Posted on March 14, 2024

2000AD merch and more

Aside from the various specials, annuals, and inserts, 2000AD spinoff merch took a while to show up. But once the floodgates were opened, they never closed. I kept on it for a while, but at some point I lost track. These days, the Rebellion website is the place to go if you’re shopping (or eBay if that’s your jam). Here’s what caught my eye in my 40-plus years as a fan…

PRODUCTS

Pins! I’m not sure where these all came from, though some may have been bonus items with the progs or the Megazine. The metal Dredd badge was a big deal and had to be ordered from England.

There was a very brief period when I would have worn these at some convention or other, but that phase passed quickly. My button-collecting days passed with it.

K-2001 Land Raider

This bruiser of a vehicle was Judge Dredd’s mobile base in The Cursed Earth, his first mega-length serial in 2000AD. It was composed of two vehicles; the rear portion was called the Killdozer. The story was strongly influenced by Damnation Alley, which also had a memorable giant vehicle. (In fact, that’s about all anyone remembers from Damnation Alley.) The dirty secret about the Land Raider is that it was “reverse-merchandised.”

1977 was the year that gave us both 2000AD and Adventure 2000, a line of action vehicles from Matchbox. Among them was the K-2001 Raider Command, two vehicles that are about 6.5″ long when mated. Look familiar?

I have yet to find an actual explanation for this. Obviously, the Land Raider is the Matchbox toy. But no licensing deal was ever publicized to my knowledge. Maybe they were hoping Matchbox wouldn’t notice. Either way, it turned the Raider Command into unofficial Judge Dredd merch.

Matchbox always said their toys were built to last, and they weren’t kidding. Over 40 years later, the spring feature that launches the front half still works just fine.

Judge Dredd, the game of crime-fighting in Mega City One

Games Workshop, 1982

I only got to play this a couple times, but I remember it being fast-paced and fun with a lot of twists and flips brought about by all the cards that would throw crime-busting scenarios at you. But I still have all the parts, so maybe one day I’ll get to have fun again…

The parts

The game board, illustrated by Ian Gibson

Judge Dredd, the role-playing game

Games Workshop, 1985

I like the idea of RPGs more than I like playing them. I like the heft and the packaging and the craftsmanship. I also like illustrating them, as seen in the Game Days section of ArtValt. But my brief experience playing them showed me my time was better spent on drawing comics.

Therefore, the Judge Dredd RPG still sits on my shelf, unplayed since the day I bought it. It’s fun to look at, though.

Character pieces

2-sided game map

Judgement Day RPG scenario

Games Workshop, 1986

This is the one and only expansion module I found for the RPG. Again, never played it. I’m just a weirdo, I guess.

Judge Dredd vinyl kit

Halycon, 1994

If you knew how many unbuilt model kits I’m sitting on, you’d send me to therapy. I’m just busy drawing comics and storyboards right now! I’m saving them for my retirement, honest!

Halcyon also made a Judge Anderson vinyl kit, which they had to censor on the package because someone thought she should have prominent nipnops.

Rogue Trooper: Quartz Zone Massacre

Grafitti Entertainment & Rebellion, 2009

Back when I had time for video games, I happened to have a Wii console when this amazing thing came out of nowhere. The first time I played it I thought, “Well, it’s gonna take some getting used to with all these hand weapon options. I’ll get back to it.” Guess what happened.

Watch some cutscenes here