PW is for Polymer Warriors!

Just a quickie, picked these up the other day as part of the 'machine-gun' lots, I missed them first time round although I was in the room I think, but I was there as a small-scale collector only and probably turned-down the free one at the door . . . shock horror!

The guys at PW have over the years managed to commission a re-run of Dulcop's tools, import Hing Fat, save the Rocco moulds, liaised with the saving of other moulds, offered other figures from time to time, published, or supported the publishing of a number of other books and guides, and - I think it's fair to say - supported the fledgling Replicants? A list which all other toy soldier magazine teams can only envy!

To commemorate the occasion of their 10th year of publishing and the putting-on of their legendary shows, they gave away one of these to each entrant to the 1995-show, back in the Queen Charlotte Hall days, just off Richmond town center, I think the door figures were red plastic, but lots of other colours/shades where run-off.

Those other colours were also available at the show, in these bags of five, but for a few silver-pieces, and as you can see mine are two dark, two mid- and one lighter green in that shade/range I call 'herb' green, which is 'errb to our French and 'urb to our US readers!

The figure is a late C19th 'colonial' era soldier, standing at attention, wearing a solar topee/pith helmet (safari helmet, salacot, sun helmet), or sola/shola topi - Indian, because it's made of shola pith!

Designed and sculpted by Peter Cole (of Replicants) for the magazine's tenth birthday, and it was intended (I think?) to go with those early Zang/Herald for Britains figures similarly posed - Sikh Indian, Highlander, 'Khaki Infantryman' and Guardsman (a few of which were also in the lot with these).

I now have a few, to make up from my previous heretical approach to the larger size, with red, bright green and purple-marbled ones being seen here in the past I think, so hopefully I'm forgiven, but I'll stand-by for corrections on the above details as it was a while ago and I wasn't paying attention at the time!

Plastic Warrior's Blog

PW is for Replicants

I can't honestly remember when this was issued, I think it was the 20th Anniversary show at Queen Charlotte Hall in Richmond, the old venue for the annual Plastic Warrior show, but it might have been the 25th, or even earlier . . . the 10th?

Anyway, Peter Cole at Replicants who's enjoyed a close relationship with the PW crew was approached to make a figure which could be given-out with the entry ticket . . . or in lieu of an entry ticket as - and I think I'm right in saying - there's only ever been a hand stamp for those wishing to take a break from the plunder hall!

This is the chap, as issued, in a glorious blood-hiding scarlet polymer, a late 19thC colonial type, originally suggested as/for the Zulu war but suitable for painting in various uniforms; the afore-mentioned scarlet, colonial 'blues' or the later khaki and usable with Boers, Mad Mardi types or other ner'do'wells who may have objected to the rule of the Great White Queen!

The seller had several colours of pre-production prototypes or test-shots and I took one as far from the final figure as possible, although some were marbled red and green and I now wish I'd grabbed on of them as a third!

Interestingly, the figures are made of a harder plastic than the figures I'm now buying from Replicants (which are an 'Airfix' soft polyethylene) and knock together with more of a hardwood or hollow-bones sound.

Been around for some time and seen elsewhere, if not everywhere else, but the box needed ticking . . . and is now ticked!