About Me

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No Fixed Abode, Home Counties, United Kingdom
I’m a 60-year-old Aspergic gardening CAD-Monkey. Sardonic, cynical and with the political leanings of a social reformer, I’m also a toy and model figure collector, particularly interested in the history of plastics and plastic toys. Other interests are history, current affairs, modern art, and architecture, gardening and natural history. I love plain chocolate, fireworks and trees, but I don’t hug them, I do hug kittens. I hate ignorance, when it can be avoided, so I hate the 'educational' establishment and pity the millions they’ve failed with teaching-to-test and rote 'learning' and I hate the short-sighted stupidity of the entire ruling/industrial elite, with their planet destroying fascism and added “buy-one-get-one-free”. Likewise, I also have no time for fools and little time for the false crap we're all supposed to pretend we haven't noticed, or the games we're supposed to play. I will 'bite the hand that feeds', to remind it why it feeds.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

H is for Heller (and others)

Covered some smaller versions of these a while ago, Here and dug out the original photo I took a couple of years ago.

Picture shows painted versions (could the painted ones be Cromoplasto as in 'painted plastic'?) in 60mm hard plastic, an unpainted original in green (Xiloplasto/Landi ?) soft ethylene and a complete Heller Paint-your-own set in a dense nylon'ish plastic. Formaplast has also been mentioned in relation to these. Thanks also to Ron Chiasson.

Although Heller are (were!) French and a couple of the figures look like Saint-Cyr cadets, the rest do have an Italian feel to them, anyone got any ideas? I'm pretty sure they are all modern (ish) ceremonial figures rather than Napoleonic era officers but what do I know!! Indeed - more info on these would be gratefully received and posted here with acknowledgements.

For instance there are 14 poses here, last time I hinted at a possible 20. Anybody know the true total?
So - Following a protracted session of comments, and what came to light last time, we have a potential list of manufacturers-to-figures as follows;
25mm - Hong Kong (?) - ethylene (Yellow and ...) [No. of poses unknown]
30mm - Formaplast (?) - ethylene (White, Green, Orange) [3 poses (?)] *
60mm - Cromoplasto - harder styrene/ethylene alloy (factory painted)
60mm
- Xiloplasto/Landi (?)- unpainted (various colours - 50's style!) [50 Poses] **
60mm -
Heller - grey nylon type plastic [14/20 poses (?)]
* Previous article Unknown Military
** Green one above

while
R.O.Plast Partenopea had nothing to do with them!

Added 01:09:2010

The left hand one is a 15th pose, and some are in 'alternate' paint schemes, they seem to be factory painted again?

Added 02:09:2011

The long lost Heller box which started this post has finally turned-up, so a couple more pictures to add to the mix.

Both sides of the Heller painting guide sheet included in the box, and being the 10 unpainted figures above.

The covers of the box, again hinting at only one or two more poses (the photographs) while listing around 50, (printed list) some of which sound like Atlantic or Co-Ma figures ...'paratroops'... which would bring R.O. Plast back in the frame!

8 comments:

FIXED BAYONET METAL SOLDIERS said...

i WALKED INTO A BACCY SHOP AND BOUGHT HIS ENTIRE LOAD OF THESE FOR PENCE. THEYare all Italian . I have the original packing because I bought them from a shop not on the toy soldier circuit. They are lovely soldiers and rare

Hugh Walter said...

It's really the actuall units I'm asking for? Napoleonic or modern? And if you bought all of them, how many poses were/are there all together? LEL!

And what is the make on the packageing? 'R.O.Plast Partenopea' is another posibility?

FIXED BAYONET METAL SOLDIERS said...

on the packing they was just a cellophane bag plus a blister on top. They were Xiloplasto.
They did from about 1820 until the first world war and there were bout 50 poses.I got all the poses in the shop but not complete. What you have are all Italian.Carabinieri, Field Marshals of the first war , etc etc.I'm buying some canè soon of Muslim Turks from the 60's . These are new

Hugh Walter said...

And were the Xiloplasto painted or unpainted?

FIXED BAYONET METAL SOLDIERS said...

unpainted. When I sort out my stuff I'll send you images of the stuff. Formaplast was another name they used. If you check out all my blogs some stuff is there

Hugh Walter said...

So the painted ones could well be Cromoplast?

PS, while the originals are not that common, if you just want the poses, they're not that rare, having been produced in so many formats!

FIXED BAYONET METAL SOLDIERS said...

If they are not that rare let me know where the unrare ones are because I want to get more. The ones in original packing to me are rare. I live in Milan and don't come across them much but in the U.K I've never seen them. I will get back to you on this

FIXED BAYONET METAL SOLDIERS said...

never seen them painted.To me they never were