K is for Kleeware

So we're back to the UK to look at some of the non-space stuff from Kleeware, in the smaller scales. They made/marketed both Pyro and Ideal originals, and downscaled their own work (see last image).

First as promised the 25mm'ish trucks, these are of Pyro parentage, and their origins as more brightly coloured civil vehicles can be seen from the load/body types. The one back right clearly started life as a Soda-crate delivery truck!

These are - I think - Kleeware originals, and are based on the Humber mentioned below, this time with the cab-rings and covers. About 1:160 (N-Gauge), this truck is one of the items most copied by the Hong Kong guys, and is still turning up in Christmas crackers, I'll cover them in the next few days.

The range of body-types would suggest that Kleeware were copying the Lone*Star range, but with a simplified mounting on the Plug-ins and a couple of covered superstructures. Manurba in Germany had a go with their truck design and sold them within the UK under the Tallon brand.

Close-ups of the little trucks, with the canon from the famous Kleeware Castle. Construction of the cannon is the same simple one-piece of the early space stuff Like the X-100 shown below somewhere, while the little trucks require quite complicated pre-sale assembly, having a chassis, cab bed and body/plug-in.

The small scale version of the 'Crusaders Castle', the figure is 54mm. I think this is complete apart from two more corner strengtheners and a flag pole, however the original has a square tower at either end, so there may be a large chunk still to find?

It's the only one I've ever seen so can't have been as popular as the 54mm one and Kleeware can't have had high hopes for it as they didn't scale-down the cannon which - therefore - barely fits in the courtyard!