R is for Rubber Raider Rack Toys

Except they aren't rubber, they're polyethylene! Actually the Britains one is dense PVC which has some of the properties and is given some of the tasks of Rubber, but it's not what we're concentrating on here, except in so far as for comparison; it's the Greek rack-toys!

These were on feebleBay for ages and for very little money, I think I had them bookmarked for over a year and no one pipped me to the post, so when I finally had a spare tenner a few weeks ago I grabbed them for RTM@SCW!

They came from Greece, and while they could be Solpa they are more likely to be Stam Toys (who did use silver-coatings) or Petalo (lots of rack toy - until quite recently or still going) or even an early import by someone like Zita Toys, although they are lacking any Hong Kong or China marks, which can be a sign of domestic production, but can also just mean that local laws don't insist on origin-marking? Nevertheless they are definitely 'in the style of' Hong Kong rack-toy tat!

Obviously copied from the Britains assault craft; 'Gemini' or 'rigid raider', the three figures are quite different, with one being in a bright-blue polymer, another manufactured in gold-flecked resin and the third has an overall coating of sprayed-silver paint with a dark-red plastic figure underneath.

All three Greek vessels have retained their 'Allied Star' stickers, but my Britains boat has lost it's little MOD crossed-swords thing. I have a feeling I know someone who has a sheet of them (probably left-over from an out-worker's stock) , so if he's still got a few I'll get that sorted!

All three figures have a hole in their base to fit the forward spigot copied-across from the British model; in point of fact, both spigots are reproduced (larger than the originals, but in roughly the same place) but the base sizes (of all three figures) preclude them from lining-up with the rear one.

The other obvious difference is the addition of a cord-loop at the front, to help pull it along, but I don't know if they were fitted with one, if they were part of a hook-wall display-hanging, or something you had to add at home?

Although copied from Britains, they lack the buoyancy of the donor, but do still float so all is not lost . . . when looking to shoot them in the pond (left) or water-butt (right)! I suspect it has more to do with the properties of the Britains' PVC (more air trapped in a less dense material) rather than anything else; the design - otherwise - is carried-over pretty-much intact.