Well; we now have another UK branded
version, this time Rosebud; better
known for their dolls but we have also looked at their construction sets here,
in the past. There are differences between the two, but if anything they help
to sort them out, as while the Fairchild
is the better finished, the Rosebud
is the fuller-detailed, (rounded buttons against Fairchild's hinted buttons - that sort of thing) suggesting Rosebud's was first and the Fairchild came later when techniques had
improved, but there's no evidence for it and whichever was first, we don't know
if the other was a copy, or licensed, although both companies were operating on
(or off!) the A1/M1-corridor (if memory serves), so they probably had talked to
each other about the toy.
The other paratrooper Jim sent is third
from the left in the above line-up and is the biggest Hong Kong version to date
(here; I may have others in storage), being a copy of the Rosebud sculpt with the larger, slightly lop-sided helmet, as
opposed to the current Jaru (et al) offering, which is a re-cut of
the Fairchild version with the
slimmer/rounder helmet.
Most of the others follow the Rosebud version, the red one has a
question mark, as he is so clean he may be a more recent 'China' rather than
older 'Hong Kong' moulding, the apparent rifle-but sticking out of his side is
the remains of a runner-tip.
From the left, Jaru Shelfie from the 'States courtesy of Brian Berke; Jaru at Asda Supermarkets version bought by me a few years ago and finally Kids Fun from The Works last year sometime? There are subtle differences between
the ConUS and UK cards, but they may be no more than batch changes and of
little significance.
Close up of the new donation from Jim with
the marking in the same place and similar style as the Fairchild one; in the
parachute cavity.
Both the Brits alongside their colonial
pirate, the image serves to suggest further that the Fairchild came later as both the Rosebud and the HK copy are heavier sculpts and share some
features, while the Fairchild has
slimmed in the adding of detail, clearly: if the Fairchild had been around first (to be copied) the other two
wouldn't be so well-fed! Also note how the HK copy has 'got' the Rosebud face, the significance of which
will be seen after the next image.
When I said the Rosebud had better detail above, I wasn't contradicting the fact
that I'm now saying the Fairchild has
more detail, it's that the Fairchild
has better engraving, but the details on the Rosebud are richer somehow . . . painterly; if that makes sense?
And if it doesn't; you should stick to the pictures and not read the blurb!
The HK copy however, is the most
fascinating example of the pirates art, there is no sculptural element here at
all, whatsoever; from a arms-length away he looks as believable as the other
two, yet look closely and you realise he is a series of milling-marks and
that’s all, no engraver was involved in the preparation of the moulding, well,
maybe he was allowed to spend fifteen-minutes sanding/polishing the face?!!
Layered like a 3D deposition-tank or
sintered-powder model, the fine-lines
are where the pantograph has been used to cut straight into the steel tool
block (possibly brass but by the 1970's steel was becoming the norm),
transferring rough shapes and contours across from the (almost certainly Rosebud) work-piece being copied, and
after a test-shot had been taken of that first stage, the decision not to
finish the mould-tool by hand was made - time is money. Webbing detail and pockets etcetera; being
also and only milling marks - it's crude, but it's clever.
===============
I happen to know the Rosebud original was sold as The Red Devils Parachutist as I have an
evilBay auction image of one 'on-the-card' from ages ago in the Rosebud folder on the dongle, and it's
interesting to think this pose is now probably over 50-years old, yet the
current, well-spread and easily-available Jaru
sculpt/re-sculpt is still not shabby!
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