Plastic Figure Showcase Part Three Other Information in this post besides our regular features I have few articles from the web. The first is from Cool and Collecting on comic books and demand. Another article shows how much licensing is effecting toys.
On our figures showcase we will show some of the MPC monsters. Next will be a a copy of Beton from Spain. Following that we will showcase western figures from Europe.
Plastic Figure Showcase Part Three Other Information Comic Books
Over the last year at least we have talked about the decline of our hobby. I have noted that other hobbies have been going down as well. One area that I thought was doing well was the comic books. In an recent article from Cool and Collected we get a different picture. In the article, What does the future hold for comic book collecting? Brian talks about a local comic book show. He talked to various dealers and got this picture. There are hardly any young buyers. the problem is the young people have not been expose to comic books like we were.
Looking over the New York Comic Con reports I noticed two things. One was that people were buying the key issues. A key issue is the first appearance of a character such as the Punisher or Wolverine. The other comment was that books sold better here than at the San Diego Con. I have not gotten any reports how toys did at New York Comic Con.
Plastic Figure Showcase Part Three Other information Merchandising
In this article we can see that licensing is driving force in the market. Last year 3.8 billion dollars of licensed toys were sold. What does this mean go into a Target or Walmart you will see aisles of charcter items. The loser is non- character.
Plastic Figure Showcase Part Three Other Information Figure Show Time
I remember getting these two figures with others. At 6th and Turner in Allentown was a independant five and dime store. Going into the store I discovered in the toy section the MPC Haunted Pirate Ship. Being into monsters I had to buy it.
The set had eight different figures
- Executioner
- Death or Grim Reaper
- Frankenstein
- Werewolf
- Witch
- Mummy
- Dracula or vampire
- Skelton
The figures were done glow in the dark which were put into a Dungeon and Dragons type playset.
The figure above is from Spain. It is a copy of Beton Figure. The figure is of a rubber material.
Plastic Figure Showcase Part Three Other Information Western
Finally we have two different western figures. This one is cowboy running with winchester The figure has a separate hat which is usually missing. I have this as a Charbens figures, but maybe wrong.
The other figure is an Indian running with a spear. I am not sure who made him. Do you know?
The Beton copied is from Reamsa before starting producing their own fugures run several US SETS copied from US brands such Payton, Lido, Marx and Beton 1950s early sets.All in hard rubber.
By 1957 they star making their own with two spanirads artist and British artist that did about half mold sets.
Two other minor Spaniard brands copied few other U.S. brands.There a varied action pose space 70 marx set made as well.Very rare and expensive today.
I got recongize the Indian will confirm once I get home later.
Best.
I blame video games for the lack of interest in hobbies by younger people. My son used to collect Monster Jam trucks and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures. He used to spend hours playing with them on the rug practically every day. Sometimes I could even get him to have a toy soldier battle with me as well.
Two years ago when he turned 9 we got him an XBox One for his birthday. The toys went in boxes in the garage within the same week and never came out again. At 11 now, he considers himself to be “too old for toys” and video games are pretty much all he wants to do. Although myself and my wife love to read, I could never get him interested even in comic books in spite of reading to him every day.
I think video games are extremely addictive. As for myself, I can’t say much because I often tend to play a video war game instead of getting out my figures. Much less setting up and putting away time is involved.
I’ve always wanted to get some of those MPC monsters, but even the recasts are extremely expensive. Whoever made the cowboy and Indian, they are both very nice figures, although the cowboy is kind of stiff and unrealistically sculpted, it has so much character. The Indian is very natural looking and could fit in perfectly with Airfix and Marx.
Hang in there on the video game issue. My son followed a similar pattern in that video games became a huge part of his life too (although he did occasionally play with his toy soldiers). We were particularly troubled that, although a good reader, he would do anything to avoid reading and play video games instead. Guess who went to college and became an English major and has been playing catch up on his reading ever since?
That’s just the sort of thing I need to hear, George! I hope it’s the same in my case as well!
The MPC monsters have never been recast. In the 1978-82 time frame Miner/Toy Major. made them in glow in the dark green and sold them in a Knight castle playset and als0 in header card bags. John Stengle Sr found a ware house supply of them in the mid to late 1980s in this bright green color. The mold seems to have be lost or scrapped.
Anything which is ‘collectible’ is going to go through cycles of popularity followed by waning interest in those same collectibles. A plastic toy soldier has virtually no value as a mere piece of plastic, it only has value to the person who wants to collect it. Comic books were popular when we were kids, so we still like them, collect them, etc. If you didn’t grow up with them, you may have very little interest in them.
Toys and comic books, etc. require exercising your brain by using your imagination and that is part of why they are enjoyable. With video games very little is left to the imagination, you are merely pushing buttons over and over again. You might as well be a robot.
The cowboy is by JEM from France.They are the one did rare pose always confused and mention or thought here in this forum as Cherilea ,then Dulcop or Italian made.(Rober with luggage)The set has 6 poses ,two are sligh base of MARX 3″ poses,one from Cherilea varied,two are original made.The set is posted in Kent site as unknown non Cherilea
http://www.angelfire.com/biz/toysoldierhq/Cherilae.html
Response to that that is clearly JEM from France please…
Barabelli from Italy acquire mold and sold then later till 80s in um[painted version,the above figure mande had come from it .
I can post mint case sets pictures
The indian may be JEM or JSF france as well or else….maybe i’m off on it …sorry
best
I don’t know about the origins of the cowboy firing to one side, but the bank robber with bank bag that Erwin mentioned looks a lot like a Dulcop figure.
I knew someone who bought some left-over stock from the Tibidabo works and quantities of those two poses were included.
I will provide Jem Full set cases photos.
Tibidado and Barabelli most sold copies and cloned from other brands.
JEM sets were reissued in 90 by Durev also known as Ludororev.
The pose incorrectly depicted as to be alike Dulcop derived was included inn those reissues as well.
If Tibidabo made entire set or not has to be proof yet in my opinion
This should settle the matter.
Best..
I will have the photos later tonight.
Looks like he stole Josh Randall’s Mare’s Leg!!
I always took the “luggage” to be a satchel for money.
Sop this set is made by JEM of France?
Is it available today?
Anybody know where to get it?
meant “so”, not “sop”
Not .is vintage.Even the last reissues sold under Durev or Ludorev are hard to find today .Sold in 90s and never imported here as far I know.
Still not impossible.
Best.
Set of five JEM figures missing guy with “luggage” on French eBay with FREE SHIPPING!!
boxed set of 5 of these JEM cowboys:
http://www.ebay.fr/itm/Vintage-JEM-Wild-West-Western-COWBOY-Figures-in-display-box-1960s-France-/152243781006?hash=item23726fbd8e:g:H1gAAOSwOyJX27iH
There u got one Jem set but not complete unfurtunatelly.
Yes that set is x sale on years ,the seller is Belgian ,not French and is in Belgian site ebay..
Make sure ask him if freen shipping to US that i do not think it is as will be a big lost x him .Cost shipping to US is almost about same cost of that bid x that set …
The set reissued under Ludeorev or Norev are often better as done in more soft plastic,original Jem are harder plastic usually …
best
The Indian is by GSM
Sculpted by George Musgrave. They were sold from the late 60s to early 80s as cake decorations after being licenced by Culprit Ltd
Sorry it should have been GEM.
Musgrave used his initials for the company name
We met him several times and found him to be a pleasant chap
We were told over the past few years younger types had no interest in “first cars ” etc,,only having a phone to stare into ,,every teenager I speak too has as much desire for a first car as I did,,perhaps a boring universalist version but a car anyway,,
Wow, the article “What does the future hold for comic book collecting?” really nailed it. Young kids no longer wait in line at their local Candy Store, or comic shop to be the first to get the new monthly edition. They could care less. Same thing can be said for any other main stream old school collecting hobby.
For a couple of years now some young kids who live up the block would walk their little dog “Cinnamon” by my house and sometimes, if my dogs were out on a leash, they’d stop and we’d talk a bit. We’ll all of a sudden I haven’t seen them walking their dog, so one day I noticed their Grandma walking the dog and I asked her, “What happened to the kids, I don’t see them anymore.” She responded, “Oh, they’re inside, playing video games, or on their phones.” That’s the trend, sadly there’s no one behind us, we are becoming dinosaurs.
I got hooked on strategy games like “Panzer General” and then the “Stronghold” series, I really enjoyed the old “America’s Civil War” game – relatively primitive graphics but I loved the strategy involved. I’d spend hours on them relaxing my head. Then I realized how much time I was spending on those games with really nothing to show for it and cut myself off cold turkey.
My boys got in to the first person shooter games and they have never appealed to me – something about using a control instead of holding a weapon dimmed the “realism” – as the same time, the sound effects of the games bothered me – so I would disappear into the office or stay in the living room where I didn’t have to listen to it – I didn’t want to be a party-poop. Now, I only have to worry about it during the holidays when they come home. I guess every generation has its version of video games. I remember my folks bad-mouthing TV and I imagine our folks’ parents complained about radio. So far we’ve survived – but I do wonder at the dumbing down of our youth.
At least my kids learned a little bit about World War 2 through Medal of Honor…
In my opinion..
The problem is the CHILDREN do learn to be fast thinkers and very agile mentally but not touching any at all.
Yes they do use imagination while playing w toys in games but only theoretically not practically.That is where the problem is really serious .
Yes many Games use historical technical data and much realistic visual plus correct technical historical data much more better than toys to learn history ,still are games and not touching nothing other than key or screen in computer/game or screen machines,They do not do any exercise at all either and can develop eyes issues among other things as well.
Is a very complicated matter but is what it is and will not change back at all ,but go forwards.
my thoughts.
Best ..
Remember the old saying “it’s not WHAT you know but WHO you know”?
These kids aren’t developing good interpersonal and social skills that will take them far, unless that’s all changed in the new world cyber order.
I used to collect comics from the 1970s to the 90s and I absolutely loved reading them and I still do as I still have most of them, And along with Toy Soldiers are my favorite things as A child an as an adult. However I think most young people now sadly have no interest in these subjects. Most young people just want to play Video games and I speak from experience with the 3 nephews that I have. 2 of my nephews never had any interest in Comics or Toy Soldiers. However 1 of my Nephews had no interest in comics but he did like Toy Soldiers and I enjoyed many battles with him until he got to the age of about 12 when sadly he lost interest in the Toy Soldiers and moved himself onto Video games like many others. Im afraid its just a sign of the times.
When was the last time you saw a pick-up game of baseball? Where the team at bat had to supply the catcher? Or all balls that landed in right field were “outs” because the team didn’t have enough players? Or simply two boys throwing the baseball back and forth? That type of creativity and fun as a group still exists, except they are all online shooting up Russian oligarch yachts, stealing cars, or building castles with their games.
As a high school teacher at an all-boys school it has taken me awhile to become used to how important the online presence is, and how “normal” male teenage habits have morphed into different interests. Occasionally, I come across a WW II or military enthusiast, and will share with them my love of history and toy soldiers. They are intrigued only by the painted plastic or metal figures. They have grown up (if they played with them) with the cheap Chinese clones that break, and do not have any real connection to them. I assume the painted figures mean more due to the visual elements that the students have become accustomed.
I, too, have two sons who have had interests like mine, but were lured away by the Xbox. I do believe that we collectors, who also set up the figures in our favorite ways, are exhibiting an example of having some control over the events. No gruesome or fatal reality, just simply an innocent diversion from other serious life situations. I believe the video games may do the exact same thing for this younger generation.
There u got one Jem set .
Yes that set is x sale on years ,the seller is Belgian ,not French and is in Belgian site ebay Make sure ask him if freen shipping to US that i do not think it is as will be a big lost x him .Cost shipping to US is almost about same cost of that bid x that set …
The set reissued under Ludeorev or Norev are often better as dome in more soft plastic,original Jem are harder plastic usually ,I have 4 of them…
best..
The kids in my neighborhood are always out playing ball. I gave one of their mothers an Awesome Kids Playset that I couldn’t use, she thought it was cool, but I don’t know if the kid every played with it. I told her I was a part time toy soldier dealer, but none of the kids have ever come sniffing around asking to buy some, I think they all think I’m a mean old man, they are probably not far off.
When I was a kid, everyday that the weather was permitting we played ball in the streets, softball, football and later basketball in the alley’s. In the summer one guy would go around the neighborhood would gather up all the guys and we’d ride our bikes a mile or more to go to the park and play hardball. Yes, we never had enough guys, and rightfield was always closed and it was usually pitchers hands out.
Although I loved reading my Marvel comics and playing with my Toy Soldiers my friends and I were always out playing various games and sports and we were all very fit. I read an article in a newspaper recently that said some studies were done by some scientists comparing the average fitness of teenagers in the 1980s which is my era, And teenagers of today which I found very interesting. The conclusion was that teenagers in the 1980s were 20% fitter than present day kids, And its mainly down to not all but many of todays kids just sitting on Computers and playing video games all the time.