Our Very good friend Mathias has given permission to share with you photos of the Salon International du Petit Soldatl. The show was held in May of this year.
The show has dealers with composition, metal and plastic figures.
Some of the tables with plastic figures. In the second photo in the upper left there is a tub of MPC knights.
The rare Britains red beret Deetail British soldiers. The price is 30 Euros or $33.60 each.
Heimo Box set of Marx 60mm Cowboys
OMG!!,WOW!!. I love those European figures…sooo far x now!!Iwill get then. For now ebay and few contacts .Funny how they mix plastic w composition so much!!Like not difference.
I wonder if those guys would go nuts if someone displayed Marx boxed play sets?
ED B
Backing up what Erwin said I doubt that the foreign collector would be interested in them. While they did have Marx figures, they did not grow up with concept of playsets like we did. The Marx figures as I have said before are not in high demand so you can get figures at decent prices.
Ed I think,in my opinion and by experience with some European buyers..
Most European buy mainly painted figures and base their collection in their childhood as here in US collector did. Because Marx-unpainted playset were barely sold in Europe as here I will assume few had them as child and because of it the interested will be more curiosity or as something new more than nostalgic or more value for them as we value more most of Marx. But is only my thoughts and base on what few direct collectors-sellers/buyers from Europe I deal with plus what I had seen on eBay when I Marx playset are sold as most buyers are from US.
I have not doubt that those with more money will go nuts and spend on them, but not in the way they seen the painted plastic figures. I had even seen the reissues European figures sold now not being too much interested on them unless online or some hobby European store that carry it. At European shows they go most for old vintage European and even Marx painted figures such as WOW ,made and sold in Europe as we know too. But you barely see unpainted figures even if available at those tables.
Last I should add that according to two dealers I know from Europe new TSSD and Conte plastic playset were not of any interested in Europe and they do not even carry for sale there. But they will go ballistic for any old painted Britain,timpo ,starlux and reamsa/others playset .
Once again is just my thoughts
I understand the Barzso sets went over well in Europe, I personally sold a Barzso set to a guy in Australia. Not quite Europe, but foreign.
Other than Britains, the other manufacturers you names don’t even hold a candle to Marx in my opinion. The older figures I’ve seen that came painted many have lost a lot of the paint and the paint jobs were kind of cheesy anyway. Not Elastolin or Britians of course, but the others.
Don’t get me wrong I like some of the European plastic painted or not, but a lot of it in my opinion is mediocre at best,
Ed
I had a French collector ask me if that was a Barzso playset in a photo from the Plastic Warrior show.
I would disagree with you on your opinion on European companies. I would hold Starlux, Reamsa, Jescan equal to Marx. The Fact that paint comes off is do to age of the figure and not using proper paints.
Well, you are entitled to your opinion, at least you didn’t say Dulcop , BUM, Comansi or Timpo, although I did like the Timpo 8th army and FFL. Not a big Jean Hoeffler fan either. Crescent was okay, but below Marx.
here I’m now ,I will agree with both and mediate as both differ in two different view and experience in past I guess.
Is true and definitely a personal choice/like and for Ed (most European look mediocre); I should say is part true as IF /related to pose/design and mold(most 2D) DINAMISM OF FIGURE were less quality versus standard Marx design figure.like Starlux,many France and most early solid British mold design were all but flat rigid poses with in many cases poor anatomical choice poses and bad sculpture/detail.
Except – elastolin/britail and some reamsa/dulcop atlantic among few other. I think this was what ED was trying to say in figure regards!?.
The color issue as Adm said is in case such as solid figures like reamsa,jecsan,most british a color time defect that was not seen in the first few year and happen during time. A problem solved by Britain and elastolin later.
Timpo as swap figures give a new never done before(no even any American firm) figure style for play purpose still the colors was awesome as solid funded pieces, but the swap effect reduce anatomical dynamism and same time give child a nice new idea that ironically will be I should say ,the ancestor of the action figure dream.
European figures were sold most in set small cases not playset of the size as Marx . In Europe Play set start coming out by late 60 early 70 in most brands such as timpo,britain,starlux , Spaniards and few others.
Marx playset were sold larger with plenty figures and nice loose accessories from 50 till early 70 in most time. Later reissues.
But most of Marx tin litho building and other pieces(flat trees) were nice and cute ,still not realistic and better suitable for play as European companies done.
Sample; western plastic toy building from Britain,timpo,jecsan,comansi. Castles from timpo and others and siegue medieval machine plus cannon in timpo,elastolin,britail and even Dulcop and some Atlantic.Britain,timpo and others 3D shape trees.All plastic and colored in least 2d/3d for buildings.
Again there two cultures and view and I should add that most US toy soldier collectors go for less historical detail wile European are very pro history accuracy, adding too their nostalgic original like for childhood always painted figures.
European firm in other side were more world generic making figures of the United state HISTORY and the World too. Wile most US were more of the State history and not the world. Here the fact of US market buying more back then may had play a part in the European firms too ,still is a complement that should not be denied .
Till few years ago when new factories start making more out of US history soldiers we can still dig and buy cowboys Indians and USCW figures from all European companies to add on ours. But European can not do same from the US old companies as mainly Americans with exception of few related movies playset like medieval and ancient-Specially Marx.
I think Elastolin is top notch and Britians aren’t bad either except I always hated their stands. Good poses though. I thought Crescent did some passable poses in their Indians. I even still have a set of their Red Devils still from when I was a kid.
The Timpo’s I was talking about were the solids, the top of that line was the FFl and 8th army in my opinion, the Civil War , Cowboys, Indians and Napoleonics I thought were mostly bad, Although I did like the Highlander flag guy.
My problem with most of the European plastic is mostly with their flat appearance and somewhat goofy poses.. Reamsa is okay, but other than the cowboys they are rather large. Dulcop and Atlantic border on ridiculous looking, not all but many. But heck, I can even find some BMC poses I like notably the dead German and dead 7th Cavalry guy are nicely done. ( I’m not counting the IWO poses because they are really King and Country guys)
People like what they like, I have no problem with that at all. I just think that with the two noted exceptions mentioned above, Marx blows the others away in terms of sculpting, not necessarily the poses. I mean they are all realistic looking, just not all action packed like I prefer my poses.
Oh yeah Jescan does some nice ancients, the rest I can do without.
Ed I agree with both as say before..
I like to add,Spanish firms jecsan/comansi british prisioners for (Bridge on the River Kwai ) playset with large bridge and prisioner house/building plus few of jap poses are one of the best playset I ever seen.Reamsa(ben hur cuadriga and characters) plus Lawrence of Arabia main fig are awesome too.
But yes European ,specially continental run their figures in larger scales than most mar /others; still Marx too went to the 4,5 and 6″ figures many time so unfortunately the size is a generic issues for most of us in order to match with.
In the other hand, famous figures in pedestal bases line done by Marx is the best face detail figures ever done using true realist historical portrait of personages. I “salute” Marx for this all time.
I my case I had got most European from collectors who had sold too me direct .
Adm has a more exquisite experience base in first look at table shows in Europe and as he had mentioned at some stores many years ago ,specially in NYC .So I will say that stads has a huge large knowledge in European figures than me and many of us, plus it was stads who brought many from Europe in his list in past and I bought from him a lot too.
At the end is a matter of personal choices but definitely Marx playset are not any much interest for European. You can even see how they had the new Conte figures painted in order to sale then at their shows. PAINT is a plus for them.
Erwin
On doing the foreign shows, the background is my parents gave me a trip to England (very long weekend). I enjoyed it and wanted to take them there. Sadly my parents’ health did not allow that to happen. when my mother died I decided to do the PW show. It was a magical experience. I went back again and had a great time. When I met Laurie I took her to England as she had never been there. (Laurie had been to France and Italy.) She enjoyed it. Sadly we have not been able to get back due to the airfare, but we hope to do it again. We had a great time also at the German Plastic show and feel we would have a great time at the other shows in Europe. The big thing for me is to see figures I have never seen plus see old friends and make some new ones.
I will admit I have limited experience in the European plastic arena. However, I have had the opportunity to see a lot of it and have owned some.
Don’t forget England’s “Call To Arms”, which, despite the somewhat uninspiring set of Normans it released last year, has many sets, including it’s initial English Civil War line, which were outstanding.
Atlantic’s Custer’s Last Stand figures were slightly overdone (with arrows portruding from their bodies, yet they were fighting on), but Atlantic’s 60mm Greeks, Trojans, Romans, Egyptians, Miners, Buffalo Stampede, and Indians were as good as they come.
And finally, Expeditionary Force, while actually made in Hong Kong, would have to be considered British in origin, and are, by common consent, outstanding, as unpainted plastic figures.
On a final note, Tony of AIP told me once (by phone) that all his sets were great sellers in Europe, probably because of his emphasis, after his initial WWI sets, on British Victorian Era and Napoleonics. They were all sold, of course, as unpainted plastic.
Don
I feel unpainted plastic got more accepted in Europe with Airfix producing their set unpainted.
Yes unpainted sale in Europe too not doubt , specially after the late 60 and early 70 when most vintage-old painted plastic European companies start to go away.
Yet unpainted figures as the litho art work in the boxes show from(a call to arms,airfix,ESCI,Matchbox,italeri,waterlloo and others) have a painted figures and chart of color in how to paint the figures. They were specifically market out for that purpose primary-not doubt because of the art show work guide in box.” As to be paint or to paint it in the hobby world” ,not as toy soldiers for kids to play as unpainted figures and because of the old painted European tradition ; remember they(most with exception of few early airfix sets) come out in time when Marx was down and Europe “”toy”” soldier market declined as action figure took over with only Britain and few timpo still in the market as (typical toy soldiers). They were sold and distributed more as for hobby and still are done as that . That is why they are way more accurate in detail ,uniform ,history versus real(old vintage plastic ” toy “soldier) in most cases.
AIP had been sold in mass in Europe ,specially because the touch in colonial European warfare and WW1 .But most buyers paint then to display then painted not to display then unpainted .(old collectors in Europe who own old vintage painted version won’t like display new unpainted figures next to them same way US collectors won’t put painted and unpainted Marx figures in one play set/scene together often).
Look at all Europe toy shows tables pictures and you will see few original resent unpainted figures all painted now. (conte,tssd,AIP). According to two of my wholesalers buyers in Europe that is the main purpose of their sale in unpainted figures, that is why some times they want more lower prices.Some of my European buyers that had purchase the OWN figures I carry send me plenty picture of their work and you can tell how much they love the paint job.I have some of their art paint job reflected in my site too with their right.
On ebay often you see British and other European seller selling airfix/ other original unpainted figures with paint or some paint on it, some very well done as many were done by young kids or amateurs. Still few of them will keep as unpainted ,but a minority.
You are absolutely right, Erwin. I well remember my Airfix HO boxes always had a nice painting guide on the back. I wondered, even back then, who in the world would have the patience to paint an HO scale figure. Now that I’m more tied into the toy soldier collecting hobby network, I see that there are in fact plenty of hobbyists who enjoy that sort of thing. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them, and like so many American collectors, all my plastic figures remain unpainted.
Which is one reason I like figures cast in nice, bold, colorful shades of plastic — different shades of Marx blue and metallic blue, reds, yellows, greens, metallic silvers, red-browns and desert tans, and the rich cremes of Marx character figures —- along with all those colorful Timmee and Lido knights, Rev. War, and Foreign Legion.
And when I obtain plastic figures that someone has applied paint to (non-factory painted), my first instinct is to get that paint stripped off.
RE:Britain’s Super Deetail(Missing Poses) Paratroopers if you look again they are 50 Euros a piece!Which isn’t too bad because when a set shows up on Ebay they always want BIG bucks for a set.The CTA 1/72 British Infantry of the 1970’s set has figures in the “Missing Poses” included,For some reason CTA won’t upgrade the set to 54 MM which REALLY chafes my chaps.
How much was the HEIMO set. It looks great. I love US and European figures. I am of course a Louis Marx addict, but as a kid we had a Hobby Shop in Indianapolis, IN., ED SHOCKS (now a parking lot….sigh…..) in the suburb of Broad Ripple where I spent precious money buying Britains swoppet knights (best plastic figures made ever), Britains Eyes Right & Herald ( & Timpo) ACW figures and ECW figures + some 40mm Starlux knights. Of course Marx ACW unpainted figures were my favorite and still are, but I love the Atlantic western & ancient figures and the DOM/Manurba figures. They are all good!
Kent
I have no idea.