M is for More from London, First of Three Plunder Posts

I was back up to The Smoke in September to pick up another batch of Car Booty from Peter Evans, and with another parcel from Chris now sorted and shot, I'd better get these up and cleared from the PC first, not least because there's one or two cross-over items!

 

How the sort/photoshoot starts, with me unpacking a box of goodies, giving them a once-over, having a look-see at what I've got, and deciding how to proceed! I did shoot the six bagged/carded sets for a post, but realised Peter had sent them all as shelfies in time for this year's Rack Toy Month, so those images have gone in the archive for now!

 

Three of the larger sized Fontanini Napoleonics, the third one is supposed to be Napoleon himself, I suspect, but in his earlier days as an artilleryman of the revolution? Note, as in past posts on the subject, the flatter painting of the cavalryman, over the faded washes of the two foot-figures, I also thought the horse was nicely painted, for a plastic tourist keepsakes, and all three mounted on a piece of Carrara marble.

 

Possibly home-painted, and seen before in one form or another, Peter remembers them being part of a shooting-game, which I have as yet failed to find on the internet/feebleBay, but now I know what I'm looking-for, it should only be a matter of time?

 

Parachute-toy figures, including an Imperial Toys PVC-rubber Poopatroopa (in front), always gratefully received, as there have been so many over the years, copies-of-copies, and slight variations, it's a probably never-ending field, and even if I've shot them for the Parachute Page, now, there will be update shots in the future, with all the colour/size/detail variations added.

 

Two Hong Kong divers to be added to their sample, and one of the small grey ones which I thought were Bluebird but aren't, and I can't remember if they've been ID'd yet or not, but I think there's a second pose?

 

Two 4-inch biggies, Blue Box, Blue Box-like or Blue Box for someone else? A bit battered, they'll be compared to the master collection and retained until better ones turn up, rather have a tatty one than none.

 

A mix of Hong Kong chaps, with a few modern China-troops, I think we've seen them all over time, but not necessarily in detail, and that's a job for another day! But an MPC copy with his accessories, sold in sets by Telsalda among others, they also came singly in generic bags at the 6d end of the market. A couple of the Arco Rambo types, a New Ray knock-off in silver and others.

 

A Tim Mee knock-off (or flashy, late-production from the European factory?), a chap who's probably from the turret of a novelty/powered tank/AFV of some kind, best ID'd from old catalogue images, or - if you're lucky - a minter on evilBay, another version of the common seated figure we've seen from several US makers and as a parachute toy. Lastly, a new-to-me figure I think, but possibly from one of the many sets of Monogram knock-offs!

 

Three Britains copies, who will need sorting into the larger collection, against a future shot for the Khaki Infantry page, there are so many variations of these, and I suspect this trio goes with the sets that include Lone Star poses, and came in generic trays?

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.

B&H is for Bauble Bears and Hairy Hangers!

Yeeeeessss, I do seem to be compensating for another treeless Christmas, with a spending spree on baubles against future traditional Christmases! We've met the bears before here, but I seem to have added five without really noticing!

This was in The Range, and is a flocked blow-mould

 

 

While I regret purchasing this one now, a garden centre standard from Gisela Graham, it's in a baby's romper-suit, and is a bit schmaltzy? But it was the first one I found this year, although second to be shot, and now it's met the others I guess it'll have to stay?

This was Homebase, but actually glass, not the plastic they've been using for the last few years, now going bust, some of the stores have been taken up by the above-mentioned 'Range, but not all of them. He ticks two boxes on the tree themes front, being both a bear and a soldier!

 

Charity shop rescue bear! I vaguely remember these being piled-high in somewhere like Clintons Cards a few years ago, and are clearly now being cast-off in favour of whatever 'this year's' fashion is. It has stitches all over and patches and stuff, and I think there were lines of cards and stationary attached to the licence? I don't know if it had a title, but has Me to You on the foot, which may be the franchise? . . . quick Google; Ah yes! Tatty Teddies!

 

Finally, another faux-distressed or 'aged' bear, but this one brand-new from Morrisions supermarkets, in that 'old' fur which first appeared about twelve years ago with grey-rabbits, one Easter, if I recall correctly?

 

A group-photo', there were about 24 last time I did the tree, and a couple more have been added in the last few years, so I think it's probably over 30 now, or ten-plus per turn. Having the mild ADHD which comes of being on the spectrum, I'm very strict, and will sort them into three piles, small-medium-large, resin-flocked-blow mould-glass, grey-brown-polar white etc, and then they go on the tree smaller ones near the top, larger ones down the bottom, equally spaced, like ursine snow!

2 is for Not 3 Men From Outer Space

Returning to a perennial favourite, a line we've definitely had more than once as an opener! And it's our blow-mould copies of the Giant minis we're looking at again today, with a couple of new snippets of information to round the whole.

This was a evilBay lot about 18-months ago, showing the pose I actually only noticed as I was Blogging them last time;

 

https://smallscaleworld.blogspot.com/2018/09/3-is-for-men-from-outer-space.html

The back of the card is overprinted to JBZ, or Joseph B. Zahn & Bros., a US importer ('Jobber'), who carried all the usual fantastic plastic from Hong Kong and repackaged the cheaper/smaller pocket-money tin-plate from Japan.

Then, about a year ago, I picked up a two'er myself, with the errant pose, and . . . blue lenticular eyes, not the common black, sometimes rendered as a grey, so, there's a variant to add to the story, as well as the 'new' branding! My card is the more-common unbranded generic, though. I wonder if they did 1's? Or 4's!

 

Close-up of the new guy, with his lady-charmer eyes!

U is for Ultraman Ululators!

Well, if they're not Ultraman I'm sure someone will tell me! What can I say about these? Obviously they're not strictly ululators, except that when operated by small children, I think whistles can be classed as ululators . . . "Ululation is a howling or wailing sound"!

 

For some reason I seem to have taken three sets of images from the front, but none from the back, and as I've had a mare of a round tonight - targeted/tracked box with different bar-codes on either end, one of which was correct, but the contents weren't, then I ripped my finger open and lost my vape, so stress levels rose!

 

Anyhoows, I can't be arsed to collage anything, so you get them raw! Novelty whistles, probably from Japan rather than Hong Kong, but who knows, not me, that's for sure! I'll use both Tags.

 

Ultraman 'type' on the left and a couple of Kaiju, one more monster, the other more golem? They're not vast, with the mouthpiece, about 3½ / 4 inches, and soft, blow-moulded polyethylene.

S is for ♪♪♫ Spaceman! I always wanted you to go, into space, man ♪♫♫♪

D'yer remember the blow-moulded astronaut I tempted myself into in Primark a few years ago, about the only thing I've ever bought there, apart from socks or T-shirts, or the pearlescent one I found a few years later . . . well, now they are a trio, so they can make a shot for the moon!

That is all.

 

Blue one - https://smallscaleworld.blogspot.com/2018/11/a-is-for-astrobauble.html

Pearlescent - https://smallscaleworld.blogspot.com/2021/11/a-is-for-astrobauble-again.html

T is for They're Only Robots!

I know, I know! It's not Christmas yet, but everything else is out of the way over here (they've still got 'Thanksgiving' over there), so we can begin to get in the spirit, can't we? It's not like I've put a tree up or anything, and, b't . . . THEY'RE ROBOTS! Remember we had that trio of heavy, resin lumps of Robot, Christmas tree decoration from Poundland a year or two ago, well, check these plastic puppies out!

In Homebase now! And they are ridiculously cheap at a Pound, or even 90p each, I can't remember, but it was pin-money! They are only blow-moulded plastic, and normally I try only to buy glass ornaments (tradition), but we had that blow-moulded astronaut from Primark a few years ago, so why not, especially 'cos they're ROBOTS!

 

There's three! There's three of them, and did I say: they're ROBOTS!

2 is for 'Men From Outer Space'!

Picked this up a while back, ostensibly for the 'missing' pose, from this post (was it really five years ago? I don't know where it goes!), anyway, because I spotted the pose I didn't give much more attention to it beyond noticing it has the same card-art as the previously-seen set, but with a 2 instead of a 3 . . . begs the question; was there a 4 (with one of each pose), or even a single 'Man From Outer Space'?!

So, what I missed, was that the lenticular eyes on this pair are printed in a Nordic-blue, rather than the black/gray ones I've seen hundreds of times over the years, possibly on every other example I've seen - which still had the eyes, tatty ones are usually missing them! So, that's a rack-toy variation on two counts, Giant copies, box ticked!

LB is for Lanky Bods

Back to spacemen and a whole bunch of Lik Be's lanky chaps have come it recently, along with a few other items of interest, indeed, all these posts were going to be one follow-up until I started editing them and realised it was going to be 30 or more images, even with maximum collaging!

 

Having inherited a lot of Woolbro stuff in the purchase from Jame Opie many years ago now (and many thanks to him), these were a must as soon as I saw them, and so that's what happened! They are the slightly smaller copies in bright colours, unpainted with flat/smooth bases,.

 

Price suggests 1976-78, as a box of Airfix HO=OO figures was going through 18, 19, 20, and I remember; 21p, around the same time? And dare I say seem to be aimed directly at competing with the Nasta Industries sets we saw the other day, both in the artwork and with the contents count/style?

Two of them are seen here in blue and yellow, between the older copy to the left and what I believe are my first two of the iteration carried by Solpa in Greece, they are smoother-etched than the other clones we've seen here (except the really small blobs), but I've only seen them online, so I'm not 100% on that.

More of the Woolbro type here, gunmetal, orange and green join the blue, an online image I didn't bid on as I didn't really need anything in the lot, although the robots were interesting, they look modern and will turn-up on their own for a lower price!

And another evilBay image here.

They look unloved.

While this set has the hollow-based copies, which from the painted forms (far left in the five figure line-up above) go right back to LB's own origins (late 1960's), but here seem to date from the late 1990's, with unpainted figures in a colour I haven't encountered these clones in before, and a CHINA mark?

Obviously more of a summer beach/lawn toy, with the figures not the central theme, but mere targets for the gun, which fires space-rockets . . . Fluorescent, Barbie-pink, space-rockets; what a bargain!

I've also picked up some originals over the last 9-months, and while the white ones will be checked against the master collection with the rejects offered as a complete set for swaps, the chrome ones will contribute to two sets, the very shiny-silver (most of the far rank) and the darker 'antiqued' (near command group), with any duplicates paint-stripped to add to the neutral granual sample we've looked at some before.

The idea being to end-up with four sub-lots; all eight marked as bright & antiqued, an unmarked set of eight cake decorations from the 1990's, and a larger lot of the plain, stripped plastic ones.

Again, no reason to bid on this lot, although I have gaps in the unpainted samples, there was too much other junk in the lot, and one or two of the green and red ones (which I still need some of (painted and unpainted)) looked a bit tatty?

Better known as a Naval artist for the USN, Fred Freeman was also a prolific magazine illustrator through the middle of the 20th Century, and his sci-fi stuff often used the X Craft-Mercury-Gemini suits worn by our LB breadrin'. Here he has them in something akin to a B29 cockpit, with 'vidscreens', in orbit over the moon! It won't surprise you he's well-known for his submarine art, either!

Then this big, bad, burgundy, blow-moulded, beautiful, blooming, bastard turned-up! Obviously a parachute toy (I may have one or two and not previously noticed the connection?), he's been shot separately for that page, about 120mm, but it seems there’s still no end in sight to additions to the LB for Lik Be output and clones!

Just replace LP with Lik Be, it's only three more letters and a gap, you don't NEED to use LB at all, if you really don't want to, fuckwits!

K is for Kollection of Kute Kaiju Killers!

Bit of a mystery these, they appear to come in two sizes, big and very big, I now have all the big ones but only two very big ones!

 

The story starts about 15 years ago when I bought three off the brothers' Curry, who used to have one of the most interesting stalls at Dave McKenna's toy soldier show in the old masonic hall in Birmingham.

 

They didn't know what they were, I didn't know what they were (apart from the obvious; some kind of Japanese monsters, probably dinosaurian Kaiju from the Godzilla franchise), but I could see their potential with small scale space or GI figures, so a price was agreed, and a deal was done!

 

These were they, the initial three, I now know the one on the right is only a big monster, from the set of twelve this post is mostly about, the other two are very bigs from a set of unknown quantities!

 

I posted them on Brain Heiler's fan site on Faceplant a couple of years ago with a call for help ID'ing them, and Keith Bowman and David Crow both answered the call, with the upshot that it is believed they are all Kaiju from The Ultraman / Ultra Seven franchise, not Godzilla, and from the left, can be ID'd as;

• Bemstar
• A version of the Red King
• Neronga
  

But then this turned-up! Credited to a Victory, and carried in the UK by Henbrandt, I've seen them on eBay in the US and Germany, but with no clear jobber beyond the Victory brand-mark, I've added the extra three as there is room, indeed, there's so much room in the box, you'd think it was a counter-dispenser with maybe 24 items, but the box makes clear it was a set of 12.

 

Grouped mostly in pairs of matching plastic colours, presumably for production reasons, so I shot them in the same groups. These are the pair of reds, who are exploring the ashes of the bonfire down the bottom of the garden, both have green spine plates, and both need ID'ing (as do all bar the Neronga), if you know more about these things than I do!

 

The Greeny-golds! Another pair, and including a baby Beamster? They got to fighting on the gravel area at the back of the drive! The two larger ones in the original purchase have moving arms, with the red king having moving legs too, the smaller ones don't have moving limbs.

 

A pair of pinky-golds, while they don't have the moving limbs, they do have two halves, but only for reasons of production, there's little deliberate or meant movement, and they may actually have been glued or heat-sealed?

 

Running out of ideas, the blacks and grey (another Neronga) were posed round my late Mother's kitchen! the Neronga is slightly different to the first one I found, but we'll compare them in a minute.

 

Ah! The 'fairy' trio! Pale blues and mauve, I'm guessing these are not terribly close to the the characters they are ripping off, but it would be nice to get some sort of name/title for them all, if only to give me the excuse to blog them again another day!

 

Big and very big on the left and variations of the Neronga on the right, none of the ones in the box have 'China' stickers, so maybe they were marketed in different forms of which a box of twelve were one, and individual shelf-sales (with separate stickers) was another? Of course, it could just be that someone took all twelve stickers off! The older purchase has more silver paint and slightly darker plastic.

 

These were on evilBay the other day, only six of the twelve and more variations, but then you may have noticed some variety, just on the box-top photo'? The mauve is purple, and one of the reds has gold spine-plates, as here.

 

I think the dark blue one here has been given a home-paint, there's washing/weathering and more colours than the others normally have?

 

"Yeah, well, yer'no, it started small, lighting BBQ's for tourists, dealing with the rubbish on the beach, then one day I caught the changing shelter's thatched roof, and I was like, 'Wow, that's awesome!', soon I was doing whole fishing villages, moved on to small towns and then, well, yer'no, the whole Tokyo business init! But I'm a changed Kaiju now, mostly these red-carpet events and the odd drug-bust destruction fire for the Police . . . just keepin' me'hand in, like - it ain't easy, bein' fire-breathy!"