About Me

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No Fixed Abode, Home Counties, United Kingdom
I’m a 60-year-old Aspergic gardening CAD-Monkey. Sardonic, cynical and with the political leanings of a social reformer, I’m also a toy and model figure collector, particularly interested in the history of plastics and plastic toys. Other interests are history, current affairs, modern art, and architecture, gardening and natural history. I love plain chocolate, fireworks and trees, but I don’t hug them, I do hug kittens. I hate ignorance, when it can be avoided, so I hate the 'educational' establishment and pity the millions they’ve failed with teaching-to-test and rote 'learning' and I hate the short-sighted stupidity of the entire ruling/industrial elite, with their planet destroying fascism and added “buy-one-get-one-free”. Likewise, I also have no time for fools and little time for the false crap we're all supposed to pretend we haven't noticed, or the games we're supposed to play. I will 'bite the hand that feeds', to remind it why it feeds.

Friday, May 1, 2020

SCUBA is for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

I think . . . I didn't check it! And invented or developed from nascent military experiments to commercial/civilian-use by Jacques Cousteau and his team of early eco-filmographers.

There really only appears to be one set of note out there which is the Lone Star set of eight, upon which most others have then be derived, there are stand-alone figures from smaller toys - the two Britains Minisets for instance, Ideal - and Jecsan did some nice ones with sea creatures, but Lone Star seem to have carried the day over four or five decades with this subject.

Commando Divers; Diver Figures; Diver Figurines; Hing Fat; Hing Fat Divers; James Bond 007; James Bond Related; Jaques Coustau; Lone Star; Lone Star Divers; Lone Star James Bond; Navy Divers; Ocean Explorers; SBS; Scuba Divers; Secret Service; Skindivers; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Special Forces; Sub-Aqua Divers; Thunderball;
They were issued in three schemes, these are the 'James Bond' set, referencing the movie Thunderball (I think?) and were the last version so the easiest to find, as (like the Afghans) there was a number of ex-shop stock boxes, of near-mint examples, kicking around after the hobby got organised in the mid-1980's.

They went alongside bare-skin versions (as enemy), pink plastic with coloured swimming-trunks, while the first versions were in the same heavy-rubber suited (military?) black of the mini-sub' crew we saw in the previous post.

Commando Divers; Diver Figures; Diver Figurines; Hing Fat; Hing Fat Divers; James Bond 007; James Bond Related; Jaques Coustau; Lone Star; Lone Star Divers; Lone Star James Bond; Navy Divers; Ocean Explorers; SBS; Scuba Divers; Secret Service; Skindivers; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Special Forces; Sub-Aqua Divers; Thunderball;
There are eight poses altogether, but I've not found the chap carrying a wrench yet. Two of the figures (top left) are designed to stand up (not very successfully!), one shining a light, while the other chisels something off a rock-face or sunken hull . . . or sets charges on a bridge!

Commando Divers; Diver Figures; Diver Figurines; Hing Fat; Hing Fat Divers; James Bond 007; James Bond Related; Jaques Coustau; Lone Star; Lone Star Divers; Lone Star James Bond; Navy Divers; Ocean Explorers; SBS; Scuba Divers; Secret Service; Skindivers; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Special Forces; Sub-Aqua Divers; Thunderball;
Much copied, the little 'lamp' being replaced by a more substantial arc-light type thing, they can be found in various sizes - at least four. Most of these are later types, with the additional swimming pose (middle-left) and have all had their tanks enlarged. Some of these may still be out there if you're lucky, but are common-enough in mixed lots on feebleBay.

The two larger (yellow and white) ones, with both arms forward, are from another source and were just in the tub with the multi-coloureds!

Commando Divers; Diver Figures; Diver Figurines; Hing Fat; Hing Fat Divers; James Bond 007; James Bond Related; Jaques Coustau; Lone Star; Lone Star Divers; Lone Star James Bond; Navy Divers; Ocean Explorers; SBS; Scuba Divers; Secret Service; Skindivers; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Special Forces; Sub-Aqua Divers; Thunderball;
Most of the previous shot originate with these reprobates; Hing Fat, although they will have copied them from the slightly earlier (slightly bigger) ones! This is the 'two-kids' logo packaging; from a 2006 magazine ad.

Commando Divers; Diver Figures; Diver Figurines; Hing Fat; Hing Fat Divers; James Bond 007; James Bond Related; Jaques Coustau; Lone Star; Lone Star Divers; Lone Star James Bond; Navy Divers; Ocean Explorers; SBS; Scuba Divers; Secret Service; Skindivers; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Special Forces; Sub-Aqua Divers; Thunderball;
These are also based-upon the Lone Star sculpts, although there are changes, and my 'young' collection is mostly Hong Kong-marked (usually on the flipper) copies, although I think these are mostly earlier than the previous multicoloured ones (some of which are 'China' marked), with a possible original (Spanish?) top left, but he's so tatty it's hard to tell - however he's larger and unmarked. The three main sizes are all painted with the same scheme of yellow helmet/hood and red straps.

Likewise the pair at the bottom may be LS originals, but are so play worn as to be un-callable. The major change with these is that they have a rudimantry chest-pack breathing apparatus, rather than tanks on the back, a situation reversed by the four newer HK/China figures who have had tanks added (middle row), and a possible new pose with dart-gun, but he may be in the earlier sets, I've only found a few of each?

The chap middle-right is from, or belongs to, the previous 'hing fat' line-up where he's the smallest size, as a guide to all of them.

Commando Divers; Diver Figures; Diver Figurines; Hing Fat; Hing Fat Divers; James Bond 007; James Bond Related; Jaques Coustau; Lone Star; Lone Star Divers; Lone Star James Bond; Navy Divers; Ocean Explorers; SBS; Scuba Divers; Secret Service; Skindivers; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Special Forces; Sub-Aqua Divers; Thunderball;
The conversions; from Lone Star on the left, and back to air-tanks on the right, the left is marked 'Hong Kong' on a flipper, the right is unmarked but has all the hallmarks of a 1980/90's rack-toy/carded-bag type figure and I may have seen them in a set with a rubber boat, but I can't find the referance.

4 comments:

WOODSY said...

Fab post Hugh! Divers are just ace and still swim in my Sixties/ Seventies head! Ya know, I didn't know SCUBA was an acronym! Thanks!

Hugh Walter said...

Cheers Woodsy, did you catch Terra's follow-up this morning?

H

WOODSY said...

I'll dive in later Hugh. Got to go and get some super glue for my new hone made Jet Gyro! Emergency!

Hugh Walter said...

I get those multi-packs from the cheapie shops, and do each as a single-job, knowing they will glue their own lid on - in the bin! I hate super-glue, despite its uses!

H