Plastic Showcase Part One September 2017 we will start off the new month with some interesting figures for you to enjoy. First we have a Lido U.S. Army copy on a base. We will follow it with some western figures by various companies. Finally a myster figure or two to intrigue you.
Plastic Showcase Part One September 2017 Lido Army copy
Someone design to copy the Lido U.S. Army figure. They also felt that they want the figure to stand on his own. So they put him on a base. I like the figure this way and wish Lido had done with their figures. I do not remember where I got him. his purchase was based on the base.
Plastic Showcase Part One September 2017 Western Figures
Western plastic figures have been popular all over the world. This one is by Plasty. I like him because of the heavy coat you normally do not see on figures. I put this one in the collection.
Here is a figure that I have some answer but also some questions about. I know he was made in West Berlin Germany. I only know that part of the company’s name iplast or plastic. This is because part of the base is gone. Also I have questions if he is missing a hat and if he is to reprsent a Mexican. Hopefully I will get answers.
I don’t know where this figure pop up from. He might have been in a junk box. The figure is 45mm and is a swoppet type. No tsure if the pose is original or a copy.
Exin besides doing their great castle sets, they also did western buildings. These buildings had figures. The figures are hard plastic. Exin West came out in 1975 and were made in Spain and Mexico. The western figures are comical in nature. I like the quirky poses.
Acording to a site Rosaspage the series was terminated in the 80’s. The buildings ranged in size from one story to three story. Here is a video showing the salon.
Plastic Showcase Part One September 2017 Mystery Figure Time
Here we have a Samuari Archer do you know who made him?
This knight on a pedestal. He may be souvenir item.
The samurai is Kinder Ferrero and also by another italian brand sold as surprise.Mold maker could had been from either supplier that produce x both.RES-PLASTIC was one of many that produce toys for FERRERO
Note that The company KINDER FERRERO is Italian as many think because using word KINDER is german,Kinder has a factory in Germany since many years ago .It is believed many toys had been made by German factories as well.
In that detail what and which are made in Germany and what made in Italy is hard to determine.
Recently KINDER FERRERO got in trouble as were making license charter cartoon toys in RUMANIA factories without permission.
There 2 to 4 poses I think and some of the poses represent previews samurai ancient Japan 5-6 century era warrior ,very unique era poorly known in which japanese used very alike old chinese and Korean armor and weapons
Found video of fuller range on the Exin toys. Appear to me to be a cross between Playmobil and Lego. I think they’d appeal more to kids than adults:
Great video, I sat through the whole thing very interesting. I got the few Exin items I have in the states years ago. I sold the building I had but kept the figures. Just have no room for things anymore. Madhunter is very interesting I watch a video of his where he went through junk bags of figures looking through treasures. It took him over five hours.
I would have LOVED that town set up as a kid!! Really great buildings. Wonder how they would fit into my current collection? I suspect they may be a little too big. I remember the fun my daughter and I had with her Playmobil sets when she was little. She still has the big doll house mansion. That was a great toy.
No Andy they are not in the big size at all.
When I get chance in October I will do pics of mine next to dulcop, plasty , jean and jecsan with figures.just remind me please as I will be reorganizing attic.
Best
Erwin, how do they compare in size to Britains buildings, for example? Like the Britains saloon building?
ANDY they are 54 mm by size of door,note the figures from EXIN are not taller 54 mm .They require a bit time putting together,make sure if you buy then get instruction or will be longer making then together.The material is way much sturd than any you had seen even playmobil.The wall ar thick and because correct historical double floor elevated platform many time forgotten by makers of toy western building they may appear as too tall .Britain are very thin walls and fragile ,plus low platform as TIMPO,LONE STAR ,PLASTY,DULCOP,JECSAN .
Only COMANSI ,SIMBA and EXIN had elevated floor.
SIMBA are others great too,i have 6 of them are not to be build.Not hard to get either,i need to pull my entire western set up.By december with help my Girlfriend’s son will able do it as he is very interested in toy soldiers and will be great help.
Again give me some time to send pictures and not rush so you do a wise personal decision before buy it .They are abundant a lot in Spaniards and Mexico sites .If you do not want figures ,tell seller take away so reduce weight and space if possible.If you don’t like then,send to me(i pay shipping) i give a family kid i give him to induct in toy figures x now .
later
Admin .Do you know if any retail carry the line here back in early 80s?
It is too long ago when I bought but they were bought here.
EXIN produce a series of medieval not comic figures too.
I have several. 50 mm.
Exin were sold in Mexico, Peru and Argentina under license as well others.
Today together w AIRGAM are very value by generation from my age in Spain mainly.
Best.
The red & yellow cowboy is a copy of a Britains Swoppet. The original is 3rd from the right in this picture on Kent’s website.
http://www.angelfire.com/biz/toysoldierhq/zbritswopcb.jpg
Good catch Mark !!!
I still have an Exin wagon that I got at Toys Fantastique at Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village at Disney World when my mother took me there back in 1976. The wagons and buildings are great for 1/32 figures, but as you say, the figures are cartoony and while they are nice on their own, they don’t fit in well with more realistic figures.
There is a book shop in Mesilla, New Mexico, near where I live that had a 2 foot long Western Town display in their window made up of Exin buildings and figures until a few years ago. It was getting all dusty in the window and I asked the owner if he would sell it to me. He refused to sell, but the next time I went the display was gone. Maybe he checked Exin prices out on eBay.
Here’s a MIB saloon in Albuquerque:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/EXINWEST-SALOON-Ref-2040-Exin-West-New-In-Box-Made-In-Spain-/391876691012
The buildings look great for use with “serious” toy soldiers. Are they in a useable scale?
Erwin says 54mm.
The most larger not suitable x 54 mm scale western build i know and i have too are NARDI that in fact were made commissioned by another company that did a castle and fort for then too .The buildings by size of doors and windows are x 70 mm scale figure easy(One of the many range they did as they did 45,60,75 90mm scale figures all swoppet .So still good x Tim Mee ,Ideal ,AUBURN 70 mm western figures approx in the US range ..
For some odd reason COMANSI 70 mm figures are too big for their building making the building good for 54-60 mm range easy.( I import then x sale years ago here in large amount)1990s
Same happen with Jecsan.But Jecsan houses are not that deep ,more like TIMPO or Lone Star .
Jecsan houses are not cheap either.
Reamsa never produce plastic buildin,only wood .
Only plastic they did were 3 castles commissioned and made by GUINER x then.And are big large beautiful tall castles by the way.
Once again i will need time to set samples figures with each brand western building for all to see when i have time.
Best…
I found a picture of an Exin building with Airfix cowboys for size comparison: http://www.architoys.net/toys/images/EXINWES1.JPG
Yes of course where x kids as well our toy soldiers were for many kids in past.Time pas quick.
The EXIN era start with a limit era knights and dragon series as well the action figures .From late 1967- early 70s using 45/50 mm not comic’s figures OPPOSE as those represented above they come in castles only and not all poses but 3 to 4 per model castle(EXIN did over 60 different castles to combine and build huge model as well).
Knights such EL CID,Roland and others were made mounted and on foot,I have EL CID .
They did a witch riding broom, few court figures,a ghost and few dragons as well .The EXIN castles are complete different system to those used by playmobil and above series EXIN WESTERN series construction
Some EXIN castles complete and sealed had been sold for thousand confirmed and observed recently .If open depreciate much to barely less 100 because pieces could be lost or missing.
The series EXIN WESTERN was completely different with all new figures in comic style not alike previews series.They enter this series to compete .
They enter competition with AIRGAM that made alliance with COMANSI and eventually beat EXIN in the construction toy competition sector
AIRGAM was the main competitor of PLAYMOBIL and DULCOP-SUPER CHARLY series in EUROPE
EXIN try to be more in line with old HEIMO characters comics style that Comansi too had created in late 60s with figures and try mix blend with PLAYMOBIL-AIRGAM style construction connector system;but did not well and close the series in less 10 years.
EXIN close in 1993 after several fails to adjust and manage some investment plus very strong competition.
The site above mention by Admin is pretty much resumed correct ,i can summit better detailed sites but will need google translate as well to understand it better.
BEST REGARDS
fORGOT…
the EXIN western building are not expensive at all if buy from Spain direct in (todo colleccion).Always ask seller to take apart.They are made of EXTREMMELY bended plastic not way to brake unless you jump over an flat piece several times.I have 5 of them and dropped builded many time like if were FISHEL toys with no damage at all.
At first glance i though the kneeling cowboy was french made.It resemble in style and paint many brands from less known french brands.But i could be wrong of course,i had not look in french data yet…
The figure is made in Germany not France from markings underneath.
That Lido figure looks 100% better on a base. All the Lido figures (FFL, Rev. War, Civil War, WWII, Cowboys, Indians, etc.) would have been immeasurably improved with bases. So would have been the Ideal 54mm pirates.
I agree the Lido figures look nicer on a base.
That reminds me of the “agony” of trying to set up Lido figures on the rug at home as a kid. Ideal pirates OK to hang on the ship, but no standing them up, either. Funny what vivid memories this stuff inspires.
Totally agree on Lido figures – it was one of the turn-offs on otherwise passable figures. I always overlooked their two-dimensional aspect because there was something about the poses that seemed dynamic – if you could get the danged things to stand.
There used to be a confectionary around the corner from a place we lived in East St Louis, called “Mom’s” when I was about nine years old. She used to carry Lido GIs in small header bags. I think they cost about ten cents a bag. I bought a bunch of them. But it was always a hard choice; she also sold comic books at about half their cover price – they often had the top parts of the covers cut off.
Later on I learned that when comic books didn’t sell the retailers would cut off the upper portion of the covers and return them for a refund of their cost. It made me wonder if “Mom” had a scam going or perhaps bought them from someone who did? In either event I got a lot of great comics for five cents when they were selling for a dime and then twelve cents.
It bothered me later when I would see reprints of them for three and four times the cover prices of the originals.
It’s funny how those Lido toy soldiers started bringing back memories. The stand is a definite improvement.
I agree.On IDEAL too but I think the poses were intended to be climbing in ship parts so poses were intentionally not made for.
Tim mee pirates and knights Robin series many had that issue too.
Lido must have learned from the reaction to the GIs because the Germans and Japanese had bases. Unfortunately, they were also noticeably smaller than the Americans.
You can now get a bag of 40 recast Lido Gis from Victory Buy for about $18.95 with shipping. I have about 50 of the originals and old Hong Kong knockoffs but I might get a bag anyway. I got all my Lido figures second hand or from trades as a kid. I don’t think I ever saw a bag for sale in the stores when I was a child. In Canada in the late 60s and early-mid 70s, the cheaper soldiers were almost all from MPC or the Canadian equivalent, Carzol.
The copy of the Lido figure is from France
I have other poses I bought in Boulounge in the 1970s
The Knight on the base is by Fontanini . There are four poses in the set.
Thanks for the update.
Kneeling cowboy – Miniplast, West Berlin
The knight in pedestal if base is hollow and have spider emblem , or words Depose is Fontanini x the Knights of Malta set if 4.
If not are copies made by else.
There are even HK replicas cloned in same escale but w solid not hollow base too.The words HK come in a peel off sticker .
Best.
I checked the figure and did not see the spider mark or Depose.
Then should be a copy .Fontanini are more detailed and bright too ,they mark with DEPOSE below and or Spider too.If mounted in marble pedestal often mark in front or back with small metal laminate using words Fontani or Depose
All FONTANINI statue knights souvenir edition sets were copied and still are.Not long ago at dollar store i found two hollow plastic copies of then.
Also above figure looks smaller than typical FONTANIN about 4′ tall in pedestal.
Here are typical original first edition knights of Malta FONTANINI samples.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Depose-Knights-of-Malta-4-figurines-by-Fontanini-in-Italy/222632184134?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649
Later Edition on more simple base still marked DEPOSE.According to Italian books the spider emblem was out of use after many years and eliminated .Yet words Depose with often made in Italy was kept .
Later edition of these knights eliminate the MALTA AND HISTORICAL data in front too to be sold generic all over museums and tourist stores around as generic Knights.
Note-Same pose as in picture by adamin as well here but in above link first edition and this by FONTANINI -DEPOSE base of knight itself is more lower in different shape as well figure has much better detail.Last.If take the figure in hand and compare the weight ,Fontanini are much heavier even mounted in plastic wood resembling hollow pedestal .
So above figure is definitely not Fontanini but much smaller crude copy .
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ITALIAN-DEPOSE-KNIGHTS-FIGURINES-4-Jousting-Lance-SWORD-KNIVES-BALL-PLASTIC-BASE/122672494591?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649
My thoughts.
best regards.
In the late ’70’s or early ’80’s ToysRus sold Exin castles that came with smallish figures. The castles were small blocks like Legos.
At one time I had six or seven, but I sold them off over time.
They sold for way more than the 5 bucks TRUs was selling them for.
Re the Knight
I have the set of four figures in the same paint, same bases with the Fontanini spider on them