F is for Follow-up - Elephants!

We like an elephant or two here, and further to the decorative china ones we saw the other day, Brian Berke remembered some sets he got from Sri Lanka, which I think is a new tag, and it's not often we add a new country to the tag-list, so a definite feather in the cap there Brian!

 

Small wooden elephants, carved by hand and painted in bright colours, you see them around, and they are obviously a touristy thing, but the little designs on them are scaled-down representations of the actual decorative elements painted on real elephants when they are to participate in a parade or wedding ceremony.

Both sets from both sides, one wonders how many colours you need to find to have a 'full' sample!

Scaled with a Crescent figure, we can see they are about 25/30mm, but they do come in various sizes, I have vague memories of very large 15"+ ones artfully arranged in old fireplaces (as mug coasters/small coffee-tables), or smaller 6"-10" ones on mantelpieces or bookshelves.

And it just so happened that I had three teeny-tiny ones come-in recently in a mixed lot from somewhere, which we may or may not have seen already, everything's gone - if not full pear-shaped - at lets a bit 'sixes & nines', and I've lost track of where everything was in the grand plan! Note; one has a red underside instead of the black on all the others?

Seen here, you can see they are little more than about 10mm, and I've shot them with another - more realistically painted - glazed china elephant and a bisque one in a similar, but matt, finish. The bisque being solid, the shiny one, hollow, like a mini-fairing, which he probably was, part of another family of minis!

 

 

This is the TBS box (to be sorted) of elephants which have come in over the last four or five months, it's almost endless! We should have seen the biggie ('soft play' is, I believe, the term for these huge rubberised animals or dinosaurs) before, a few years ago. But he turned-up again when I was clearing the attic, his plastic bag having slipped down the back of something. A bag which was reminding me he came from Tiger Stores (now Flying Tiger), the bag is beginning to crumble, so must be a biodegradable one!

Little & Large . . . "Hay-heh Syd, Climb-up!"

E is for Erazeoo

I know! Some of them are so bad I'm shocked I get away with it! Claimed by RSW International and sub-branded to Royle Kids [sic] 'Animal Antics', these were a gift from Peter Evans in his end-of May parcel to the Blog, so many thanks to him.

Of interest to us as they (or the Hippo) are the same as the Hippo we saw from Tiger Stores (now Flying Tiger) a couple of [six!] years ago here at Small Scale World, so clearly a re-branding or separate contract. I was going to stack the elephant on the other two, but all three boxes are different sizes! I look for it but can't find it so it's probably in a mixed round-up or News, Views . . . ?

Close-ups; The Elephant is the weakest, being an odd shape really, more African than Asian and with short but fat tusks which can't be excused by production limits as the Hippo has a nice-enough and thinner tail?

But they are what they are, which -for the most part - is nice sculpts of animals you probably wouldn't want to actually use as erasers, so novelties! All grist to the mill - and thanks again to Peter.

S is for Some of Them Are . . . and . . . Some of Them Aren't?

The products of the Pioneer Toys Manufactory Limited works, that is, from the former Crown Colony of Hong Kong, now in China and founded in 1992.

Some of these I've suspected for some time, some are now confirmed and the rest may or may not be, but as the output of Supreme-SP gets nailed down, Soma's is usually marked and Smart seem to have concentrated on smaller scale figures, we are running out of cheapie, rack-toy die-cast, PVC-figure accessory origins and; as we'll see, the patterns point to Pioneer as the likely source for most of this stuff?

We have looked at a few Pioneer bits over the last few years, I've dropped the odd mention into posts and they've had some tag's, albeit with the odd caveat or question-mark. But working on the other three this week; I thought I'd pull what I had together, go Googling and see where I was, and the answer is this post.

Unlike the other three (the two Kwongs' and Star), this lot are definitely still going, and the above is from the website which is a bit basic, but they are very-much contract manufacturers, so the site is more B2B than trying to pander to your or my desire for high-resolution imagery - Hing Fat's website suffers the same fault.

I picked these two shots as the one has relevance to the question marks further down the page, while other confirms the next lot!

Now, I know we've seen one of them five times in the last six years, or is it six times in the last eight years, I've given-up counting . . . but here's the rest of them!

There would seem to be at least three generations of these, plus the unpainted set (one of which is below); the lower lot with bare arms and white overalls, the upper lot in yellow with gauntlet gloves (unified by the dumper-driver, who remains unchanged) and the current/web-site set who seem to be better painted with an additional, separate, base-colour.

The above is all fine, confirmed through the web-site, now it starts to get a bit fuzzy, but I'm pretty confident time will tell most of these are Pioneer, but for now the possibility they may not all be, has to be retained.

The Buddy L is just for comparison, he's also . . . also PVC vinyl-rubber! Of the two sets of air-side crew, the lower lots are the most likely to be Pioneer while the upper three are a bit dodgier, being a much-softer, silicon-rubber.

Note also how the odd digger matches the lower set in base style, material colour (and density) and the jacket colour - which is closer then the photographs suggest. There are also parallels with the three-sets' gillets/body-warmers.

Both sets of ground-crew have been shown here before as question-marks, and I assumed the lower set were aircraft-carrier crew, which they may have been, but I suspect they were also in airport sets.

The set of four poses currently on the website, are much nicer figures, but clearly they (Pioneer) have had generations, and they tend to improve in China as they degrade in the UK (think Britains; herald→swoppets→deetail→hong kong shite), so that's to be expected, also there is (like Supreme) a tendency to different scales (see below), while I haven't said Pioneer definitely made/make any of these?

Their 'thing' is die-cast vehicles at the pocket-money end of the market, so Pioneer may be buying the accessory stuff in from other contract-manufacturers lower down the feed-chain, a point we'll get into more in a minute.

We have seen - on the blog, marked-Pioneer vehicles being sold by The Works, the same vehicles were in the same post (link) tied to Poundland (Funtastic), 99p Stores (PMS) and others including generics and several phantom-brands on Alibaba, since when we have encountered them in HTI and Flying Tiger packaging . . . and here's another one, Greek importer Zita Toys.

Obviously the vehicle range has improved since this, what, mid-1990's (?) set was put together, note that the helicopter is from similar generic Thomas the Tank Engine sets, where he wears a face! The jeeps however survive in some sets, I think, including the large one I shelfied in Smyths under the Streetmachine logo a year or so ago.

Note also the two building relief-frontages, taken straight from Supreme (but slightly different) or by Supreme (?), the two clearly spent the 1990's fighting for the same market; the older firm is also still going and also supplying lots of brands/customers. However the figures are the interesting thing here.

Erwin informed the Vichy a few years ago in his normal lecturing, hectoring fashion ('attack dog mentality' one of his 'friends' called it the other day!) that the left hand figure was . . .  well, I can't remember who he ascribed them to (with no empirical evidence whatsoever) and I think I corrected them at the time with '...probably Pioneer but not what he said!' His trouble is he makes it up as he goes along.

I knew they were Pioneer through the Die-casts, but hadn't made the connection with . . .

. . . the smaller trio (bottom left), which have also appeared here before; under a question-mark post, or two. The significance of this is that the larger figures have bases which match the softer ground-crew figures above, the smaller figures have bases which match the smaller ground-crew and the road-workers after a fashion, but are unpainted - like the blue road-worker.

Hopefully, if your logic circuits are firing (I schedule these for 9.30 to catch you fresh in the mornings you know!), you can see how it's all coming together!??? The upper shot is another one I'd forgotten I had with a colour-variation of the Zita Toys set (probably HTI over here? Woolworth's or Chad Valley before the former's demise; an early Smyths set?)'s figures.

Now, I've mentioned Soma, Smart and Supreme as being contenders for anything here which isn't Pioneer, but there is still a hornet in the wood-pile; the figure bottom right (it's a reminder shot we've seen before) is from the group that might be Realtoy (namely; Realtoy-Daron-Sky Marks) and which I've been told is Galoob, but over which ascription I've muted some doubt.

Galoob have produced (or had produced for them in Hong Kong/China) lots of PVC and PVC-like stuff over the years, with different bases or no bases in dense, medium and soft materials, and the 'Realtoy' figures (a harder-polymer than most of the above, or above mentioned) share posing with Micromachines' late 'armymen' series, which is a separate can of worms, but they both have to be contenders too, and Realtoy have at least one road-worker who looks like a Pioneer one!

My own feeling - or I wouldn't be publishing the post - is that most or all of the above (whether bought-in or internally-manufactured) originate with Pioneer, and have come to the market (which is our hobby) via die-cast play sets of the sort seen above or in previous posts, which may have been retailed under - globally - dozens of brands, brandings, brand-marks or phantom brands, and that they occupy a similar/the same niche as Realtoy (whoever they were/are), Smart and Supreme.

I've said before - in passing - they will be responsible for some of the many vinyl astronauts from 25-50mm out there . . . which aren't marked K&M! And I have several sets unopened somewhere which will lead to a series of posts on them all, but some of them may prove to be Realtoy, as the packs are similar to the Daron/Sky Marks sets . . . in fact I think one (with a die-cast missile) may carry the same Toy Galaxy logo as the Airfix Australian copies I posted on that blog the other day! It's wheels within wheels when researching Hong Kong toy production.

Those Police, Medics and Firefighters HTI included in their Teamsters sets - possibly Pioneer for the older - full painted - ones, probably for last Christmas's part-painted shelfies - Teamsters are re-badged Streetmachines? Likewise; the little vinyl HTI pirates?

As a die-caster Pioneer are current, it's the ID'ing of ephemeral figures from their early days which is the exercise here, the new airport figures will start appearing in mixed-lots any-day now, if they haven't already for some of you, and we need never see the road workers again, but probably will - when I get a complete spade or road-drill! Or more blue, unpainted ones, or different coloured ones, or new poses, or a need to do comparisons . . .

Thanks to everyone who's ever saved me odds and sods (I know some of the road workers came from Peter Evans) and Paul Morehead for the stuff in the first image.

F is for Flying Tiger Goes to Space!

A theme obvious at the Toy Fair in London last month was space; not the all-singing, all-dancing, enemy alien, interplanetary warfare, 'deep-space', space-opera type space, but 50-years since a small step, NASA moon-shot 'near-space' space!

The same theme was also in evidence on my last visit to Tiger, or Flying Tiger as they are now, camera was forthcoming, shelfies were taken and that's what we're looking at here!

Large astronaut erasers and I mean big; biggly-big, biggerer than a big-thing that's gone to university and had itself elected head of the Department of Bigness! Candy pink or a sort of dark ultramarine were on display, but I know that with the similar animals they've had the last few years, other colours tend to turn-up with re-stocks, so that may be the case with these, you can see they've obviously emptied a stock-box of pink and topped-up with blue!

Various novelty ball-point pens included an astronaut, I didn't buy one as it wouldn't make a stand-alone figure like the regency lady (courtesy of Peter Evans) I converted a year or two ago, due to the visible shaft between his legs . . . Matron! But if you are a novelty-pen collector, rather than a 'figurine' purist; there are three colours to find (that I know of), along with the alien (?) or fish in a bowl and Japanese ladies also visible.

To hold your novelty pen is this rocket pencil-case with a hinged hatch, it looks more like a booster rocket/fuel-tank than a proper Apollo series launch-vehicle, but the homage is there!

More space-related novelties including glow-in-the-dark ceiling decorations of planets with small stars or a packet of larger stars and a slime-filled rocket of more 1950's 'pulp' lines, in fact it looks a bit like the head section of Fireball XL5 - there's a project there for someone!

Plastic money-boxes of rather blunt rockets and weird space-alien monsters, I wasn't taken by these at all; the production values are fine, but the designs (and colours) are beyond kitsch and heading toward horrid, in my opinion!

Next to them were space-themed book-ends (which don't look heavy-enough to do their job) and a nice corner shelf in the shape of a rocket which does temp me - to make my own!

Finally and of no real interest to loyal readers, but photographed because they were there and covered in space imagery was one of those block-things which keep folding or unfolding into different pictures, they work like a Jacob's ladder . . . a bit!

Expect more and more space-stuff this year, both in the shops and on the Blog as we head toward the actual date, and I dare say the telly will be knee-deep it it.

1969 - increasingly looking like the high-point of human civilization, still striving for post-war liberal-democracy, striving for the stars, striving for peace, raising living standards . . . but Vietnam was grinding-on in the background, then came Thatcher, Regan, neocon 'Libertarian' psudo-economics, Afghanistan 1 (and 2) The Falklands, Nicaragua, big-hair and the Spice Girls, 9-11, four Gulf-wars, Internet porn and the Tellytubbies . . . I blame the Tellytubbies, horrid little monkey-faced Brwreakshitieers . . . Eh-ohh! A Mars-bar was 3d!

WHS is for Flying Tiger!

We last saw this in another colour-way, from WHSmith's, it's now turned-up in a set in Tiger, who have renamed themselves Flying Tiger. However the set's mini 'sandwich-box' container is identical to those used by both WHSmith and The Works, so they could turn-up anywhere, being obviously a 'jobbed' generic from some importer or wholesaler and it's getting harder to tell when you're looking at Iwako originals or when you're looking at copies?

Set with contents; it's as close to 'war toys' as some companies will go these-days, brightly coloured rubber tank, reasonable rendition of a Browning Auto' .45 pistol and a pair of binoculars, or should that be a set of binoculars, a pair (when they are already 'Bi-') would suggest two whole units (four eye-pieces) surly?!

Seen before, and I have now got three! Two in WHS colours and this one, a whole squadron under Terry Wise's rules I think! I do have a bunch more erasers in the queue but they will be amiable posts over Christmas - if I remember!

W is for the White Stuff

Seems to me there are only ten-days to the main event, to wit: one visit per chimney courtesy of Mr. Clause and the reindeer plagued by red-noses.

Given that some parts of the British Isles experienced a quick covering of snow the other day heralding the predictable complete failure of the nation infrastructure coupled with the usual orgasm of hysteria from the tabloid's hinting at the end of the world - except the Daily Wail who were probably predicting a 'snow-mageddon' related catastrophic-drop in house prices or worrying rise in Prep-school fees in the New Year; I thought we'd have a look at some related bits and bobs from Picasa.

I bought this last year in Tiger, but can't remember if he ever made it into the Christmas posts? I don't think so as I don't remember ever writing who the bloody-f**k thought it was a good idea to suffocate Santa' in a dolls jam jar? 60mm; lid-roof to base.

This pair of pure-white muppets was on a Christmas cake a few years ago, they look to be from one of the 'proprietary brands' of Christmas Village (what secular people use to celebrate a religious festival instead of nativities!) but I seem to remember that they were more generic in their China'ness!

The big one looks faintly bemused by the whole thing (whatever it is), the one on the right looks . . . errr . . . . inbred, there; I've said it, he looks inbred - Norfolk's lost a village idiot!

The rest came in a junk-lot on evilBay a while ago, I always try to get these earlier in the year as those lots, nearer Christmas itself, tend to be priced for a needful market, but Christmas cake decorations in the summer tend to go un-bid-on!

These are the less interesting pieces. I like the tree - in its wooden barrel - as we had them on the cake with our plaster snowmen and cottage when we were kids, the deer is one of many and the sign is hard plastic, the latter-two HK, the tree probably a German, Polish or British product, jobbed to many.

Thinking out-loud department . . . dissolve the plaster snow in vinegar overnight, remove the wooden barrel and attach the tree to a string of curtain-weights and you'd have a very useful shotgun cleaner, in a fetching green . . . "Merry, festive shotgun cleaner, half-price - Only this Bank-holiday Monday!"! . . . There's my next business-venture, right there!

Awwwww . . . Snow-baby's got an igloo, how cool is that . . . err . . . hard to be cooler than ice?!!

The reason for buying the lot was the Santa Clause who came with both skis, now, I have this sculpt in storage, more than one in fact, possibly including the Festival original, but this is the first hard polystyrene one I've found with both sticks, his skis are softer ethylene though.

We shall return to tobogganing snow-baby this afternoon, he's a copy of the old Gem/Festival ones.

Finally for this little round-up, Brian B was rather taken with these skating Santa's, not enough to buy one, but enough to send us a shelfie, he's is a jolly-looking chap, with the best crimbo-jumper ever! And if you look carefully; his skates are made of Candy-canes.

Is it beginning to feel a bit like Christmas?

R is for Round-up - Bendy Toys

The reason I finished-off on both of the last two days with bendys is because we're already into a short 'season' of bendy toy posts - intermingled with the Halloween thing - of which this is the third of four!

Here's a thing, about 18 months ago I posted some plant-ties and pointed out that they were in every aspect the same as the old bendy-toys of my youth, a few weeks (months?) later I posted some oldies, some of which had come-in, some of which I had upstairs; then Brian Berke sent us some shelfies, then I spotted some, then some more, suddenly Bendy Toys are hot again.

In point of fact - bendy toys are all over the place! This is a quick run-through a bunch of shelfies taken by both me and Brain B over the last 12 months or so, showing bendy toys from at least 3 companies, possibly 4?

I shot this about two  months ago, TK Maxx end-of-summer clearance from NJCroce, I actually went back for it but it had gone, careful reading of the shelfied packaging reveals the wheels may not be carpet-running, so I'm not so disappointed to have missed it, but . . . the original-shape car, in huge-scale, with bendy crew . . . does it get much better . . . these days?

"Battling brake-peddles Batman! Go easy with the lead-foot; why don't you!"

Another from NJCroce, a small key-ring man bat (yes - I know there was an actual Manbat at some point, if you read every American comic ever written there have been everything-men and most-things women over the years . . . and decades!) and another of the larger figures; I suspect the same company but it's not clear.

I then went back to TK Maxx on the trail of Halloween stuff and they'd got more of the NJCroce five-figure sets both Brian and I shelfied around this time last year, this set of cartoon characters, which I don't like at all really and . . .

. . . a set which I struggled to shoot without creating a toy-landslide (TK Maxx's toy area always looks as if Barbarians have just been through it, on the way back from the pub!), so only the heads - to give you a heads-up! Design-wise they look to be the original 1950/60's types which I prefer - in fact; as I write I wonder if it isn't one of the sets we saw a year ago?.

They (TK Maxx) haven't got the single-figures in yet, but I suspect they will in time for Christmas.

Then I found monkeys in Tiger, most tiger's call that 'breakfast'! These monkeys have been skandie'fied to abecat! Grey and brown with separately heat-welded, wired-tails, they are two-quid a'piece, and going on Tiger's usual stock-runs, they should be available for the next 6-18 months.

And then I found this sitting in Brain's folder (it's still very full!), where I fear it's been languishing long enough to have missed a couple of bendy-posts; my bad.

Although; obviously he's been accidently miss-named (he's Wally in the UK!), and at $5 dollars he's very-much at the top of the price range for these as single figures, you can get 5 plant-ties for £4 at the other end of the scale . . . contents and construction; by weight, the PVC and wire being exactly the same, so must be - the unit cost, so should be - the unit price!

F is for Follow-up - Chinacars!

I managed to find vehicles from the big die-cast post in Rack Toy Month just gone three times in one day, all in Basingrad, but I forgot to shoot one, which was a five-pack of the commoner models . . .

. . . which were also in Tiger as single vehicles in simple boxes, with one of those silly fake 'skandie' titles; in this case Bil . . . or bil; the lower-case is everything - I'm not joking - some agency was probably paid £10-grand for that 'idea'!

They also have a simple one-colour finish, but all that simplicity of paint and packaging makes them more expensive at a quid, than some of the more decorated versions we looked at last time, most of which were either also a pound or only 99p!

While these less common vehicles (they were as common as the others about 10/15 years ago though and turn-up loose all the time), as StreetMachine are in Smyths superstores, there was a single-vehicle StreetMachine (imported by Kandytoys; I don't know the importer here) or two in the previous post.