M is for More Lead!

Twice in two days! Just a box-ticker, I found these shots of one of the Panits Lazlo sets from Hungary, which I think we looked at, not that long ago, so just to add them to the archive as it were, here they are!

 

As last time, they are a mix of factory painted piracies of Airfix and Esci sculpts, probably from home-cast rubber-moulds, and presented in a small carded blister, I think the text on the card-front literally translates as 'metal figures carton', so a kind of pocket-money kiosk cheapie, like the Polish plastics we've also seen here.

P is for Panits Laszlo, or is it Laszlo Panits?

There are four things I can say about these, and with little else to say, I might as well get stuck in without a long opener!

 

The first thing is that I could have sworn we had these on the Blog about 15-years ago, but I'm damned if I can find them now, they are not in the Tag List, yet the above image was taken before I ever had a Blog, and had gone to the dongles as 'done', so they must have been posted somewhere, maybe they were on my long-defunct Imageshack account, which I had for about 18-months, about 16-years ago! In which case they may have been posted to a long-gone HäT Forum article or something?
 

I think the upper ones are copies of Preiser, the lower set a mix of Esci-Ertl and Airfix sculpts.

 

The second thing is that I genuinely don't know if the firm/shop/chap is called Panits Laszlo, or Laszlo Panits? In trying to research the company (Google has got shit in the last ten years), I discovered quite a few of both, but without the comma we'd use in English - Hugh Walter or Walter, Hugh - it's imposible to work out which is commonly the surname or the forename, how they are typically presented, or if, indeed, in Hungarian, there's no difference, but the fact that there are quite a few, suggests it's the equivalent of a John Smith, or Andy Brown.

 

And neither point is meant to upset any Hungarians reading, I'd love input from them, to explain the points? But it's Panits Laszlo on the back of the card, so that's what we are going with.

The third point is the obvious stuff, they are factory-painted, HO/OO sized (1:76th scale), whitemetal piracies of Airfix, mostly RAF Personnel, or Esci NATO Ground Crew, here, I suspect, painted up as Warsaw Pact Hungarians, with the other sets painted-up as WWII USAAF-USAF, and with at least one figure taken from Airfix's set of that American title.

 

Set contents also vary from card to card, so you could - presumably - choose a card that would most closely allow you to set up your diorama, with whichever kit you were making? And I think the message stamped on the front just says "Model Figure Card" (blister/pack).

 

And I've forgotten what the fourth point was going to be, but it's worth mentioning that Panits Laszlo were probably responsible for the other Esci copies seen here in the past - which I also can't find, Doh!!

 

So, we'll have it 'again'? Also copies of Esci, also factory painted whitemetal, not seen on these cards, and here not divisible by six, there may be some damaged ones in the bag taking the sample to 24? But they otherwise seem to be the same idea/concept as the air force figures above?

And that's it, that's them, box ticked, I don't know a lot, I suspect it/he (Panits Laszlo) was also a model shop in Budapest, and if anyone can add anything, their input will be welcome.

S is for Seen Elswhere - 40mm Comansi / Novalinea

These were not only seen elsewhere - on the intermawebby thing - recently, but are the shots (in colour) which illustrated my (black & white) article in One Inch Warrior magazine about . . . err . . . 20-years ago? I really don't know where the time goes, but I suspect Hell has played it's part in stealing the hours, days and years! Only scans, and lowish-res', so captions, rather than full blurb, they'll be looked at properly, again, another day.

 

Long boxes, I believe these were saved from a damp shed in Malta (?) or Cyprus, by that stalwart finder of nice things, Mike Harding, back in the early 1990's.

 

The box art from the three of them.

 

Loose figures as found in the sets, unpainted examples are from the later Novalinea branded sets, painted will be Comansi issued.

 

Horses, Indians get a quiver of arrows,

cowboys and cavalry get a sheathed rifle.

Accessories are the same as for the 54mm range.

Except the Teepee / Ti-Pi / Wigwam, which is downscaled.

 

Both sides of a flyer, which came in a larger set.

This was in the tub my loose samples came from, it went the way of all flesh, being very discoloured and brittle.

Comparison between the Novalinea box and one of Esci's classic red-box sets, a clear attempt to impersonate and (given the contents) mislead. And a bit naughty as Franco died in 1976, while Spain would join the EU in 1986, so there wasn't the 'Franco / dictatorship' excuse of being 'out in the cold' to justify such piracy against a near-neighbour?

Base marking of the 40mm figures.

I'll do a better job in the future with photography!

The Yolanda mark is the same 'Saloon' font, in the same 'TV' frame!

This was the label from a tub of 54mm figures, and the reverse of the sheet shows it to have been recycled from the Thunderbirds line, which included new character figures and some of the earlier Ovni ("UFO") space figures reconfigured as 'red-shirt' army-builders!

H is for How They Come In - November 2021

It's a measure of my failure to catch up with the 'H is for's...', that I'm nearly overtaking the ones still in the queue, as this little lot from Peter Evans came-in last November and it's October tomorrow? Heay-ho, let's go!

These are nice, they seem to be copies of Supreme's copies of Esci-ERTL's 1:35th (approximately 52mm) Germans (in Russia, or 'late war') and Russians, but the quality is such that they are probably from the Supreme tools, for a sub-contractor in polyethylene, rather than the usual PVC and lacking the paint Supreme gave theirs?

Papo or Plastoy medieval horse? I think it's the Papo Mini+ (40mm), two nice 'solid' wrestler characters of unknown origin and a superhero lady-hero in heroic 54mm, but done as a action-figure with a point of articulation at her waist, well, technically, hips.

Crazy Candy Factory, not actually a candy container, but a 'gun-Jeep' with candy in a outer egg, there is a similar one in another post, still in the queue, which I bought when I visited Peter's home stamping ground back in 2019, before the world went totally mad, and I know he has several useful shops for finding this kind of generic or small-maker, traditional novelty stuff.

Another helicopter, of a common modern design, which I will have to check against the others as so far about five have all been slightly different! With which are a handful of Lido Wild West/ACW, including one of my favourite inky-indigo Union troopers!

Cheers to Peter for what was a nice surprise in the run-up to last Christmas, especially after the year I'd had, not that many of us are exactly basking in clover these days . . . boy; it don't rain but it pours!

P is for Plastic Peacekeepers

In that weird, twilight between the end of the cold-war and today's chaotic mess, which is seriously beginning to look like the end of humanity as a viable hope for the rest of the universe to root for, there was; that period where 'The End of History' had been declared, a feeling of hope for the future!

'Camp David' was - itself - almost history, Mandela was out, Kuwait was liberated (for its despotic rulers to continue treating their women, nomads, LGBTQ's and guest-workers like shit) and former Soviet troops stood near if not actually next to NATO forces in the former Yugoslavia, as [shaky] allies, so, with no global war on the horizon (China just made toys and stuff!), a lot of these rack-toy, war-toys, re-badged to the 'new world order' by shoving a 'Peacekeeper' into the set-title!

Joining the collection sometime in the 1990's, this was one of the last toys I have branded to Woolbro, who I believe are still going, but are now specialising in auto-paints and such-like, rather than the general/household goods - including toys -  they have done for several (many) decades.

An oversized and rather juvenile jet-aeroplane and some Schwimmwagen-limousine hybrid (both with pull-back motors) are no better than the Military Train stuff this post is meant to be helping bury, won't be looked at in detail . . . or again today!

The figures, in the 25/28mm bracket are interesting for being not only the usual mix of Airfix (3 poses) and Matchbox (2) clones, but having a lone copy of the Esci-ERTL Japanese charging figure, who was appearing - at around the same time - in 50-mil with Hing Fat sets.

A row of smaller scenics have a lot in common with sets from Kentoy, New Ray and Supreme which were around at the same time, although similar, they do have differences and maybe one day I'll do a detailed comparison of the subtle changes in base type or overall dimensions, but right now I can't be arsed!

Among the larger scenics are some Airfix 'Forward Command Post' cloned traffic-barriers, a copy of the Smart Toys micro-tent and a rather useful bridge for war gamers with slightly Asian design-lines about it; WWII Burma or Vietnam/Laos, although painted up would look equally at home with Napoleon's troops crossing the Berezina or even in an ACW war game . . . "Doc' - Can you help me live a little more? I expect good news".

M4 is for Sherman Calliope

Also from Poland (see previous few posts) and also soft polyethylene, comes forth this interesting beast from Centrum in Warsaw;

Mounted on a full [packaging] sized card, it's not so much a header as a backer! Also, while the main body of the tank, running-gear and turret are a straight copy from Atlantic's own clip-together 'readymade', the rocket-tube bundles and bed-frame seem to have been copied from the 1:72nd scale Esci-Revel-Polistil (and other brands) kit.

To the point where it is on a separate small runner, while the rest is on a runner which is also a copy of Atlantic's own with each component in the same place! To produce the M4 Sherman [with] Calliope therefore meant some changes to the Atlantic turret

Close-ups for those who can compare with the Atlantic set (I won't de-'sprue' this until I have a duplicate one!), while the reasons for assuming the Calliope is from Esci, are twofold, A) this predates the Airfix one and is clearly pirating other makers and B) see the T34/85 in a minute!

The card art shows an Allied star as one of the markings, bu what you actually get along with the bridging disc and formation sign is the Polish 'Winged Hussar' symbol, so presumably representing the Polish 1st Armoured Division in the Normandy/Western campaign?

The upper shots are another Sherman, slightly better card shot and slightly different plastic colour by the looks of it, below it is a T34, and a late war T34/85 at that, probably also copied from Atlantic? Both shots supplied by Tomasz Karpowicz about 12-years ago! Everything will appear here at Small Scale World . . . eventually!

Tomek also sent me this, which is quite delightful, as 'readymade' toys go, it's the same T34/85, but with the AMRCR (anti-mine reconnaissance castor roller) mine-clearing frame taken from the Esci Churchill IV kit (albeit greatly simplified) - hence the Esci assumption for the Calliope's origins. Again this would have required a change or two to the Atlantic clone, to take the Esci-cloned parts.

Markings for both T34's are - of course - the other Polish Army of WWII, that recruited by the soviets, but mostly trained at the Western Allies expense in Syria!

K is for Kioskowce III

Wondering whether or not we'd had that title I found that not only had we had it, but we'd had it twice, identically! A quick bit of judicious editing and this now 3-of-3! When you do a series of similar posts/similar subject, the old pink-monkey intelligence can fail you sometimes.

So these are the standard Spójnia sets I have and we're starting with the British, this one is titled British Infantry or 'soldiers' yet is clearly a set consisting of three poses of bereted infantry with the River Launch and crew, all taken from Matchbox, the vessel being cleverest as it's a two-part copy of a die-cast toy from the 1-75 range of original 'match boxes', the six commandoes being from the figure sets.

For accuracies sake, the RAOC (Royal Army Ordnance Corp) or RCT (Royal Corps [of] Transport) used to have a harbour unit with sailor-soldiers! Now both are part of the All Services [Except Fighting] Departmental Corps of Trades or something!

The boat in comparison with the Matchbox original, there are versions with red (fire launches), and black figures out there, and like some of the promotional vans and buses, I was amazed how many versions of it there have been!

My British Commandos seem to have British infantry in . . . humm . . . but this is how they came in so who am I to argue, again taken from Matchbox's 1:76th scale set with a straight two of everything they copied, being the other 14 poses and the mortar from which the beret wearing trio in the previous set were also copied.

The 8th Army and we move to Esci for a bit of plagiarism! Again all the poses have been copied, and one of each is supplied, these have leeched some horrid sticky additive, more usually associated with early, unstable PVC's, and which has rather affected the card which was in the bag with them, leaving brown stains all over it. The leechate remains now as a kind of varnish, almost like dried linseed-oil!

The British Paratroops are also taken from Esci, but using the US Para's with their quite distinctive uniforms, as Esci did a reasonable set of British airborne soldiers I don't know why Spójnia ran with these? Same additive problem with the same damage to the card . . . same colour plastic too, so a dodgy batch?!!

Soviet Russian infantry, only half a set ofEsci's sculpts this time, but two of each and as they are 'dressed up' with the next set as a two part 'Battle of Stalingard' pair, it may be that the other Esci poses are findable in a Spójnia Russian Infantry WWII set?

And that other half consists of the German invaders, taken from Airfix's Paratrooper set, which makes sense as we saw the standard infantry in a half Airfix-half Matchbox set from Spójnia. The poses paired, one runner of 'true' polymer, the other also leeching the sticky slime which becomes hard like varnish giving some of them a greenish or, rather aptly; field-grey hue.

Indeed as that set was called Monte Casino, and this set shares a Stalingrad card with the Russians, it may be that my pointing out of the incongruity last time (of Germans in a set depiction Allied forces) was actually a referance to another, shared, card? As in; with the allies available in another set bearing the same card?

F is for Follow-up - Spojnia . . . or Hobby EME

When we looked at those Spojnia Kioskowce small-scale copies, from Maciej Jasinski's Poland, the other day, I mentioned that I still had to post some Napoleonics by the same maker - well that won't happen as you'll see in the next few posts, but I did find that I had a bunch of other Spójnia stuff, so we're going to work through it.

I also said I thought they ended-up being called Hobby EME, and here we see a set in that later (or just alternate?) branding, being copies of Esci-ERTL's WWII US Infantry, and all fifteen poses have been taken; to quite a high standard, albeit; not Ecsi's finest in the first place!

While here we see the Italian Mountain Troops taken from the same company, and again they've re-used all the poses, but this time there is a noticeable drop-off in quality/finish and if you didn't know better you might think them Spanish Sobres or even Hong Kong/China knock-off's . . . now you've seen them - you know better! And one of Esci's nicer sets, of a - then (mid/late 1980's) - unusual subject.

I also reacquainted myself with the fact I have the 'Hindu Brigade' set too, taken from Atalntic's Indian Brigade (as before - they are dressed as Sikhs, not Hindus!), which answered my question last time about the bladed weapons, they seem to have copied two (of the original Atlantic set's three), and while I have one each of the two users (the third figure to have a 'kukri' in the Atlantic set has his holed filled-in, in this clone-set); Maciej's set had pairs of each, in fact he had pairs of everything, I also only have one MG and gunner.

The other point to note (for packaging collectors) is that while mine (left) has the full Spojnia consumer-panel's info-text (in the yellow box, bottom right-hand corner), Mr. Jasinski's has a blank panel there (top right image) and may represent a crossover from Spójnia to Hobby EME, if the latter was actually later!

T is for Toy Fair 2020 Reports - Hornby - Other Makers Products

Hornby (as Hornby Hobbies or Hornby Group) is now one of the big six players in the global toy business (Hasbro, Mattel, Lego, Tomy-Takara, Games Workshop), and as such it probably wasn't a surprise to find 'rival' products on their stand, obviously as distributors, also ensuring they get a percentage of the hobby market their own products don't cover!

Warlord, Bolt Action, Osprey Publishing and Esci-Italeri all here, as thick as thieves, in the worlds of both licensing, and proprietary or sealed-system war-games and rule-sets. It wasn't clear if the diorama was connected to some of the displayed products or just for display interest?

They are also handling Dr. Who, Master & Commander, Blood Red Skies and Judge Dredd stuff, now I clearly didn't spot the Judge Dredd 'thing' as I didn't photograph it properly/separately and don't know what it is, if it's a game with figures . . . .wantone!