C is for Carded Combat Crew

More minters from Sandwon, or, at least near minters, nothing 60+years old is ever that 'mint', bags fog with a million invisible folds, cards fade or discolour from sunlight or bleaches in the paper itself, but these two have held up pretty well;

 

No brand and a blank back to the card, so no clue to producer/issuer, and 43p (maybe around 50¢ US, at the time?), if only such things were still 43p! It looks like it might be the same quality as the Rosebud one seen here before, but I couldn't manipulate it enough to see whether there was anything in the parachute cavity? But still a nice item to add to the collection

 

I think these might be by Hugonnet/Féral, but it is by no means certain, they come in several different generic header-cards, but always unmarked/unbranded, so they could be another operation?

 

A site crediting them to Hugonnet pointed out that they are Starlux copies with the heads turned, usually through around 90º, and you can see for yourselves, they have been given oblong bases.

A is for Airborne Armymen Again!

One day I'll run out of decent titles for these posts, but it isn't today! In the lot Jim sent me the other day, there were two large paratroopers of a design we've seen before here at Small Scale World, both in passing and in depth - when I followed up on the Fairchild version.

Well; we now have another UK branded version, this time Rosebud; better known for their dolls but we have also looked at their construction sets here, in the past. There are differences between the two, but if anything they help to sort them out, as while the Fairchild is the better finished, the Rosebud is the fuller-detailed, (rounded buttons against Fairchild's hinted buttons - that sort of thing) suggesting Rosebud's was first and the Fairchild came later when techniques had improved, but there's no evidence for it and whichever was first, we don't know if the other was a copy, or licensed, although both companies were operating on (or off!) the A1/M1-corridor (if memory serves), so they probably had talked to each other about the toy.

The other paratrooper Jim sent is third from the left in the above line-up and is the biggest Hong Kong version to date (here; I may have others in storage), being a copy of the Rosebud sculpt with the larger, slightly lop-sided helmet, as opposed to the current Jaru (et al) offering, which is a re-cut of the Fairchild version with the slimmer/rounder helmet.

Most of the others follow the Rosebud version, the red one has a question mark, as he is so clean he may be a more recent 'China' rather than older 'Hong Kong' moulding, the apparent rifle-but sticking out of his side is the remains of a runner-tip.

From the left, Jaru Shelfie from the 'States courtesy of Brian Berke; Jaru at Asda Supermarkets version bought by me a few years ago and finally Kids Fun from The Works last year sometime? There are subtle differences between the ConUS and UK cards, but they may be no more than batch changes and of little significance.

Close up of the new donation from Jim with the marking in the same place and similar style as the Fairchild one; in the parachute cavity.

Both the Brits alongside their colonial pirate, the image serves to suggest further that the Fairchild came later as both the Rosebud and the HK copy are heavier sculpts and share some features, while the Fairchild has slimmed in the adding of detail, clearly: if the Fairchild had been around first (to be copied) the other two wouldn't be so well-fed! Also note how the HK copy has 'got' the Rosebud face, the significance of which will be seen after the next image.

When I said the Rosebud had better detail above, I wasn't contradicting the fact that I'm now saying the Fairchild has more detail, it's that the Fairchild has better engraving, but the details on the Rosebud are richer somehow . . . painterly; if that makes sense? And if it doesn't; you should stick to the pictures and not read the blurb!

The HK copy however, is the most fascinating example of the pirates art, there is no sculptural element here at all, whatsoever; from a arms-length away he looks as believable as the other two, yet look closely and you realise he is a series of milling-marks and that’s all, no engraver was involved in the preparation of the moulding, well, maybe he was allowed to spend fifteen-minutes sanding/polishing the face?!!

Layered like a 3D deposition-tank or sintered-powder  model, the fine-lines are where the pantograph has been used to cut straight into the steel tool block (possibly brass but by the 1970's steel was becoming the norm), transferring rough shapes and contours across from the (almost certainly Rosebud) work-piece being copied, and after a test-shot had been taken of that first stage, the decision not to finish the mould-tool by hand was made - time is money. Webbing detail and pockets etcetera; being also and only milling marks - it's crude, but it's clever.

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I happen to know the Rosebud original was sold as The Red Devils Parachutist as I have an evilBay auction image of one 'on-the-card' from ages ago in the Rosebud folder on the dongle, and it's interesting to think this pose is now probably over 50-years old, yet the current, well-spread and easily-available Jaru sculpt/re-sculpt is still not shabby!

R is for Rosedale

Another Box-ticker really, large scale (120mm figure?) farm tractor from (or marked) Rosedale. Actually an 'imprint' of and the parent for Tudor*Rose, and I really only photographed it because I thought it identified the pieces I've been digging-up at the bottom of my Mother's garden, but in fact they are from a similar-sized but different model!

Rosedale used to be a confusing moniker to me, as while it is not a 'Smith' or 'Jones', and seems unusual (as a brand name) there seemed to be several users of the title and for years I couldn't work out who they all were or if - for the most part - they were related or not.

1 - This Rosedale was one of several brands used by Rosedale Associates the company started by Norman Rosedale and one of the companies close to Islyn Thomas/Thomas Toys (see FIM Vol.II for more). This is the one I think of as Tudor*Rose.

2 - There was a Canadian branch (Bonar Rosedale Plastics?) who seem to have used Rosedale in preference to the Tudor*Rose more common over here, and continued to do so later (1980's?) than the T*R mark became ubiquitous in the UK.

3 - Rosedale Figurines, now part of Fleurbaix Toy Soldiers made soft, poured or centrifugally cast, white-metal figures in various larger (54mm-up) scales.

4 - Rosebud...where the confusion stemmed from, and (I've just Googled it) still seems to. Rosedale/Tudor*Rose seem to have had a 'Rosebud' doll, but a company called Rosebud near Northampton also made toys and dolls in plastic. A listing on the Internet right now describes "Vintage sweet little tudor rose or rosebud hp doll 1950s in darling outfit". Rosebud - the company - was responsible for the model train kits in HO gauge taken-over by Airfix. The rest of the company was absorbed by Mattel in 1967 becoming Rosebud-Mattel for a while.

N is for Not Meccano!

I bought these the other day, bit of an odd one as the company conserned has no connection with figures or war toys of any kind, but over the years I have picked up a tin of bits in mixed lots and often wondered what they were from...

I used to get confused between these people and Rosedale/Tudor Rose, but they are in fact different companies, although both made dolls. I had been watching these get cheaper, the last few visits to the Sandown Park toy fair and the last time I was there they were cheap as chips!

I'll look out for the other set ('Set A' seems to have the four little wheels and long bars needed for anything complicated or mobile to be modelled), and then probably off-load them as a group in a year or two with the loose bits. I just like that they are early plastic and have a nostalgia value!

There's no date on them, but artwork would place them late 1950's or early 1960's? Soft ethylene and only the three colours.