U is for Unknown Wild West Flats - 2 - Common Type - Pod Feet

So . . . we've visited these a while ago, as direct a result of the original article in Plastic Warrior magazine issue 15 and I muttered about three types in storage, well; here they all are, only there were four types and a fifth, similar chap!

This is the sample size I'm working from, with little clue-wise on the cards apart from the possibility that the larger version may be Italian, I would only have written the note if one of the Italians who came to the old Russell Square Toy Soldier Shows had told me so?

The cowboy poses; from the apparently commoner (and certainly more numerous) version. Their colour-scheme differs from the Indians greatly, being a cold, metallic palate with a few blues and greens thrown-in to reinforce dampness!

Compared to the Indians (next shot) they also lack mounted poses (spell-check wants a 'posse'!), I expect some more to turn up at some point, indeed, I expect more poses all-round; I think we're looking for a 20-a-side for a minimum 40-count?

Funny!

Note three different poses of lassoer, including a Britains Herald copy . . . or if these are as early as they might be; did the Britains sculptor have one of these Flats on his desk? I thing it's the flats plagiarising, as there is derivation of other makers figures too.

The Indians come in fiery reds, yellow and oranges, along with some fawn/brown ones and the odd bit of marbling. They have 19-poses to the cowboys' 16, but as we will see in a minute, there may be a 21 count for these chaps already?

Again there seems to be the influence of various other fully-round figures, including Bergen/Beton and continental plastics?

The four types I have now;

On the left are larger (possibly Italian) versions, without the little pilloti or 'columnette' between the pod-foot base and the figures. Actually the metallic-red cowboy ends-up slightly smaller as a result, so the copying was probably by pantograph, with some variance in the size change/difference between the two sets.

In the middle the common versions, with to the upper right three soft plastic ones, which could be from the 1970's, and may be Christmas Cracker things, or those Maltese 'throw from the window' things we looked at with the zoo animals from the Swagman's Daughter?

Bottom right are those previously claimed as WHW, I think that's obviously a red-herring now, and while these two are a tad chunkier (they've been fattened-up to demi-rond!) and obvious copies, they are probably 'after' the common set.

Also; 1) I think the marbled one I shot with another silver firer last time was actually from one of the other two sets (possibly the 'Italian' set, he was quite large) and 2), both these small samples add mounted figure poses to the grand total, which if they are also from the common set (as sculpts) would give the 21-count as a starter for the Indians?

Then there's this chap! Better finish, new pose, with more substantial, sharper chamfered baseletts/pod-feet, the chamfer is reversed from the other sets as well.

I kept the other figure in the pack in case it was the delivery vehicle, like cereal-premiums, but after photographing them it's obviously some dealer's nonsense, the figure's damaged in two places but the bits aren't in the bag! And if he belongs to the common set, he's in the wrong colour!

If the musing by myself last time about cigarette-premiums is anywhere near the truth, there may only be two or three types here, with a larger variation of sculpts - by way of cavities or replacement moulds - within the full set, but I've sorted enough figures over the years to be happy with the demarcations I've given them at the moment!