L is for LP (part 4)

Another favorite of mine over the years has been the vast range of variants of the LP/Golden/Tri-ang Spacex figures, along with their Robots, and I'll be returning to them again, but for now here are a few of the larger ones.

A good range of different treatments in 54mm of all 8 poses of astronaut. From left to right we have two 'painted fronts' (as opposed to painted both sides/all over) in soft ethylene white plastic, followed by an unpainted one, then a couple of the late coloured ones, a very late hard nylon type plastic one with a chromium finish and two unpainted final versions. These last types can still be found languishing in the dustier corners of older bakers and cake decorating shops.

The later 'Painted fronts' have blue eyes, rather than the black of earlier versions.

The very first runs were painted on both sides, and here we find the earliest styrene issue, again all 8 poses, but showing the reverse, you can follow the issues by how much paint they have! Paper on the base points to them having been glued into Blue Box type window-boxed display sets.

More early issues, again painted on both sides but in ethylene, these early products even have the bases painted, the first thing to go! I have later red ones with no paint, but have yet to find a green one. The green one - of course - does away with the need to paint the base!

A carded set with the Robots in large scale, they're quite uncommon in the bigger size, usually turning up with the small scale figures. Note also (not that clear in the picture I know!) that the two Robots are both fitted with piercings, almost certainly this set was produced after the mold had been permanently converted to produce Key Ring charms. Also of note is the ubiquitous pirated Roco-minitanks Pz.IV chassis!


Another chassis but with different superstructure (the Lone*Star rocket launcher, another much pirated design!), three more - earlier - Robots and another with the key-ring piercing, unusually he's the only one in my collection of these in a PVC vinyl.

The relative rarity of the Robots in larger sizes probably stems from the visual appearance of them once the holes had been drilled, these HK producers would hawk their wares to all and sundry, and people wouldn't have put in orders for 'damaged' moldings.