These could be European, they could even be
Hong Kong, they may well be British, but from the nature of the box-art; a RCMP
'Mountie' and a First Nation chap being all friendly (The native has a
war-bonnet on and inside the box has got his knife out!) I wonder if they may
be from Canada?
Apart from the piece of artwork you can see
on the lid; there is nothing, anywhere else on - or in - the box, liner or tray
to indicate anything about anyone or anyplace, so still very 'unknown'.
There is some damage to most of them;
either the Indians knife/knife-hand or the horses tails, mainly caused by the
warping of the tray over time . . . but there are one of each good enough for
close-ups!
Quality is better than Hong Kong, bases are
deeper than Nosco and
squarer-cornered than any European margarine premiums, so . . . British or
Canadian? But 'Far West'? A bit odd for Mounties . . . maybe they are
Hong Kong!
We called it the Northwest rather than Far West but the international border is there between the two which is why Sitting Bull led the Sioux over the border after the whole Custer thing. Which could easily be the inspiration. (Of course being more subtle, our politicians just starved them out once the buffalo supply ran low and then sent them home)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, they box looks familiar in style from my childhood but that really means little in a context of where they were made though in those days there were still some made in Canada toy soldiers.
(lousy mountie hat btw but he is in tunic and knee boots so not a cowboy)
Cheers for that Ross, I thought maybe early Reliable or Tudor Rose, both of whom seem to have operated both sides of the pond?
ReplyDeleteH
Reliable toys I had, especially the Fort McKenzie set. My first play set. I still use the ladders from it! It wasn't a US cavalry fort but rather some sort of armed trading post manned by Lido-like semi-flat, no base, plastic cowboys and their Indian enemies! But I loved it.
ReplyDeleteIt's the love 'then', that keeps us collecting 'now' Ross!
ReplyDeleteH