The Americans in the 1950's and 60's had - generally - much bigger houses than your average European, and consequently they developed a different approach to toys, specifically 'boys toys' with the play-set (or playset, but spellcheck's never liked that!). A whole box full of stuff, everything you needed; figures and any relevant vehicles or animals for two sides, accessories and scenics all together.
Marx and MPC were the masters of the art, the sets being typically 54-to-60mm in scale/size and for the most part; unpainted. However, Marx decided that they could produce pocket-battles in a smaller scale and also, that paint would be useful, so the Marx Miniature Masterpiece range of 'HO' sets was born.
Only - they can be a disappointment, especially in the jaded eyes of a modern adult! Firstly they are not HO, HO is a model railway gauge equating to somewhere between 1:86 and 1:76th scales or 18-23mm for compatible figures, whereas the MMM's (as I shall refer to them from now on because I can't be arsed to keep typing the full rigmarole) are between 25mm and 30+...but I'm getting ahead of myself, the figures are further down the page...
Flags; the British tended to use square flags in battle at the time so the oblong is a bit out and the lines...am I really going to pick a toy flag to pieces? Lets look at the other one...anybody care to guess? I think it might be the flag of a hotel on the French Riviera? It's close to flags of Barbados and Ukraine!
Cannon-ball piles and Ceveaux-de-frise, are standard for these sets but the flag-poles are more uncommon with the Western sets getting a scale-down of the tree-trunk in a pile of rocks. However their uncommonness is tarnished by their complete inability to stand-up on a carpet!
I love the cannons, even if they too are a bit dodgy, the larger one is OK really, with its solid carriage and parrot-type barrel, but no one has ever offered an explanation for the smaller design with its duck-scoop breech and its cast-iron looking, curved carriage sliding up and down its axles, very odd!
The horses are fine for 30mil giants, but don't look anything like mid-Victorian cavalry mounts with colourful Indian blankets under a vague, small, hunting or racing-saddle. I've opened two of these sets over the years and sorted a third and the horses are the only non-consistent element of the contents. The count is always the same, to match the riders, but the number in each pose and/or colour scheme/plastic colour varies from set to set.
There are hardly any polyethylene components in these sets but there are always a few bits, here the two not so big, big-rocks are blow-moulded, one - having been held in the cavity longer than the other - has a much more rock-like disposition, the other being a bit melty-rounded-off.
The 'Lancers' are in late-Victorian infantry uniforms (sort of) with helmets they've clearly borrowed from one of the nations bordering the Trigan Empire, or some of Flash Gordon's enemies? While the Russians are not as bad (there were Cossack troops at the end of the valley), but with five guns in the play-set...no gunners!
The ACW get enough gunners to squabble over who rides the limber (but not really enough to man all the guns!), but here we have no gunners, and the uniform of the Russians at the guns was grey greatcoat and cap...and FOUR buglers? The British don't get any? So, you see; a bit silly!
Of interest for completists; the four lances carried by the foot Russians are sculpted in relief with folds, while the single lance carried by the mounted figure on the Russian side has a flat flag (as are the different shaped British lances), so must have been on a separate mould-tool (?) and needs to be present in a 'mint' set.
Why are the 'British' holding the guns against a Cossack charge on the box lid?
Charge of the Light Brigade by Richard Caton Woodville, Jr.
So, short-fuse leads to bitty, bitey post, but at least I avoided that jumped-up despotic corporals thingy the other day! Huh? We won, that's all you need to know, close-run thingy but we won and Blownapart apparently shat his pants!
See post below to see how much I really love this set...
