C is for Crusadeing for Cherilea

I know I've said before I like the gangly 60mm Cherilea Swoppets, and thought I'd have a look at the whole lot, which taken from my collection is er...not a lot! However, if you like the look of these and don't yet subscribe to Plastic Warrior, you could cross the editor's palm with a small donation and start collecting the back-issues with Matt Thier's Cherilea swoppets articles.

So - my favourites; I have quite a few of these as I tend to keep buying them (in fact there's a whole bag of bits off-camera),  when I see them and Mike Melnyk is to be thanked for a few others. I love the colours, the toy-like quality, the wild thrusting poses, the big 'wooden' shields. the whole package.

We looked at a rather nice mounted figure Here a while ago.

Crusaders where also made in 60 and 54mm and I have a whole one...of each! I think the shield may be from a 60mm figure, but the only one I have won't take it as his hands are welded together above his head!

 

I can never remember if these are Essem or Ellem (or something else?), I'm pretty sure it's Ellem, so have tagged the photo 'Essem'! . They were made in Hong Kong for Cherilea toward the end, and can be differentiated from the more common copies of Timpo knights and crusaders by the larger oblong-bases and painted leg-mail. Also they have 'Cherilea' faces, while other HK piracies have the full-face helmets of the standard Timpo (mid-production years) knights/medievals, in various plug-on, primary colours.