New October 2021 Figures Engineer Bassevitch, new figures keep showing up. Up first is Engineer Basevich is a future set of Russian Hospital figures. Next, Elastowit is back with a tribute figure to an Italian western Django. I get a chance to review Speira Miniatures.
New October 2021 Figures Engineer Bassevitch Hospital
- Female Nurse with bowel
- Doctor in surgical garb
- Dog withwith pouch.
- Stretcher bearer wearing a helmet.
- Wounded man on stretcher.
- Stretcher bearer soft cap.
7. Crawling with medical packs.
8. Laying firing pistol
9. Pulling up sleeves Doctor
10. Sitting right hand out. Possiblesmoking
12. Cameraman standing filming
This is a welcome set and needed for the Eastern Front. No date on release.
Elasowit Django
Speira Miniatures A Review
Another great thing about Speira is they do poses beyond the traditional poses. The dancing couple can be used in a civil war setting or at a fort. The only complaints are they only do figures in gray and they are in a resin that can break. They add a new dimension to collecting.
One More Thing
I have been selling on my lists and Ebay for over 40 years. While most of the time on Ebay I get feedback I occasionally get comments like this from Glynn, who had bought a Reamsa knight from me.
Thanks again for sending this most beautiful figure; he will be in great company in my collection. I treated myself to this using money given by my wife’s mother for my birthday; she no doubt wouldn’t get it but then she’s not an eternal little boy, as we are |
Love Glenn’s comment.
I agree; he nailed it.
I’ve admired Speira and EB for some time. The Russian hospital set might make me pull the trigger if it’s not TOO high a price. The budget is the budget.
I love the Russian accordion player. Put him with the dancing couple and you’ve got something.
Our IPMS club now owns a 3D printer & accessories, etc. When I have printed something worth sharing photos of, I’ll forward them to Stad.
I look forward to seeing your 3D printed figures TD. I like Speira but it seems they focus only on WW2, ACW and a little Medieval. I would like to see more variety or something never done like ACW Naval, WW2 Poles, French … Cold War era. I don’t know about copyright but I would like to see a 3D company offer toy soldiers of the past that are not being recast due to lost, damaged or destroyed molds. Marx 6 inch figures downsized to 1/32 or 1/30. Even the heads of Marx 12 inch series of figures downsized to 1/32 or 1/30, they could be used for cool conversions. Most companies have sets that were never recasted like Airfix Italians, Britain’s modern Paratroopers, Herald Robin Hood, Timmee Russians… the list goes on.
Another great batch of fun photos!
Changing topics if that’s allowed: A post about 2 weeks ago showed a group of soft plastic “monkey men”–fighting-type monkeys in ornate attire as I recollect. I am a huge Edgar Rice Burroughs fan, and he would surely be applauding these. Any more particulars on their availability? Thanks a lot, all!
http://warhansa.com/katalog/stone_age.html
Thanks a lot, Chris.
I think Tom’s idea is terrific. Since the 1/32 German molds are considered lost/destroyed, I don’t think there would be a copyright issue.
I like the idea of having “new” figures to paint and convert.
I’ve often thought one of the first projects I’d tackle if I was ever able to get around to buying a 3-D printer would be to re-do the old Marx Germans. I’d “upscale” them a bit – bulk them out just a little – to match the TSSD and Conte guys. Then I’d have some fun with the poses to vary it a bit. Then I could retire my original guys with honor just bringing them out occasionally for auld lang syne.
Of course, after that I could move on to other old guys and new designs.
BUM is moving in that direction, too.
It looks as if these might be more than copies of other manufacturers’ stuff. If the material doesn’t fall apart in one’s hands…
https://bum-german.blogspot.com/
They looks new File 3D designed cast in resin .3D printers are dived in 3 main makers in regards of material they use .The more cheaper and faster in making used is light resin type material that is very stiff and fragile on fall but not light weight as kits .
The other ABS and plastic are far better in durability but take far longer in making and more costly .Many HO and war gamer 28/35 mm scale are producing sets in 3D since 2014 least .
I like your thinking. The Marx German sculpts were great except for the “thin” look or as I said before the uniforms were too tight😄! I also think about the Airfix Cold War sets and the Accurate Medievals which for some reason were 1/35 scale to bring them up to 1/32 or 1/30.
Marx sculpts and poses/faces ,gestures were excellent anatomical and depicted artistically x been simple play toy figures ,often far better than Toy model figures such Airfix ,their figures lack gear and bullets cases in most cases plus some wrong depiction of weapons as you well you said they have the 60s /70s clothing/uniform tight design- AKA movies from the era .Back them the accuracy in military detail was not the main goal as were toys x kids .Yet they are among the best more accurate historical close made as play toy figures for the toy market versus most other makers .Airfix,Matchbox ,ESCI and later ACCURATE + and others are belong to the “toy model figures hobby ” not targeting kids child marketing but rather teens to adult market of painters model hobbits as cases with indication illustration depiction and words title indicate .Even so so were purchase as toy by many parents /kids back them of course as they arrive in the last years of plastic toy soldier golden era that were the main toys x kids .
In my view the main issue with Marx specifically was the lack of true action firing/or war action poses in most sets even after making sets of 12 poses or more that were a deception for kids to play with .Other far less accurate US makers such MPC,LIDO,TM did cover better proportional the amount action poses versus set amount poses per set .
my thoughts
Thing that seems to be forgotten about Marx was how revolutionary they were at the time they came out. The Blue and Gray figures were heads above what was out there when they were first introduced in the 50s and early 60s and they were pretty accurate considering they were toys. I can’t speak for Europe but I’m thinking the Marx Battleground Germans introduction in 1963 was groundbreaking in the States. Prior to that the Battleground sets were two armies of US troops in yellowish tan and green fighting each other.
There was some controversy over introducing accurate German troops so soon after the war- remember, many of our parents fought in World War 2 and the memories were still raw. My grandmother still grieved over my uncle killed in France. So now we had actual Germans for our “GI’s” to fight – and eventually other nations. That might have led to some of the more benign “action” poses – but you still had kneeling and standing firing poses and the obligatory hand grenade pose.
One of the frustrating things about MPC was that except for their Japanese and 60mm GIs there are NO firing poses in any of their sets except their prone machine gunners.
I wish those who came after us could relive the excitement some of us who grew up in the 50s and 60s when we came into the living room and saw a Marx (or even MPC) playset under the tree! As I’ve said more than once, my “Red Ryder BB Gun” was the Marx Giant Blue and Gray set, so I might be biased. But I don’t think I’m alone.
Agree most .
Marx was ahead by 50s in accuracy versus even most European makers
About firing pose .
I have different view.
In modern weapon you don’t need to be aiming to fire it.
Any pose advancing with hands in trigger is firing too .
Even if a pose with rifle at waist trusting bayonet could be firing too.
Best
All I know is there are very few MPC poses that give me the impression they are firing at anything with intention of hitting something. A finger on the trigger doesn’t necessarily mean you’re shooting at something. It means you’re ready to shoot. Movies show guys firing in all kinds of positions in firefights; my own (limited) experience with such situations taught me to know what I’m aiming at – it was drilled in our heads in Basic Training and ingrained when I was in the actual situation. You waste ammo and pretty soon you’re out. My own personal fear was hearing “BANG! BANG! BANG! click.”
Believe me, Erwin, if you want to survive a real firefight, unless you’re putting down suppressive fire, you’d better have an idea of what you’re shooting at and aim. But even suppressive fire had better be more or less aimed to keep the enemy’s head down. That’s my experience and training. There were some great MPC poses and some I still wonder at (The Russian Zigfield Follies highstepper?; the marching/walking whatever guys with their hands raised?) and they are still sentimental favorites, but there was a reason those of us who grew up in the days of Marx, MPC, et. al. preferred Marx under the tree. They were the “gold” standard of the era. JMO
Thinking on the poses – which MPC Russian pose could shoot? The High Stepper? The “Cossack” advancing pose? Was his finger on the trigger? If so, what’s he going to hit? A guy on the roof? The advancing guy in helmet (my personal favorite)? The officers with sabers and binoculars. Only the prone machine gunner.
Germans? The advancing guy in soft cap with the unrecognizable grease gun? How about the guy holding his rifle down below his waist with one hand? What’s he doing anyway? I like the pose but… Again, only the prone machine gunner.
Japanese? To me the best of the bunch overall – a lot of great poses and even dedicated shooters.
GIs? I’ll talk about the 60mm though I love the 45mm guys for sentimental reasons; there was at least the kneeling firing pose and again, prone machine gunners.
I’m not saying they were worthless or I didn’t like them. I’m just saying Marx at least included the standard combat poses and often MPC didn’t.
To modify my statements on firefights you may throw some rounds down range to keep the “bad guys'” heads down, but you don’t want to do too much of that or you might find yourself out when it counts. Just my opinion from my experience.