Blood for the Baron!

As a by-product of doing the Hopper Matrices, I kept a note of the medal numbers on the cardbacks - the little medals that you posted off to get your mailaway free gift figure. I wanted to see if a pattern emerged - and lo!

Each figure has its own number that is kept irrespective of the card front language.
The list is complete - 50 numbers, with a few gaps, and it starts in Series 1, and continues, unbroken, through to Series 2.

I have a few gaps, but this is it so far

1 - Frogman (B1500)
2 - Australian Jungle Fighter (B1100)
3 - Desert Rat (B1099)
4 - Commando (B1096)
5 - British Marine (B1095)
6 - SAS (B1098)
7 - Ground Assault (B1504)
8 - German Stormtrooper (B1501)
9 - Mission Pilot (B1091)
10 - US Paratrooper
11 - Mountain & Arctic
12 - AF7
13 -
14 - Naval Assault (B1529)
15 - Arctic Assault (B1528)
16 - Night Patrol (B1530)
17 - Helicoptor Pilot (B1527)
18 - SAS Frogman (B1526)
19 - 2 Para (B1531)
20 - SAS Squad Leader
21 - SAS Frogman
22 - SAS Commando
23 - SAS Pilot
24 - Enemy Baron Ironblood
25 - Enemy Black Major
26 - Enemy Muton
27 - Enemy Red Shadow
28 - Z Force Radio Operator
29 - Z Force Sapper
30 - Z Force Captain
31 - Z Force Infantryman
32 - SAS Boat Patrol
33 - SAS Para Attack
34 - Q Force Deep Sea Defender
35 - Q Force Aqua Trooper
36 - Q Force Sonar Officer
37 - Space Force Commander
38 - Space Force Pilot
39 - Space Force Security Trooper
40 - Space Force Patroller
41 - Q Force Stingray
42 - Space Force Satellite Defence
43 -
44 -
45 - Enemy Kraken
46 - SAS Attack Trooper
47 - Z Force Medic
48 - Z Force Minesweeper
49 - Q Force Sea Skimmer
50 - Space Force Engineer
51 - Z Force Battle Gear
52 - SAS Battle Gear
53 - Space Force Battle Gear
54 - Q Force Battle Gear
55 - Enemy Battle Gear

The numbers in brackets after the Series 1 figures are those numbers found on the front of the card behind the figure - not sure of the relevance, but may be important somehow?

If anyone could fill in the gaps in Series One by checking both behind the figure, and at the medal at the back, I would appreciate it.

Interestingly, in Series Two (Numbers 20-50), there are two not filled, or rather, they have not been assigned to any figure that I can tell (Nos 43 & 44)
Why?
Are there two figures that were planned, but never came to fruition? If so, it asks tantalising questions!

Also, because the numbers are sequential, they are useful for grouping the releases together into batches - we can see that SAS, Z Force and Red Shadows came first, then Q Force and Space Force, then the next wave of new figures.
All very interesting stuff!

SAS - 6 (B1098)

SAS Battlegear Gear - 52

Q Force Battle Gear - 54

Space Force Battlegear - 53

My Series 3 all seem to have a Medal with the letter 'G' in the middle.

Cheers Jimbo1979

Ground Assault - 7 (B1504)

Great work as usual Herr Dr. Professor Hopper

Hopper wrote: The numbers in brackets after the Series 1 figures are those numbers found on the front of the card behind the figure - not sure of the relevance, but may be important somehow?

If anyone could fill in the gaps in Series One by checking both behind the figure, and at the medal at the back, I would appreciate it.

As you may already have deduced there is indeed a possible explanation ... more numbers required at this time.

Hopper wrote:Interestingly, in Series Two (Numbers 20-50), there are two not filled, or rather, they have not been assigned to any figure that I can tell (Nos 43 & 44)
Why?
Are there two figures that were planned, but never came to fruition? If so, it asks tantalising questions!

43 & 44 may be the female character and one more from Wave 3. Will look at data again. Arbitarily ruling out as it would have been in the Roboskull and medal numberless anyway.

However, that neat explanation would perhaps imply that there should be two missing numbers in the 20-42 sequence: the two advanced Wave 2 protos which made it into promos and at least one onto a BAF front cover in October/November 1983 and an earlier Tiger/Eagle advert. Thus, 43 & 44 may in fact be the numbers - or simply the remainders of an assigned Wave 2 block - of the Wave 2 protos themselves and Wave 3 never got a look in. If they had, then they would have appeared in sequence with Such a theory perhaps provides a context for Wave 3 protos only reaching a development stage similar to the officer and another beast.

Moreover, a block of unassigned 1-19 numbers may provide a further context for as per the logic below... possibly in a sequence between the end of all manufactured Wave 1 numbers and the start of Wave 2.

Hopper wrote: Also, because the numbers are sequential, they are useful for grouping the releases together into batches - we can see that SAS, Z Force and Red Shadows came first, then Q Force and Space Force, then the next wave of new figures.
All very interesting stuff!

... it's all turned out exactly as predicted QED

Many thanks to all for searching their MOC archives too

Is it possible they could have been Palitoy (as opposed to Hasbro) vehicle pilots/drivers? I.e Moondancer and Red Wolf?