D is for Déjà Vu

Chris Smith sent me these a while back, with the possibility that they are related, as the Lilo are generally believed to have been sold as beach-toys, and therefore definitely 'rack toys', we're going to have a quick look at them if only to put the question-mark out there!

Chris wanted to point out the similarities between the Lilo figure (there's still only the one pose known) and those unknown larger-scaled composition figures we looked at here which was mentioned then.

There are slightly more cloth-folds in the composition figure, but that could be put down to the figure being deliberately smoothed for plastic production, as it was still a 'new' technology and mould-removal was an early identified problem (and remains-so, to this day), but away from the sculpting of the clothes we have an almost identical respirator-case on both chests, almost identical SMG, the same 'deep sea diver' treatment on the boots, and while the chin strap is deeper on the composition figure (and the helmet play-worn) that too can be put down to the material intended for/of the final product.

The overall size, the slightly two-dimensional approach to the figures and even the faces, are also similar. No one is saying - for certain - that these are from the same maker, or even necessarily the same sculptor, but it's fair to say both Chris and I are suggesting the latter, which may also point to the former?

Also it's worth noting, if you haven't already clocked-it; one of Chris's figures is painted (I've only ever previously seen unpainted figures - as you would expect from seaside kiosks), and even that painting mirrors the painting of both sizes of Brent figures' and the unknown composition maker's? Thanks to Chris for noticing the similarities and bringing them to our wider attention.

Q is for Question Mark - 'BRITISH' Composition

I posted one of these the other day as a comparison with the larger Brent figures (the opposite shot is below) and said at the time - we'd be looking at some more, which is what we are about to do, not many but enough.

These are they, and only the four have turned-up so far, now, this post was originally going to be entitled B is for Brent, Not!, for the simple reason that if you saw these alone, being maybe not that familiar with actual Brent, you'd be forgiven  for thinking they WERE Brent.

Points of similarity include the early war uniform with respirator-case on chest, the brown/green, contrasting-blob, paint-job on the bases and the nails/panel-pins for weapon-barrels.

But, Brent use the heads of their nails for muzzles/flash-eliminators in both sizes, this outfit hasn't; the uniforms date the figure manufacture to the war, not necessarily to a maker; while a lot of toys, both sides of the channel and the pond had contrasting-blob paint-jobs at the time, reflecting the types of camouflage found on vehicles since the First World War, and - at the time these were made - being applied to military installations, civil port and aerodrome facilities, hangers and whole factories the length and breadth of the land/s.

The front bi-pod is certainly Brent-like, or after-Brent, but Brent never marked their figures (or I've yet to find a marked one) while these all have a proud 'BRITISH', prominent on the edge of the base.

When he saw one the other day Chris Smith made the acute observation that they look a bit like the Lilo plastic lumps of the post-war, beach-toy era, and I think he's got a point! Not maybe the firm; Lilo (PB Cow & Co., traceable to 1815) were a rubber manufacturer, and even if affected by wartime privations, would have been too busy with respirators, rubber boats and life-preservers, to have the time or inclination to tool up for a few composition toys in an unused corner of the factory - and these are - overall - a better quality finish than Brent's production, partly due to their size, but nevertheless, decent tooling would help and that didn't come cheap.

So it's probably that the same unsung sculptor jobbed both sets of figures, particularly as the Lilo figures (which one would probably place after 1947?)* have the by then anachronistic uniform also seen on these. Certainly Chris's observation holds water - I'll tack the Lilo figure on at the bottom to compare.

* Graces have them exhibiting at the 1947 British Industries Fair, they had registered an inflatable air-bed in '36, but went on to become leaders in Air-sea rescue equipment (above mentioned boats and vests), as well as manufacturing parts for the De Havilland Mosquito, the air bed is in the '47 catalogue, and advertised in a beach-setting in the '49 (which does list "Toys & Games"), but (polyethylene?) plastic buckets don't appear until '52, a more likely date for other beach-toys which may have included the military figures, but Garratt (JG) does recon '49.

The opposite of the shot we looked at the other day; Brent's 60mm 'big-boy' is dwarfed by the unknown 80-mil giant, who is arguably better proportioned and has ears . . . and fingers!

The Lilo's (also around 75/80mm if memory serves?) in my collection, sorry; it's an old image we've seen before, but I've brightened it up a bit. To back up Chris's theory, he has the same Chuchillian 'boiler-suit' (so do the Brent's) and the weird 'step' in the respirator-case the unknown composition's also have, but the Brent's don't - in either size . . .

. . . while against; the Lilo has finer detail and almost no puttee, but it's a different technology and - if it is the same guy - the sculptor presumably had the best of half-a-decade to improve his style/technique?

And maybe he was going for a bloused-trouser end; there was a lot of it about at the end of the war you know, I think we got it off the Yanks? Bloody Yanks - coming over here, teaching us how to dress properly and dance the Swing; it was a slippery slope that's ended with Boris's daily-lies and Brwreakshit!

L is for Li-Lo

Five years ago I posted this Unknown Figures post, Peter Evans kindly identified the Li-Lo within days - if not hours - and I finally got a bead on the lower set on evilBay the other day, and I was right about it being a shooting game, Hong Kong, generic. The three poses seem to be 'it' but I can't now find it in the Unknown HK folder which means it was 'brand' named, but I can't remember where I filed it...it wasn't Gordy, Larami, Laurie, LP or Lucky - I just looked!

Anyway, back to Li-Lo...this turned-up a while ago. From the warping it's either a very unstable polystyrene or some earlier cellulose or phenolic resin? Actually marked Lilo. It's missing a draw-bar/handle thing.

In the UK Li-Lo were best know in my childhood for being the manufacturers of a vast range of polyvinyl (PVC) inflatable beds or mattresses, 'floatation devices', balls, rings and other beach/camping toys, to the point that they became synonymous with them, we had 'lilos' not inflatables! I don't know if/what they may have made/sold elsewhere....did you have Li-Lo where you are?

I'm willing to bet that the 'oversized' figure in the original post was sold with this as a beach toy, either a few together in a larger polythene bag, probably with a card header, or in a mesh-net attached to this. Pure conjecture, so don't add it to any wants lists, but that is exactly the sort of combination you'd see hanging in bunches at seaside kiosks, or further inland at the back of cycle or sporting-goods shops. There may have been a set of paper flags glued onto cocktail sticks or little wooden spills as well.

Ten minutes after publishing...there was an Australian arm, the UK parent-company had another name and Lilo is still a generic term for inflatable beds! I've also tracked down a few catalogues/adverts so will do their - now three - entries for the A-Z in a day or two...maybe!

F is for Flats, unknown Flats

[Was being a tired (lazy) git last night and have edited the text and retaken the photo's!]

I've been meaning to show the first of tonight figures for a while, as they have been appearing on eBay a lot recently, and present a mystery or two. However in getting them out encountered the second lot, which seem to go together - after a fashion - so here they both are...

I'd always thought these were unusual (I've only ever seen the one pose?), similar to some early Marx or Thomas with the flat feet and solid construction, and they do pop up on eBay quite a lot, I've seen a bottle-green one (as I was bidding on the brown one) and there was a red-brown one on last week but in a junk lot at a 4.99 start price, which - not unsurprisingly - went unsold for the third or forth time.

Anyway, when I saw the metal one back in Jan. I thought, 'Oh Wow, they're taken from an old Hollow-cast mould', but with nothing in Joplin, bid 'blind' and waited with baited breath (that's a bit over-dramatic for a 99p lot in the post!) and was interested when it arrived to find in was a solid (probably why it's not in Joplin!).

Still believing it was the original, I was even more surprised to find it's quite a bit smaller, and must - in fact - be a home-cast (or commercial) copy of the plastic one! So...who, where, when? For either the metal or plastics! The plastic is a real UNA/VP/Kentoys colour?

The figure on the right is a mismould, taken out while still too hot, he has contracted forwards, but has still made a reasonably usable figure/pose variant. Metal figure is 70mm, the plastic 72mm.

[Peter Evans has identified these as being by Li-lo, which means the metal one is almost certainly a home-cast copy, if they keep turning up on eBay, I'll flag them as a dodgy set-up!]

Looking for the British 'Tommy' led me to the box 'Unknown Flats - Military', where the next biggest are these 65mm hollow-backed German 'Fritz' characters, I'm guessing they were from lucky-bags, or a shooting game? It's only a guess, anybody have any idea on these chaps from the wilder fringe of Toy Soldiers?

[20th Nov. 2015 - They were branded KM, came with a spring-loaded pull-back action pistol and six orange ball projectiles, blistered on a card, they are targets in a shooter game! The 'Combat Force Military Action Gun Set']

[2018 - now known to be Kwong Ming Plastics Pty.]