From
the rear with a Hong Kong copy on the far right end of the row. The close-up
shows how the HK mark is similar to the Britains
Reg.Des mark! And the horse marks; I couldn't get the top one to come
clear, but the Herald is obvious and
the top one's a very glossy polyethylene, odd when the rest of the
HK-production was PVC?
Paris,
cause of the whole Iliad thing wot 'appened! AND . . . the only Trojan in a
set catalogued as Trojan Warriors, but that anomaly will explain why the names
were never used commercially.
The
earliest is top left, the final incarnation with the separate base is to the
bottom right, and above them the earlier HK production, and the 'austerity
paint' herald is the broken one; lower-left.
Hector,
another Greek Trojan! We won't see another!
Of
all the figures, this is the one where there's no real difference in quality
with paint versions. While the early Herald
figure (top left) has a red hem and the brown shield straps of all 1st
versions, the later ones - including the 'austerity' paint, have their
bell-cuirass straps painted and leather-shoulder pads/epaulettes painted in, so
it's swings and roundabouts with Hector.
Note
also that the HK sculpting was cleaned up and late versions (bottom right and
right centre) are smoother than the earlier Hong Kong moulding (bottom left).
Hot water can solve the bent-spear shaft 'syndrome', but not too hot or it'll
shrivel-up like a sun-dried worm!
Three
copies, the first two marked Hong Kong and based on the Herald original as far
as painting goes the last could be a French or Italian 'bazaar' rack toy, he's
unmarked, a sub-piracy and they seem to turn-up over there (Europe) quite
often.
Of
the two definitely HK ones, the first is a by-hand copy, the other is a more
typical [of HK] pantograph clone.
Ajax,
main man, another Greek and my favourite sculpt from the set, he more than any
of the others conjures-up those Greek warriors standing around the sides of
vases and amphora. The first version Herald
figure got the colour again! The first of the two separate-based HK figures
looks quite sickly, and more like a copy than something Britains put their name to!
The
guy bottom-left is the final clearance version with a large, ovoid,
separate-base; this base was used with various figures as Britains slid into
retirement! There are two versions, this apple-green one numbered 519, and a
darker plastic numbered 518, I have no idea why!
One
copy and the chap I painted to represent a statue years ago, when as a small
scale collector I was clearly looking for an excuse to have one of my childhood
54mm favourites in the stash!
Another
heroic name ringing-down the years, almost immortal, half-god, Myrmidon, lover of Patroclus, killer of Hector, Granddad's command, sister-ship to Ajax and err . . . renamed Delhi! When we were kids this and the
next figure (below) were the best ones for fighting as they squared-up against
each-other really well; being almost, sort-of, not really - mirror-images, but
both right-handed.
I
seem to have photographed them all with the feet of the top rows obscured, it
should be noted that the constant difference with the Herald originals is that
they all had their sandal-straps painted-in.
Two
copies, Hong Kong on the right and a bright red 'debateable' on the left, again
the Hong Kong one is following the Herald version one paint-scheme.
Note
the two very different HK integral-bases, one matching the UK issues (middle),
the other much bigger all round (purplish-pink, second from left) and probably
later.
Oh yes! Ulysses
Only
the one copy and I'm running out of blurb-fodder?!! Plastic's an odd shade and
he's following the 1st version colour-scheme again.
He
WAS sold as a Roman, so the fact that he looks like a Roman is to be excused.
Romans were planned, but only the chariot came out in the mid-1970's for a
couple of years. Strangely it's quite common at shows, both boxed and loose,
and I can only suppose this was due to poor sales leading to a lot of surviving
shop-stock, filtering into collectors hands in later years? Finally they
shifted the remaining figures as based foot-figures . . . driving slaves?
As
they were sold, this is a late era catalogue image, and to recap on the names
they nearly got;
Agamemnon - Mounted - Greek
Paris - Bowman - Trojan
Hector - Spearman - Trojan
Ajax - Standing - Greek
Achilles - Fighting, no cloak - Greek
Ulysses - Fighting, cloak - Greek
A Nobody - Charioteer/Slave Master - Roman
See!
They both go so well together!
Now .
. . THESE. ARE. NOT. RARE. It has to be said that the Herald 1st version and later 'austerity paint' issue are tending to
brittleness now, but any day on feeBay you'll find all the 'Trojans' you want,
just don't pay the 80-odd quid 'buy-it-now' someone was asking-for, for a set
of six the other day!
The
previous post I did on the Hong Kong production versions were from one lot
someone (Micheal Melnyc? Thanks anyway!) sent me a while ago, and was one of
each from a larger lot, while the mostly Herald
stuff in storage was from the big-purchase in 2010. The HK-odds have been show
purchases, and are probably the slightly harder to track down, especially in
numbers and a couple have come from Charity shops.
Looking
at the goldy-bronze highlights on the Hong Kong chap's shield reminded me;
there was a very odd set went through Vectis
Auctions a while ago, the original Herald
set in a hollow-cast type gift/chocolate/tray-box, all the figures apparently
'mint' but all armour, helmets and shields painted dark bronze, it didn't look
right . . . ? Although; Bronze WAS what they were using in their pre-historical
'age of mythology'!
I
have a few 'total' duplicates and when I have all six (or all five foot
figures) I may try painting them-up? And you can see from the pictures I don't
have every version of each figure, so there's a few still to find!
