C is for Ceremonial Christmas Cracker Cloned Copy Chaps

Finishing a brief look at the novelty end of the figure market as it pertains to British (or other) guards in bearskins with these Airfix clones, which we have seen before, and which I still need to put properly on the Airfix Figures Blog, but I only had one figure to-hand for the comparisons so these can go here and I'll re-shoot, pose-for-pose comparisons for the other Blog another day!

These are the better copies, and come with sharp-edged, smooth bases, also they copy both Airfix sets; Guards Band, and here; Guards Colour Party. Only the two poses have turned up so far as seen here - officer and ensign colour-bearer!

The band however (upper shot) seem to have been copied almost in their entirity, the exception being the drummers where both bass- and side- are replaced by a guy with a half-moon stuck in his tummy! In the top image the red sax-player on the far right is the Airfix original.

These are the lesser quality lot, they have both drummers, so while copying the same originating set, are otherwise unconnected to the other lot. Marked Hong Kong diagonally across the bases they are easy to separate into their respective 'groups', these also having chamfered or ogee edges to their bases. Airfix still to the far right - Guard's division; they're all a bit up themselves!

The second lot also appear in the Interesting Toys packaging, but both types seem to have been issued in Gum-ball machine capsules, 'Lucky Bags' and Christmas crackers, I'm sure they managed a window-chuck in Malta at some point and may have found their way into Piñata too?