Order of the Crimson Moon: Clever Gambit or IP Nightmare?

Story By @GIJoeRepairShop

A new line of toys has hit the shelves of BigBadToyStore! The Order of the Crimson Moon was first announced for crowdfunding exactly two years ago, on June 1, 2024. This line of figures is a collaboration between Fresh Monkey Fiction, BigBadWorkshop, and GrindIron Studios. Many of us first became acquainted with Fresh Monkey Fiction during their fractious Larry Hama figure Kickstarter campaign. In the end, the figure was delivered several years late and, as an apology to backers, included a bag of hands with the figure. I had never received a bag of hands as an apology before. Nevertheless, this new coalition has produced some very nice, modern six-inch figures that would look outstanding in any collection. There are seven figures in all and some of them may look a little familiar to fans of GI Joe, but especially to fans of the Action Force Red Shadows line of figures.

First up is a menacing figure in a red hood, wearing a red business suit, a black shirt, and a red tie. To any red-green colorblind folks out there, this looks exactly like Cobra Commander. To the rest of us, it also looks exactly like Cobra Commander. However, this figure cleverly fills the void left by Hasbro never yet releasing a hooded Cobra Commander figure. It’s easy to imagine that this figure will be modified into a blue suit, blue tie and a blue hood. This easily fills a gap in the market for which collectors are looking.

Next is Count Ironmoon. That name sounds somewhat familiar, right? If you’re thinking of Baron Ironblood, yes, it’s the same guy, right down to his uniform. The Count, though, is wearing a beret. Where’s Baron Ironblood’s giant helmet? In this case, the giant helmet has been included with the Crimson Moon Legionnaire figure, where it is described as a “Legionnaire Zombie Containment Unit.” So, if you’d like to reunite Baron Ironblood with his enormous helmet, you need to purchase two different figures. Baron Ironblood’s right-hand-man is also included in this new line-up. You don’t need a degree in French to know that Black Major and Major Noir are the same name.

Finally, the troopers themselves are werewolves. However, pop on the extra head and hands, and suddenly, they’re Red Shadows! The Order of the Crimson Moon’s logo is a version of the Red Shadow logo that has been updated to keep the wolves, ghosts, and intellectual property lawyers at bay. Rather than a generic skull and crossbones that was the symbol of the Red Shadows, the skull and crossbones representing Crimson Moon has been updated to be more ominous and menacing, asking the viewer to imagine what kind of creature these bones came from. Specifically, the skull has been updated to not look human.

I applaud this coalition of companies and artists for taking a punt on a clear gap in the market. Hasbro in 2026 will never release six-inch Red Shadows figures. (Let’s not forget that they have released Action Force Quarrel in a two-pack with Night Force Falcon.) So, someone other than Hasbro needed to step up and give the world modern six-inch Action Force figures. The result is some amazing figures that Action Force collectors cannot be without!