I think we had that title on the small-scale 'Khaki Infantry' posts!
I'm on shakier ground with these - in
pretending to know that much about them, that is - if only because I know I'm
missing a few (who could have different or new base marks) and because the two
largest groups of Lucky figures have
either these bases or the ovoid ones we will look at tomorrow, so there's more
likelihood that some of them (such as the first two below) might only have appeared
with a single brand, and/or that there are still base-mark variations to be found?
These two came in some of the pit-stop sets
or racing-car workshop vignettes, and both carry the 1112 mark and as yet haven't
turned-up without it, so may only have been produced for a specific contract?
Equally - I don't know if they have sculpt-origins elsewhere or are original
designs, anybody got any ideas? I would pencil in a lesser US make maybe?
Race Crew
495 - Running with
toolbox and extinguisher
496 - ?
497 - Kneeling with
extinguisher
And those missing numbers I mentioned when
looking at the gap in the firemen numbering? Well we have another gap here
which could well be a missing pose?
These are a mix of influences, the race
crew are (or seem to be from) a US maker, I have Marx/MPC? as the attached
note (I'm sure they're on Kent Sprecher's ToySoldier HQ somewhere, but haven't time to look!) but they may be PP, while the commentators, press/media guys and spectators (most
tomorrow) are from Tri-Ang/Mettoy's Scalextric range.
Note that the guy top left has a little
nipple on his base which is for a spare-tyre which he's rolling across the
forecourt/pits, I may have one in the spares bag, but it's in storage!
The other weird (or 'odd') thing about
these is that having dealt - up to this point - exclusively with hard or
brittle polystyrene plastic (and a bit of softer, flexible polyethylene among
the smaller generics and Blue Box
50mm's); there is a PVC vinyl-rubber issue of some of these (probably all of
them, but I don't have all poses in both materials) which makes storage a pain
as you can't put them in the same bag, they will melt their frangible
clone-cousins!
The top shot shows all my PVC versions with
both base marks (below), while to the bottom-left we have a PVC cameraman to
the right of a polystyrene version, the size difference has nothing to do with
pantographs (or pantograph operators!) and everything to do with the shrinkage
of PVC against styrene polymers.
One of the reasons PVC is such filthy stuff
to work with (and for the wider environment) is the fumes it gives off, those
fumes have mass, the loss of that mass causes the figures to be smaller; from
the same mould. Also: he's slightly bent!
The camera carries the same code number as
the operator and I haven't found one in PVC yet, but have seen a
chromium-plated one which looked a bit naff! Most of the 'absent' figures are
in a later post, but this one (camera-car catalogue image) was collaged-in with
the other cameraman before I decided to break the page into parts/posts.
I have a feeling I've seen a figure which
could be him, so he may have been loose and removable; I suspect the camera was
fixed to the car, but again haven't seen one to know. If anyone has this figure
going spare I'd love to track one down.
The two base marks, I have both types with
the left-hand one in styrene only, while the PVC examples in my collection carry
both marks.
My Laurie
Toys VW Carmen Gia and Caravan (one of several caravan designs from the
extended Lucky-and-others fleet), now
in storage but fortunately photographed years ago before it went away (you may
recognise the old Berkshire flat's carpet!), two holidaymakers or sightseers
(campers? Caravaners in this case but I've seen them with 'just' cars), unfortunately
I never shot the bases, nor made a note of the numbers, so these are among the
'unknown number' list - if anyone can tell us (the wider readership!) the
numbers or confirm the mark-type that would be useful!
Race Crew & Media Types
430 - Rolling
wheel/pushing something
431 - Holding
lap-board
432 - ?
433 - Interviewer
434 - Camera operator
with tripod camera
435 - Announcer with
microphone
Unknown Holidaymakers/Sightseers/Spectators
? - Man with
Binoculars
? - Woman in Skirt
with Hands on Hips
2 comments:
I had these figures when I was younger. The cars were cast metal and of the Formula one stylr of the 50s or 60s.
You may have noticed Dan - the internet shots I posted on Saturday (just gone) had a couple of F1 types and one of them did look to be above the usual plastic average for Lucky, so thanks for that!
There will be a couple of follow-ups, I shot various vehicles and a couple more figures at the Sandown Part toy fair!
H
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