F is for Fat-Flat French Fellows from Figurines Historiques

And so to the London Toy Soldier Show, which I wasn't planning on attending, and haven't been to for years, certainly not since the move to the new venue at the Business Design Centre in Islington. I can well recommend the trip to anyone who's umming and arrhing, it's a light airy venue, with plenty of space and wide aisles.

I had my eye on these all day, but wasn't supposed to be buying much (budget not stretching to three shows in a month - I also did Sandown last weekend), so - at the end of the show - I asked the vendor; an old mate, if he could do me his best price, and he quoted a fair-one, so the deal was done.

I had taken a few looks at them/rummaged through them during the show and having not seen any obvious duplicates knew they would be worth a punt, but was pleasantly surprised - when I'd got them home and sorted them into chronological order - to find what seemed to be four full sets of 12 semi-flats or 'Demi-rond'.

Being the Mokarex re-issues by/as Figurines Historiques for Historex/Historex Agents, less the 3 Napoleonic sets which may not have seen a FH re-release (Historex having their own extensive range of fully-round 'multipose' 54mm Napoleonics), and the other set of French Personalities, which - ironically - I have bagged, in storage! The missing figures being;

• Bayard
• Conde
• Connetable de Bourbon
• Duguesclin
• Hoche
• Jeanne d'Arc
• La Tour d'Auvergne
• Mal de Saxe
• Marceau
• Roland
• Turenne
• Vercingetorix

However; let's look at what I've got here . . .

• Gaulois 300 (Gaul)
• Franc 400 (Frank)
• [King] Clovis 465-511
• [King] Clotaire 1 558-563
• Merovingien 600 (Merovingian)
• [King] Charlemagne [The Great] 768-814
• Carolingien 800 (Carolingian)
• Capetien 1000 (Norman)
• Chevalier Croise (Knight Crusader 1100'ish?)
• S• Louis 1226-1270 (St. Louis)
• [King] Louis XI 1461-1483
• [King] Francois I..1515-1547

As these figures are from more than one set of original Mokarex premiums and/or separate runners (as Figurines Historiques) I stress the above is not a set, but rather figures from up to three sets, arranged chronologically by date/s given.

The Figurines Historiques runners do all have 12 figures, arranged as branches of a 'tree' format; six each side, and were sold bagged with a header card. They are in the same pure-white, slightly soapy or soft polystyrene as the rest of the Historex range, holding detail well, and easy to clean-up, glue and or paint, however . . . compared to the silver, gold, bronze or gunmetal of the Mokarex originals: a bugger to photograph!

• Archer 1520 1520 (date repeated, no bow, so; man-at-arms?)
• Cent-Suisse de le Garde 1558 (Landsknecht type)
• Lansquenet 1562 (Conquistador type)*
• [King] Charles IX 1560-1574
• [King] Henri III 1574-1589
• [King] Henri IV 1589-1610
• Piquier [of the period of] Louis XIII (Piquet/Night Watch?)
• Mousquetaire 1627 (Musketeer)
• Garde Cal Richelieu 1628 (Cardinal Richelieu's Bodyguard)
• [King] Louis XIV 1643-1715
• Fusillier [of the period of] Louis XIV 1667 (Fusilier)
• Carabinier 1692

*Where the term 'Landsknecht' comes from?

Mokarex (another French 'x') were a coffee brand in France (and predominantly French-speaking Belgium) based in Paris, and issued all these along with fully-round solids and hollow plastic figures as premiums in their coffee, and I mean 'in' their coffee, I believe you had to break the seal and pour the coffee carefully into another jar, or dig-about with a spoon, to find your 'prize'.

Being the earlier figures I assume these were designed by Leroux, with the later solids being of Leliépvre's hand? While the 1976 Figurines Historiques revival - from which these figures date - seems to have been exclusive to Historex, JG Garratt reports that Nathan Polk (of Polk's Hobby Store) stated he and the Brethiot family (owners of Mokarex) were responsible for getting the project to fruition.

• [King] Louis XV1715-1774
• Garde Francaise 1724 (French Guard)
• Infanterie [of the period of] Louis XV 1745 (Infantryman)
• Grenadier 1771 [of the period of] Louis XV 1745
• Fantassin 1792
• Infanterie [of the period of] Louis XVI (Infantryman)
• Colonel De Hussard 1804 (Colonel of Hussars)
• Grenadier 1804
• Tambour Major 1804 (Drum Major)
• [Emperor] Napoleon I.. 1804-1815
• Chevau-Leger 1810 (Heavy Cavalry)
• Cuirassier 1810

I would imagine that these are actually less common than the Mokarex originals, as despite the customer base of Historex back in the day (and Polk's), there were - like cereal premiums - millions of the metallic-plastic ancestors issued.

One thing I have noticed about this type of polystyrene is that it tends to yellow if left in direct (or bright/long-term indirect) sunlight (the Airfix 'Multipose' and 54mm collector's kits suffer the same problem), so to find them mostly so clean-white is another bonus . . . however, if they are painted, that's not a problem . . .

• 6085 - D'artagnan 1611-1675
• 6086 - Athos
• 6087 - Porthos
• 6088 - Aramis
• 6089 - Maitre Bonacieux
• 6090 - Madame [Constance] Bonacieux
• 6091 - Planchet
• 6092 - Anne d'Autriche 1601-1666
• 6093 - [Earl of] Buckingham 1592-1628
• 6094 - [King] Louis XIII
• 6095 - [Cardinal] Richelieu 1585-1642
• 6096 - Milady

. . . the seller threw these in as well. They were only 11, but by some stroke of luck, I had picked-up the missing 12th pose (Mrs. Bonacieux ) three weeks ago at Plastic Warrior, from another seller! Painted by the same artist and numbered consecutively on the base, I don't know the significance of the numbering, which I have reproduced above; it could be a Mokarex catalogue thing, a Figurines Historiques thing or the painter's record-keeping thing?

Such a coincidence suggests, and it's only a suggestion, that these might be painted by William J. Carman (due to other offerings from both sellers and a recent re-auction of a portion of the Carman Collection), who was a fan of flats, when he wasn't designing solids! Whatever the truth, they are painted to a professional level, in an expressive, fluid style and I won't be dipping them in cleaner, overnight, ever!

If they aren't Carman's work, and you know who is responsible, please let me know as I'd like to credit the artist. D'artagnan looks as if he's been knocked over by his own caption!

"Right gang . . . circulate; you two watch over His Royal Holy Majestyness;

We'll both keep an eye on that slippery turd-bastard; the Cardinal"

 

A lot of Mokarex's output was based on figures in famous paintings, and one feels some of these might have been taken from a court view?

The discolouration I talked about above, also, a comparison between a spare figure and the new, painted one shows how, despite the figures being already quite well-detailed, the artist has added hints of so much more.

 

Below shows a few base variations, the one in the middle has the base typical of the Mokarex originals with a sort of orange-segment indent, to the left is an apparent attempt to remove the indent, resulting in a raised hump which makes the figure rock slightly, a few of the Figurines Historiques figures suffer from this, while the miss-placed base-block of the third example suggests a certain degree of changeability in the mould-cavities, which would only add to the confusion with trying to tie-down 'set' contents.

And we've hit one-million and 65 hits!

I is for Indian . . . with the Horn

I got the Horn . . . fnarr-fanarr - as Finbar Saunders would be bound to say at this point, another sub-collection seems to be forming, by accident as these things do!

I'm guessing there must be a Cowboy version somewhere, with a cowboy card, but I keep finding Indians . . . Indians from the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong!

Comparison with the ones we looked at in the December novelty-fest, or actually I think it was a couple of weeks before the rest? The large one is a reed-blower rather than the simple whistles of the small ones.

Different pose, it is the wonder of how many are out there, that will drive this sub-collection, curiosity; the force behind collectors . . .

. . . if you had a family the size of the Von Trapps, you could build an orchestra . . . it would be an excruciatingly painful orchestra, but still, it takes all sorts to make a world!

12 is for Lizards

Twelve of them, there are, Lizards, in a pack, that's twelve lizards - for a pound!

You see; I kid you not; it's twelve lizards in a pack, which clearly states "Pack of 12 Lizards", in The Works now, for a pound, that's less than 10p each - per 12th lizard*. They're cheaper than bites of a Mars Bar!

Joking apart, these aren't the crummy rubber approximations of a Dimetrodon without the sail you used to get stuffed in a capsule 20 or 30 years ago, these are well sculpted, well detailed, well made animals with a decent (if formulaic) paint job. Numbered 1-12 (top left to bottom right) there's definitely twelve of them!

I don't know if they are realistic paint jobs, or imaginary species? They also have relatively blank bellies, AND (while not being an expert in these things) some of them look like geckos (reptiles) and salamanders (amphibians) which would mean it's actually "Pack of 12 Geckos, Lizards and Salamanders", but I do know if Britains were still making their animals, they couldn't compete with this stuff - which is why they aren't!

But you have to ask how long Schleich and Papo can keep charging 4, 5, 6.99 for individual animals smaller than these (their puppies, cats and poultry for instance), when you can get twelve for a pound, even the capsule puppies start to look dear at a pound each.

If you're an animal collector; look out for them now, probably in other packagings elsewhere in the world.

*8.3-recurring pence per Lizard (about 12¢)

I is for Is it a rabbit? Is it a train? No! It's 'Super Tank'!

"Ladies and Gentlemen! May I present for your delectation, for your appreciation, for your admiration, for your fascination . . .

. . . The one, The only, The Kelo 'Super Tank', this tank Ladies and Gentlemen comes with the very latest in gyro-movement, it boasts 7 road wheels on each side - ignore the publicity material; the artist's been sacked - and the all important three little ones. It comes with reversed, rear, mirror-inverted, near-horizontal, torsion bars, triple-laid, kinetic, shock-plast armour AND - Ladies and Gentlemen - an eccentric wheel! The Peeyow-peeyow gun is second to none and the hidden co-axial is well hidden! The Kelo 'Super Tank' will meet the needs of generalissimos, dictators, interplanetary Merciless Mingers, despots and alien battle-fleet commanders everywhere . . . cash, cheques or bankers drafts drawn on Panamanian accounts preferred, no kryptonite! Please form an orderly queue, my colleague Barry will take your orders, free key-ring of Bugs Bunny in a Super Tank with every 10 vehicles ordered, terms and conditions apply..."

[Thinks...] Blimey . . . I want one of those; they sound, err, super . . . oh? I've got one? YES!
Read it and weep, peeps! Any nonsense out of you and I'll be round your gaff to dispense my kind of justice with the Kelo Super Tank, that wot I jus' got, init!

Forerunner of the Kinder mechanism! This is a difficult one, as my favorite AFV has been - for the longest time - the Dibro space tank, now this has turned-up and it's got a working turret and everything . . . Hasta manyana Gibro, hello Kelo! They both beat the Panzer IV running-gear-equipped LP efforts, hands down!

Pictured with contemporary figures for the 1950's (Tiny Trojan khaki infantry, lower image) and the 1960's (post-Giant spacemen, upper shot), Kelo (or Ke-Lo) ((Keith Lowe of Dudley in the West Midlands) were a small company with big ideas who sunk with little trace, they were - by the end - owners of the intellectual and some actual property of A. Wells and former Bing collaborator's Brimtoy, (Wells-Brimtoy) and I'm hoping to get more details from the expert - Chris - in a while, I think we had a Kelo rocking horse when we were kids.

[New] Best Space Tank Ever!

L is for 'Love Boat', Lovers Louché Living and Lovable Lazy Loser

The day before the Plastic Warrior show, I had another parcel arrive from Brian Berke in the Big Apple, lots of lovely things, among which were these vintage 'cuties' (to steal a phrase from Louis Marx! It's alright - he went bust years ago...), I'm only familiar with them from Kent Sprecher's site, where they have sat (with some interesting looking styrene ones...crew!) for many years - on my wants list (with a million other figures!), but I've only ever otherwise seen them occasionally on US feeBay.

Brian reports that "The Love Boat passenger figures were sold off in the early 80's in a NYC discount chain called 'South Pole'. The actual game/toy had these figures and beds which at the time raised concerns about the morality of the game. It wasn't called Love Boat for nothing!"

I think this is managing to present both all the poses and all the colours available. The blue chap had the same deposit of waxy dust on him that some Matchbox 54mm figures get, clearly one of the many additives leaching out over time, but he hasn't shrunk or distorted and cleaned-up well with no sign of brittleness.

Presumably: the crude MTC mark on the shoulders/back of each figures was part of the contract with the Hong Kong manufactory and represents Mattel Toy Company?  And with the . . . err . . . a'hem . . . 'coat-hanger' charms (embellishments?) of the female poses ('Like Scammell wheel-nuts . . .'), it's easy to see why the set was withdrawn; the fact that there's not a full-suitcase of clothing between all six of them was undoubtedly a factor in the decision too!

Following on from the recent bendy-toy posts, these turned-up at Sandown Park toy fair this Saturday just gone, and if the all-American 'beautiful people' above were of questionable morality, the silhouettes on this box are quite depraved...

...if I was about to stick my book where he looks like he is about to stick his: I'd expect the police to bring charges of domestic abuse against me, however; if she is about to do to their son what she looks like she's about to do: I'd expect a tub-thumping, New England, Presbyterian Judge to let me off!

Madame; the reason your relationship appears to be in trouble is because . . . your husband is gay . . . he's gayer than a gay man that's gone to university and had himself elected professor of gayness, he's so gay he's about to leave you for a Californian gardener called Crispin (apologies to all non-gay Californian gardeners called Crispin . . . and any over-sensitive gay gardeners called Crispin, anywhere!), set-up home with him in Haight Ashbury and open a poodle parlour.

Wherever he got that tie; it wasn't the 'Olde Worlde Real Manns Necktye Shoppe' and that's a fact. He's also borrowed one of your blouses and a pair of slacks from one of Charlie's Angels, and: Chocolate Brown? It's so'oh last decade!

Now you may not have noticed, or maybe you're a 'very' modern couple . . . oh! I see you've put your son in a bright-red skirt and gingham blouse . . . I think I understand now: "completely flexible" huh? Just raise them both to know it's also OK to be heterosexual and/or monogamous.

And don't get me started on the 1970's connotations of 'bender'! Suffice to say - it had nothing to do with sarcastic, opinionated, back-chatting robots! I have visions of late 1960's schoolboys spitting mirthfully through gritted-teeth while trying to keep a straight face after asking for a 'Bend-a Family' at the corner shop. Indeed; the more I think of it, the more I suspect that it was me with the rictus-grin, in Brecon toy shop?

Although: speaking of Matt Groening (in a roundabout sort of way); Brian also sent me . . .

. . . a Homer Simpson . . . Whoo-Hoo! Because "every man should have at least one as a reminder that he is in all of us" . . . Doh!

Made by Monogram, but not 'that' Monogram, another one . . . which is a bit of an oxymoron, they will have to be renamed Duogram I and Duogram II! Thanks Brian, I love 'im, but 'e's not getting my doughnuts!

Next day - Brian corrected me: "The M on the back of the figures stood for Multi-toys a NY based toy company, see link above. The bag of figures included one each of the main crew characters.", so tag-list adjusted and he also provided a brilliant link! Cheers Brian.

https://2warpstoneptune.com/2016/04/05/the-love-boat-playset-multi-toys-1983/

P is for the Post-Plastic Warrior Plastic Plunder-Post Picture-Pile Pronouncements

So, did I mention there was a T . . . oh, we've had that meme before . . . well; this is what I carried back to the cave after the hunt . . .

This was the bag of bits I received from Gareth Morgan, in the car park before the doors opened! All sorts of nice things were present, and some of them will be in posts soon. The highlight was actually a small sealed bag of Hong Kong small-scale farm, almost certainly from 'Lucky Bags' or Christmas crackers, and tying two base-marks into one source - so very useful.

Two copies of Airfix zoo animals (already added to their posts) along with various capsule toys and other novelties were also in the bag, as well as several bits of wattle fencing from Britains Garden which make excellent stockade sections for Airfix Ancient Britons! I think the bendy-boxer, blogged last week, was in there as well.

Trevor Rudkin's bag was equally full of useful bits and bobs, although intercepted; it came to me in a roundabout fashion anyway! Highlight was probably the little trail-bikes with riders; I suspect from a board game, there was three (red, green and blue) so possibly another one (four players?) or three (six players?) to track down, along with the game's title - a BGG session I think.

There was also a cake decoration coach in a new colour, which was timely as I'm working on the wagons for the new HK Blog, although it will be a while before they get published. Cherilea cacti and a Lucky Toys Thames Trader with a broken back (easily glue'able) were other items of interest.

Adrian Little brought various bits for me to look at, and I had a few things off the stall as the day progressed; a bunch of Quaker gladiators which are destined for Italy if the reciprocal Co-Ma ever turn-up, an HK salesman's sample, some card flats from a cereal box so old I don't remember when Shredded Wheat was called Welgar!

Bag of bits, tub of bits, 'nother bag of bits . . . Starlux firemen, a large anthropomorphic mouse - playing guitar . . . a Portuguese donkey in a straw hat and green trousers, Wiking Stuka . . . the usual stuff! The Marx 'Sunshine Series' boxing of Blue Box's small scale wagon has been seen here before, but it's a clean one!

This lot mostly came from one stall, up the top of the hall near the entrance; a bag of Marty Toy knock-offs (probably Gordy) which are useful, the Merten sailors will be for a comparison shot with the Blue Box copies one day, the Secret Army Supplies card destined for a follow-up to the post I did - not long ago...timing huh? Thus it ever was!

The little pile of Tractors and things (a pig playing a sousaphone!) was from Steve Vickers's rummage tray - I think (?) - and the Merten knock-off cake decorations were blogged last week.

The LP/LG Buck Rogers bags were from the same stall as the other stuff, I have the robots and Matchbox clones already and have blogged them here and on Moonbase, but the character figures are a nice gap-filler...the Tweedle-Twaddle thing is missing, but at this scale it looks like a child and is no loss . . . I think my distain for that particular character has surfaced here before now? "Weeble-wooble?" Fuck-off, you demented, cutesy, family-living, low-brow, tea-time entertainment, future-past, hideously eighties, R2-unit-cloned, Nazi-helmet equipped pile of ducting: I don't care who's stuck down the space-well!

The same stall I think, also gave-up this bag of Kinder bits, mostly complete 'bits' as it happens, no nice RP figures, but various late-1980's/mid-1990's stuff I missed first time round, and while I have another lot of them somewhere (storage!), these have all the stickers and inserts intact. There's another mini racing-car for the board-game project, along with various trains, 'planes and automobiles. Competition time . . . no prize - find Micky's nose . . . warmer, warmer . . . cooler . . . left a bit . . . !

Above is my quick gathering of harvest from Peter Bergner's rummage boxes, this was five-minutes work, and you could spend all day just on the one task! I also got the Effigies paratroopers from him; the plan is to use the under-scale parachutes to produce in-scale papier-mâché canopies for smaller scale figures. Winner is probably the large blue-rubber polar bear, seems to be missing a plug-in belly-plate, but who cares, he's brilliant!

Other minor purchases included the Replicants medieval clerics, a Blue Box wagon I thought was a colour variation (it wasn't!), some more Lucky Luke premiums and a set of LOTR board-game Hobbits which were a gift from Graham Apperley as part of a deal which didn't happen fully, years ago!

Loot from the 50p box on the stall behind us; the Liverpool gang - as always: with nice things. There are some Blue Box Brit's and Germans, a BB knight, HK copies of Britains Khaki Infantry (destined for that page), a couple of Chinatanks (in the style of Zee Toys/Zylmex, but different, I suspect), a rabbit, a Spanish, terracotta, touristy, caricature, policeman and a couple of paratroopers. The three steeplechasers came from Brain Carrick's table, and at the moment are vying for 'best at show'!

Girly-girl thought she'd help sort-out, but didn't do much helping until . . .

. . . she decided to try unwrapping a 53-year-old card box with those claws . . .which I explained wasn't really helping at all!

I also got an Anzio Beach from Aurora: box was tatty but saveable and the contents - which were mucked about with and covered in gloss black, brown or green - have actually presented some paint-free smaller parts, plus the usually never present transfer sheet. There were also three Bellona bunkers and a bridge in the box . . . Bargain!

Mid-sort finds most material boxes ticked, most scale boxes ticked, most subject, era or object boxes ticked...you get the picture!

The 'junk' bag from Brian, there was one from Peter Evans too, similar contents, but I forgot to photograph it, and it's all been broken down and sorted now, but thanks to both.

It's the bags of bits I go to the shows for really, if you want a set of quality Timpo something's or Starlux something else's, you can ring a dealer, go on evilBay, or just ask around at a show, but the things that make the story whole, the things that make some of the posts here more interesting, or complete, the real 'gap fillers' are to be found in the oddment bags! So special thanks to Adrian, Brian, Gareth, Graham, Peter, and Trevor for looking them out for me, to share with you.

Less than a year to PW 32!

P is for Plastic Warrior's 31st Show - Show Report

So to the Twickenham 'Boarders' in the posher hinterlands of South-West London, two-weeks ago, for the 31st Annual Plastic Warrior show, primarily organised for the readers of PW's magazine although the odd non-subscribers are allowed in!*

There was a slight delay with the arrival of the tables, but memory serves that with three shows, now, at this venue, the late arrival of the tables has become a time-honored, timeless, every-time tradition, to be much looked-forward too, again, this time next year! And it took less than three minutes to unload . . . and it's a 'club' event . . . and . . .

Welcoming committee: on the left PW's erstwhile editor Paul Morehead looking like he needs a coffee! With one of the 'seven pillars' of the readership on the right; Barrie Blood; looking like he's had too many coffees...you're not supposed to drink it through a straw, it goes straight to your head . . . I'm told!

The first stall you encountered was Barney Brown's, and having failed to get a good candid shot of him, I got him to pose and still failed to get a good shot, sorry Barney, I think the Macro was still on! He's holding the retro packaging he's developed for selling his better quality figures, which some of you may have seen on feeBay.

Peter Bergner had a large stall (well, better call it a 'stockade' did I do that joke last year? Doh!) in the centre of the room, and is seen here with his rummage boxes, from which I had earlier plundered a nice handful of eclectic stuff. He also had a lot of new boxed figures such as Technolog from Russia and other delights including a range of casualties and other prone or seated figures in resin, I didn't get the name of the company.

Down the bottom corner of the venue was to be found Peter Cole of Replicants, here looking very pleased with his new Smugglers (reviewed in Plastic Warrior No.160 - subscribe here) and even newer - 20th anniversary of Replicants - Highwayman, he also had a nice pair of equally new clerics (Medieval Monk and Nun), which I bought.

I believe the little vignette / dioramas he displays the new figures on are his own efforts, I didn't ask, but having seen his English Civil War work, I'm guessing they're from his hand as well; the church façade was particularly nice with its gothic windows.

Next to him were his agents for day-to-day sales, Steve Weston's Toy Soldiers, who also carry a lot of the newer company's products here in the UK. of course it's really Steve and Lynda Weston's Toy Soldiers! . . . and here Lynda is seen 'guarding the fort' [Kandahar!], but look at all those figures . . . I'm glad I wasn't the one tasked with setting them all up!

Adrian Little had these new-production runners of Timpo G.I.s on offer, they are from Steve Morris - one of the Brummie contingent (who always turn-up good stuff), and he has found the moulds and got them back into production, I don't have sales/contact details for him; if anyone does, let us know. But they will be turning up at shows and things I'm sure, or you can try Mercator.

Chatting to stallholders at the end, it was deemed a good day, and packing-up was a bit later than usual, so clearly some last-minute transactions kept the 'buzz' going, not that it's just about the plunder sales, meeting old friends, catching-up, being shown rarities, having more knowledgeable mates ID stuff, hearing the gossip and rumours, it all helps make the day. So it's roll-on the 32nd show - less than a year away now!

*Of course everyone is welcome as long as they have the entry fee, strength in their legs and a big bag, or bags - I needed three . . . and a bit!

For those who don't like show-reports, I've posted some aluminium below, or click 'older post'. I've also added a vintage plastic puzzle Humpty-Dumpty to the jig toys page.

1st June 2016 - Paul emailed me to explain: "The dioramas are built for Replicants by Dan Morgan, another regular PW contributor", so; Nice diorama's Dan!

W is for Quiralu...no! Q is for Wend-Al...err...

The likelihood is that these can be regarded as Quiralu; possibly Wend-Al, but a couple of them are probably Wend-Al; might be Quiralu! I did consult Philip Dean's book before preparing the blurb for these pictures, but it wasn't much help, not a failing on the part of the author, just a lack of information generally on the company and its product lines. The vendor feels they are probably all French, but he can't be certain!

Quiralu were named after a Mr. Quirin who started making aluminium toys in 1933, hence 'Quir'(in) +'Alu'(minium) = Quiralu. When they switched to plastics they added an X, he being from Luxeuil in France . . . which also (by coincidence?) brought them into line with the other x's: Bonux, Cofalux and Starlux!

I think we've seen all three of these as plastics from Quiralux before, but these are the aluminium versions, two being Timpo'esque, the third having shades of the German make Domplast (shared sculptor?), although Wend-Al did list a paratrooper, so he may be from Blandford?

The baseless bazooka-operator may well also be Wend-Al as they removed bases toward the end of their existence to save money on what was becoming an uneconomical material, although the pose looks designed to stand-alone anyway, so toss a coin! The other two look a bit French to me?

The Tommie throwing a grenade looks like he ought to be Wend-Al, and they did catalogue a Machine-gunner, so there could be some Dorset in this shot, but all the figures have similar paint 'signatures' and the US troops were Quiralu/x poses in Aluminium and plastic so who knows.

Another angle on the two prone poses and a figure which I feel must be a naughty piracy from Wend-Al? I've added him to the Khaki Infantry page as well; Britains kneeling firer in aluminium.

Thanks to Adrian Little (Mercator Trading) for letting me photograph these at Sandown Park the other day, he might have a few copies of Philip's book left as well.

F is for Fake Fops and Fainting Femmes!

Except they are not all fake, some are the Merten originals, but I think we did look at the originals before, so I've only shot a couple of the sets to compare with the interlopers from Hong Kong.

I took these a while ago, and they were sat in Picasa waiting for me to do something with when I picked up a few more the other day at the PW show, so now a post presented itself as being a bit more complete.

I always thought I was missing quite a few of the HK copies (a good 12mm larger at around 30-mil.), but it looks like the HK pirate took three of the adult couples from both sets as their Cake Decoration set. I don't know if Merten themselves did O-gauge versions - they may have been in the limited metal range?

The two sets I picked-up the other day, the one on the left had been mucked-about with, re-sealed in a too-small bag, with a shiny new staple and no parasol, so I opened it and added the contents to my loose sample!

I only have 'carded' in the tag-list, but these were sold like this from larger displays/dispensers, with no separate header or backing card.

The six poses; which I suspect are all of them now. There is some variation on decoration within the whole sample, but not stuff worth noting as it was probably dependent on the paint available on the day and/or the fancy of the painter/s.

I also managed to wiggle the parasol out of the sealed bag, get the photo' done and wiggle it back in without damaging the bag or the parasol!

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This is a bit of a small-scale Blog-fest today, as I have also posted the first article on the new Giant or What? Blog, and added what will probably be the last addition to the small-scale khaki infantry page, which may well see some radical surgery at some point, but may still get the missing entries as a simplified guide, with the fuller stuff transferred to the HK Blog as separate entries?

A is for Apparently….

...Salvador Dali once worked at the Dulcop plant!

Thanks to Brian Carrick for the figures (you see…I got a post out of them Brian!), and that Alpini is a ‘useable’ pose variant!

M is for Mount Whomore...

It must be done...surely the next valley over? Further-up the range? And then the Simpsons!

Sent in by Blog visitor Jon Alderfer (who lives near Philadelphia in the US, has sold work to Heavy Metal magazine in the past and collects Disney, Dr. Who, Marx, and Britains [etc...!]), this is his own work and I'm privileged to post it here...talented stuff; thanks Jon.

Now; who do I see about hiring rock-drills...do you need a permit...is it in a national park....what will Smokey the Bear have to say about it...?

News, Views Etc...Err; news, views and etcetera!

Easing off on the Blog for a few days - weather's too nice to stay out of the garden. I know I still have to do a review of PW162 and with 163 due soon they may end-up together! There will - of course - be a show report forthcoming and a [show] plunder report in the fullness of time, but it's not a race and it's not a competition!

Brian Berke has sent some lovely stuff, from which I have already prepared two articles, with more to follow and some to be filtered-in over the years to come...while I have been sent the best ever picture of Mount Rushmore which I am downloading on this visit and should post next time...

Meanwhile, this JSB figure from Belgium came in at the show, it was in an advanced stage of disintegration, so throwing caution to the wind I brushed the worst of the crystallisation off the surface (which took a bit of paint with it) and coated it with plumber's solvent (actually Polypipe SC125) which is a very fast drying, noxious, clear, spirit-based, low-pressure/contact adhesive (incidentally: ideal for converting PVC figures as it's an instant-weld for things like Micro Machines or Wizards of the Coast figures), the main ingredient for which (if you want to buy it elsewhere in the world) is Bisphenol A-epichlorohydrin epoxy resin (industry number: AV MW<700).

The shot on the left shows the figure after quite rigorous brushing, on the right after a coating of the plumber's sealant; I actually gave the chest several coats to help fill some fine 'drying' cracks which were appearing. He will remain a bit shiny, and only time will tell if the procedure has saved the figure, slowed the death down a bit or totally wreaked it...It's in a polythene click-shut bag and I'll check on it from time to time.

Brian Carrick has a few JSB figures on his older site.

I did the same with a Captain Video robot, which was actually starting to crumble into pale powdery stuff as well as having the cracks developing in his back, but as he was unpainted, I pushed the boat out further with him and coated him in liquid polystyrene cement, let that dry (it restored the colour to some extent), and then gave it a liberal coat of the plumbing goo, I didn't take before shots, but I'll watch both figures with interest.

As a follow-up to the Bendy Toy/Plant-tie thing the other day, here are some actual (1970's vintage) toys, you can see there's no difference between them and the garden centre frogs we looked at in that post passim. The boxer is a design registered in the UK (and a PW show purchase), the Pink Panther I think we've seen before and is credited to United Artists; both made in Hong Kong.

The - unmarked - bear (is it Yogi, or a lookie-likee? Next day...'Smokey the Bear', see comments, thanks Ross!) has been hanging around since the last PW show a year ago and is smaller and of limited articulation, I guess he may have come with some accessories, a chair or [picnic!] bench maybe, to sit in or something like that, his body bends quite well, but the wires don't extend much beyond the shoulders and hips.

While I'm posting follow-ups, here are a few French figures from Cofalux which have come in recently, some may have been in the original posts in March/April (?...below!), but I got the factory painted flamethrower-guy in Twickenham at the weekend, so though it was fun to compare.

The other two are Belgian copies by Soldabar/Plasticom of the same French company's Foreign Legionary figure, we've seen the pose before here, but it's always nice to have a few colour variants!

Mucked-up a photo-session for the Airfix blog, so they can go here...piracy: it's a bad influence!

Finally, for MIB collectors, CTS have a fine group of Britains Deetail boxed samples in stock this week.

L is for Look What You're Missing!

Plastic Warrior's Crescent Special...launched about the same time this appears here - if I get the 'Schedule Post' thing right...which I've never tried before!

If you are in Whitton this morning (or this afternoon) chances are you've seen this and snapped it up, if not - it will probably sell-out about 3 o'clock! But I know Paul will have more printed in the weeks ahead for those who couldn't make it to the show.

56 Printed pages, only one given over to editorial bumph (the outside back cover!), the rest being a comprehensive history of Crescent, an illustrated (lavishly illustrated) check-list of the plastic production, including many boxed examples, oddities, rarities and the like.

Full-colour throughout with the odd B&W archive image, this is the forth (?) edition of the 'Crescent Special' and it is the definitive word on the subject, being the culmination to date of all the contributions of PW readers over the years, interviews with company personnel, dips in the catalogue archive and observations on the empirical evidence left behind for us to collect.

Really: you can't afford not to have a copy if you collect 54mm plastic figures....40mm or 60mm plastic figures...farm...space or circus toys...Kellogg's...available for PW at all the usual sources;

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eMail; pw.editor@ntlworld.com

However...There's still time to get to Twicker's!

G is for Get Shorty...

...and Kill Billufssonne if he deserves it!

A too-early mould-release, heat-shrinkage Giant Viking clone'lette!


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T is for Time's Running Out!

It's less than a week away now....cleared your calendar for the day yet? Wad of cash? Got fuel/fare ready? 'Wants list' polished? Big - empty - bag? Thermos cleaned from last year (bleach....overnight soak should do it)? Then you're ready...but others might not be!

 The better map of the venue

A little bird told me there will be a New Publication launched on the day...

Full venue details; Plastic Warrior