About Me

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No Fixed Abode, Home Counties, United Kingdom
I’m a 60-year-old Aspergic gardening CAD-Monkey. Sardonic, cynical and with the political leanings of a social reformer, I’m also a toy and model figure collector, particularly interested in the history of plastics and plastic toys. Other interests are history, current affairs, modern art, and architecture, gardening and natural history. I love plain chocolate, fireworks and trees, but I don’t hug them, I do hug kittens. I hate ignorance, when it can be avoided, so I hate the 'educational' establishment and pity the millions they’ve failed with teaching-to-test and rote 'learning' and I hate the short-sighted stupidity of the entire ruling/industrial elite, with their planet destroying fascism and added “buy-one-get-one-free”. Likewise, I also have no time for fools and little time for the false crap we're all supposed to pretend we haven't noticed, or the games we're supposed to play. I will 'bite the hand that feeds', to remind it why it feeds.
Showing posts with label Dongguan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dongguan. Show all posts

Saturday, March 3, 2012

M is for Motron and Multimac

A complicated one tonight, when I first saw these they were under the Motron brand and while I took time to study the packaging and note that they used Roco-Mintanks figures for the illustrations on the cards I didn't buy them. A few years later I saw this and bought it, although by that time I had also corralled a few loose bits and pieces in a tub...

Some sort of dozer contraption called '№ 9074c - Power Shovel'. The inset top right shows a very good copy of the driver from the Tomy Zoid's mechanical dinosaur sets, while the bottom shot shows the 'BW [Bundeswehr] Troops Marching' from Roco, painted yellow and running around doing admin stuff!

Both the use of the Roco figures and the inclusion of the Tomy driver give an overall size of around HO guage (1:87th scale) for these sets, while the sets at the bottom are nearer 35mm.

The loose bits I've also collected, there are various bits that have the familiarity of having been seen elsewhere, not least the 'knuckles' either side of the cab/cockpit. Again a shot of the Tomy rip-off driver, or were they both buying him in from another sub-supplier?

I think I've seen three or four front-unit designs now and about 6 add-on items of heavy-equipment or weapons, but the follow-on unit seems to be the same basic item each time. Although the basic units are the same, the front units have most of their items glued-on while the rear unit's are all detachable.

Also carrying the Multimac trade mark is this Ocean Discovery box; Item No. 92884W - Octopathfinder Set', which is more of a construction set, half-way between Lego Bionicles and the Tomy Zoids. This figure (identified by Bill over at Moonbase) also bears a resemblance to something, but I can't put my finger on it...Cylons?

If you click on 'Silverlit' in the tag list you will get a partial list of the other items in both ranges, there used to be a whole list of Motron stuff somewhere on the Wibbly Wobbly Way (Toy Chest? Toy Locker?), and one day I'll sort the list out properly.

So Silverlit seems - on the face of it - to be the modern equivalent of the old unbranded hollow-horse guys frantically copying Giant, but targeting a more mainstream company (Tomy), or are they a (one of many) Tomy/Takara subsidiary?

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

S is for Silverlit

Silverlit Toys Manufactory Ltd./Dongguan Silverlit Toys MFY Ltd.

Silverlit Toys, Huai De Toys Factory, Huai De Dongguan, China

See also; Motron, Multimack.

Hong Kong/China.

Produced various small scale toys in 1980's/early 1990's. They seem to have copied other-peoples modulated/clip-together toys, added new components and produced the ‘Multimac’ range from the result. Items from Tomy’s ‘Zoids’ and Bluebird Toys ‘Manta Force’ (itself part-Tomy) are identifiable, including a chrome-plated seated astronaut. They also used Roco-Minitanks NATO infantry in the press release/box art photographs. Some vehicles also produced by/under Motron trademark/name.

Incomplete list

Galaxy Series (Sci-fi toys with copy of Tomy pilot/vehicle commander, 20mm)
№ ? - Radar Cannon
№ 9074c - Power Shovel
№ ? - Mighty Drill
№ ? - Super Cannon
№ 9077c - Cannon Tractor
№ ? - Planet Explorer
Ocean Discovery Series (underwater vessels with jointed diver/spacemen figures, 30mm)
- Commander Sub
Item No. 92884W - Octopathfinder Set
- Shark Marine Sub Set