Battleforce 2000 review

Time for a closer look at the "Force of Battle 2000" GI Joe 2017 Convention set!

I'm pretty sure that I've stated in the past that I'm a fan of the original Battle Force 2000 from 1987. The introduction in the comics was innovative.
I've always liked the concept, but I've thought that the execution seemed a bit rushed. The figures just seemed a bit off and the vehicles were a bit clunky. Don't even talk about the "Future Fortress"!

The graphics of the box art are vibrant and colorful, very eye catching. The Club did a great job with their reuse of the original cart art for the artwork. The BATs thrown in each corner seem a bit off in their placement, but it works well enough.

Since this is my first convention set ever, I'll have to admit to being a bit like a silly kid when I first got the set in my hands. I wasn't really sure of what to expect with the size of the box, but it's a nice size, easily held and carried around.

File cards! So many file cards. Of course, one for each of the BF2000 members (FB2000?) and one each for each of the BATs.

Each figure had their own gear and stand separated in individual bags. There was some sort of issue with some of the weapons for three of the BF2000 troops and they may have arrived late and were included in a separate bag.


I think the people who bought an additional bagged convention set were initially missing those weapons, but the missing weapons arrived on the day after pickup.

Someone proposed that this is how the set should have been created. One less BAT and Dee-Jay in its place. Whatever. Dee-Jay was a next year addition to the team and the two pack with Corrosa was a cool idea.

My first JoeCon pin! Very cool! I saw an older collector while in line who had every pin of every show that he had been to, minus only maybe two. Very impressive collection!


Let's take a quick look at the Battle Force 2000 team. In random order...

Blaster - very cool execution. I'm not sure of the parts used, but I'm pretty sure the arms originated on a Storm Shadow figure? I know them best from the use with the Cobra Vipers. The new head sculpt is great. Very well done by the Club! Blaster would be 2nd of 7.

Avalanche - decent execution. Not quite as barrel chested as the original, but I think he works out just fine. I like the new head sculpt as well. If ranked, Avalanche sits at 4th out of the seven BF2000 figures.

Dodger - easily the best figure. So he doesn't have the mic like the original figure. Oh well. The build and color palette turned out great, a near perfect upgrade of the original. Dodger has always been my favorite BF2000 character and he remains in the top spot for this set. Number 1 of 7!

Knockdown - not a bad build, except... that silly ass decal on his chest meant to represent the canisters on the original figure. I do like the reuse of the Kwinn head sculpt. A lighter skin tone and new hair color and he's almost unrecognizable. The original figure was never very impressive to me, but I think the Club did a decent enough job redeeming him. Still he hits at #5 of 7.

Maverick - so close, but not quite there. To me, Maverick is the weakest of the set. Visually, he's not too bad, but there's a couple issues with him. His elbow joints are very loose and just swing freely. The build isn't terrible, but it isn't as strong as some of the other figures from the set. The Ace head sculpt reuse just kinda' works. Sorry, dude, you're 7th of 7.

Blocker - another great update by the Club! Except... Something's off about his face... No eyebrows! What the heck? A missed paint spray and he looks a bit odd. The build is solid and everything works together. He would have made 2nd out of 7, but those missing eyebrows... Sorry dude, 3rd of 7.

Blaster, Blocker, and Dodger have always been my top three BF2000 characters and figures.

Dee-Jay - decent? The original Dee-Jay was a seriously goofy figure. Not Ice Cream Soldier levels of goofiness, but pretty bad. I think the Club did a decent enough update of him, but he's never been a strong character to me. He's at 6th out of the seven BF2000 characters.

Backstop? Why is Backstop here? And why was the tank driver coming in via parachute? Picky, picky, picky. The head sculpt originated with the Static Line figure from last year's Sky Patrol set. Everybody predicted this move. Backstop was the "parachute drop" figure for the 2017 Convention. So what, he's got a parachute. The Club got him into a modern update! Deal with it! Backstop is a very strong build, well matched to his original figure despite not being able to remove his helmet. I'm not too crazy about those Resolute Duke legs, but they work well enough. He's got a bit of the thunder thighs situation going on.

Overall, I think from the GI Joe side of the convention set, everything turned out quite nicely. A few dings here and there, but I think the set turned out much nicer than had been expected.

I'm hoping that those folks who dissed the set based on the virtual mock ups and ragged on BF2000 initially enjoyed a nice serving crow-flavored humble pie once the set was revealed in hand by the attendees.

I'm looking forward to next year's set! Whatever it is! DEF vs Headman and Headhunters?

What are your thoughts of this set?

Next up a look at the Cobra side of this set.