Plastic Figure Showcase Starlux Figures is look at the premier figure company from France. I first learned about this company many years ago going to a MFCA show. There I met a person who made periodic orders to Starlux. From him I got a xerox copy of the catalog and started to purcase the figures. I like Starlux because of the wide range of figures they did.
Plastic Figure Showcase Starlux Figures The figures
Starlux did a wide range of prehistoric animals and cavemen. This is a figure of a cave woman. They did a number of these figures. Laurie has ended up with all the cavemen from Starlux and has them around on table in a room. She also got all the prehistoric animals and dinosaurs Starlux did that I had.
Starlux did a range of World War Two Germans. They did twenty plus poses including an Adolf Hitler figure saluting. Like the Atlantic Hitler set this figure caused some contorversy. It may have been pulled from the market.
Starlux did a series of female marching band figures. These may have been done for the circus series.
The three figures above are pioneers that Starlux did. (I am using old photos of figures I sold long ago.) The Starlux pioneers or they may have been called trappers were poses to add to a western scene. I did get some of them unpainted which I sold.
Stalux did a wide range of western figures. They did them in 54mm and 60mm. The best one to get is 60mm saloon girl as American companies did not do any. I think I do not have any of them in my collection. the saloon girl commands a good price in France as well. These are two of the 54mm figures.
Here are two of the 60mm cowboy figures.
This last piece is a unique two piece western scene of a cowboy and Indian fighting. The Indian is missing his tomahawk. We will be showing more Starlux in the future.
Starlux is the largest french figure producer.
Here in US barrely the 3er and following generation production are the best know.
In western series they did 1 and 2 very early generation were figures have a much less and realistic 2d anatomical poses w bandidt and marshal sets plus charters as well.Often in the oval base .Aperantly x some odd reason they change to a more still pose design after that even they are pretty and very nice to me personally had rest interest.
The primitive figures are very well done. Space figures series are among the high value ,they also did a line in 35/40 mm scale as well covering army, western and other series/eras
I found two full large box suppliers in 1996 with my brother in an old hobby store in Miami.
The owner back then sold to us x $75.00-both.I keep one piece each animal and humans and sold the rest.I end making 6 times the price.
My thoughts..
Best…
I like the “Arab Legion” figures.
I have one of the pioneer figures. Hes advancing with a nife.I have most of the starlux pirates as well.Nice figures.nemosfan.
The Sioux and Apaches are great figures. Especially the mounted figures.
The plastic used by Starlux has a very unusual strong smell. Kind of reminds me of floor tiles. It’s not at all the nice nostalgic smell of plastic you get from Timpo, Marx, Airfix or Britains. But maybe guys who were kids in France would disagree and say US and British figures smell bad and Starlux fragrance is magnifique… Who knows?
I bought unpainted sets of 50 foot and 25 mounted Sioux and Apaches, Cowboys and 7th Cavalry and a painted set of pirates and one saluting Hitler (bought for the novelty of it) from The Toy Soldier Company back in the late 80s or early 90s.
I like the figures, especially the mounted Indians, as Bill has noted, they are great. However, the chemical smell and the somewhat brittle consistency of the plastic put me off and I never really did much with them. I think I must still have them packed away someplace.
The plastic used by most French companies ( partly because it was a French invention) is cellulose Acetate. Whereas old polythene figures can sometimes go brittle with age, Acetate begins to give off a “vinegary” smell ans the plastic can shrink and crack.
SEGOM made excellent plastic kits, every bit as good as Historex or Airfix but they were not popular as to stick them together you had to melt a little bag of plastic chippings with Acetone or nail polish remover.
“nihil aeternum est”
The rarest Starlux figures are a series of 54mm Napoleonic marching bandsmen, designed to be sold as tourist souvineers
The female figure you have with the baton is from a series called “Majorettes” (that’s what it says on the box, which incidentally was designed to look like a TV set). They weren’t strictly a band but more like a Corps of Drums, there were 4 poses, marching swinging arms, drummer, trumpeter and the baton twirler you have here. They weren’t made as part of the circus set but they would certainly look good with it.
I never saw a box set just either got them loose or in bags.
The unpainted figures are now generally only produced for the STARLUX COLLECTORS CLUB which as far as I can find out is an exclusively a French citizen club, no foreigners allowed, the members of the club can choose from a monthly selection from the full range of all scales. The figures are sent out unassembled for those that have normally factory glued parts. These figures are generally produced in White plastic only.
I was given this info from an older French collector , a member of the club.
Is Starlux still making figures today? Or is this yet another great company gone by the wayside? Any chance of re-issues in a better plastic someday? All these questions and more……
The Starlux Napoleonic collectors series have been reissued in white metal with printed partworks in similar fashion to the Del Prado series (do you get those in the US?). I wouldn’t hold your breath for them ever being produced in plastic again…………but you never know!
Thanks, that’s interesting info!
Nice figures by one of the best French makers of Toy Soldiers, I have about 25 Medieval figures, And a few Pirate figures that I brought at Eurodisney which I visited more than 20 years ago.
Here are a few magnificent photos of a diorama of painted Starlux mounted Indians that I found on Playset Addict:
http://playsetaddict.com/000Starluxind1S.jpg
http://playsetaddict.com/000starluxindians3S.jpg
http://playsetaddict.com/000starluxindians2crS.jpg
http://playsetaddict.com/000starluxindians4rearS.jpg
And here is Playset Addict’s page of foot Starlux cowboys and Indians:
http://playsetaddict.com/Starluxcowboys.html
As you can see, the mounted figures do indeed look much more natural and less stiff than the foot figures. Some of the foot Sioux look like they have tailored buckskins on.
It is the stiffness in poses from 3 generation and after of Starlux that made me not get much from then.
Even in modern/WW2 I got few figures .I had found plenty good deals and pass on then, the Arabs and Italians looks like marionette or robots in odd poses …The same problem in Mitchel line figures .
I know Starlux are more detail and better painted but I had avoid collect then most. Same in medieval. The horses are in too stiff poses too for me
The Napoleonic are most one pose corps uniform sample pose in non action and only few grenadiers/else were made in fighting poses. Ancient are a bit better still too stiff x me. Beside trying getting then in good condition is hard as often broken or damage easy .Prices unless in last reissued sets are very high too as well known worldwide and mark below base.
But I understand all who love and like then of course..
I collect more JIM,QUILRALUX, Cofalu,Segom,Acedo and others
my thoughts..
I agree that Starlux figures could be almost 2D but some of their poses are a truly unique. I have about 100 or more of the 40mm knights in my collection but they were very hard to find & often poorly treated by their previous owners which made them great for conversions & repainting. I shall get a few out of my display cabinets & have my son take a few pictures for the collectors.