Army Ants Action Figures Identification Tool with Pictures

The Hasbro Army Ants action figure toy line

Even though the Army Ants lacked any articulation, they oozed with personality. Many of these ants also came with colorful weapon accessories, though some had their weapons molded into the figure. Each figure also had a distinct mold; some ants had only 4 legs, while others had 6. Moreover, they featured squishy abdomen guts that could be removed and swapped around.

While most of Hasbro’s toy lines in the 1980s had distinct good and evil sides, the Army Ants made no moral distinctions between their sides. These critters were rotten and desired to devour everything. Still, they formed under two banners. General Patant led the Orange Army, while the Blue Army took orders from General Mc-Anter.

Each army was released to stores on blister card packages in 8- or 3-figure squads. These units were also assigned themed squad names.

The Army Ants from the Orange Army

For the Orange Army, there were five different squads. General Patant’s Special Strike Force Team had 8 different members who all came with a purple abdomen. The 3-member Assault Team featured fuchsia abdomens. Then, the 3-member Sniper Team came with yellow glow-in-the-dark abdomens. There was also the 3-member Bazooka Team with red abdomens. Finally, the 3-member Aerial Assault Team came with green abdomens.

The Army Ants from the Blue Army

The Blue Army also had five different squads. There were eight members in General Mc-Anter’s Special Forces Team, who all had green abdomens. There was a 3-member Mortar Team with red abdomens. Then, there was the 3-member Artillery Team with purple abdomens. They also released the 3-member Flame Thrower Team with yellow, glow-in-the-dark abdomens. Finally, there was the 3-member Bomber Squad with olive green abdomens.

The Army Ants also marched their way overseas to the European Market. In Italy, they were released as the Kombattini from GiG. Meanwhile, France had the Termitors that GT produced. El Greco also created these figures for the Greek market. Unlike the American toys, these ants were released in packages and pyramids. They also lacked the detailed paint jobs that Hasbro gave them. European orange team ants featured iridescent blues, greens, or whites. Meanwhile, the blue team ants came in blacks, pinks, and greys. These companies also produced rare transparent ants.

Unlike most of Hasbro’s toy lines from the 1980s, the Army Ants never had a piece of media associated with them. However, they did eventually make their way to comics. In 2018, IDW included the Army Ants as a monstrous menace in Scarlet Strike Force #1.