The cover neatly shows how far the weekly had shifted from its original war/ combat formula into a broader 'action' line-up in an attempt to stem sagging sales.
I suspect that there were some doubts in Kings Reach Tower as to whether Battle would see out the year as a standalone title. Rumours were swirling that it was being prepared for the chop and a merger with the EAGLE.
Management, however, came up with a winning formula which propelled it past the 500 issue mark and kept it out of the Eagle's claws for several more years: A deal with toymakers Palitoy to devote half the pages to extended plugs for the ACTION FORCE toys. Not only did it make the sums add up but it also attracted a new generation of readers. And - despite the reputation of toy tie-ins (some of the ones that subsequently popped up in Eagle were pretty dire) the AF strips were generally of a pretty high standard... and some are actually quite memorable. And the editorial team must have had great fun with Codename: Beaver.
