Plastic Figure Showcase Part One July 2017 cleaning out my files of photos from Ebay I found items to share. First we will look at some 45mm East Germany knights that Laurie found at a show. Next I look two Britains items cavalry and Indian. Following that I show a pre -swoppet Timpo Confederate. Finally I do a look at the Commonwealth Dolls of the World.
Plastic Figure Showcase Part One July 2017 East German Knights
Laurie found these figures at one of the Allentown Toy Shows. There was a dealer from Germany who came in for the show and would have various interesting figures for sale. Here we have four 45mm knights. I do not know if there are more in the set. I would say Marolin made them. The dealer has not been at the Allentown Toy show for many years possible due to the internet.
Plastic Figure Showcase Part One July 2017 Britains Herald
Britains did various figures in their Herald line. The mounted Indian firing the bow was done in England and later in Hong Kong.
The Herald U.S Cavalry was done only Hong Kong. It was used as a replacement for the Deetail cavalry. Britains did foot and mounted figures. The foot figure with the guidon is missing his flag many times.
Plastic Figure Showcase Part One July 2017 Timpo Mounted Confederate
Before Timpo did their swoppet style figures they did series of solid foot and mounted figures. Here we have one of their Timpo mounted Confederates. There are four different poses. The same poses were used for the union just painted blue. The mounted igures were reissued in the action pack series. The action pack series were the solid figures unpainted. They were done in response to the Airfix figures. Toyways only reissued the unpainted foot figures.
Plastic Figure Showcase Part One July 2017 Commonwealth Dolls of the World
I recently was in an antique coop when I spotted two boxes of the Commonwealth Dolls of the World. The price was very reasonable only $10.00 for eight figures.
Kent Sprecher on his web site Toy Soldier Headquarters gives a concise and nice overview of this company. The Dolls of the World were created in 1951. The series were first offered painted and later unpainted. The series has 32 different figures with five variations. They were sold in boxes and on cards. Kent also uncovered four figures that were done in Australia.
Looking at them today some people will look at them as cute. Others will look them as sexist and possible racist. We can not put our present values on these figures as they were done in a time when most people had different values. I am glad for we have change those values.
As to the boxes I saw at the coop, I pass as they did not interest me.
The knights are more poses.
Included a nice crossbow foot pose and two mounted poses least.I have to double check w mine..
I have then repeated and are not that hard as were reissued till 90s as far I know.
Some poses are derivated from Jean Hoefler .
So are the horses made too.
I will say they are more close to 50/52 mm
In my opinion.
They are not by Marolin.
Marolin own 65 mm knights set are still in production directly from then.I had post their website here.
I forgot maker of these others but I think are adjudicated or sold by two different firms in DDR.
Best. .
Hi,
the knights are East German production
https://shop.strato.de/WebRoot/Store3/Shops/61153415/4ED4/9E65/F16B/037C/9FB6/C0A8/2935/6509/Bild.jpg
gives Otto Voigt as maker.
Toy production in GDR was kind of obscure. Many of the small, often family run, companies had later been incorporated by pressure into the state owned company structures. With negative effect for numbers produced and quality in production. So hardly seen in East German toy shops before the Berlin wall came down.
Thanks for the update and great to learn of another small company unaware of.
Admin,
As you say Timpo did 4 mounted ACW cavalry poses, two with shell jackets and two with long jackets. Produced in Grey plastic with painted trousers, Dark Blue with painted trousers and Light blue with painted jackets. The latter only as Confederates.
The figures were issued painted and I don’t believe were offered in the unpainted action pack packs until TOYWAY found one of the Shell jacket poses and put in into the last produced Confederate Infantry sets without a horse.
The Herald US cavalry were produced BEFORE the DEETAIL ones which replaced them.
Best Regards,
Les
Thanks for updates. The confusion on the action pack are I do not have a list of them and I saw a photo from google with the unpainted mounted figures and made a wrong assumption. On the Herald I just move Cole’s book to another area and did not check.
Ideal made slightly undersized unpainted clones of the Timpo mounted Civil War cavalry in gray and clones of Herald Civil War infantry in blue for their Fort Cheyenne in the early 70s. The fort must have been one of those “Major Dundee” outfits with galvanized yankees. The Indians were clones of several different British manufacturers.
Ideal produced many sets and playsets towards end of their production using Hong Kong figures copied from other as above described.
Even using an original made BLUE BOX brand western sets.
As to why they use HK figures when they did they owns coul had been for econmic reason or else.
These IDEAL platsets are often found around on sale easy.
Best….