T is for Trojans . . . except most of them are Greek to me!

I don't know if this is a follow-up, further stuff or big box-tick, but I've put the two lots of Britains 'Trojans' together and here they are in all their glory, well, the original Herald issue are pretty glorious, the rest are borderline OK, but they have a timeless toy-charm and we all had some when we were young . . . didn't we?

Agamemnon, hero of the Greeks, became 'Trojan General' and for some reason he's got a Roman standard and is carrying a polished hoplon shield . . . on a horse! Much copied in several scales, he was the duff one really as he wasn't armed with anything useful in mortal combat! Oldest at the top, newest at the bottom, there aren't as many versions with this figure as it's all in the bases, and being baseless, he's harder to sub-divide!

From the rear with a Hong Kong copy on the far right end of the row. The close-up shows how the HK mark is similar to the Britains Reg.Des mark! And the horse marks; I couldn't get the top one to come clear, but the Herald is obvious and the top one's a very glossy polyethylene, odd when the rest of the HK-production was PVC?

Paris, cause of the whole Iliad thing wot 'appened! AND . . . the only Trojan in a set catalogued as Trojan Warriors, but that anomaly will explain why the names were never used commercially.

The earliest is top left, the final incarnation with the separate base is to the bottom right, and above them the earlier HK production, and the 'austerity paint' herald is the broken one; lower-left.

Hector, another Greek Trojan! We won't see another!

Of all the figures, this is the one where there's no real difference in quality with paint versions. While the early Herald figure (top left) has a red hem and the brown shield straps of all 1st versions, the later ones - including the 'austerity' paint, have their bell-cuirass straps painted and leather-shoulder pads/epaulettes painted in, so it's swings and roundabouts with Hector.

Note also that the HK sculpting was cleaned up and late versions (bottom right and right centre) are smoother than the earlier Hong Kong moulding (bottom left). Hot water can solve the bent-spear shaft 'syndrome', but not too hot or it'll shrivel-up like a sun-dried worm!

Three copies, the first two marked Hong Kong and based on the Herald original as far as painting goes the last could be a French or Italian 'bazaar' rack toy, he's unmarked, a sub-piracy and they seem to turn-up over there (Europe) quite often.

Of the two definitely HK ones, the first is a by-hand copy, the other is a more typical [of HK] pantograph clone.

Ajax, main man, another Greek and my favourite sculpt from the set, he more than any of the others conjures-up those Greek warriors standing around the sides of vases and amphora. The first version Herald figure got the colour again! The first of the two separate-based HK figures looks quite sickly, and more like a copy than something Britains put their name to!

The guy bottom-left is the final clearance version with a large, ovoid, separate-base; this base was used with various figures as Britains slid into retirement! There are two versions, this apple-green one numbered 519, and a darker plastic numbered 518, I have no idea why!

One copy and the chap I painted to represent a statue years ago, when as a small scale collector I was clearly looking for an excuse to have one of my childhood 54mm favourites in the stash!

Another heroic name ringing-down the years, almost immortal, half-god, Myrmidon, lover of Patroclus, killer of Hector, Granddad's command, sister-ship to Ajax and err . . . renamed Delhi! When we were kids this and the next figure (below) were the best ones for fighting as they squared-up against each-other really well; being almost, sort-of, not really - mirror-images, but both right-handed.

I seem to have photographed them all with the feet of the top rows obscured, it should be noted that the constant difference with the Herald originals is that they all had their sandal-straps painted-in.

Two copies, Hong Kong on the right and a bright red 'debateable' on the left, again the Hong Kong one is following the Herald version one paint-scheme.

Note the two very different HK integral-bases, one matching the UK issues (middle), the other much bigger all round (purplish-pink, second from left) and probably later.

Oh yes! Ulysses - stroppy poppet - sulking for weeks with his Myrmidons , then, when Troy's burnt to the ground, the Trojans put to the sword and everyone else has pushed-off, he only goes and gets himself a second series; about his trip home - having feigned madness to not have to go in the first place!

Only the one copy and I'm running out of blurb-fodder?!! Plastic's an odd shade and he's following the 1st version colour-scheme again.

He WAS sold as a Roman, so the fact that he looks like a Roman is to be excused. Romans were planned, but only the chariot came out in the mid-1970's for a couple of years. Strangely it's quite common at shows, both boxed and loose, and I can only suppose this was due to poor sales leading to a lot of surviving shop-stock, filtering into collectors hands in later years? Finally they shifted the remaining figures as based foot-figures . . . driving slaves?

As they were sold, this is a late era catalogue image, and to recap on the names they nearly got;

Agamemnon - Mounted - Greek

Paris - Bowman - Trojan

Hector - Spearman - Trojan

Ajax - Standing - Greek

Achilles - Fighting, no cloak - Greek

Ulysses - Fighting, cloak - Greek

A Nobody - Charioteer/Slave Master - Roman

See! They both go so well together!

Now . . . THESE. ARE. NOT. RARE. It has to be said that the Herald 1st version and later 'austerity paint' issue are tending to brittleness now, but any day on feeBay you'll find all the 'Trojans' you want, just don't pay the 80-odd quid 'buy-it-now' someone was asking-for, for a set of six the other day!

The previous post I did on the Hong Kong production versions were from one lot someone (Micheal Melnyc? Thanks anyway!) sent me a while ago, and was one of each from a larger lot, while the mostly Herald stuff in storage was from the big-purchase in 2010. The HK-odds have been show purchases, and are probably the slightly harder to track down, especially in numbers and a couple have come from Charity shops.

Looking at the goldy-bronze highlights on the Hong Kong chap's shield reminded me; there was a very odd set went through Vectis Auctions a while ago, the original Herald set in a hollow-cast type gift/chocolate/tray-box, all the figures apparently 'mint' but all armour, helmets and shields painted dark bronze, it didn't look right . . . ? Although; Bronze WAS what they were using in their pre-historical 'age of mythology'!

I have a few 'total' duplicates and when I have all six (or all five foot figures) I may try painting them-up? And you can see from the pictures I don't have every version of each figure, so there's a few still to find!