J is for Just a Quick One! F is for Follow-up, T is for Two . . .

. . . Three . . . Four? We looked at this oddity here ages ago, can't remember when now, but I know I've highlighted the weirdness of a Pz.Kfw. II 'Luchs' (lynx) light-tank chassis on a M4 Sherman medium tank, however I was convinced mine had a broken driver (Matchbox Battle Kings piracy), so when I saw one in a charity shop days (or hours?) before the latest Lockdown . . .

. . . top left, I bought it. I got home to find a parcel from Chris Smith, which had another (top right), and they were different, so I dug-out the third (bottom-middle, to find the driver was fine!), and found more differences, not great, but they are there.

Chris's on the left here has the Hong Kong in a sort of 'postmark' cartouche, the Charity shop purchase has added carpet-wheels, while the old one is a hybrid of the two, sans wheels but with the same mark as the wheeled one.

Like I say, not great differences, but they confirm the evolutionary nature of such things, as we looked at previously with the pencil sharpener/tourist figurines. I have no idea which order they go in, so it's only for curiosity's sake . . . and 'completism'!

The current iteration of these common-enough tourist trinket/gift shop/museum novelty pencil sharpeners, as far as armour goes, is an M1 Abrams I believe, but there was also an M60 with an ERA (Explosive Reactive Armour) suite, and I've picked-up one of those at some point. Its running-gear is not much better to be honest, having more in common with those cheap Pioneer knock-offs of Matchbox 1-76 type die-casts.

The two together, they're 'box-scale', but might suit 1:100th scale war-gaming? I won't bother with branding on these; there are maybe 20+ boxings around the world, most of the main importers/jobbers and some odder firms more normally associated with dolls house accessories, games and such-like have also had a go, although Play Me in Spain (tag'able) may have been originator on some?

While the superstructures on my three are the same, when we get on to the canons (yeah . . . one day!), we'll see that there are different versions as well as variations within one version, with two or three different Mortars, Naval Guns, Catapults, Trebuchets or Battlement canons, so it's quite complicated!

Thanks to Chris for my third [different] M4 Sherman pencil sharpener!

T is for Two - Rolling Russian Rockets

We have actually seen one of these before but it's worth a second visit to compare it to one of my favourite pieces of Soviet-era Russian die-cast, and having now got a brand for the one making a return, it makes sense.

Seen before, this is the same company that made the tank transporter, the little forward-control truck with tin-plate tilt and the airborne ZSU self-propelled gun, now believed to be the Tula Cartridge Plant, and all from a series known as 'Military Equipment', which included a handful of solid-cast figures. Vehicle is one of the early FROG (Free Rocket, Over Ground) launchers, tactical battlefield nuclear-missiles akin to the US Honest John or French Pluton.

But Era, in Sevastopol made this; I'm not sure but I think the NATO reporting name for this might have been Guild? It's two SAM-I's (think Hawk!) mounted on the same chassis as the previous beast (old T54/55 hulls), and is a most odd arrangement, with the vehicle manufactured to contemporary Corgi, Dinky or Matchbox 'Super King' standards with continuous rubber-band tracks, revolving wheels on through-axles etc . . .

. . . while the weapon platform is a really rather crude stamping, with no attempt at modelling the travelling/launching cradles/mechanism and with two even cruder aluminium castings for the rockets.

But I love it; it is an incredibly tangible toy, you really want to handle it. While there is no elevation, there is something really satisfying about the way the two rockets follow each-other round! The rockets also make a good handle to push the thing across the floor, it's hard to explain, but if you've got one, you'll probably know what I mean?

Comparing the two, you can see how the Cartridge Plant's is made the same way they made their bullets and shells, Heavy-castings riveted together with a set of carpet wheels, while Era's is a more complicated piece, but they still go together well, as they may have in real life -  it being 31-years since my last Soviet-studies courses - I can't remember, but a FROG batterys (or regiments) would have needed some high-altitude air-defence, tagging-along?

The FROGs were replaced by SCUD, and  Guild was replaced by Guideline? All-in-all; a long time ago now!

The Era mark on the base, in Tula they didn't mark the Military Equipment vehicles; only the packaging! Both are around the 1:48/50th scales of the similar Western toys, think Corgi's Gepard Spaag or Dinky's Leopard I MBT.