S is for Service in the Sahel!

My Britains Deetail Foreign Fighting Lot and a few wandering Dervish Berbers who were with them, I hope there's some more somewhere, but I'm not sure where, or if!

I don't know if the Gatling Gun officer has been put in the base by an owner, or if they were cleared like this (middle right) by Britains as the Roman charioteer was, and the assault-boat crew, who turn up on Khaki Infantry bases from time to time.

One is in a paler plastic (bottom left) and another has the unavoidable evidence of a stuck release-pin (top right) while I'm missing a pose . . . standing firing, so better put him on the mental shopping list for the 14th! You haven't forgotten? You have haven't you! Plastic Warrior Show - all day!

Close-up of the mould release-pin 'monopod', he's my 'elite' sniper! And the method by which the packs were casually attached with a dollop of Evostick!

I only found three poses of Arabian berserker, so whether I have the others somewhere in another tub or what I don't actually know, but I'm still hoping the missing Indian colonial infantry from Cherilea and Charbens might turn-up so there may be another of these boxes somewhere!

There are two versions of each with either a long-barreled Arab jezzail weapon (trio above), or a more Western musket (lower figures), and the fact that I'm missing all the swordsmen/any mounted figures also points to missing tubs/a missing box? Anyway, that's a box ticked for now.

B is for Brief Board-game Bonanza!

Another box which got shifted from the garage back to storage was this one, but it was jammed at the bottom, and while I like to carry-on like I'm still 25, the simple fact is - I'm not! So I had to break the tape and temporarily empty-out the horizontal games laying on the top, to make it light enough to jiggle about while lifting, 'cos it's a big box; it had a boiler in originally!

A mixed bunch, the Star Trek only has large 54/60mm card flats, and I think I picked-up a lose set a while ago, so this will probably go at some point, but there's a few treasures in here too, we saw the Formula 1 game ages ago, and the Belagerung with Marx figures (I can't remember if it was here or One Inch Warrior magazine though?) and we've seen the 3M Feudal figures, loose.

Tri-Tactics (Gibsons) is also card flats; beautiful old litho'd ones, we've seen the Show Jumping plastic flats once or twice I think and the Keys to the Kingdom figures? While there's so much on Axis and Allies now on-line I may never bother with a full post, but they're there for comparison shots and the A-Z!

I photographed the contents of the other box back in the summer of 2020, and a couple of those posts are still in the queue (although I don't think Shogun has turned up yet?), but I'm going to quickly look at three of these, which have already been sealed back-up again and gone-on to the store.

Waddington's Camelot, we have seen the pieces here already, they have been in one or two mixed lots, but we may return to them here, to compare with some black & white ones I think I have somewhere.

Dean's second - bi-lingual - version of the Peter Rabbit Race Game, original sets had hollow-cast lead figures, fully painted and supplied by Timpo, the tool for which these polyethylene plastic ones were moulded from, a third 'heritage' version was issued a few years ago with 'antiqued' chrome-finished mazak-alloy pieces. I think the lead ones have been seen here? Squirrel Nutkin is the odd one out, with a full/all-over coat of paint, on cream-white plastic.

This came from Matt Thier of White Tower Miniatures, who saw it and saved it for me nearly 20 years ago, and he let me have it at his cost, which was car-booty pennies I seem to recall, so many thanks to Matt, for that!

An Italian-language (Noris toys or games) one or two-player game, you are Ivanhoe (or Roger Moore; even if he looks like Tony Curtis!), fighting the baddies of King Prince John!

Figures are semi-flat, in the European premium style, about 25mm and hard polystyrene. The TV series was actually an early ITV joint UK/US co-production and Roger Moore hated doing it apparently!

O is for Out in the Sand!

A box-ticking quickie looking at Cherilea's unquestionably small set of Arab warriors and Foreign Legion figures in 54mm plastic, with two of each 'side', the conclusion must be that they were either testing the water, or designed them for a specific reason/client, maybe 'Beau Geste' cake decorations?

I had totally forgotten I had these, I think the painted originals were in the 'big purchase' from Portsmouth, but the re-issues must have been one of those last Birmingham shows (2010/11) or a PW show of around the same time? This is reaching-with-dagger bloke; the reissue is a bit flashy, while the paint's survived well on the original.

Running-forward chap has had an accident! Again the reissue is flashy and the original's paint means I will try to save him, but I know from past experience - trying to fix these old chalky figures is often more trouble than it's worth.

I actually photographed him first, then did both sides of all the others, so returned to him, them couldn't decide which was the better shot, so used both! Mr. casually-watching-the-manic-hysteria-of-the-other-three guy!

He's a really nice figure and only highlights the lack of a half-dozen other poses! Maybe they had two tools and one was damaged beyond repair before production commenced?

Because I'd forgotten I had these, I was today-years-old (actually yesterday!) when I learnt, or re-learnt that when they were re-issued, they produced a third legionnaire, an officer, from the chap obviously fighting-off the first Arab!

And looking at the bases, they copied the clubbing guy, and gave the copy a heavier base, then re-cut the original tool cavity to produce the officer - who is on the old base?

N is for New-Old Find!

I was moving stuff up to the storage unit yesterday and was looking for a couple of small boxes in the garage to make up a load when I spotted a rather crushed bankers box under something else and though "What the hell's in that?", dug it out and found it was a bunch of missing tubs, split between 'colonial era' and wild west . . . most of which I'd totally forgotten, and a lot of which has now been duplicated over the last few years!

Two of the tubs on the bottom had been deformed by the weight, which had pushed the end of the box over a hard edge, and there was some damage to the contents, but more due to age and three or four moves rather than what's happened to the box!

Anyway I shot a few for some box-ticking posts, and we'll look at a some in a sec', but you can see one of two tubs of Timpo Arabs (top left, the other - underneath - is the grey/white/pale blue poses), the Supreme (as supplied to various others) Wild West (middle bottom), which will make for an interesting comparison post at some point in the future, as it was only last year - I think - that I Blogged the newer versions and noted at the time there were colour variants out there.

We're about to look at two of the others, but bottom right is the 'early British' FFL and Arabs, something I know has been added-to over the years, and which requires a bit of research to get right, so only a glimpse today! Although we did look at some back at the start of the Blog I think.

Altogether there were 25 tubs, and I put them in a 35-litre Really Useful 'Euro' box last night, where there was room for five more, so for now, they got the Polish lollipop-figures (from Chris Smith) and three other's that were hanging around waiting for a home, but the Wild West and Colonial 'master' collections both have other boxes; already in storage, so this lot will be broken down in the near future and sorted into them.

Marx reissue generals (names and solid bases), and copy (? names removed, hollowed-bases) Wild West Characters, nothing special, they were common a while back, and you still see the odd lots' of them on evilBay, I think Marksmen imported the blue ones, not sure about the brown, but I have the WWII Generals/Admirals somewhere in green, blue and brown, so I guess it was all from Ri Toys?

Quick box-ticker of the Crescent Wild West, they are really quite nice figures, anatomically, somewhere between the quality of all the early Swoppets and the hyper-realistic late Timpo set, six of each pose and mounted versions available on the three standard Crescent horses, they fall down on the limited plastic-colour range.

A small lot of mixed Arabian/North African types with two French bazaar copies of Reamsa French (or Spanish) Foreign Legion, a colonial cavalryman (Pech/Reamsa) and two Marx Arabs, one of whom will require the superglue! The chap on his camel (and the camel) are a vulcanised rubber and may also be French, he looks a bit like Quiralu/Wend-Al FFL, could he be from a aluminium mould, anyone know? Next day - JIM or JIM-copy? See comments - following post.

Anyway, that's a taster, there's a few more quickies to come, and when they are all sorted back together we'll look at the rest one day!

News, Views Etc . . . Herald Toys & Models

Latest press release from Barney's site;

"...this week we are delighted to offer for sale the Langley Collection of plastic model toy soldiers, including the most complete collection of Britains/Herald English Civil War figures we have had, together with a number of American Civil War figures and Wild West Swoppets, including a number of boxed sets."

H is for How They Come In - Francophone Lot

I was round a mate's a while ago, John Begg, who many of you will know as PTS52 on feebleBay, and he talked me into a junk lot, well, he sort of shoved it at me and I accepted it with an unbecoming over-eagerness . . . I'm addicted to this stuff, but you've probably worked that out for yourselves by now!

Four 'SINGAPORE' marked animals; without the box, or a bit of research I can't say whether they are Blue Box or Redbox, but Tai Sang owned all three (? see the Blog passim) factories, so it's all a bit academic! Along with a Jean Höfler one-humped Arabian camel; with that factory paint - I think an earlier version.

A charming polystyrene cockerel which I suspect might be French, or Danish? Pretty little thing either way and new to me, new to the collection  . . . and now - new to the Blog! Can you tell I had no blurb for this? It's factory-painted!

Interesting but damaged solid copy of a Britains Swoppet Indian, again, possibly French (hard plastic) rather than a Hong Kong knock-off, a nice Wagoneer, who is Hong Kong, but a cut above the usual pirated swoppet crud, with a separate vinyl jerkin and PVC whip. He's not rare, but it's nice to get him with the whip.

While the loose 'styrene flats, are downscaled copies of the Gibb's ones, and finding a few more loose justifies my not de-bagging the set we saw here, and nice to find a couple of the teepee/tipi's, but still waiting for the cavalry to turn up? They are also Hong Kong.

I have quite a few of these, they have a distinctive 'drum' of plastic, usually around the feet or on the base, which might be a mould-release pin-mark, or something more technical, and I assume French 'bazaar' or Spanish late-production?

This sample increased my pose-count and revealed that they come in two sizes, or were themselves copied - the bright, fluorescent-yellow chief could be younger as well as smaller! Remember the Hugonett beretted combat figures had a saluting chap in a smaller size too? Lifted poses are a mix of Britains and French figures I think?

These are mostly Cofalu and include my first mounted Indian from them. I'm not sure about the hard-plastic chap, he's similar to my 60mm swivel waist Cofalu French infantry, but he is glued and doesn't have the swivel head, if neither Cofalu nor another French producer; might he be an Italian make?

Medievals; again, I think mostly French and a fair-bit of home-paint, but the important one (bottom left - Cyrnos) is still in his factory finish. The figure next to him could be Hong Kong or French bazaar and is clearly a copy of Timpo's early swoppet line, the two top right are Cofalu again I think, while the Elastolin siege-engine crew copies are more (home-painted) bazaar output.

Combat infantry; a Reisler wire-cutter from Denmark leys alongside two 'multipose' kit figures, and while the DAK MG38 operator may be Airfix Multipose, I suspect the Italian is Italeri (or Italaerei as the name probably was when the kit was first issued!), or even Heller?

Behind them two Starlux 35mm's which from the state of the paint (cursory flesh on one, none on t'other) I suspect are 'for' Solido (Belgian) die-cast model vehicle accessories.

While towering over everyone is other Belgian, a WWII/Post War infantryman, in his British inspired beret and battle-dress (poor Belgians!), who's base is thinner than the Durso one's I thought were here somewhere, but I think they must be on the languishing composition page, so he maybe by someone else?

These are interesting, in that I've not seen them before (but did see a lot again the other day!), and they are based on the larger Silver Knights by Supreme, but without the moving arms, and some of the poses of the smaller Supreme figures we've seen here before, and my suspicion is that they probably are Supreme, but possibly a specific contract for someone else, maybe even a generic?

Soft PVC in black and chocolate brown, the reborn Starlux 'brand' had a similar set in silver/black a while ago (Le Chateau Noir), which was a partial re-badgeing of a Simba set (also Supreme contents) and given the French/European nature of most of the contents of this tray, it may be a rival product from that market? I think the painting has had 'help' at someone's home!

Everything else! Three flat lead, horse-race, game-playing pieces, two Giant horses and a cowboy, Matchbox Adventure 2000 (boy, were they a few decades out!) spaceman, early British intermediate-scale horse (Rocco Household cavalry), Minie Mouse (Combex or Heimo?) and a Supreme pirate who is a color variation of those previously seen here, I think?

Which leaves the chap all tied-up. Now I was sure I should know who he was, and searched quite hard, but I'm stumped, he's similar to the Domplast/Heinerle/Manurba one, but his chaps are far more flared, Jean's is moulded integral to the tree, while I have a similar one somewhere, tied to the tree with little button-thread ropes, but I think he's smaller (storage!) and possibly Timpo, so, I'm out of ideas - he could be French bazaar (given the rest of the lot), and I wondered if he may be from a helicopter toy's casualty basket (with flared jeans - very 1970's!), but I would like to know for sure!

Anyway, all useful grist to the mill and many thanks to John for saving them.

V is for Very Sad News

Nuno, over at Soldiers in Miniature has posted on yet more appalling news from Ukraine;

http://soldadosminiatura.blogspot.com/2022/04/valeriy-grygorenko-ilustrador-da-roden.html

S is for Some Shots from Sandown Show

While I was at Sandown Park back in February I took the opportunity to shoot a few things on Adrian's Mercator Trading stall, some of which may still be available if you want to eMail them via the website.

Mentioned in the previous post; these are 8 of 10 sculpts from the Quaker cereal premium ship set. I have most of the colours seen here in my small sample, but I don't think I've found a yellow one yet.

Sticking with ships, this is confirmation of the 'believed' Zang for Timpo composition vessels we looked at a while back. An actual Timpo box, the label a bit faded and the set is submarine-heavy with a carrier, battleship/cruiser and two destroyer types, all painted in the same dark grey-brown and green camouflage scheme we saw with the loose set last time.

He also had this loose card (which may originally have had a smaller matching box- see thoughts below), however, this time they are all one colour, and the Battleship seems to have utilised an old slush-casting lead-mould?

A close-up of the carrier, which - with that heavy mast/tower - could be trying to depict the inter-war/early-war carriers Hermes or Eagle (both lost in the war to enemy action), and the rather scratched and faded Timpo labels on both sets. the simpler paint on the smaller one and corner label may hint at a 'budget' set, available from a counter-display box with multiple cards?

Bill & Ben, the flowerpot men! And Weeeeeeeeed! Hollow-cast figurines of the early 'Watch with Mother' TV characters, made by Sacul, there are repro's out there now, but these are oldies! I never really liked them, they were a little too close to those weird Eastern European TV-puppets, we used to import, for my taste and consequently it was years before I realised Weed was actually a sun-flower - Slava Ukraine!

This is a bit of fun, Adrian knows someone who makes fun figures from the remains of old, bashed, hollow-casts, and here we have a Pirate (or Gypsy - there were a few Gypsy wagon sets, camp-fires, knife-sharpeners and the like, back in the hollow-cast days?) playing a squeezebox, married to a farm foal!

Clearly a set of board game counters, but who or what I don't know, the figures and bases have a look of Crescent hollow-cast production about them, but what do I know about hollow-cast? Very little!

All nice things, and thanks to Adrian for letting me shoot them.

S is for Show Report - Not So Late - Sandown February

It's only 'not so late' because we're still in April, actually more time as passed since the show than between the September show and the January post I think? Hey-ho, it looks better! I got my purchases at the show and Adrian Little's (Mercator Trading) brought-for-me's mixed up in the packing so I've Blogged them all together.

The loot, the plunder, the ill-gotten gains, the 'stuff'! We'll look at most of it below, or the figural stuff, but I also bought three Weetabix 'Workshop' card premiums, an armored car, a DUKW and an RAF Queen Mary Recovery Trailer, only to also find a guy selling Micromodels who had a complete threshing team with steam engine, threshing machine and walker/elevator. the Thresher looks sufficiently like our Marshall's to guarantee a sale to me!

The Taiwanese Asterix figures (bag of blue) are bigger than (but based on) the Euro-premiums (Olá  et al.) and will be seen in their own post, while the SAM-2 Guideline from Airfix was going . . . reasonable, in a tatty box with loose parts, but it's all there and I'm hoping to pick-up a better one soon.

Bigger stuff, including an 80-mil' Blue Box radio-operator, three 40mm Comansi Wild West, the 'Spirit of '76' figures are the plastics here, a composition Land Girl (from a planter or binder's seat?) in composition is the sole representative of that material, and increasingly I raid Adrian's chepo-trays at the end of the show for a few unusual or 'example' hollow-cast metal pieces and this time it was a box of khaki infantry.

I haven't checked them against the books yet so I won't try to ID them, but I'm loveing the WWI'ish standard bearers! The sub-scale Arab on horse-back and Aluminium camp-fire were bonuses.

One seller was clearing his father's estate so we had a nice, if poignant chat and welled-up a bit, but he had beautiful things, and I bought these three, I think the spirit-painted tin horseman is from Japan and depicts an inter-war period Japanese policeman?

The composition post-coach could be a continental fairing? I really don't know, it comes under the generic moniker of 'novelty' I think! While the Christmassy box contains . . .

. . . Christmassy contents! Tiny little 10/11mm figures of Victorian types with an even smaller post-coach, also in a continental yellow, designed purely as a novelty vignette for the festive season, although they would look good in a larger-scale doll's house's play-room (you could actually have a dolls house, IN the dolls house!), and not too shabby on an N-gauge model railway layout! Probably also Japanese in origin?

These were all from Adrian I suspect, and we'll look at two closer in a minute, but the two racers were nice, one a pale-blue colour variation, the other one of the slightly different copies. A pair of cuckoo-clock barometer figurines, he's lost his head but it hadn't gone far and the glue was to hand when I got home.

Below the rustic couple is a Codeg Trumpton postman, three of the other version Battle Space figures from Triang, the irony being only the casualty is complete! 3 home-painted Slater's seated passengers, a premium flat of a ship, bits of a jig-puzzle car (I save all the bits until I can build whole ones!), a modern PVC horse, damaged Dinky die-cast driver and PVC firefighter make up the lot.

The aircraft in the previous shot was a Tudor Rose 'Tornado', not one I was familiar with, but it appears to be trying to represent the North American NA/B-45 Tornado bomber of the early Cold War?

Adrian had a whole fleet of these Quaker ships, but I knew I had a full set (seen on the Blog somewhere) so only took the one marbled example, although it's mud-brown running through herb-green and just looks dirty!

After I'd shown Adrian the bits I got from the chap passing on his late father's collection, he went and had a look and came back with this plane, which I promptly gave him a quick profit on!

I also got one of the two missing bases I need for my Cherilea Batman & Robin figures, along with the Kemlows 5.5" Gun which is towed behind a Bedford RL or a Saracen with limber in the Sentry Box series, where it's described as a 25lbr, but the recoil actuators are all 5.5"!

That plane; after cleaning . . . it's only another Palitoy, init! And very definitely a post-war model, which doesn't affect much of what I've said in the past about wartime production, this is a very different beast, with very different construction/realism and different materials, producing a fine rendition of a De Havilland Vampire, and it only just missed the war. It's also a solid where all the others are 'dimestore flats', and has no metal parts which most of the others do - axles and propeller-shafts.

I think this was all saved for me by Adrian as well, model railway bits, mostly metal with the bulk being Wardie / Mastermodels, the telephone kiosks, for instance, although the one at the top is entirely scratch-built in cartridge paper, with [I suspect] Superquick windows!

The plastic sheep are Merit (now PPP's Modelscene) copies of Britains Lilliput except the one outside the bag who's Airfix or Hong Kong - I didn’t check! The taller lady in red will be the Irish Comet-Gaeltec with three Britains and a Hornby below her. The copper-effect die-cast is Kinder, while the brass chap is more of a mystery, and may be from a larger 'thing'

Kwong Wah; contents of two sets of six, three each Jap's and Brit's, all copied from the Britains Deetail range, albeit with integral bases, they were pennies for the bag, and a useful gap-filler/box-ticker.

Feeling blue at the end; these were both from Adrian, and they're great! A whole carton of Blue Box toys (I haven't opened it yet!) and a Steven Manufacturing Co. take-off of Britains Twizzletown's demented horse, in blue, as the original!