L is for Late Show Report - Wild West

So, into the meat-and-two-veg of the show plunder from May just gone, and we're starting with the Wild West stuff, which is a pretty eclectic bunch with a bit of everything, including ACW, various polymers and most common sizes.

Replicants had these, which are old sculpts, some of them being reduced in size for Marksmen's 1:76 issue, many years ago now, well over a decade since, probably two, but they were new in this colour, as Irish Brigade, I think, for those who wargame without painting?

Wagons and wagoners, a damaged Matchbox 'prairie schooner', a Hong Kong copy of Manurba mail-coach, which was a better pink than it's apparently faded to, and a large, probably Tudor Rose or Poplar chap, with his plug-in bench-seat, who may prove a useful spare, going forwards.

 

More of the individually named French premiums which have been turning up in recent years, except the fact they've been turning up in mixed lots suggests being that - in this soft 'ethylene - they are probably bazaar/rack-toys from the - 'styrene - premium moulds, rather than actual premiums, of which I have one or two in metallic polystyrene. Seemingly adding mounted figures (sans names) this time, there may be more in the 'unknown' portion of the main stash, but a horse, or horses still need/s to be ID'd?

 

Mostly broken, these Minimodels (or, as here Triang) smallies from the unmistakable hand of Stadden, will go with all the rest, one of the yellow-shirts is complete, and finding good Indians involves finding mint sets/games.

 

These being from the Wild West Checkers (clearly aimed at export across The Pond?), where the damage is easily explained by the fact that they get so wedged in the counters, you would damage them trying to get them out to 'make King'? More common in black & white, these counters are unusual in red/blue I think, are they from the Wagon Train boardgame?

 

I feel an idiot with these, as I think I should know who they're by (Marlborough/Dorset test shots?), but I'm not sure, nor do I know if the other two poses were similarly copied, or who copied them first time round, equally I may already have them, but someone had a bunch so I got one of each?!! Obviously ex-Britains Herald sculps, and the cavity in the base is a bit Hilco/late Cherilea?

A couple of spare horses, common Hong Kong sculpt on the right, what appears to be a re-issue of something better (Lone Star?) on the left, a bit of a mystery, but all useful, given the number of mounted figures looking for mounts, and as the spare horse tub is quite large, and the riders many, I might do a series of matching-up articles in a year or so, when they finally all come together?

 

A nice bunch of small-scale, with pre- and post-Giant knock-offs, cracker-toy Lone Star clones, one of those Hong Kong wagon 'mexicans' (they have gihuge plug-on hats), taken from European premiums/giveaways and a teeny cracker-Indian.

 

Larger odd & sods; I'm surmising that the large confederate has been removed from a base with a sharp-edged tool, and is probably Italian in origin? He's new to the collection, so, whatever! The rest is grist to the mill, with the white chap at the back an interesting addition to the early British knock-off collection, Speedwell or Trojan?

 

Smaller odds & sods; again nothing terribly exciting, with two cake decorations and a couple of mounted, I think the yellow cowbindian (chaps, lasso and feathered headdress!) might be a mounted Texas/Isas figure? Civil/Sports next time!

 

Many thanks to Adrian Little, Barney Brown, Brian Carrick, Chris Smith, Michael Mordant-Smith, Paul Stadinger, Peter Evans and Trevor Rudkin, for contributions to this year's plunder-pile.