The three guns together with a close up of
the Britains piece which is lacking
it's side tools but I seem to recall a post on a bag of bits from a show a
while back in which the tools were to be found . . . all I have to do is find
the bag again!
The darker of the two Hong Kong copies
(both of which have the tool hooks but never had separate tools) is the one
seen previously from the second (carded) issue on Innovative's, while the other may be from the earlier Shell issue, or be another copy
altogether, I don't know?
Comparison doesn't help date the two Hong
Kong copies as the smaller and less detailed oxide brown one actually has the
better barrel, with the 'US' clearly reproduced while it is no more than a
smudge on the Innovative Promotions piece.
It also has more realistic plating on the barrel than the gold-chrome Innovative went with.
Because I am new'ish to this large-scale
malarkey, I don't know how many generations of these there are, I suspect
someone like Rado Industries or Hing Fat might be responsible for one,
but given the differences we've already seen between the two issues of Innovative's (Shell's premiums first and then the Men of '76 anniversary set) I'm tempted to think the smaller one
may be the Shell issue, knowing the other is from a MO'76 card, however, before
TJF and the minions of the PSTSM climb up on their high-horse of idiocy, I'm
musing rather than carving anything in stone!
The ironwork and wood-grain are nicer on
the larger gun, but the wheels (particularly the hubs) are better-rendered on
the smaller-piece, and with the differences in barrel already mentioned, it's anyone's
call as to which is the copy or came first? Unless you happen to have the
smaller one - in mint packaging?
I shot this (TV mini-series, press-release
image) from a recent newspaper (Times
I think?) a few days ago, purely to use 'one day' (imagining sometime in the
middle-distance) in the future, but realising it would be ideal here with
regard to the plastic colours of the carriages; I thought the colours of the
wood of these two, otherwise identical [Polish?] rifles perfectly illustrates
how all figure-painters are correct in their choice of woodwork colour!
One being a dark mahogany, looking like a
hardwood, the other hinting at pine or softwood? Now I realise they may both be
dense-rubber film-props, but I've seen the same differences in older (pre
plastic-furniture) SLR's and the many shades of AK woodwork, again - before
Plastic became the norm, also if they were prop's they'd be more likely to be
painted alike.
The point being both HK guns can sit
together 'on the line', happily!
The guns crewed! Britains get their issued
crew, the question-mark gets a Shell
lady and later US figure, the Men of '76 gun get a British crew, with the mounted officer
put on standing-firers legs and given the Britains
ram-rod.
4 comments:
As a nipper I loved the britians gun. The fact it was loadable and fired by Pressing the pin back into the "touch hole"..Genius
I also had the 155mm gun Breach loader with reloadable Shells! Would ayone make and sell such a Thing These days?
Not even the Chinese can produce such quality for the price with their low-wage, state-controlled economy!
But you can find the quality at the higher-end if you want a die cast car for a few-hundred quid!
H
The lighter carriage cannon came in Zodiac Toys 15p bags with HK copies of Timpo cavalry
Cheers Peter
Strangely that's the second time in less than 24-hours someone has mentioned Zodiac Toys to me!
H
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