When we looked at the Innovative Promotions Inc., / Shell premium 'Men of '76' AWI figures and sets last year (and the year before),
slowly building the picture with much help from contributors, I think I
mentioned once or twice that I had a few in storage, well; these are they!
They are not quite as I had remembered
them, being both disappointing and surprising, some things I thought I had, I
don't (must have seen them when they passed through the stock of the dealer I
worked for a decade ago), but I'd forgotten a useful, small-sample of the Hong Kong
copies, so very much 'swings and roundabouts'.
Small sample of the Shell premiums, looks like the contents of two bags (Shell 7 and 8) and a spare or so?
The carded Men of '76 versions, I'm not
sure about the Frenchies with facings in Red and Purple, there may have been
some mucking-about and checking with the catalogue and from last year's posts - set
seven seems like a likely candidate . . . with a body-swap!
Plus a bunch of 'bits and pieces';
interesting to note that the kneeling Hessian can have high boots or shorter
ankle- or George-boots*, all done with paint; over the same moulding.
* Presumably George III . . . like
'Wellington-boots' a few years later? Where Jack fits-in I don't know!
S for
Star / Star Toys; shite, utter shite with
all-polyethylene mouldings, no arm articulation, unpainted white boots, Japanese
Katana-sword
(even worse than Innovative's), real
'rack-toy' crap! Their hats fall off, the hair follows, their epaulettes are
taking flying-lessons and they are more Timpo
than Britains!
Needs work! Even between the Shell and MO76 the hats don't fit or are loose, the foot-spigots are
different diameters, so these all have to be sorted very carefully when I have
a bit of life to kill!
You may have noticed in one of the 'stash'
posts recently tubs of the Timpo and Britains 'donor' versions from the big
purchase and I think what I will do is have an AWI page, once these bits and
the bits already here are sorted and the two lots of figures brought together.
I'll have a final look at all of them on a
new page with the Britains and Timpo at the top, these three in the
middle and MPC, & Marx Solids, a few French and
Polish-made figures, cake decorations, Accurate &etc - at the bottom?
Plans! You know me and my plans - it'll be
unfinished forever!
The sort of detail that page will look at,
the Innovative-for-Shell on the left; fine detail, properly
marked Innovative Promotions Inc., and
nicely finished; In the middle the [also Innovative]
Men of '76, the underside has been
'hammered', the holes are larger, the 'soil' pattern on the upper-side is cruder
and it's clear that something happened to the tools between the two issues - I
think I've raised the point before? It's as if they started again from scratch,
copying their own earlier offering!
On the right we see Star's poor imitation of Timpo's
base, with a third hole for the card's holding-peg and the odd 'chin-straps' at
either end.
