force - Cosmic Cruiser L1331 L1329 (window box & new blueprints)
SAS Panther (yellow roll bars) L1188 (window box using both black & new blueprints)
Space Force - Satellite Defence L1334 (picture box coded & new blueprints)
Q Force - Swordfish L1336 L1335 (Tank style picture box but not coded & explains why no windowed version have been found. Has new blueprints)

Line 14xx 1984- Production now ceases in France, so majority of coded picture boxes have "made in France" crossed out with blue biro. All have new blueprints
Enemy - Skeletron's sticker - L1431 hand written
Q Force - Sea Skimmer None L1433
Z Force - Dart L1434 05.1418 (Hand) England crossed out as made in France
Z Force - Lance L1435 None- England crossed out as made in France
Z Force - Shaft L1436 None- England crossed out as made in France
Enemy - Hyena L1437 None- England crossed out as made in France
SAS - Hawk L1438 05.1424 (Hand) SAS Hawk (Box Code = 171C4 16)
Space Force - Triad Fighter L1439
Enemy - Roboskull L1440 None - (Box Code = 279CA 2)
Enemy - Escape Armour L1442 05.1428
SAS - Silent Attack L1443 - (Box Code = 103C4 35)
Z Force - Whirlwind L1445 05.1421 (Hand) (Box code = 129C435)- England crossed out as made in France
SAS - Wolverine L1446
Z Force - Command Centre L1447 None (no box code & displays Panther yellow roll bar)
Q Force - Sealion L1473 L1472 (Box code = 275C4 11)
SAS - Para Attack L1483 (Box code = 87C4 30)
SAS Panther (both black & yellow roll bar versions) L1484 (Box code = 62CA 34) new assembly blueprints in blue, due to the jeep having to fit inside the new coded picture boxes. Other previous Lines came with their own reprinted blueprints in blue ink and new coded picture boxes - SAS MMS L1485, Z Force Jeep, Attack Cannon, Rapid Fire Motorcycle L1487, Enemy Laser Exterminator, Shadow Track).
Q Force - Stingray L1489
Z Force - ATC None - (Box Code = 180C4 17 place pending more box codes perhaps)
SAS Boat Patrol L1495


Line 15xx 1985 (left unsorted for now, pending more print codes)
Join AF Flyer (Large) L1500 None
AF - Flying Submarine L1516
AF - Hovercraft
AF - Sealion L1473
AF - Silent Attack L1443
AF - Skystriker
AF - Triad Fighter L1524
AF - Wolverine
Cobra - ASP
Cobra - CLAW
Cobra - Escape Armour
Cobra - FANG L1436
Cobra - Hyena L1517
Cobra - Night Attack Jeep
Cobra - Roboskull
Cobra - Swamp Skier
Cobra - Water Moccasin
ATT - Blitz Buggy L1451 Z Jeep (Hand)
ATT - Turbo
Die Terror Bande - Laser Schleuder
Die Terror Bande - Power Truck L1459
Join AF Flyer (Small) - German Language L1452 None
SATT - Nautilus
SATT - Super Gamma Jeep
TSATT - Tefengleiter
TSATT - Wellenjet
WATT - Nahkampf-Schlitten
WATT - Raumgleiter

Production is also being made in Spain at some point, such as the Archive's Sealion picture box but not sure if this is 15xx 1985 or 14xx 1984 after production stops in France.

Comparing timelines with The Variant Commander Mail Away SteveD Theory!!!
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=14901&start=70#p183611

Appears to show that L11xx & L12xx were around the same time as the Prototype backing card, at start of 1983. Until the release of the Swordfish in L13xx when the (Employee & 1st Release) backing cards start displaying it. This dates L13xx before July & August, so early 1983 due to the free comic black stickers on the figure cards. It must have been quite early 1983 as the figure cards had time to change to the white printed free comic during July August (2nd Release). L14xx 1984 is when Skeletron appears on the backing cards (6th Release), along with all the new characters being displayed.

Nice, Mr Orc, nice!
A fellow delver and diddler in the Palitoy pantaloons... there are a few of us around.

Excellent. When I have a moment tomorrow, I shall inspect what few boxes I have.
It would be great compile a list of all figures/vehicles and all of their associated numbers (I've already started a spreadsheet, but please feel free to dive in - especially all of the German stuff and Series 3, as I have very little)

I have a feeling this might be a bit more important than I had given it thought!

Also - great catch with the blue vs black blueprints. I shall check what I have also.

Skeletrons sticker has L1431 hand written