The likelihood is that these can be regarded as
Quiralu; possibly
Wend-Al, but a couple of them are probably
Wend-Al; might be
Quiralu! I did consult Philip Dean's book before preparing the blurb for these pictures, but it wasn't much help, not a failing on the part of the author, just a lack of information generally on the company and its product lines. The vendor feels they are probably all French, but he can't be certain!
Quiralu were named after a Mr. Quirin who started making aluminium toys in 1933, hence 'Quir'(in) +'Alu'(minium) =
Quiralu. When they switched to plastics they added an X, he being from Luxeuil in France . . . which also (by coincidence?) brought them into line with the other x's:
Bonux,
Cofalux and
Starlux!
I think we've seen all three of these as plastics from
Quiralux before, but these are the aluminium versions, two being
Timpo'esque, the third having shades of the German make
Domplast (shared sculptor?), although
Wend-Al did list a paratrooper, so he may be from Blandford?
The baseless bazooka-operator may well also be
Wend-Al as they removed bases toward the end of their existence to save money on what was becoming an uneconomical material, although the pose looks designed to stand-alone anyway, so toss a coin! The other two look a bit French to me?
The Tommie throwing a grenade looks like he ought to be
Wend-Al, and they did catalogue a Machine-gunner, so there could be some Dorset in this shot, but all the figures have similar paint 'signatures' and the US troops were
Quiralu/x poses in Aluminium and plastic so who knows.
Another angle on the two prone poses and a figure which I feel must be a naughty piracy from
Wend-Al? I've added him to the
Khaki Infantry page as well; Britains kneeling firer in aluminium.
Thanks to Adrian Little (
Mercator Trading) for letting me photograph these at Sandown Park the other day, he might have a few copies of Philip's book left as well.
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