E is for Elite Soldier Rack Toy - Not!

The Force Elite Soldiers has no soldiers in it!

Another one sent to the Blog by Peter Evans, and featuring various generic elements we've seen before under other branding's, this set is credited to that timeless rock of the toy industry; Kingstar International! There? Do you hear that? That's Tomy, Hasbro and Mattel quaking in their boots!

The 'bits', the flag will go to charity, the helicopter too probably, but only because I picked a couple up a few years ago in Fire and Police toobs from the now defunct 99p Stores (where they were branded PMS I think) but the carrier will be retained as a sample, it sort of goes with the old Ri-Toys warships, and the trees will go with all the other palm-trees.

These are the best bit, again we've seen them before, both 99p and Poundland (Funrise?) and possibly other generics? I seem to be building complete batteries of these vaguely 1:72nd scale missile launchers (and the other vehicles in the - contract manufactured - series), but it's trying to get each in every colour variation/camouflage which is taking the time!

Just as the Britains khaki infantry and Wild West swoppet piracies of the 60's were copied and copied again, as the Airfix piracies of the 1970's likewise and then the Airfix Paratrooper 'armymen' with generic helmets in the 1980/90's, so these new generics are being copied and re-copied, compare these two and you'll see lots of little differences, they are easy to copy as they are simple mouldings, so pantograph well, but the red one is a poorer copy.

Wales versus Austria? I think we can all agree who'd win, but we also know Germany would get the blame and Austria would be let-off scot-free!