C is for Collection of Colourful Crescent Clones & Chrome Copies

OK, so this post was ready back in March but I hadn't texted-it-up, when in conversation with Paul over at Plastic Warrior magazine (back issues available) he said he too had one in 'the queue' which was about to publish, so I said I'd hold this one back so we didn't tread on each other's toes!

As it happens, in doing so I can hoover-up a bit of info' from that article which published in Issue No. 179 (pp's 22/23 ), while only the other day, Brian Berke sent some extra images which could be surgically inserted to the back-end of the post!

The original hollow-cast lead figures from which all others (in this post) came-forth; Crescent Cowboys & Indians, that is; Native Americans, American Indians or First Nation Peoples, not the illegal migrant, cowboy-decedents currently running the show so abysmally like an amateur Rodeo!

There are two main types of copy (in the West) hard plastic (polystyrene, upper image) and soft plastic (polyethylene, lower image), smaller samples with paint, turn-up (below) as do West German novelty types (also below), before the story moves East.

The hard plastic ones - in this case - are all marked 'ENGLAND' somewhere, mostly on a thigh or shin, the exception being the red-plastic Indian whose mark is on his rifle-butt. Other than the mark, these are all visually similar - or seem to be - to the US issued Lido figures.

The marks are not found on the hollow-cast originals, while the Lido figures (after Lincoln Log metal clones of the Crescent) are unmarked I believe? The Plastic Warrior article (via Steve Vickers) also suggests Wood & Kotek Limited (W&K) as a possible source of these figures.

The soft plastic versions on the other hand are marked '737•X', where the 'x' is a single numeral presumably referring to either the pose OR the tool cavity? Found on weapon butts or trouser-belts for the most part, they are not all clear but I've listed the following;

737•1 - Cowboy Standing Firing Pistol (belt)

737•2 - Kneeling Firing Pistol (holster)

737•3 - ?

737•4 - Cowboy with Lasso/Lariet (belt)

737•5 - Advancing Indian (rifle butt)

737•6 - ?

737•7 - Kneeling Firing Indian (belt)

737•8 - Indian with Tomahawk (waist above belt)

737•9 - Indian Crawling (belt)

If the '9' is actually a poor or inverted '6' that would leave the three-slot for the other kneeling cowboy pose (with two six guns) which I don't have in this sample . . . yet? Can anybody confirm the number of the missing pose?

If the hard plastic ones are W&K, could the soft ones be an early plastic issue by Crescent themselves? All the other makers of the time; Cherilea, Charbens, Britains (Zang) and even Airfix (the 'eight' and the Bergan-Beton copies) have been tied to earlier, more esoteric production to that which they are better known for, could Crescent have run these as a first attempt as plastics?

Equally they could be a better-made Hong Kong version, but I don't think so?

The two painted ones are entirely unmarked, and while the kneeling figure looks home-painted, I suspect he's home-re-painted over the original paint to cover chips, the crawling figure is almost certainly factory-painted, and with both unmarked; pointing to a third iteration, they are both hard styrene.

The novelty pencil sharpeners are only marked 'GERMANY' rather than W. Germany, but will date from well before the wall and wire curtain came down for good. And the Plastic Warrior article fingers Germany for the un-mounted painted ones too?

There are differences between the various issues (look particularly at the left-hands or forward toes/foot), but subtle enough to point at a pantograph doing most of the piracy; tool engraver's finishing off the mouldings, by hand.

Which brings me to a theory . . . or another theory, as we've had one or two here, over the years! Some have been proven, one disproven (LB / Lucky tie-in), while this is one I've had hiding under my hat for about 20 years!

I suspect someone . . . someone like Commonwealth in the states, or Tudor Rose (who made the bulk of their early money supplying materials to the trade) here, or a big German machine-tool manufacturer (?) made, and possibly 'gave away' duplicate moulds to customers buying their hugely expensive (for the time) injection or other moulding machines.

There is not so much evidence within toy figures per se for this theory, as most of the 'inducement' tools would likely have been desert/breakfast bowls, combs, picnic utensils, screw-cap lid moulds, automotive components (buttons or fixings), beach toys, furniture handles, maybe?

Things that were easily sold and or consumed, that would enable the new investment to get into profit as quickly as possible, or at least start earning cash-flow, providing healthier books/turnover figures for bankers, or for shareholders to mull-over at the AGM!

However, we have these, we have the 'Lido' (et al) Captain Video stuff, some dime-store items, most notably, probably the X-100 Space Scout, which can be found on three (or four - Antipodes?) continents in various iterations, with or without an additional floor-plate or slightly different wheel treatments/layouts, while other space toys are in the frame.

William Lester (Commonwealth and Pyro) did a lot to push early injection-moulding polymer machines including the eponymous 'Lester' machines, and was known to sell mould-tools too; did he issue freebee moulds?

The bulk of Pyro's dime-store (not the later kits - which just keep getting re-badged!) production seems to have iterations with Lido, Kleeware, Randall/Merit and/or European names, and they were all helping each other to promote the new technology, including mould swaps (for tax reasons), and - possibly - buying similar tools from Lester or other 'players', a few 'earning-capable' duplicate moulds is not only quite believable, it was the state, but were some 'given-away'; as inducements?

There's more on the Lido angle in the PW article, and maybe they were responsible for duplicate moulds out of Portugal? Anyway, it's only a theory, and in the meantime Hong Kong's 'toymen' had spotted the main chance (again!), and jumped on the 'Saturday Matinee' bandwagon!

There are at least two sets; larger and smaller. and they commonly have a chromed/metallised finish, which - over here - is usually the over-wash 'antiqued' look of the above figures, my whole sample, which not vast, allows for showing both sizes. They are much cruder copies and may never have seen the relative refinement of a pantograph machine!

Brain Berke sent me these shots from New York, and we can see flat-metal finishes in two colours, although it should also be noted these are much better figures than mine, and may be direct (pantographed) copies of the hollow-cast originals, the corduroy pattern on the Cowboy is even better than the UK plastics, but as these may be Lido figures, they will be from the Lincoln Logs metal copies of Crescent.

While here we see a small version (blue one) which might be a premium or a capsule toy (but see final/next image and blurb for more), compared with the three others in my collection; there are two distinct poses, but with many similarities.

The blue one again; he may or may not be related to, or from the same sets as either or both of the other two, and some or all of them may or may not have been - in at least one iteration - gum-ball capsule-machine prizes.

They also may or may not, all or some; be of Italian origin. But - as you can see - the other two are very different poses, one being taken from Herald, the other a more generic kneeling firer who looks more like a Vietcong guerilla-fighter!

As well as thanks to Paul Morhead and Brain Berke, I must also thank Adrian Little and John Begg for helping find some of the figures in this article and Gareth Morgan for looking!