A is for Ackerman

I bought the first two of these four sets (both contract manufactured by Pioneer) from the same shop at different times, when passing, but they had both spent some time in direct sunlight so suffer bleaching on the faces, I've tried to adjust the colour in Picasa but with limited success! The card backs, however, are true colour.

The first is the nicer play-value wise, if you consider three simplified sandbag walls an improvement over none! And you'll recognise the 'airport fire tender' VAB with twin foam-generators and 6x6 truck from the big overview I did on these back in RTM 2017, which was when it became clear how many of these cheapie die-casts are out of Pioneer's factory/ies.

Again we've seen various paint-schemes on the Hummer and like the previous set this is branded to Ackerman Group here in the UK (previously seen importing Supreme output) but will have been other brands or brand marks (phantom brands) elsewhere, such as Realtoy - all three of these models are to be seen in their sets.

A few more shots, again (thinking back over past musings on this subject) the little walls are a useful clue (like the street furniture) as to who was being supplied by Pioneer and who was ripping them off!

The 6x6 truck has a less common short tilt, no troop-carrier this one; cargo-carrying in inclement weather! The Hummer's markings have it looking a bit Chinese . . . have they copied it? Oh yes! The Dongfeng EQ2050!

Another set which I shot as one before breaking them down into the thematic tubs this stuff goes to now and probably from a minor maker rather than Pioneer; one of their copyists! King Tiger has banana-barrel; a line you probably never thought you'd read here or anywhere else!

Again, these came 'clean' from a charity shop in the last year or two and are clearly painted to type and belong together, actually quite nice; scale's not so shot-to bits, as it often is with these 'matchox' scaled sets, coming-in at around 1:90th? But an interesting choice of subjects which include a Sherman Firefly (or even an Israeli 'Super-Sherman?), late war German SWS (Schwerer Wehrmachtschlepper - Heavy Military Tractor) 3.7cm 'flak-wagon' and an American M20 scout-car.