C is for Cavemen - 1: Return to Swoppets

Returning to the figures we looked at backin the summer after Adrian dropped-off a tray of odds, these are the ones I suspect to be Lucky/LP and having combined Adrian's, the ones I had here (some probably from Jim or Trevor) and the storage sample, we can see them fully for what they are.

And what they are; simple swoppet style (or technically 'swivel-waist') cheapy-toys, numbered A80-A83, which places them at the head of the jungle/zoo 'Funimals' (they have lots of titles; Fun Friends, Cartoon Animals, Kookie Animals, but that's the one I use) from LP, A84 is still unknown to me, A85 is the lioness, and it means I'm probably not looking for the anachronistic chinosaurs who were still in the frame last summer, but see below!

This is No. A80, he appears to have secured himself access to cast-iron axe-heads with a central shaft-hole, which leaves him the most advanced hominid on the planet for at least the next 600,000 years!

No. A81; the archer, you can see from the previous shot that there are two versions of loin-cloth, a mossy/grassy one and this one which is sort of stitched-together leaves, bits of bark or giant beetle-shells! They both come in various shades of green.

The problem with this set is that while there are four upper-torso sculpts, there appear to be only three leg poses, the archer (above) and spearman (sharpened pole; below) seem to always share the advancing/braced stance legs, while this pose; A82, and the axmen seem to alternate between the other two bent-knee standing/squatting leg poses.

Assuming they were all on one small tool, and were produced in similar numbers that simply doesn't add-up, so I suspect it's just happenstance that mine seem to have a 'pattern' which wasn't in the original issues, and that owners have swapped (or swopped!) the figures around to give the 'right-looking' legs to the spearman and archer?

Although the poses of archer and bowman here suggest there is a subtle difference between two versions of the spread pose, with the waist-join angled a few degrees differently? Which would make more sense - four and four, randomly issued.

A83. A lot of mine (from different sources, over some years) have traces of red paint, so quite a bloodthirsty set when issued? Rather at odds with the cartoonish animals numbered after them! Maybe I am looking for dinosaurs after all?

As well as different greens for the loin-cloth, the figures themselves vary greatly from a translucent semi-tanned flesh colour, to a full-on oxide or orange-brown, and must have been available for some time, probably (like the Funimals) in various sets and branded to other importers/jobbers or as generics.