R is for Rubber Raider Rack Toys

Except they aren't rubber, they're polyethylene! Actually the Britains one is dense PVC which has some of the properties and is given some of the tasks of Rubber, but it's not what we're concentrating on here, except in so far as for comparison; it's the Greek rack-toys!

These were on feebleBay for ages and for very little money, I think I had them bookmarked for over a year and no one pipped me to the post, so when I finally had a spare tenner a few weeks ago I grabbed them for RTM@SCW!

They came from Greece, and while they could be Solpa they are more likely to be Stam Toys (who did use silver-coatings) or Petalo (lots of rack toy - until quite recently or still going) or even an early import by someone like Zita Toys, although they are lacking any Hong Kong or China marks, which can be a sign of domestic production, but can also just mean that local laws don't insist on origin-marking? Nevertheless they are definitely 'in the style of' Hong Kong rack-toy tat!

Obviously copied from the Britains assault craft; 'Gemini' or 'rigid raider', the three figures are quite different, with one being in a bright-blue polymer, another manufactured in gold-flecked resin and the third has an overall coating of sprayed-silver paint with a dark-red plastic figure underneath.

All three Greek vessels have retained their 'Allied Star' stickers, but my Britains boat has lost it's little MOD crossed-swords thing. I have a feeling I know someone who has a sheet of them (probably left-over from an out-worker's stock) , so if he's still got a few I'll get that sorted!

All three figures have a hole in their base to fit the forward spigot copied-across from the British model; in point of fact, both spigots are reproduced (larger than the originals, but in roughly the same place) but the base sizes (of all three figures) preclude them from lining-up with the rear one.

The other obvious difference is the addition of a cord-loop at the front, to help pull it along, but I don't know if they were fitted with one, if they were part of a hook-wall display-hanging, or something you had to add at home?

Although copied from Britains, they lack the buoyancy of the donor, but do still float so all is not lost . . . when looking to shoot them in the pond (left) or water-butt (right)! I suspect it has more to do with the properties of the Britains' PVC (more air trapped in a less dense material) rather than anything else; the design - otherwise - is carried-over pretty-much intact.

US Army is for More Clones!

Because I've been editing all the current output over the last few months, things have happened which might otherwise have been 'follow-up's, but a few weeks after I had finished the earlier of today's posts, and the later post today, which was waiting on a set and had put both the finished ones on the back-burner for a while anyway, the following images dropping into my in-box, kindly sent by Dougal Hare (so many thanks' to him) who had no idea the other two posts were in the pipeline.

Like the increasingly hard to fine Bandai 1/48th scale figure kits; this is not a common thing! I had no idea it even existed and I have quite a good Fujimi Mokei archive including all sorts of listings, imagery and several catalogues including an old one. A set of eight figures taken ostensibly from the Revell set but with several figures closer to the Monogram originals; Fujimi F:KIT No.U1.

Classic 1960/70's (I think this is the 1970's boxing?) instruction sheet "...paint the soldiers with civility"! OK? No rude painting of these figures please! No loud colours, no swearing at the cat and do your dressing-gown or smoking-jacket up properly before you sit down at your work station . . . and don't forget to say grace!

The figures, the kit element is limited (as it is/was with both donor sets) to a few small parts; here - attaching the flamethrower tanks and fixing the figures to their bases. The 'modelling' came from the cleaning-up of often quite flashy figures, heavy gate-mark removal and such like, which you can see from the images - in the case with this set.

We looked at their 1:76th scale cousins here (link) and they were equally in need of cleaning-up to get them to a photogenic state! Thanks again to Dougal for sharing this rare set with the rest of us.

M is for Monogram's Many Mates

This post only tells a part of the story of the Monogram sculpts, not least because it mostly deals with the Revell versions, which are quite different, through the Roco-Minitanks copies - which are the wrong scale! The post came out of an eMail conversation with Gisby, but I'm not blaming him for any of this complicated drivel!

Original Instruction Sheet

Although not as obvious as other much pirated figures (Airfix, Lido Wild West, Elastolin Romans, Britains animals et al), the original Monogram set US Army Military Figures, is up there with them and there are at least three main 'families' of figures to look at.

Firstly there is the original 'kit-figure' set and the various derivatives from (in a possible. vague order of appearance) Pyro, Renwall, Hawk, Adams, San/Marusan, Revell, SNAP, UPC and Life-Like (among others!) Lesser players include MPC, Strombecker (four figure set) - and IMC?

Then there are the soft polyethylene Hong Kong piracies, from around 10-or-so definable sources, most were sold as generics but one or two can be attributed, not least a small set carried by Marx. Small Scale World briefly looked at some of these (the generic carded sets) in the past.

Note; the 1973 IPMS/MAP kit list is no help at all in this matter, listing only the Tamiya set and the Monogram (as 1:32nd scale!), but most of the sets branded to the above were out (and still around) at that time, the SNAP/Adams/Hawk set came with a howitzer and sandbag emplacement and appears separately in the listing though.

Re-boxing under Revell ownership

Still the Monogram tool and brand-mark

The final group contains the ones we're mainly looking at here - the Revell-sculpts' based Roco-Minitanks copies and their UPC piracies in nominal HO-Scales. Giant also lifted them in an HO-compatible size, but we're not looking at them today; they'll go on the HK Blog . . . one day!

Revell used the Monogram set as a basis for their own (this box was probably issued sometime between the two above?), but kneeling-down the radio and flamethrower operator's, straitening a couple of other poses and both dropping some and adding newer sculpts. It was this latter set which Roco used as the basis for three of their 'HO' sets, the only sets they produced in soft polyethylene.

However, in the Roco sets, the sculpts were divided, some duplicated and the sets contain a few other poses, including original Monogram sculpts, variously taken from AFV crewmen which can be found in military model-kits (of various scales) from one or more of the companies (in the first 'family') listed above.

So, set 117 US Soldiers Combat Group was the first outing, and it contained the fighting 'infantry platoon' poses, along with the flamethrower, bazooka-man and mine-detector, but not the No.2 on the bazooka, who would be held over for set 141 US Artillery Group.

This is the type two packaging with the AHM/Airfix panels removed and a white panel/flash where the earlier sets had had a blue one (see below), I think the 'Z' prefix on the codes is the AHM designator for Roco, they used a 'U' prefix for the MinimoverS which were supplied by Umex/Roskopf. Walther's used similar coding for their suppliers, but only for the Terminal Hobby Shop (and now online) cataloguing . . . I think; not on actual packaging?

The 14-figure count includes two identical marching poses and an officer we will return to at the end of the article. The second radio-operator (large set) and officer are additional to the two donor sets, but I don't know which kits they are taken from - yet!

The earlier packaging, seen here on the second polyethylene figure set with the blue-panels on the obverse and AHM box on the reverse, they were imported into the UK by Airfix to begin with (you can - in good light - just read 'Airfix Products' under the "United Kingdom"), while Roco-Peetzy handled European sales. I seem to recall Riko took-over the UK marketing as Airfix dropped Roco in favour of their own growing lines of 1:76th scale AFV kits and the more 1:72nd scale ('OO-HO') readymade polyethylene vehicles?

The larger figure-25 suffix in the product-code is the US price-designator; twenty-five cents, US Airfix used the same system, as did UPC, below.

Again we have other figures from new sources; the seated figure with the rifle is from the original Monogram set, but I suspect the guy holding his 'bum-roll' is a Revell sculpt, while the various artillerymen will have been taken from various older 1:35, 1:40th or 'box-scale' AFV model-kits from the list of companies above - Adams had the 120mmAA I think?. The MG and Mortar vignettes are from the Revell version, and we get the missing bazooka-crew No.2.

I have no idea if Roco had a licence to reproduce the figures, or just copied them on-the-fly, I don't think Revell had taken over Monograme at the time they first appeared, and the fact that Roco would join Esci in later copying Tamiya sculpts (Esci also plagiarised Airfix and downscaled their sister company Italeri's 1:35th figures) suggests piracy?

Also neither Revell nor Monogram showed any interest in the smaller-scales at the time; although Revell would turn to it later (with re-boxed Esci!), so may have turned a blind-eye, or even tipped-a-wink at a toy fair, but equally they could have been fully-licensed? The figure next to the two seated figures is Patton.

UPC's box-art; above (large scale, channelling the Revell artwork) supplied by Gisby, below (small scale) from my collection appears to show basic training helmet markings and an oversized Hotchkiss on a Vickers' tripod!

I fired a Vickers once; I must have been five or six? Dad woke us in the middle of the night and  drove us to the School of Infantry at Brecon, where his staff (he was commandant) had set up the gun on the small pistol range/SMG butts at the back of the old wooden barracks (which would be unchanged fifteen-odd-years later when I stayed in them, winter 1984/5!), he then had my brother (four or five?) and I fire a 50-round belt each into the sand to wake the garrison - all totally illegal; even in those days! I coughed in the fog and nearly broke my teeth on the firing handles!

They (UPC) copy both the previously seen sets for a 27-figure count (even to the duplicate marchers!), probably pantographed; all the detail is there, but they are a tad-smaller, they are also the only polyethylene set in a polystyrene line-up, and the funny little bases (more Revell than Monogram, but all Roco) were copied as well.

#3039-29 - US Combat Group Soldiers, miss-attributed elsewhere to 3022 (actually a crewless/figureless artillery kit); I have set them out in the photograph  as they are laid-out on the instruction sheet - numbered top-left to bottom-right from No. 1 Bazooka man, to No. 28 seated, with the machine-gun as No. 26 and the mortar unnumbered/un-illustrated on the sheet. Full US catalogue listing with price in cents; 29¢

The third and last set manufactured in the soft polyethylene by Roco was 154 US Parade Group, 16 figures, but only a few new sculpts, again taken from Revell or Monogram (I assume) and probably from the various Jeep kits available in the larger sizes.

Contents give us a fourth 'George C Patton'esque officer standing, a variation of the 'actual' Patton figure from 141, but with standard combat trousers instead of the cavalry jodhpurs, two drivers and seated solder and officer, I guess the officer is the one in a side-hat, pointing?

On the far left (where Mr. O'Connell puts me!) is the 154 version, you can see he's been pantograph-copied from the larger 141 figure to his right. In the other shot is a usable miss-mould on the left, next to the standard figure. I could probably get him back with a bit of hot water, but I like to keep them, in hundreds of figures he's the only one who's turned-up! He looks like he's just spotted something dodgy and is about to un-shoulder his rifle?

Returning to the officers, there must be one [early?] Roco AFV which came with a crew-figure (US half-track?) as two of these (left hand figure) slightly larger versions have turned-up in polystyrene, but they could be further piracies? The base seems to be Roco, but could have been added by the owner, and I've found no other poses (from all three sets) in the same material.

Standard Roco-Minitanks in the middle and UPC copy to the right.

One day I will tackle the big-job properly, but for now, just a couple of shots which have been in Picasa for a year or three since a sorting-out. I have dozens of samples of this type of thing, along with one boxed set (may be Adams or SNAP?) still in the garage somewhere, and they range from the big 60+mm box-scale 1:24/5th or 1:30th figures from . . . not sure; Aurora, Pyro (?) or Renwall, through the standard 'early kit' sizes equating to 1:35 or 1:40th and the smaller 1:48th or 1:50th of the late Aurora and others, but with dozens of copies - sometimes in different sizes - it will be a major undertaking!

What we have here is - I think - on the left: Revell late/reissue in paler green marked (1) and 1st generation copy (Hawk/Adams/SNAP ?) at (2), with the same copies to the right compared to sub-piracies (Marusan/UPC ?) numbered (3). But - and I stress; they could all be by other people!

You can see that each copying reduces the size slightly, and the detail noticeably, especially on the 3's, it doesn't help that the pale flamethrower isn't in-line, but I can assure you the 2's are slightly smaller, the 3's measurably so!

Like I say; it's a big job, but not impossible! All the Aurora and Bandai 1:48th-scale smallies are elsewhere and a few are ID'd and in their company's box or tub, but these are the bulk of those early US model-kit makers' US troops. 30 to properly attribute, the supposed Stromberg set (I can only find die-cast Landser and a plastic pit-crew!) may be the pale grey-green foursome, bottom right?

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As well as the three polyethylene sets seen above, Roco-Minitanks produced a number of figure sets in the harder, glue'able polystyrene, and therefore I've put together a quick listing of those non-vehicular sets that might be most use to 1:76/72nd gamers, HO gamers should already be familiar with them . . .

Roco Minitanks Listing - Figures & Accessories Only

117 - USA Infantry Combat Group (polyethylene, ex-Revell/Monogram)
118 - US Assault Craft/Raft (Hong Kong piracies exist, same as 239? See also 363)
118A - Life Buoys/Floatation Rings (dealer's-list foul-up or late-90's reuse of the code with different contents? See also 363)

132 - Anti-Tank Obstacles ('Dragons Teeth' in various sizes + barriers)

141 - US Artillery Personnel Support Group (polyethylene, ex-Revell/Monogram)

154 - US Infantry Parade Group (polyethylene, ex-Revell/Monogram)

185 - Pine Tree Assortment (6 trees, like Faller, Merit et al)

218 - Tents & Cargo/Supplies (German WWII Zeltbahnen, copied by Eidai)

- single tent (four-joined Zeltbahn)

- double tent (eight-joined Zeltbahn)

- 2 drums

- barrel

- 2 different boxes/crates

- sack

233 - 2 Motorcycles (one with dispatch satchels, one without)

238 - BMW Motorcycle with Sidecar

239 - Large Rubber Dinghy (Hong Kong piracies exist, same as 118? See also 363))

249 - Bases for Battle Scenes (supplied by Bellona/Micromould)

251 - USSR/East German Tank Crewmen (10 figures)
252 - USA/NATO Tank Crewmen (10 figures, ex-Tamiya)

255 - 10-Man Tent (NATO 12x12)

258 - Guardhouse with Gate (figure, sentry-box and barrier, also issued as 851?)

261 - 20-Man Tent (two NATO 12x12's joined, many Hong Kong piaracies)

263 - WW II German Soldiers (15 figures seated and marching)
264 - US/NATO/Bundeswehr Soldiers (15 figures seated and marching)
265 - Russian Soldiers (marching, 2 officers, 8 soldiers, side-caps)

271 - Set of WWII Personalities (9 figures, 2 Goring's)
272 - US/NATO/ Bundeswehr Soldiers (20 marching GI's, ex-264, small set, off the runner)

272 - US/NATO/ Bundeswehr Soldiers (20 marching GI's, ex-264, large set, on the runner)

288 - Assorted Sheets of Modeller's Plastic

298 - US/NATO/Bundeswehr Soldiers [sitting] (, ex-264
299 - German WWII Soldiers

300 - 8 Officers, 2 Map Tables and Chairs (6 standing, 2 seated/stools, Vietnam-era, ex-Tamiya)
301 - British WWII Gun Crew (6 kneeling/squatting, ex-Tamiya)
302 - 16 Soldiers Infantry Group (Bundeswehr types)

308 - US Gun Crew (6 figures)
309 - 16 Tank Commanders/Drivers (NATO/Bundeswehr types, upper-torso's only; for hatches)
310S - Infantry Group 'Afrika' (German WWII Afrika Korps - limited edition)

317 - Barbed Wire

319 - 28pc Set of Ammo Boxes

342 - Fence and Gates

363 - Assault Rafts with Life Rings

450 - WW II Personalities (set 271 reproduced in 1:35th scale)

463 - US / NATO Tank Commander Figures (Gulf War? ex-Tamiya?)

542 - Sandbags

550 - Artillery/Munitions Accessories Set

614 - Nissan-hut (US; 'Quonset-Shelter', standard accommodation hut)
615 - Nissan-hut (US; 'Quonset-Shelter', extended administration/facility/classroom building)

851 - See 258

Roco Railways

40000 - Station (24 undecorated civilian figures, also supplied to/issued by Kibri)

40001 - Loco Crew (painted engineer and fireman from the steam-age)

Might as well do the UPC as well . . .

'HO Pocket Combat Series' Military Vehicles (definite pirates of Roco Minitanks, not sure if Marusan carried the whole line, and supplied UPC or if UPC were the pirates; supplying Marusan with a limited range?)

#3011-29 - German Armored Car 234/2 (also ex-Marusan)
#3012-29 - German Armored Car 234/1 (also ex-Marusan)
#3013-29 - U.S. 2 1/2 Ton Truck 6x6
#3014-29 - U.S. 2 1/2 Ton Truck
#3015-29 - Self-Propelled Howitzer
#3016-29 - General Patton M-48
#3017-29 - Self-Propelled 155-mm Gun, T-245
#3018-29 - Tank Medium PzKfw.V Panther (also ex-Marusan)
#3019-29 - General Patton M-47
#3020-29 - Half-Track Rocket Carrier
#3021-29 - General Sherman Tank M-4
#3022-29 - 120-mm Anti-Aircraft Gun M1A3 (not US Combat Group Soldiers, see #3034)
#3023-29 - German AA Gun 37mm
#3024-29 - German Tank Mark IV/Fl (also ex-Marusan)
#3025-29 - German Tank Mark IV/F2 (also ex-Marusan)
#3026-29 - German Tank Mark IV/H
#3027-29 - German 20mm Quad AA Gun
#3028-29 - Half-Track Munitions Carrier
#3029-29 - Sound Detector (also ex-Marusan)
#3030-29 - Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns (also ex-Marusan)
#3031-29 - Half-Track Quad AA Gun
#3032-29 - 2 Jeeps M38A1
#3033-29 - 155mm Gun M2
#3034-29 - US Combat Group Soldiers (combined contents of Roco sets 117 & 141)
#3035-29 - Honest John Rocket
#3036-29 - Tiger II
#3037-29 - Self-Propelled 8-inch Howitzer

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.

M is for Matchbox Battle Kings

Actually there are a few 1-75 Series in this post, but they are here because they need to be, or it makes sense (to me) to put them here!

The vague 25lbr/Air-portable howitzer called Field Gun. This was the first time the figures that would become Battle Kings appeared, on bases they would lose in the larger range, designed to fold-up and fit in the standard box, they can be removed and trimmed-down to two individual figures.

The Weasel - a fictional vehicle given that it is neither the US M29 Weasel or the Bundeswehr 'Weisel'. Named to fit in with the Badger (gold thing top right), someone I'm acquainted with has named everything looking like it in his 'definative' book 'weasel', when in fact most of them are Ferrets! Which this is - minus the turret - replacing the older model (bottom right), not that Ferret's didn't have turrets, they did, just not like this and not called Weasel.

The Badger also had a commander figure who can be considered part of the Battle King range, being roughly the same size and the same polypropylene material.

The figure range on my 'check-list' sheets. Not sure how it will reproduce on the PC until I publish, but it's the best I could do with the old camera and Picasa! Two sets of numbering and an odd combination of 5 GI's, 3 Germans and 5 beret'ed post-war/Modern NATO types, but then the AFV's were an equally incongruous assortment of WWII, Modern and fictional vehicles...and they were toys!

Also the camera flash has changed the look of the figure columns, with some of the darker ones going light and some of the lighter ones going dark, but hopefully you get the idea - there are visually lighter and darker issues in each of three colours; mid-green, azure blue-grey and sand. Then there is the less common orangey ones I have placed above, along with a very dark green damaged 1C-6C who may be a HK pirate of another toy range all together?

Some but not all were also paired-up with a connecting strip and all 'mint' ones whether single or paired should have the little 'spruelet' drums. In one of the early catalogues they show a set in sky blue, I have asked about them, nobody seems to have any and the only person who claimed to have some failed to produce them?

Two re-painted and venerable survivors of childhood here in the 'Israeli' SPG and Patton from one of my old armies! The others picked-up in adulthood as having figures of the same style as the individual ones (and the Badger above).

These AFV's came in two ranges, the first being hideous metallics (there's a metallic apple-green tank under that Patton's Humbrol 56 or whatever number; 53?) including a silver King Tiger!, the second issue were more realistic and they're the ones I've tried to pick-up, but as you can see it's still a bit bright! Also the running-gear left a lot to be desired but...they were toys!

A few loose ends, plug-in tank commander and MG along with the troops from the half-track. The three German poses above and compared to their subsequent 1:76 scale compatriots - below left.

The Battle Kings figures were made from either a high-density ethylene or a polypropylene (I favour the latter) which allowed for high-detail and fine parts (a property of PP), but which leaves them with slightly brittle extremities. The Germans suffering particularly from this flaw, with the barrels of the SMG and Officer's pistol and the stick grenade more often missing than not these days!