Blue Box Swoppet Western Indian Sets. Continuing our look at Blue Box Erwin Sell looks at some of their swoppet figures they did. Blue Box was a prolific company making various toys. They like other companies jumped on the swoppet style of figure. This style of plastic figure had been tried by various companies before Britains. Britains was the one that made swoppet style work. Starting with cowboys in 1958 Britains would continue to make these figures until the early 70’s.
Other companies would jump in. Timpo, Charbens, Lone Star and Crescent would also launch their line of swoppets. This would be followed by copies of these figures from Hong Kong.
Blue Box Swoppet Western Indian Sets. Blue Box Swoppets
Here are some Blue Box Swoppet mint case from my collection.
Many Timpo and Herald swoppet figures were directly copied by Hong Kong firms. Some companies made variation in the poses. They would take various parts of different figures or make slight changes.
Yet the Blue Box from Hong Kong set are interesting. Some figures were copies of Timpo but not exact copies. Others appear to be a Herald mix copies and are in better quality than most later copies made in HK. The mold and scale are same as Herald and or Timpo .
These set mark under Blue Box are not very common to find …
The other Huron Indian set is interesting and so far I had seen other with cowboys too …I have others loose and will show compare picture with others too, showing difference between BB and later HK copies in base,mold and colors .
Note one box has the year 1974, Christmas 25 marked with pen in pack and I do not know if it means year sold or made ,but was probably the previous owner , definitely mark the year release. This was very close to when second series original Timpo Indian line came out by the way.
The set was purchase at eBay I can set link of the Ebay sale with original seller pictures those skep[pti it was sold to me as that market.
Please be aware these are not Transogram and differ in torso detail,bases plus head/faces.
I had check it already and can provide picture comparsion as well if need.
Blue Box Swoppet Western Indian Sets. Huron Indians
The other Blue Box Huron Indian set is interesting and so far I had seen other with cowboys too …I have others loose and will do comparsion pictures with others too, showing difference between Blue Box and later Hong Kong copies in base, mold and colors .
The Huron type Blue Box are very unique. They appear to be simple view copies derivative of Herald swoppet poses. In reality they are a mix design and in my opinion very well done and detailed.
Another Hong Kong company later sold same figures but were crude copies of the Blue Box.
I will show here the Blue Box next to Star Toys brand later copies.
The Blue Box Huron type Indian are made of 9 different molded parts, the knife and scabbard are very well detailed. The ponytail Mohawk type hairs and feathers idea may had come from TIMPO but are made in complete different design to match the Non Timpo type Indians. The bottom parts pants are base on Herald while body-torso ,some are and others are not at all.
The position of arrow holders are different and complete different designed plus have nice straps made. While the Blue Box bows are very simple made versus the Herald figures .
Blue Box Swoppet Western Indian Sets. Details
One thing I notice is the heads. While many Indians are depicted in simple faces. the facial distinguish racial characteristic of Indian many times are poor represented.
By close up comparsion between Herald and BB figure you will see how well done Blue Box artist copied the Indian facial characteristic in better detail than Herald in my opinion.
Last pictures show the Blue Box with Star Toys-HK copies made later and you will noticed the scale down too in later brand plus lack of knifes and a less detail head while they add more extra paint features to then .These Star Toys brand are more common seen around as come in 70s to 80s.
Blue Box Swoppet Western Indian Sets. Huron Indians
Blue Box Huron Indians Set Mint and Loose figures.
1. Mint Hurons and Cowboy mint sample
2. Line of Loose Huron poses
3. Figure split into all nine parts that made up a figure.
4. Blue box left to Herald figure
5. Herald in the middle comparing head and face with a Blue box poses
(please note the Herald Indian is missing the belt and necklace.)
Blue Box Swoppet Western Indian Sets. Timpo and Star Toy Comparsion
1. Timpo in the middle among Blue Box Huron poses.
2 Mounted Star Toys brand copy of Blue box next to Blue box original on the right
3. Star Toys brand on the left next to the a Blue Box Indian on the right. Notice the better torso and head detail in the Blue Box plus the knives and their detail comparsion.
4. Two Blue Box Indian poses mounted. The brave is a rare pose. The horses are copies of Britains.
Thanks to Erwin. Great information on those figures. Haven’t been aware of the difference between Blue Box and other Hong Kong production Huron type indians yet. Difficult to find out on other distributers like Star Toys (maybe for UK only) in Europe. Not long ago I got carded set by Castle Toys for UK. Seems Blue Box is hardest to find.
Loved the few ones I had as a kid (more likely to have been Star Toy rather than Blue Box type) just because those where the only ones to create Last of the Mohican stories. Luckily never heard of Britains/Herald swoppets at this time. Far beyond my pocket money reach.
Markus ,thank you..
Yes I agree in your thoughts..
About Star Toys they were imported to south American and Australia a lot .
If google you will notice in sites like Todocolleccion and eBay most STAR TOYS swoppet sets are being sold from there .
To me they come a lot as child and after as most mine are off pack I had to purchase more in mint case to increase my collection out of nostalgic.
The Hong Kong brand Welo I see more selling swoppet here in US and France ,Belgium as well.
Blue Box swoppet were early and for few years so they most had stop after STAR TOYS and other star selling so many copies.
I have plenty Star Toys in mint cases included the WW2 sets and Men of 76(American revolution) version made by then that differ just minor from original HK made sets here.
I agree the Herald are way too crazy ,even today ,I’m not interested to paid those high price if I have pretty much cloned or in my opinion better detail Huron poses .
Best regards
Hello:
My name is Ramses, and I am a collector of Western and Medieval figures. For a long time I’ve been looking for a set of the Blue box brand, the Apache fort. To this day I only got 3 Indians and 4 cowboys, plus a wagon with their horses.
I only found information on 2 pages. Yours is one of them.
Please, you have some more info or photos of the cover of the box that you have not used in your writing about these Indians Hurons.
This was my child’s set, and my motivation to collect, was after the frustrated search of 3 years of this set, where I was acquiring different ones. And well, thanks to this motivation, I found my castle of King Arthur and almost all possible versions of the brand Star toys. I have the original version of HK, and the version made by Empire sold in Germany.
Thank you very much for your time, also thanks for your valuable site.
regards
Ramses
Ainda conservo um conjunto de Blue Box da minha infância, dos meados dos anos 60. São 4 cavalos, 6 índios, 6 cowboys e uma tenda índia. É pena não dar para colocar uma imagem.
Translation
I still retain a set of Blue Box of my childhood, from the mid-60. It’s four horses, six Indians, six cowboys and an Indian tent. Too bad you can’t put a picture on it.
Hello:
Can you post pictures from your figures please.
Thanks in advance
Best Regards
Ramses
In my opinion and as far i know the BB indian cowboys set that Antonio Romao referring above is same I have a minor version set to which a much larger Playset was done(I have both complete ) .But it does not have a fort .
No swappet figures set by Blue Box with fort is known by me ever been sold or done …
In Blue Box swappet figures sets;they did window case sets but not forts as i remember seen but i could be wrong of course.
Star Toy Hong Kong brand fort is the one made a large fort playset .The Fort with the swoppet hurons and cowboys figures based in BB swappet poses shown above and was sold in 70s not 60s .The fort is plastic and appear not been copy of any other brand but log small cabin looks like a copy of Jean Hoefler .The caisson,horses and carriage are as well copies of Jean Hoefler or other.
These STAR TOY FORT playset is the one that bring an indian seating pose with woman and child plus to a canoe w crew all copies of Herald sets as well and non swappet .
I can provide picture of it as well other Star Toys sets i have in my collection.
The Blue Box set with original 52 mm designed (non swoppet)indian poses and 6 originally designed cowboys poses .
To see the smaller set version i had x sale and sold out already no long ago see link here.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/222632835438
The much larger BLUE BOX western playset using original designed western building plus same made figures as those in smaller version i had summit a work to admin that should be post here in order as soon he has time.
Best regards.
Hello brother and mentor Erwin:
I’m 10000 percent sure, they were Blue box the Fort apache I had. And more having seen your post, and your photos, and having subsequently obtained, some of the figures on the set. Can you remember in one of your sets, or display cards, the Indian and the rower that I got? When I return to unpack my collection, I will show you the 3 cowboys and you will see that completion, and the Indian doctor. Totally different from everything that has appeared from Linda, Empire and Transogram.
I have pictures of a boy in my compliments, with the set. Not so much the indian fort, but if more than 30 figures mounted .. It must have been some limited version, and the canons are very similar to the jean hoefler, as you brightened in effect. But I insist, the center cottage in orange. Used later in other zoo sets and farms. All other sets in the West have their dark brown huts.
Here is the playset that I was talk before.
I found it finally.
In the page Hong Kong’s Toys Collectors on FB, the entire album is available.
And how I was pretty sure before about this one, now I’m better about a definitive set, who included the indian village and the bluebox apache fort..and a rare mix ,from the brand crescent or maybe under the cherilea brand, with western cowboys and indians figures included . Similar to the brand welo, who combine jean hoefler with HK cowboys in some playsets..