The first five images are from Chris Smith
and I hope he won't mind me saying they weren't the best, but I've done what I
can to embiggen them, and brighten them up a bit . . .
. . . and these are they, you should
recognise them if you collect ceremonial, early British plastic, or 54mm. They
are similar to both, and almost the cross-pollinated offspring-of; Britains Herald and Gemodels, being (I seem to recall - they're not in front of me) between
the two in both size and sculpting and are manufactured in a non-chalky
polyethylene.
Moving arms on shoulder-pegs (as opposed to
arm-spigots) and their similarity to the slightly smaller Gem's might suggest a second version from Gem, or contracted by Culpitt
from Gem (I don't think I've ever
seen them with icing-remains?) or someone else?
Now I was going to stick my neck out here,
put my neck on the block and get a bit necky, necking-it with the suggestion
that the connection with Musgrave at Gem
Models might lead us to the door of the Kenway
Cycle Shop and Kentoys, but,
apart from the fact that there was a flaw in that suspicion, namely; Kentoys already had a Household
Cavalryman, with a swappable arm, as we've seen here, previously at Small
Scale World, who was handed-on to Cavendish,
and produced in both colours (red and blue), There is a third option, as
'obvious' as Gem or Kentoys . . .
. . . Airfix!
The only other figures commonly appearing with this dead-centre, front-of-base,
mould-release pin mark, are the early Airfix
'eight' later issued by Featherlight
in Australia and an unknown New Zealand firm, both of whom issued the figures
with the same marks, as it's a 'signature' of the tool (and possibly the
tool-manufacturer), not the sculptor, although - a caveat - they may have
started 'down' there and come 'up' here, no one's sure?
[I think the one with a dark-green base (asterisked)
has been repainted by an owner?]
The arguments for each are good, lots of
companies produce two versions of some of their figures, so both Gem/Culpitt and Kentoys/Cavendish could be in the frame, while those base marks are
very Airfix (and are now my favored
option), however, the bases are painted the same colours as all those minor
make offshoots - Speedwell, Trojan, Una and VP we tend to associate
with Kentoys - though the khaki
infantry.
Seen here
previously but I couldn't be arsed to dig them out and re-shoot them!
Also the horse is more of a Britains' piracy (mounted highland
officer?), so while it would be nice if they were Gemodels, nicer-still if they were Kentoy and really-nice if they were Airfix, I suspect we have to also look to the four pirates for our
answer, and recent developments in Plastic
Warrior?
And the obvious one there is Speedwell, as they turned to un-chalked,
glossy polyethylene for their later khaki infantry and Cowboys & Indians?
They (the figures) only seem to have had
Lifeguard iteration (no blue ones) and may well have been produced for a
third-party supplying the tourist-novelty/keepsake market . . . even Cavendish!
The mark is not reproduced on the [what I believe
are] Trojan versions of the Airfix paratrooper which now looks to be
from the recently discovered (by Colin Penn) BR 'plastic machine' moulds, which would leave Trojan (if they had some or a set of those moulds) as a second
front-runner in a five horse race! And; might point to these being from BR tools, but re-fitted for commercial
operation in a bigger multi-cycle machine, as they are far more common than
most of the stuff it now looks like came from there?
However, there's no sign of a release-pin
on those moulds for which the front is shown in PW's 176 (current) and 174
(back-issues and subscriptions available), so they would need to have
been Airfix first, to have had the
mark reproduced, if they were BR, and
if so for these; why not for the paratrooper?
What do you think . . . or know? Have you
found dodgy, crumbly or polystyrene versions of these, with odd paint or no
paint? Colin? I hate to point the finger, but you've got the BR mould list . .
. any Lifeguards or 'Household cavalry' listed?
I favour Airfix, from the commercial aspect and numerousness of them AND the
base mark, but they may-well have made them exclusively for a third party
contract, and Airfix had had a
Household Guardsman of their own in the 'Bergan/Beton'
set? Is that plastic the same colour as the late, post-chalk, slightly flashy,
HO-OO Guards?
Also Airfix
seem to have indulged in a bit of piracy over the years and mightn't have wanted
their name associated with these Britains
knock-offs? But that only means they must have (or 'probably') had another
branding, if only a phantom?
Chris - many-thanks for the images;
'probably maybe might be' Airfix . .
. for . . . someone else? And . . . can you set me an easier one next-time!!
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