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.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

U is for Unknown C18th Type Bods


A bit of a miserly post today with only two images of two makes and one of them is half known! So we'll look at the totally unknown ones first . . .

. . . and while unknown; I can say they are lovely! Small, but heavy, round sculptural bases with no mark, 20-23mm and fully compatible with Airfix (but immeasurably better sculpts!) can anyone put a name to them?

These - Eriksson/SAE copies - are problematic as while they are probably Minikin they could just as easily be AHI . When I posted some die-cast figures (which I had been lead to believe were Minikin, Brian corrected me to the effect he thought they were AHI, but if they were, then these which are lead, must be Minikin surely?

I mean - we can't label them all as one, whether lead or alloy, while denying the other any examples at all! So who knows which is which? Die-cast mazak or lead/white-metal, Minikin or AHI?

The above are lead/white-metal. Grey with green facings - Patriots or Hessian mercenaries?

While these - previously seen - are die-cast mazak. See also the forthcoming (Friday) post on ACW unknowns for another possible from this range?

I know AHI (Azrak Hamway International) a New York office'd importer marketed sets of 30mm Indians and Backwoodsmen along with 22mm (OO-gauge) railway figures, AWI goes better with Indians and Backwoodsmen, letting these be AHI would allow the ACW to be Minikin!

While Minikin did several sets of OO-gauge figures for model railways, imported by International Models Inc. (IMI) also New York based and owned by a Lou Barnett. Linemar (Marx subsidiary) also imported painted metal from Japan - among others, could these be neither AHI nor Minikins but another source altogether?

Garratt mentions plastics for AHI under their heading, then places them in Hong Kong for SAE, and credits IMI of being Canadian and EMI! I think - in the first instance he was getting AHI confused with AHM (Associated Hobby Manufacturers - a tax avoiding industry cartel) a later importer of plastics, die-casts and model kits? While in the second instance a typo seems to have 'become flesh'?

For the casual visitor:
ACW = American Civil War (Republicans versus Democrats!)
AHI = Azrak Hamway International (Jobber)
AHM = Associated Hobby Manufacturers (Industry funded 'Co-op')
AWI = American War of Independence (Successful armed insurgency)

5 comments:

Doug said...

I also have several of the first set of figures. I think they were intended as American Revolutionary War. I don't have any Indians or cannon, but I have some of the same pose with various light infantry helmets.

Hugh Walter said...

I'm glad someone else has them Doug! They're nice aren't they? No idea on a maker? Someone'll know!

Cheers. H

Anonymous said...

3 are Spencer Smith ACW originaly in plastic but still available in metal, Tony

Anonymous said...

Number 2 the marching figure looks like a very well cast Spencer Smith plastic (well cast is unusual for Spencer Smith). These are still available in metal.

Cheer,
Willz

Hugh Walter said...

Thanks Willz and Tony, but they are marked 'Japan' and some are die-cast mazak, 'after' Eriksson, but not his! And Spencer Smith may have been equally err....worshipful in his choice of sculpts!

H