K-WHW Das DRK is for All Sorts of Things!

This set used to be so simple . . .

"Seen this before?"

"Yeah, WHW that is, dead-rare, the first plastic toys ever made..."

 . . . would say the wise cove from the 'old guard' over yer' young-pup's shoulder.

But actually, it's all more complicated than that, and several people seem to have done plastic toys or novelties before them (the Nazi's), not least Bergan Toys (Beton) in the US. But back to the title first; Kriegs-Wintershilfswerk für das Deutsche Rote Kreuz, or wartime winter-relief by the German Red Cross, it's all a bit of a mouthful, and - as we shall see - a moveable feast.

 We did look at these a while ago to almost the same level as this post (not quite a complete set . . . or sets!?), but I've got my Plastic Warrior magazine issue 84 (1995) out of storage, and it's worth having yours (if you've got one) to hand for this post; pp's-22/23.

It's also a late addition to today's line-up which was going to be the next two posts, only, but I picked-up two more ships and colour variant Panzer III's from Mr Little (Mercator Trading, who still has a few) at the recent PW show in Whitton/Twicker's*, so I've re-written the second post in order to simplify it, and will explain the multi-set stuff here.

*I picked up four more two weeks later and took some shots which are near the end of the post.

Paratrooper, field telephone, range-finder (or dodgy mortar sculpt?) and a 'panzer' grenadier! Some people think it's a mortar, due to the lack of a base-plate I suspect they are setting-up an artillery rangefinder, but the sculpt isn't clear, so it's the owner's call and today that means it's a range-finder!

I first came across the ID for these on-line where an apparently knowledgeable German site back in the day had them as definitely (or definitively) a 1941 issue, specifically: March 1941, where they were titled 'Darstellungen der Wehrmacht' which as a direct translation gives Representations of the Armed Forces, or more properly as Examples of the Armed Forces, and was a German Red Cross collection, the DRK having been Nazified in the same way all the non-governmental 'organs of state' in Iraq were Baath'ified.

Spandau MG42 on a low-recoil sustained-fire mounting, set low, a mounted wiring-party and a dispatch rider. The pair of animals and rider in the wiring party seem to have been based on the single figure (rather than the other way round, the lone get-up is a slightly better quality sculpt), with horse-leg perspective reversed. While the MG depicted seems to be the '42 model (then brand new), but with an anachronistic pipe for a water-cooled weapon; when both the MG38 and '42 were air-cooled with changeable barrel-housings.

In the PW magazine there were two sets shown, one submitted by Michael Mordant-Smith, and believed to be a shop/window display, was self-described Kriegs-WHW 1940/41 Tag der Deutschen Wehrmacht, which - later portion - translates directly as Day of The German Forces, or more fluidly as The German Forces Today (or 'now'). This suggests - from the dates - the set was available (or being 'hawked') through the whole winter.

But also in that issue; 84, was a presentation book/box with a  pull-ribbon which enabled several of the models to stand-up when the cover was open, submitted by Brian Shorthouse, it was dated to 1940 only and titled Kreigshilfswerk für das Deuschen Rote Kreuz (war relief from the German Red Cross).

So you can have Winter Relief, War Winter-relief or plain [honest] War Relief! It's all (the money) going to the Nazi's! But . . . is no different to our flag-days or sponsor a tank/Spitfire type single-village, school, factory or WI (&etc.) fund-raisers, nor any different to the US flat we saw a while back courtesy of Chris Smith. Incidentally; a polystyrene flat, dating from the same era!

The point I'm getting to is that this set, which in the past when I've posted it I've always referred to with the 'March '41' info., was clearly available over some time from 1940 to 1941, and seems to have had several issues, as possibly evidenced here by the difference in plastic colour between a near silver/bare-metal vehicle on the left, and a mid-grey tank on the right.

In the magazine the 1940/41 sample seems to be toward the grey, the book display looking toward the silver?

While I don't have all the Naval or Luftwaffe elements of the set/s (see below), I do have all the army elements now - I think? Not unsurprisingly, given the various dates, all the equipment shown - where service date is applicable - is early war stuff, when this set was issued Russia was still 'on board' and the French/Low Countries and Norway campaigns were fresh in the minds of the populace.

This also points to extra-issues; there were two versions of this little anti-tank gun, and there may well be solid versions of other two-part scupts turn-up?** Hard to know which came first, but as with the riders; there is slightly more finesse to the glued-together example, so I imagine it was the earlier version. The solid also carries a numeral '2', probably a mould-tool/cavity number? My 'kit' has a damaged barrel.

** They have, see late shots below.

Highlighted in the past posts on the subject, and also pointing to numerous issues, the '88 on the left in both shots is both a finer-detailed sculpt and over-painted flat or 'satin' silver on a black-plastic base material; another clue to multiple issues.

Heavies; I haven't researched the right-hand piece, but it looks a bit WWI to me! I guess it's a brigade or divisional level heavy howitzer for sieges or barrages . . . is it what was hidden in a Brumbar?! And; I'm not that sure about the left-hand one being an sFH.18, but it's similar!

My Navy; the original cause of this post! They definitely aren't to scale, and I seem to be missing four two of a possible seven. The one I'd like to find is the three-mast training/cadet vessel with 22 sheets to the wind, it's a fine little model of a clipper-ship, looking very much like later, post-war margarine premiums!

Titles are purely guesswork, but it seems to be two smaller warships and a pair of biggies, with the sub' (and the motor launch and sailing ship), but as you can see the largest model isn't the recognisable large ship to its right, also it (the left hand one) is a single shot moulding and seems too often have the slight cooling-distortion/bend in it seen here.

It should be noted that the largest vessel (top left) is subject to losing its front, upper tower (as mine has), it should sit on the little nipple at the back of the box behind the turret, and which gives it quite a different look; for some time I was looking for an eighth ship!

My air-force is also at half-strength***, with an absent ME109 (early version) and a twin-engined bomber/fighter-bomber also missing. The Messerschmitt is a single-piece moulding, while the others have glued-on propellers; my Henkel's weren't glued on very well and have been flung-off upon starting without damaging the locating shafts.

*** Now both presented below with damage.

Images courtesy of Mercator Trading

A further complication in trying to ascribe these to each of the known or reported issues is that there are as many as three variations of some (or all?) of the individual mouldings. This may be something as simple as several factories being required to handle the masters in order to manufacture separate tools, so that for the period of the 'promotion' the millions of products needed - in a short space of time - were ready.

But . . . it could also point to either simplification of manufacture (in which case the solid versions of the two-part sculpts would likely be the latter ones) to reduce costs/time to the manufacturer, or an austerity measure, sent down from central government, to reduce vital war material use (the plastic); in which case the hollow, two-part ones might be the later sculpts?

As far as the grenade-thrower above is concerned, the first scenario would leave all three versions contemporaneous, while in the case of the economic theories, the former would leave the left hand figure as probably the last to be issued, the latter might have the middle figure as the final version!

A graphic of the data to-date, from my examples, I hope it will change over time, does anyone else know of single-moulding versions of the two-part sculpts, or any other over-painted examples?

Of note is that the two sets shown by Plastic Warrior all those years ago manage to ignore the range-finder ['mortar'] and split the rest of the set between them; twelve-each and with one duplicate? Oh; and of all the WHW's out there, these are about the least-rare; another sign of multiple issues.

Late additions; The  'Corvette' (with heavy flash/gate-mark on the bow), the two missing 'planes (both with damaged propellers) and a silver-on-black plastic version of the field-telephone vignette (also with better etching than the unpainted issues).

I think I'm only looking for the motor boat and the sailing ship to complete the samples, but if I'm still looking for up to four versions of each (solid, two-part, two-part hollow, and finer, over-painted) - I have a long, long way to go yet!