T is for Two...Paratropper Boxed Sets, or; A is for Again?

We have looked at these before here, but the abiding interest in them means that there are unlikely to be complaints about a return visit!

They are - of course - the SuperDeetail Paratroopers from Britains, but compared to the replacement set as a side-by-side....sort of!

So the six-figure set (above) as issued by Britains in limited numbers (see my thoughts on the numbers question in the link above) with two of the older Herald scenic pieces and below that the seven-figure replacement set, which had no accessories.

In total there were - effectively - eight poses, four of which were wholly dropped (kneeling firer, 1st grenade thrower and both weapon at waist poses), two adjusted/simplified (call it redesigned; standing firer and ATGW firer) and two new (2nd grenade thrower and officer). Plastic Warrior magazine No. 150 had images of a ninth pose, or the three-times sized master for one, another weapon at waist figure which never got to 54mm production size (back issues from the normal sources, or...subscribe!).

Close-ups of the figures in the earlier set, you can see how the flesh has run down the underside of the GPMG and up the side of the rocket-launcher. But note also how the catches on the webbing are over-moulded in black, the rank insignia, the elasticated cuffs of the para-smocks, they would have been fantastic figures if they'd worked and the ones that turn-up are still quite fine.

The replacement, two-each of the Toms and one officer would suggest a shortage of officers over-all, but having handled plenty of these I can say they are all about as common as each other, the counter boxes presumably balancing things out, but the grenade thrower is the harder to get a good sample of as he's the more likely to be damaged.

The pocket-catalogue image from 1978 (so 'good for' 1979), they weren't actually in the '79 pocket-catalogue! I've seen the blister-packs, and with this boxed set it would seem that the relative rarity of these is down to the counter-pack orders having probably not been fulfilled until the replacement figures were ready in the 1980's...

...which, when they arrived were still very good figures, I'm missing a pose from these here, but mine are in storage, these are some old photographs of figures I put on FeeBay at 99p, all of which went for around the 2.50 mark, which was OK, they are not remotely rare in this configuration, Note how the colours of the plastic vary from batch to batch, with the added deliberate move to brown boots and rifles on the Marines and SAS and black webbing on the Marines. Overall though they are as good as - or better - than anything Timpo was doing.