So, the first pile was 'Armymen'; dark
green, and included some figures taken from the old Arco set of Rambo
figures, a Matchbox radio operator, Airfix running German infantryman and three prone figures of more
original design, the left hand one is closer to the Atlantic Marine than the Airfix
one, the middle guy might have a bit of Airfix
Russian grenade-thrower about him, and the right-hand one looks vaguely
European . . . Atlantic, Layla? I've seen those crossed ankles
somewhere . . . Reisler? It is isn't
it? The Reisler wire-cutting guy?
The second pile was paler 'Armymen', and
had the variant of the Airfix running
guy who seems to have originated in a set of Hong Kong figures sent to France,
I know mine come from Samewise (link), there's another Rambo pose and I'm not sure about the grenade thrower, the prone
are again interesting with a BAR-gunner and another Reisler-like figure, while the two standing figures look familiar
but I can't place them right this moment - coastguards?
It was looking like they probably belonged
together with the first lot, but I try to be diligent in these matters and was
at the same time building a third, smaller pile of . . .
. . . bog-standard, Airfix umpty-something-generation copies in a third shade of green!
Because they have been copied from already appalling figures, they do look a
little different to the other two lots with a flashy join-line and lumpier
detailing, but the base edge matches . . .
. . . and they all have the same mark? So
as with the Wild West set, I think they do all go together, and further, the
CHINA is the same as yesterday's set so I'm guessing they are from the same
source.
All together and - again - from behind; is
the grenade thrower from a WWII Japanese figure; BMC or AIP . . . Rado? And the Rambo rocket Launcher now looks a bit Cherilea modern/NATO 54mm swoppet!
I have heard several anecdotal (and not so
anecdotal - from the horse's mouth) stories of rich Singaporean, Malaysian and
Hong Kong collectors [or businessmen claiming to be collectors?] offering
European collectors big-bucks for whole collections. Could that have anything
to do with this sudden flowering of variety in army men pose-counts in sets
which had been getting a tad tired through the turn of the century? Or are
those Russians working with Chinese producers feeding their spare figures to
the awoken very awake dragon?
More thanks to Peter E for another
interesting and eclectic set of modern-production figures.
PS - I think all five prone figures
are ex-Reisler sculpts? Brilliant . .
. unless you're Reisler!
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