R is for Royce's Rocco Rascles

So, before the last post of June 4th's show-plunder, we ought to look at this rarity, although I will shoot it again for the Khaki Infantry page, as Dave Skrivener's image has been doing sterling work there, for over a decade, while I never dug my own sample out!

 

How I spotted them, except on a table with other toy soldiery stuff! This is a shop-stock box, possibly the only surviving shop-stock box, although I may have seen another, a fair few years ago, and while he may not want to be spotlighted, I think it's worth mentioning that Brian Carrick, the seller had next to nothing on this, as we used to say in the motor trade, he washed his face on it.

 

Meaning he let it go, for what it owed him, without much attention to inflation in the meantime, or what someone might think it's worth. And while that may be a moot point, beyond box-ticking collections of early British plastic, there may not be much demand for it, and once you have it, you are the custodian, there's not much else you can do with it?

 

However, I still think it was silly-cheap, and while I think I made him take a bit more for it (something I often do, I'm not one for exploitation), and then gave four of the figures to a friend who has done a lot for the blog, I can only hope I am as strong-minded and generous when the time comes to pass my collection on.

 

As far as I know, this is the full line-up, Dave's image is missing the 3rd figure from the left, influenced by the Hilco clone of the French Clairet (Acedo?) SMG gunner, which, strangely was the one I'd had for years, before finding some or all of the others, who are, of course Britains' copies, not the Lone Star I'd thought, although the conversion to Para' berets is partly responsible for that attribution! Berets - it has to be said - which are more Military Police (MP's), in colour, than any paratroops from the UK!

 

The stock-box has been rummaged through over the years, and some extra figures have clearly been added to replace some of the missing ones, so it's hard to state facts about the contents, But it seems, after digging down through the layers, that each layer (of four) has a 4/5 mix of two poses, with an officer, for a ten count, or forty, in the box.

 

This leaves this box heavy in grenade throwers, and SMG guys, with four officers and only a few charging figures, one has to assume the next box off the line would have had more charging figures, and a shortage of one of the other two soldier poses, and so on, but that is pure speculation. 

 

Colour variations exist, both with the usually marbled plastic colour, from oxide reds through to olive drab, and some paint differences. Although I say that grandly, as if there are mountains for them, there aren't, there were a few production 'tranches' and one of them is quite brown, one quite olive, and Dave's are more of a dung-khaki, and not marbled, while paint seems to vary between a bright apple green, and more pastel herb-green for webbing and puttees, which don't (the puttees) always get painted!

 

I have a feeling, some or all of mine might have smooth bases*, but that might be a complete falsehood, so for now, assume they are all marked as above on the base underside. Markings which are not found on the small range of seperate horses and mounted figures, or the single-moulding, galloping guardsman. The only variation is that the grenade thrower has his marks stretched over two lines, the other three figures get the mark spread over three lines.

 

*Equally, they might have a mark on the upper side of the base, a simple 'Made In Great Britain', without the Rocco? But, again, that might be a false memory, and until I dig them out, shouldn't be taken as more than this footnote. 

 

I shot them again, because the angle on the second image above was a bit severe, and these need to be done justice, and to that end, as I said, I will re-shoot them in a similar vein, for the Khaki Infantry page in the next few days.

 

The set, I believe, came from Royce's daughter, whom Brian was in touch with, in the past, and - with the obvious changes -  it is literally, ex-Factory stock. It must also be pointed out, that these are incredibly brittle now, with Dave's played-with charging figure the only one I know which still has the bayonet, and following the break-up and auctioning, in parts, of his collection, that figure is rather lost to the hobby.

Q is for Quickie! Seen Elswhere

And actually seen here! I was going to do a longish post on Ambulances, but I was up at 4:40 to drive to Luton and have successfully battled the salary mongs on the M25, back again. Now fatigue is catching-up, and I'm going to have a snooze before work, so here very much as a reminder, are a few bits from last year's Plastic Warrior show, which - as far as this year's - is only four Saturday's away, three and half weeks peeps! We did see them in last years show report posts, but these went on a Faceplant group at the time.

 

A pair of 1st version British Paratroopers from Airfix.

 

A trio of Trojan 14th Army figures, joining a growing sample.

 

Four of the Hilco ANZACs cloned from Timpo, which had been on my shopping-list last year, I'm not sure what's on the list this year, in fact, I don't know, because I've given it little thought, beyond the one or two 60mm Crescent Mohicans I still need! But I've three weeks to give it some thought, and save some dosh, and, so do you!

 

Contact details, I expect Brian Carrick (who was to feature in the Ambulance post!) will do a detailed travel guide in the next week or so, and there'll be more on Faceplant for those still there.

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O is for Once Upon a Time, in June! Army Men and Combat Infantry

The meat and two veg' of Toy Soldier collecting . . . toy soldiers! I had quite a good run at the show this year on the khaki-front, in fact, I've just split the folder into two; troops and AFV's, as it was 27 images! So, this post is that plunder, less all the vehicles! And we seem to be starting with pretty-much the last thing I bought at the show, probably because it was on top of a bag, and got shot first!

 

One of the American dealers was over for the day, was it Matt from Hobby Bunker? And he had these, in most colours, I went for the pink! BMC's GI Janes! I've not got them out of the pack, as Brian Berke sent us a nice khaki sample when they first came out, so they can wait for another day, but it was a definite box ticked!

 

Two blow-moulds which I think we've seen before, but here they are again, and they'll be back soon, as Peter Evans gave me a pair not a week ago! He remembers them being part of a shooting game with [I think he said;] four each of these two and one officer?

 

A Marx six-inch British infantryman, and Blue Box (or BB-clone) five-inch GI, complete the larger figures found in June.

 

Not my finest moment, but we all make mistakes at shows, hurrying, poor lighting, trying to hold-down two conversations, but whatever, I bought a lemon - the lewis gunner team are mucked about with, I thought they were a pair, but actually the No.2 is a conversion . . . heay-ho! Some Chinese made Matchbox clones (Shin Hing maybe?) and an earlier Rado or similar Russian.

 

French, very early Starlux (ovoid bases), or Quiralu, I think, possibly from aluminium moulds? I should know, and if I spent longer going through the folders I would know, but nice anyway!

 

Bagged small-scale and a couple of loose figures.

 

The right-hand bag had some interesting mould-purge figures in green/blue.

 

I actually went to the show with only one thing on the absolute wants-list; Hilco Anzacs, and managed to get all three with a colour variation, from one stall, and a seller on the opposite side of the aisle had the Trojan 14th Army types, so I grabbed them at the same time! The Hilco's are cut-n-shut 'conversions' (in the loosest, just-escaping-a-plagiarism-charge, meaning of the word) of the Timpo 'solid' 8th Army poses.

 

Also picked-up two of the Airfix 1st version Para's neither of which seem brittle, a problem with them now, a Thomas/Poplar 'ubiquityman' (driver, gunner and stretcher bearer), Blue Box GI in 50mm and three Lido-clones.

 

More small-scale, with Corgi 'chocolate bars' from the gift-set, Blue Box Germans in 'styrene, a similar Hornby-Triang 'Battle Space' radio-operator and a few other bits.

 

To be sorted, mostly Hong Kong, mostly Britains clones, and mostly to appear on the Khaki Infantry page at some point, I haven't done as much on there as I'd have wanted to, due to circumstance, this last few years, but I did add a few bits there, the other day, and there is more in the queue.

 

More Hong Kong, copies of Airfix 8th Army and Monogram GI's, all very much grist to the mill, but all having a place in the oeuvre, and will all need to be sorted into the correct tubs and samples, to build the bigger picture.

 

For instance the two colours of 8th Army clones, are from two sources, one marked Hong Kong the other just HK, and a difference in quality between the two. The aim being to eventually get them all tied into the correct sets/packaging, and hopefully get the odd brand-ID on them, I happen to know the HK's are probably Ri-Toys (Rado)!

 

More thanks to - Issack, Graham Apperley, John Begg, Barney Brown, Brian Carrick, Peter Evans, Adrian Little, Michael Mordant-Smith, Trevor Rudkin, Steve Vickers, and with no emails since the intro-post, anyone else who gave me stuff, who I have forgotten to add.

P is for Perfect Polymer Propine - Wild West

So we arrive at the Wild West section of Theo van de Weerden's lovely donation to the Blog, and there are some real treats here too, starting with the best thing in the box . . .

 

. . . the Koho Wigwam (Teepee / Tipi), unusually, for the era, a blow-moulded piece, looking like a Hong Kong-produced beach toy. And when I saw it, I was ever so pleased and eMailed Theo to the effect I'd chatted to someone about it a while ago, only for him to remind me that he was the co-respondent in that original exchange, and it was his photograph of this item, which I was remembering, from a follow-up post! I can't retain it all in my small head!

 

So, we have seen it before, but worth a second look, as it's actually quite fragile, in it's shopping bag thin material, and complicated moulding, and therefore probably quite a rare beast these days?

 

The Timpo Teepee, I used to think it was the 'late' version, but, in fact it was the counter top version, being to big/bulky for the boxed sets, and actually ran alongside the slot-together for many years, with the similar over-moulded design elements on the alternate sections.

 

Starlux Tipi in a hard polystyrene, I think this may be a later version, as I have seen heavier mouldings of the same tent, and it would seem the walls were thinned, with a wider male insert to the mould tool?

 

Theo also sent us his Koho figure sample which greatly enhances mine, and with one or two having come-in in odd lots, or from Chris Smith, since we last looked at them, when we return to them next (in a few years?!) it'll be a far more comprehensive post!

 

Britains spares.

 

These are useful, I think, in time, they, like those knights the other day, will turn-out to be ABC (or 'HK' or CMV), but it's a question of finding them marked, while they do turn-up in other packagings, either unmarked as generics, or with what are probably phantom brands?

 

And, like the 'Khaki Infantry' of those three otherwise unknown Hong Kong manufacturers, there are - across the set - Britains, Crescent and Lone Star copies found, in several versions, from full size with larger squared bases, through to very small ones with bulgy alien-eyes.

 

Three larger figures, middle is Cherilea, right is Hilco, and the guy on the left, crawling with rifle, has me stumped, one of the less common Jean's? Another Koho? Something European though, I'm pretty sure!

 

Two Crescent who may benefit from a repaint!

 

This is lovely and not that common, a Texas mounted Indian, while the foot figures are often found at UK shows, or on evilBay, the mounted figures are harder to find, and he's sitting on the donor horse for the small-scale Hong Kong one I call 'Mexican', which, while commonly associated with Giant, was also a wagon-puller for several brands (such as WHC/Success and MPC) for years after the demise of Giant.

 

A couple of Swoppet parts, neither of which is immediately obvious to me, but there is a large box full of minor makes, unknown and Hong Kong samples, and I'm sure these will prove useful in helping complete stuff in that box. Is it late Elastolin legs, and . . . a French-made hat?

 

Many thanks again, to Theo, for all these, as I'm always keen to say in these contribution posts, it's all useful, helpful, and grist to the mill of the 'bigger picture' and all gratefully received.

L is for Lots of London Loot - Sandown February - Space & Pop Culture

So, I would seem to be catching up with the stuff that's come in over the last ten months or so, and the Sandown Park show, just gone, produced quite a collection of bits and bobs across scales, types and genres for the stash, this post is what I'd normally call the Space and TV, but they weren't TV first, being corporate mascot and comic characters!

 

I have quite a few Bibendums, and we have seen him here before, but this is far more animated than the usual standing types. Quite large and a modern PVC-substitute, I'm sure it's a pretty contemporary promotional piece?

 

Slightly futuristic lines to these dime-store pieces, the car and caravan being more conventional, and marked ACME, one of the trading names of Thomas Toys in the US, I think the truck is unmarked, but I'm sure it'll be in Bill Hanlon's book? Looks like a simplified copy of Archer's 'Future Cars' sculpt?

 

Adrian had saved these two Cherilea / Hilco's for me, the standing guy has a damaged weapon, but they both have their correct helmets and put my squad, much enhanced with superglue up to about ten, with most complete, but all short on helmets!

 

Bully Lucky Luke figures, the eponymous hero, his horse Jolly Jumper and his dog, Ratanplan, these are soft PVC and scale well with the Comansi/bubble-gum premium ones seen here before.

 

The Dalton Brothers, from the left; Averell, Jack, William and Joe, also Lucky Luke characters, these are in a hard, possibly phenolic plastic, or early 'styrene, from JIM in France, and are in a larger scale.

 

Brabo bendy toy! Larger again, and manufactured in that slightly sweaty PVC, some Hong Kong makers used/favoured at times, but only to a slight shininess, not the full-on weeping stickiness of some old toys from the colony!

 

Mixed, larger-scale space figures with two of the Marx metallic blue ones, a Tudor Rose (marked) licensed copy/mould swap of Premier's pulp spaceman waving pistol and a - probably - 1970's PVC gum-ball, capsule-machine robot.

 

Three of the LB (for Lik Be) copies, I couldn't remember which ones I already had, so just grabbed all three against the possibility I might still need some poses, which may be among this trio, and because paint was quite good, except the bases!

 

We've seen them before, and now attributed them to two names, Toyway and the original GLJ, with packaging, so I thought we should see them from the back! I got excited as I thought I'd 'found' a fourth pose, but we've actually seen them all before!

 

These have been a steady stream-in, over the last few years, Italy's sub-scale copies, titled Space Legion (Legione Epaziale), from little pocket-money cards, again copied, but from Archer as well as the Premier biggies. I like the marbling, it gives each figure a certain character or uniqueness!

 

These are the Giant sub-copies I called 'Copy 2' here, and while the most common of the four types so far found, this particular batch is a late-production run, with a lot of heat-shrinkage dwarfism! They are also, mostly, in a darker gunmetal than the usual samples? You can spot the three more common silvery ones among them, and they are guarding two valuable dome-helmets (Archer / Glenco and Britains?) for the spares box!

D is for Derivative Drivel!

We don't have many 'D's, do we, weird as there's plenty of words being with D, anyway, I was trying to find a synonym for Matter's Arising, which I know we had, not that long ago, and Derivative Drivel will do!

This arrived today from New York, I shot it upside down to hide all the personal stuff, but have since opened it and there's some good stuff coming to Small Scale World soon - many thanks to Brian Berke!

 

While I bought this from Peter Evans at the show on Saturday, and while I don't usually credit by name, when money changes hands (you could never remember everyone, and don't know half the people in the room!), Peter donates a lot to the Blog, and this was well below real value, so there will be a highlights post or two!

 

We looked at this rub-down set from Westair a few weeks ago, I think, but I forgot I'd shot it twice, and you can see the transfers in these shots, different to the old Lettraset or Patterson-Blick ones, but very much in the same vein.

This monstrosity was found when I cleared the weeds from the pond, I don't know why I was clearing the weeds from the pond when we have accepted an offer, and it's technically someone else's house, but there you go!

 

I would have cleaned it for the collection, but it was more than slightly-damaged and went in the bin! It's modern, a bead-soft or whatever they are called, so thrown over the fence from either side, by kids, or possibly stolen and then dropped by a Heron or one of the many Gulls on Fleet Pond?? It's not like I haven't had the water-lily out several times over the years!

I got these Fun Express zombies the other day, from an evilBay seller, we have looked at them before, but that sample was shite, although I may not have realised that time, how similar two of the sculpts are, or how much they differ individual-to-individual, due to shrinkage/heat (arms all over the place), so might have missed some that time, but here are all four poses in both colours, the snot-green is not glow-in-the-dark.

 

Peter also messaged me after the show-post to point out the guardsman I thought might be a Hong Kong copy of Crescent, is more likely to be a Hilco plastic-from-hollow-cast, which is sort of a better find, I checked him and the mark which I thought was one of those blobby Hong-over-Kong marks, is, in fact just a blob, so I bow to Peter's superior knowledge, and better eyes!

 

I found this on a hook in a small independent corner-shop somewhere in the Surry Hills the other night, when the thirst for a Rubicon fizzy-mango came over me, and as it may have been behind a six-hundred-quid card fraud I discovered tonight, I hope you enjoy it! Luckily I had the cash on me, as I'd just filled the tank, when my card was declined!

 

Credited to Asda supermarkets and claiming to be 8 snakes, it seems to be a bunch of previously-seen here, erasersaurs (10) and 2 of the original snakes, make of that what you will, but clearly I should have checked the label!

T is for ♫♪♪ "Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines . . . " ♪♫♫

An odd one here, as reader Brian Berke sent me some images in relation to a post, a while ago, and I can't find the post, or whether I posted one of the images, since when I grabbed a few from Adrian's rummage tray, and as a result a post with 50/50 Brain's and my images!

 

Brian's group, with what I hope is a Sopwith Camel, if not it's probably a Spad? Brain was wondering if they were Johillco (John Hill & Co.), which they were, or are! And we have a pilot in leather overcoat, a rigger (in blue greatcoat) and a mechanic with a spanner, a rather large spanner, more suited to the bolts on a sub-soiling plough - I was going to say, sarcastically (having worked the bleeder, with two extension poles!), before realising that propellers and the drive-shaft behind them would probably have huge nuts - fnaar-fnaar!

Brian's above mine below, all marked COPYR for copyright, across the shoulders. The base colour is a known variant, and Joplin doesn't state it, but I suspect the green bases are earlier, the uniform-matching colour later, as a cost measure? And if you think my mechanic is looking thinner than Brian's . . . 

. . . it's because he is! If I'm right about the bases, then we can further deduce/assume, there was a re-jig/re-sculpt of the mechanic toward the end of the run? He could be a copy, of course? Those hollow-cast chaps did a lot of plagiarism! As well as a thinner head, he's looking forwards while the [earlier?] figure is looking up and to the left - toward 'his' pilot?

 

Many thanks to Brian for kicking this one off!