SAS Squad Leaders, 1984 (c)

Toy manufacturer Palitoy released a fictional special forces unit called Action Force in 1982. The European range was modelled on the American counterpart G. I. Joe and featured in the comic book 'Battle Action Force'. Action Force figures were introduced in response to falling sales of Palitoy's larger Action Man series, which would not re-emerge until 1993. The Action Force figures are also smaller than the traditional Action Man, in part drawing on the successes of rival Kenner's miniature Star Wars figures.

The Action Force figures were modelled on a mixture of historical figures, such as German stormtroopers of the First World War, and contemporary soldiers. The SAS characters and their representative figures were based on SAS and SBS special forces, and devised around the time of the Iranian Embassy Siege (1980) when the SAS were highly regarded in the British popular media. These Squad Leader figures wear the dark uniform adopted by special forces units when on urban counter-terrorism duties.