Plastic Showcase July looks at some new items added to my collection including a Chinese noble. Then we will look figures from Europe. We will follow that with Italian rubber figures by Nardi and other Italian companies. From Elastolin we will look at three of their swoppet western figures.
Plastic Showcase July Chinese Noble
The above figure was acquired recently at a local flea market. The figure is hard plastic and stands four inches high. The figure was done in white plastic to represent ivory. The figure is of Chinese noble or could be Buddha. I will have to do more research into the figure.
Plastic Showcase July Europe
Next on Plastic Showcase July we have two figures from Europe. The figure on the right is a Merten cowboy bandit. I have liked their figures ever since my parents bought two figures for me in Teepee Town. Teepee Store was a store at the New York Bus Terminal that sold western items. Those two figures I lost and later replaced. I have kept my eye for others and found the bandit fifteen years ago. The figure on the right is from France. She is 54mm. It could be Clairet. It is also marked Marque Depusee.
This figure is from Coma. This Italian company as it has been reported copied many companies. Here they copied Atlantic. They based it on Atlantic Alamo piece and replaced the Mexican with a bear.
Plastic Showcase July Italian Companies
Italy had a number of plastic companies. One of the most famous is Nardi. Nardi was started in 1946. Nardi went into plastic and did swoppet type figures. The figures shown here the one on the left is definitely a Mountie. The one on the right might be one also.
The figure on the left is another Italian company Xiloplasto. This company did most of their figures in rubber. The figure on the right is a Nardi Alpine figure. Nardi did knights, western , World War II and Romans. the company closed in the early 80’s due to the economy and a fire at the factory.
This final figure is also I believe from Italian and may be from a science fiction set The figure is three inches high.
Plastic Showcase July Elastolin Swoppet Western
The last item we are looking at our some Elastolin swoppet western figures. Elastolin was forced to make swoppet figures due to Timpo coming into the German market. Elastolin did not do the Overmoulding like Timpo but they came up with some ways around it. They molded separate hands for the flesh. I like that Elastolin did civilians which came with bags and canes. You could switched those items and put pistol or rifles in their hands.
Plastic Showcase July Update
Our very good friend Markus Leckscheid gave some more information Clairet did four different character figures. They are Brave Eagle, Morning Star, Keena and Smokey Joe. The Indian maiden I showed here earlier is called Morning Star.
I have found that Brave Eagle had a number of items issued in the United States. They did a lunchbox, comic books, and Little golden book. Marx did a Hartland like figure for Brave Eagle.
Interesting switch on that Atlantic Figure configuration.
Nice finds !
I like the Elastolin civilians. Have to look for them.
The civilians are not easy to find in the states.
Even abroad are not cheap at all unless missing parts or very played.
I can tell by experience they are hard to get …
Nice collection show variety.Yes I agree the elastolin swapped are the best .Way above Timpo in deep detail and separated pieces and way they can be pose , just in the tall scale-70/75 mm .Still the match very well with Nardi most swoppeed series western done in 70 mm .Also with Cofalu ,Cromplasto/depose and Comansi swopped figures too.
Cherilea swopped are in same scale but their western line is so ugly!!
Nardi knights and Roman are in the 54/60 mm range.
There is an awesome book about all donme by NARDI ,come ount in 2010 I think!!
Elastolin swopped civilians have various woman too, I have two, they are awesome. The price is very high$$$ in all Elastolin swopped.
The mounted swopped elastolin knights are the best deluxe swopped ever I had see.
Not able to get one yet!!One day may be!!??
I like Elastolin and Plasty as you can move the arms and put a weapon in their hand. I have place weapon in the civilians to be both good and bad guys. The women are great and they did a saloon woman in 54mm. I do not think I have any in the collection as I sold to the collectors. They are hard to find. I do not like the Elastolin knights or Plasty knights and prefer Timpo knights. I also like the second series of the Timpo cowboys.
I do not like the Plasty knights line too much, but Elastolin not housser deluxe swopped are great x me ,the faces are deep ,you can remove the helmet from the head and swap to others, torso and ams with legs move great too. Horses are incredible detail.
No even the best Timpo knight are close in match in my opinion of course.
Only Britain swopped super deluxe are close with them.
From my view of point as Swopped style only I never had like TIMPO figures .No true swopped as arms do not move, neither legs in most. Weapon detail is poor, so holsters, faces and head all same in all, the over molding issue appear right away and often, material was horrible cracking with few years if not handle with careful.
My thoughts of course.
Best..
Britains swoppet knights are top of the line of the swoppet style knights. The Elastolin swoppet knights I have never been excited about. As to the Timpo swoppet knights and second series cowboys I like them for their poses. I am not big stickler for weapons for accuracy. I look at figures different than most people. I look at figures who would make an interesting character in the stories I used to do. I bought today a junk lot and in it was a Ray Line Gangster. The figure was missing his rifle and was scuffed. I was going to put him into a junk lot for a party when I decided to keep him. I figured I might use him in my stories which I have not done for years due to time no room. I never know that could change.
I agree Britain Knights swopped are among top.
Unfortunately I do not consider quite full swopped as not move/swap arms,only the head/visor helmet and torso wile weapon such spears in tournament/spear go thought body(odd!?) wile in Elastolin they move all arms and can be swapped off and spears go between armor torso and body/arm/elbow very well separated .
But yes are nicer as match as I mentioned too .
Just in 54 mm of course.
The swivel Britain later series did move arms but they let helmets close that with no open visors . I do not know why as would complete the swopped style much better!!
In TIMPO “some” poses looks odd to me in western and modern,
Sample- rider with luggage and rifle and or revolver. All always running with arm lifted as in 90 degrees like a it has a medical cast holding up it .It also repeat in some medieval too.
The shooting poses often have not define the one arm near trigger and molded in to body, too odd.
There is one pose that always bother me in the braves/Indians; the one with ax holding close the chest!? what is he doing?? And is even done mounted.
But they did other nicer such Indian w pony and wounded ,prisoner in post…The mortar sets..
But again I respect those who like every figure x their purpose/LOVE else,
That(yours-admin), is an interesting collecting like ,as will give you a variety and diversity from around not typical as most of us doing entire sets collections. So rarity of poses is a plus you got there.
Unfortunately x me, TIMPO swopped is the last of my like in all swopped.
Even the Heritage Swopped made in US I consider more nicer and more swopped than Timpo.The fragility issue of Timpo had been another killer x me with the brand
I got Vikings and roman because so rare and poorly represented in others.(SWOPED FIGURES) with exception of ST romans.
Timpo Knights I resold most mine ,kept very few .
western most gone, modern few as ANZAC ,Germans ,berets and others.I kept arabas and resold most FFL
I resold my Charbens ,Lone Star and Crescent swopped too as most are just plagiarism of TIMPO and Britain/herald. No new idea pretty much.
Again I’m taking about the swapped fact only(amount pieces you can take and swap or change with other poses and move)
No pose or design, type or scale please.
I too collect some figures off the realism for rarity as can not be other than odd, rare of funny, but definitely I collect them some times.
I do not do characters unfortunately as I will go off too much.
In the other hand I like most TMPO solid even so their weapons are less realistic than in Swopped series ,but poses looks more anatomical correct to me least .I like the Braidwood figures because they look as then too.
Funny observation.
Italians firms such Crompoplasto,Nardi and Fontanini are the only one I think had ever done Mounties full set with the furry winter hat versus most common every body done regular later Army style hat.
I have both , the Cromoplato and Nardi large set and they come with.Nardi did the other variant after ,using the separated head from US cavalry set.
Speaking of somewhat unique, recently bought a model kit from the Ukraine that arrived in CT in a week. 3 ACW cavalry on interesting horse poses. Built up and painted up fairly easily. Price was good.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261946136984?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
That’s a nice model kit…are the figures true to 1/35 scale or can they work with 1/32 as well? Will you send pics of your finished figures?
TD, They work well (enough for me) with 54mm. Just slightly smaller, but really hard to notice unless someone wants to be very exacting. Unfortunately, I don’t have the right equipment to send pictures for now, but working on it. Would like to send some of my more unique conversions as well eventually.
I do too combine the 1.35 with standard 1.32 54 mm figures like sample Dragon can do WW2 series with 21 century and Airfix or so on. I do not see much difference in size between those .
My problem is putting kits together with few brand exception as the old multipart Airfix kits as too many pieces in others. No much patience x then.
These had a lot of little parts, like hilts & tassels on swords, bits on horses faces, etc.. First one was tedious, but had the knack for it by third horse. Have actually ordered two more kits to use horses for Western cowboys & riders for other horses. The size difference is very slight.
Just a short note on the little Clairet indian squaw.
Its based on a TV series from the US “Brave Eagle” from 55/56 if the book on Clairet figures is correct. In France Aigle Intrépide but soon turned to Aigle Noir, Black Eagle.
The female character is Perle de Rosée in France, should translate pearl of roses.
Think even in France those character figures are hard to find.
Wow. Black Eagle was a show I watched as a child. I do not know of any license items for Brave Eagle here in the United States. I do not remember where I picked it up.
WOW!!admin,looks like you got a winner there.Congrats!!!
http://www.crazyabouttv.com/braveeagle.html
WOW – I was 4 years old & just got a TV that year.
Talk about how time flies!!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047716/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
That is great Markus!!.Very intersiting!!!
Thank you for it…
I notice Clairet are very poor informed wile more diverse in my opinion than Starlux.
I like much more Clairet than Starlux because they cover figures era not done by others.
They did some natives that were used as pacific natives OR as Caribbean and “erroneous” as INCAS but are great in detail,poses else, so their arabs,Nortah American indiasns/cowboys,safari and others.
I notice the western line is very common here in US ,but others are hard to see.
The accessories such huts,rocks platms are well in 3D and made al plastic. Too bad easy to find in good condition as typical hard plastic production fragile type. But never less extreme nice company.
The mounted Chinese figure is Tripitaka , the Buddhist priest from the legend of Monkey. A TV series was made in the 80s “Monkey Magic”
The other figures in this set was Monkey, Piggy a pig demon and lakesy, a river monster.
The figures came either painted – to a high standard, or in ivory, or a semi transparent green as jade. I have this set somewhere, will try and dig it out
That is interesting on what it is. I was half right it was a Buddhist priest not Buddha. It popped up on a stand at a local flea market so who know how the person got it.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078659/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1