C is for Comparisons

I actually did this with the pilots a while ago, elsewhere, so I'll dig them out and follow this with them . . . or 'it', I think there's only the one usable image! Comparing the composition output of - believed to be - British makers of the 1940's, and musing on the fact that some 'Zang' may not be Zang, or Timpo? And a bit of luck on the Timpo front.

 

From the left and we have three metal ones I haven't looked-up in Joplin yet, of which the third looks more die-cast that the two obvious hollow-cast's, but he seems to be lead, so it'll be a different moulding process I expect, then three of the recognised Zang for Timpo 'Timpolene' sentries, then two others which are accepted as Zang and/or Timpo but which I now suspect are unlicensed copies, similar figures are found in the Pilots 'line-up', and I suspect the heavier bases are from a third party. They could be earlier or later Zang production though, so it's still only a theory?

Close-up of the most similar figures, given the size difference between the first three could be down to material shrinkage or different moulds; I don't think we can draw much from that, but the right-hand figure has detailing differences as well as a marked size variation and the heavy base. Which is also oblong, while all the definite Zang's from Timpo boxed sets have the round bases. So I feel we have a second maker here? Who also produced the black chap (armoured corps?) and a pilot - coming later.

This set IS die-cast, and contemporaneous with the Composition era of both the fighter set we looked at here (third image from bottom), and the navy sets, several of which have turned-up since I first blogged them here a few years ago. Believed to be bought-in (by a member of the 'old guard'), it's clear that Timpo was experimenting with media, as hard as some of those multiple-material French toy soldier producers of the same era?

And just as the composition naval stuff is now seemingly everywhere (I've seen about five sets in two sizes and various loose lots since that initial post), so I have had the 'at ease' figure for many years, adding a couple of duplicates, yet only picked the machine gunner up a few months ago, the prone and the other sentry being all-new to me!

 

But it's all out there! This set was part of a large lot in the last SAS auction, which I failed to secure with a tight-wad bid, only to see it on eBay less than a week later! Cheap for what it was, and unencumbered by its accompanying composition ship sets and a couple of those cross-over fighter sets; it seemed destined somehow!