BattleForce 2000 was a late 1987 release. The figures were among the final ones I acquired when I was a kid. But, the actual products were meant for wide release in 1988. So, they first appeared in the 1988 Toy Fair catalog. The figures in that publication, though, feature a lot of differences. Knockdown is the most notable. Below, you’ll see some of the photos featuring the pre-production figure.
You’ll note an even more barrel torso with a rounded collar. I’m not sure if the chest piece is just a repurposed piece from another figure like Payload. (The Secto Viper in the 1988 catalog is just a repainted Payload.) The effect when his helmet was fully affixed made Knockdown’s uniform look more like it was a single, unified piece instead of a helmet on top of a jumpsuit.
In the photos, you can see paint wear on the front of Knockdown’s helmet. So, it wasn’t anywhere near production level for these promos. You can see the wear in both photos. So, Hasbro reused this piece time and again. It’s doubtful anyone thought the photos could be blown up and scrutinized by someone at thirty five or more years in the future. But, it’s an interesting detail to see in official photography that was meant to sell the toys to retailers.
I actually like this pre-production design for Knockdown more than I do his actual production pieces. The helmet seems more like a part of his overall uniform instead of just a head piece. It gives the figure more cohesion than was present in the final form. I’m not sure why he was changed. But, it does appear that the figure underwent more refinement in the final months before his release. And, we ended up with the production figure that had a very different look.
