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.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

M is for Manurba

Manfred Urban was a German Company, producing cheap plastic toys at the time Germany was going through it's 'Hong Kong' moment, they produced the whole gamut; 54mm toy soldiers, figural pencil sharpeners, premiums for confectionery companies etc...

There is a forth tank, a Russian one, probably a T54/55 and the various chassis were also used for some space vehicles. The US tanks are about 1:72. the Panther is small next to the Airfix ready-made, The track unit on a space tank marked 'Russian tank' is also on the small side for a 'T' series so both about 1:87th a popular 'Euro size'!

All the military vehicle range were issued in a dark green, olive green (and most shades in between!) and also silver. Sometimes they are marketed under the Dom trade mark, while in the UK they appeared in Tallon branding as a 'pocket money' or rack-toy. Sometimes wheels/tyres are pale grey or charcoal rather than black.

The large scale (approximately 1:72) truck is - I think - based on the post war Jupiter used by the Budeswher, the little trucks ('N' gauge) which had a range of different rears/loads were more fictional.

This is a classic matchstick-firing gun mounted on something resembling a Mercedes truck, with a simple pull-back action it would keep a young you amused for minutes until the polystyrene gave, broke or came apart somewhere!


Other items which with the exception of the 'trench mortar' (rear right) are Manurba, the other may be; I've been told by a German collector that he thinks it is and it's certainly the sort of thing they would make for gift bags or some such. The Jeep and trailer are a bit on the big side for war gaming, the little gun (rear left) also fires matchsticks

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

These look a lot like the Dermatt models. The Sherman is indeed 1/72 for Dermatt, the Panther is around 1/80 and the M46 is 1/100 (near).

Dermatt kits were first issued in the early sixties.

The only Russian tank I have in the small toy-model catagory is a JS III about 1/100 , branded "Mir" . italian ?

JC Carbonel

Hugh Walter said...

Maybe Dermatt got them from Manurba, they supplied Dom, Jean, Tallon, Big and several confectionery agents. They are pictured in a Manurba catalogue from the 50's.

Anonymous said...

Dermatt kits are supposed to have be issued later (sixties to early seventies). So possibly MANURBA indeed supplied Dermatt (or were copied by!).
However the larger kits (AMX 13, EBR, Jeep) have been definitively connected to the French Dinky die-cast so these three must be Dermatt originals ?

JC Carbonel

Hugh Walter said...

Yeah, I think it's only the tank's, Bonux carried them with some original designs and I have a tanker lorry in the same vien but without a mark of any kind?