E is for Esoteric

If Airfix and Deetail are too 'clean' or Lido too 'Toy' for your liking, while Atlantic may be too big or Esci too small, then what the hell are we supposed to make of this set? Marx's first entry into the British infantry field, was not as pleasing as the latter 54mm sextuplet, and that's for sure! But there is good and bad, useful and not so useful.

My sample is half-and-half Warriors of the World originals and Rado Industries (Ri-Toys) re-issues (which can be labelled Marksmen here in the UK), giving ten poses, but not all complete, due to the polystyrene of the originals being a tad frangible, and the figures over 60-years old?

My styrene officer has lost a thumb, but in war that's probably quite common, and once the stitches have been removed you may get sent back up the line, especially if you're right-handed and the problem is your left thumb, so he stays!

The pack on the grenade thrower is more inter-war period US Army, as is the 'bread-bag' (or is it supposed to be filled with Mills bombs?) but these are OK as 'toy' British WWII soldiers.

As are these, but one is clearly Home Guard or BEF (top left, damaged but I haven't tracked down a Marksmen replacement yet), another seems to be on the range (top right) while a third is in the Western Dessert (bottom right)! But - gasmask case with shorts = Mesopotamia, World War One! Bottom left has a couple of more reasonable poses though.

The standing firer has an - obviously - bent rifle, but I won't be trying to fix it, this old Marx polystyrene is getting very brittle now and complete figures are to be savoured, whatever their condition, not mucked-about with! Also, note the size difference (and sculpting) of the shooter and Tommy-gunner against the figures to their respective lefts.

Again, this guy is more BEF or even WWI'ish and appears to be wearing shoes! he's compared with the 'Britain' figure from the Soldiers of the World set (all marching) and another Frog RAF Regiment chap who's turned-up.

I've lost count of these Frog's now, I think I have nine, a set of four, and five duplicates in three poses? I keep meaning to start a swaps page, when I do they'll go up there, unless Chris Smith or Nazar want to add them to their wants' lists?

Another one which has survived damage and is from the desert, but Mesopotamia again, WWI again, not WWII! That's the trouble with these, they are from all over the place, and that's if you ignore the worst of the anachronistic equipment and the brown boots (please Louis; we've had black boots since . . . nearly forever!), yet they are undeniably charming toy soldiers, even as polypropylene or tinny ethylene re-issues! And the boots thing is inexplicable as they've got the charcoal helmets just right?

The other trio are the rest of the Soldiers of the World marching set, being Canada, Turkey and [South] Korea I think - I've put them away now! We looked at one the other day, another;  the Frenchman, when we looked at French stuff years ago and should have looked at the US ones a while back? The Canadian - in a tam' o-shanter (?) - has brought an elephant-gun to the parade!

Stop Press Image

This turned-up when sorting and putting-away!