B is for British . . . Troops From Matchbox

I had intended this to be a post on the Eighth Army, but is all went a bit pear shaped, in the course of which I remembered the British Infantry were in Picasa (since 2013 - it's a long-tailed, greater-spotted queue!), and by the time I'd tried to strainten the pear, I realsied it was easier to run them together and re-vistit them seperately (or at least the 8th') at some point in the future.

Supposed to be the group shot of the Matchbox 8th Army (knowing the officer (?) was missing), but spot the [not] deliberate mistake! Somehow there's a British infantryman from the European theatre set running along with his full battle dress! It'll all be clear in a sec'.

Given a Highland regimental-theme with a kilted bagpiper and some Tam-o-Shanter's (it's the Tobruk movie's scene isn't it!), they are a nice set and enhanced the Airfix set, also being well-equipped with Bren-guns - as well-equipped as the Cherilea 60'mil's!

Some colour variations and that dusty/chalky surface-deposit thing going-on again with all but three of them.

We have looked at several sets of copies already; Brian Berke has sent one, if not two, and others were pulled-together in a posts a year or two ago, these are very similar in plastic-type (tinny polyethylene) and colour (electric puke-green) as some Rado Industries stuff but the bases aren't typical for them so juries' still out on that one! And Ri-Toys had sets of Airfix-copies as their 8th Army, but they may have contract-manufactured these for someone else?

It was while taking the lower shot of these that I realised there were problems with the first shot above, beyond a missing officer (or two!), not only had a British Infantryman snuck into shot, but he was replacing the missing runner (third from right here), in that tub of the 8th Army 'zone', more than the photograph!

Now, I knew the missing officer was here (left image, right-hand figure), but had forgotten Monty! And they were in the WWII British (non desert) 'zone' in the attic where we have been dipping into them over the last few years (which is why they have been sitting in Picasa with a few ones' and two's!).

So anyway I dug this photo' out for the one officer, realised I needed both, but having already put the rest of the 8th Army away again, thought "Sod-it, I'll run the two sets together!". The right-hand image is cropped out of the Solpa set, which otherwise contains Airfix Copies and - as a whole image - is destined for the relevant page on the Airfix blog; picture courtesy of Kostas from Greece.

Of-course, I am still missing an officer (or officer-type); the guy in tank overalls from this set! So we will need to return to them both one-day, but perhaps only on the A-Z page.

In the meantime this is the rest of the gang, almost as well-equipped with Bren's, they also have a US bazooka and a mean-looking (but tad-fictional) flame-thrower - look out Fritz, it's June 6th and your card is well and truly marked!

I think I did pull the left-hand image out once before? There are two prone figures in the box, and for reasons known only to Matchbox's engineers, they differ, with one having a bayonet toothpick and the other a bare muzzle. I imagine damage to the mould cavity was behind the variation?

Colour variation and the surface-deposit thing again in the right-hand shot.

We have seen these sub-scale copies before (in the post alluded to above - try the Matchbox tag), but I thought I ought to compare them as they were to-hand, came with a little bagged rack-toy from Peter Evans if I recall correctly?

The bottom right-image compares the Rommel to the two we saw the other day as a late 'can't stop the presses - they've already printed', Deutsche Afrika Korps picture! The other will have to wait for the US Infantry!

Thanks to Peter and Kostas for the extra's - they all enhance the whole!