F is for Follow-ups - Combat Soldiers

Technically I'm a 'toy soldier collector', but it's a long time since the collection was more than 50% military, if it ever was, and even if you include all the cowboys & Indians, armed spacemen, the sailors and airmen, it probably won't get far over the halfway point! But I try to deliver a decent number of green 'army men' here, and these are follow-ups to they!

I've known for some time that my Taffy Toys stretcher has damaged carrying-handles, so I was very pleased to pick this up at Sandown the other day. We've seen them before more than once and with Brian Carrick's also on the Khaki Infantry page, they've had a lot of column inches here for 8 or so poses of odd-scale, odd era figures, with non-service weapons!

Also of interest with the new acquisition - he has clear signs of paint? The fleck of green on the pillow came off the base of one of the Timpo Brit's he was bagged with for a few days - I suspect, but the flesh seems to be all his, what's left of it! Given the number of other companies [possibly] in the frame with Taffy, could one of them have had a painted issue? For instance those TN Thomas space figures have a painted PVC version; alongside unpainted PVC and polyethylene issues and it's not 'firm' that they all came from Thomas?

We've seen the Chap Mai Land-Rover quite recently, with the figure frame Blogger a while ago, but I picked-up a few spare figures so shot them with the 'rover, and then looking for something else found this . . .

  . . . which is the whole set, beautifully shown-off in a box-opening type video, but she can't resist playing with them, para-drop AFV's! And THAT's obviously what the funny thing under the Lanny is - that fouls the carpet - it's for attaching the para-drop frame and parachute! I've got to find the whole set haven't I? . . . God knows where I'll stash a two-foot-by-three-foot polypropylene Hercules!

I believe it was sold here as an unbranded generic through both Argos and Index (before the latter folded), but may have been branded to either of the stores or Chap Mai (but not in the catalogues) and will have had different packaging and/or branding in different markets.

Argo are now selling the Chinook version under their Chad Valley branding.

I had one of those anonymous eMails from an anonymous fuckwit with the misfortune to be born fuckwitted who suggested I had used the same few figures to pretend I had all three sets of the DFC-MTC  Mini Military Playpack's I posted on the Hong Kong small scale, Giant or Not Blog back in Rack Toy Month, he said "I guess you think your [sic] clever and you tricked folks", so - fuckwitted one - actually I think I'm clever 'cos I can guess which 'folksy' side of the pond you reside! 

Dude - if I've got all three boxes and all three playmats, I don't think it actually matters how many of the figures I might have in your addled brainbox. Wotafuckwit.

To add weight to his conspiracy theorising; there may well be a difference in the figure count of one set (or two sets) compared to the three published posts as I found a crawling figure on the floor a few weeks later and added it to the Battle for Berlin set, as A) it only had one prone figure, B) it only has one vehicle and might have an extra figure and C) I didn't want to upset the count of the other two, when B has some validity!

And I can't be arsed to check my own posts to further 'trick' folks! Sometimes you do have to wonder why you bother . . .

 . . . anyway; while I was at it - I did a better colour comparison!

Also now on the Gaint... Blog, but shown here in last year's RTM was the Wing Lung post , and here's the missing larger scale base mark, it's not quite as neat as my 'from memory' graphics, but it's not too far removed!

MTC might be for 'that' MTC?

A quick fillip to make-up for the insubstantial post, this-AM. I don't know whether to thank Peter Evan's or Brain Carrick for these, but I'm sure they were in one of two similar bags from both men at Plastic Warrior's show two years ago, so thanks to both!

Last year we had a fair bit sent-in from Brian Berke concerning a US importer MTC, and I noticed the other day that these figures have a feint MTC stamped into the tool's base, not as clear as the 'China', it would appear to be an afterthought, possibly for a contract, so it'll be worth looking-out for unmarked 'generic' versions.

Copies of old Marx WWII German Infantry poses, reduced to a sub 54mm (I didn't measure them but they're on the small side; 45/50mm'ish) - I don't believe anyone in Italy had anything to do with any part of them, ever!

Equally I don't know if it's the Blogged-last-year (mostly PVC importer) MTC or another MTC entirely and indeed I think MTC are the old Multi-Toy Corp, which would fit nicely, as these are a very similar shade of plastic as the Love Boat green figures!

On the subject of this new trend for consumer information on the bases, here Uni-Regent Holdings have hot-stamped their entire address into the base of one figure, in teeny-weeny impossible to photograph so that it's readable print! They are a similar 45/50mm as well.

L is for 'Love Boat', Lovers Louché Living and Lovable Lazy Loser

The day before the Plastic Warrior show, I had another parcel arrive from Brian Berke in the Big Apple, lots of lovely things, among which were these vintage 'cuties' (to steal a phrase from Louis Marx! It's alright - he went bust years ago...), I'm only familiar with them from Kent Sprecher's site, where they have sat (with some interesting looking styrene ones...crew!) for many years - on my wants list (with a million other figures!), but I've only ever otherwise seen them occasionally on US feeBay.

Brian reports that "The Love Boat passenger figures were sold off in the early 80's in a NYC discount chain called 'South Pole'. The actual game/toy had these figures and beds which at the time raised concerns about the morality of the game. It wasn't called Love Boat for nothing!"

I think this is managing to present both all the poses and all the colours available. The blue chap had the same deposit of waxy dust on him that some Matchbox 54mm figures get, clearly one of the many additives leaching out over time, but he hasn't shrunk or distorted and cleaned-up well with no sign of brittleness.

Presumably: the crude MTC mark on the shoulders/back of each figures was part of the contract with the Hong Kong manufactory and represents Mattel Toy Company?  And with the . . . err . . . a'hem . . . 'coat-hanger' charms (embellishments?) of the female poses ('Like Scammell wheel-nuts . . .'), it's easy to see why the set was withdrawn; the fact that there's not a full-suitcase of clothing between all six of them was undoubtedly a factor in the decision too!

Following on from the recent bendy-toy posts, these turned-up at Sandown Park toy fair this Saturday just gone, and if the all-American 'beautiful people' above were of questionable morality, the silhouettes on this box are quite depraved...

...if I was about to stick my book where he looks like he is about to stick his: I'd expect the police to bring charges of domestic abuse against me, however; if she is about to do to their son what she looks like she's about to do: I'd expect a tub-thumping, New England, Presbyterian Judge to let me off!

Madame; the reason your relationship appears to be in trouble is because . . . your husband is gay . . . he's gayer than a gay man that's gone to university and had himself elected professor of gayness, he's so gay he's about to leave you for a Californian gardener called Crispin (apologies to all non-gay Californian gardeners called Crispin . . . and any over-sensitive gay gardeners called Crispin, anywhere!), set-up home with him in Haight Ashbury and open a poodle parlour.

Wherever he got that tie; it wasn't the 'Olde Worlde Real Manns Necktye Shoppe' and that's a fact. He's also borrowed one of your blouses and a pair of slacks from one of Charlie's Angels, and: Chocolate Brown? It's so'oh last decade!

Now you may not have noticed, or maybe you're a 'very' modern couple . . . oh! I see you've put your son in a bright-red skirt and gingham blouse . . . I think I understand now: "completely flexible" huh? Just raise them both to know it's also OK to be heterosexual and/or monogamous.

And don't get me started on the 1970's connotations of 'bender'! Suffice to say - it had nothing to do with sarcastic, opinionated, back-chatting robots! I have visions of late 1960's schoolboys spitting mirthfully through gritted-teeth while trying to keep a straight face after asking for a 'Bend-a Family' at the corner shop. Indeed; the more I think of it, the more I suspect that it was me with the rictus-grin, in Brecon toy shop?

Although: speaking of Matt Groening (in a roundabout sort of way); Brian also sent me . . .

. . . a Homer Simpson . . . Whoo-Hoo! Because "every man should have at least one as a reminder that he is in all of us" . . . Doh!

Made by Monogram, but not 'that' Monogram, another one . . . which is a bit of an oxymoron, they will have to be renamed Duogram I and Duogram II! Thanks Brian, I love 'im, but 'e's not getting my doughnuts!

Next day - Brian corrected me: "The M on the back of the figures stood for Multi-toys a NY based toy company, see link above. The bag of figures included one each of the main crew characters.", so tag-list adjusted and he also provided a brilliant link! Cheers Brian.

https://2warpstoneptune.com/2016/04/05/the-love-boat-playset-multi-toys-1983/