A is for Airborne Armymen Again!

One day I'll run out of decent titles for these posts, but it isn't today! In the lot Jim sent me the other day, there were two large paratroopers of a design we've seen before here at Small Scale World, both in passing and in depth - when I followed up on the Fairchild version.

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.

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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!