L is for Lots of London Loot - Sandown February - Other Figures

The final post in this sequence is the rest of the figures, I think we've caught-up with 'London Loot' too, but there will be some 'H is for . . . s' to come, with more Toy- and Gift Fair revues to intersperse with them! And Easter's coming, and there's other stuff in the queue, and, and, I seem to be in a productive phase!

 

A couple of hollow-cast WWI French (Britains?), although they went to war in 1940 with pretty-much the same stuff, just in khaki! Both from Adrian's pound-tray, with the little unknown tin-plate howitzer/gun from his five-quid box, of such gems! It probably fired little wooden balls or dowels?

 

Two post-Giant on the left and a Quaker mounted Gladiator on the right, square-up for a bit of argie-bargie, at the feet of Cherilea's Sphinx. I was so pleased with the Sphinx purchase, I got it out to show a mate, and he pulled the same one out of his pocket! I think we'd both bought them from the same seller!

 

Late Blue Box (polyethylene) Britains copies on the left, Blue Box for Triang-Hornby (polystyrene) on the right, also squaring-up for what looks like it will be a fairly uneven fight, so unfair! With an explosion between them, which I think is a modern re-mould of the old Lineol shell-burst?

 

Early Westair ECW type. In this packageing they predate Kinder by several, if not many years, the full story will be on the 'Mocherette' page, whenever I get round to it!

 

These are nice! Two of Charles C. Stadden's war-gaming figures, around 35mm, home painted in a glossy, toy-soldier style, I spent some time googling Nappie's marshals, before switching to 'Russians', with no more success, but other uniforms I found, suggested they were more likely to be Russians (1812) than French, but then I tried 'Prussians' and found images of Frederick the Great (not Blucher), which looked like the chap on the right, so we go back a ways, to the 7YW and all those successions, and find the chap on the left is probably Hans Joachim von Zieten? Seen here as a flat, the blue on the Stadden being a little too pale, while 'Old Fritz' should have a silver breast-plate with those shoulder straps!

 

Clockwise from the greeney; who is a1990's Lucky Bag piracy of Marx's Pecos Bill, and a Kinder piracy of Lone Star's 'Metallion', Pat Masterton, who's full sized version was seen entering the stash, courtesy of Chris Smith last August!

 

A Hong Kong copy of, or 'after' Crescent (I think), in the style of Blue Box, but not one of theirs, a Kinder knight, from the two-part horses, these are nearly always found with their weapons broken these days, very brittle shafts, so a good find, another of the Morestone Stagecoach drivers, and, in the centre, the old 1960's Lucky Bag Indian in gold 'styrene.

 

This is Thomas, but much mucked-about with, painted and with a replacement set of handle-bars, which are attached with a lump of god-knows-what, it could be play-doh! So, again, at some point in the future, I think I'll try it in the ultrasonic cleaner, and see what that leaves me to work with? Pretty-sure I have a good one anyway, so I can afford to 'try something' and see!

 

Adrian found a stash of Hong Kong farm figures while sorting his stock (he is semi-retiring as I write), and passed them to my stash, and while the hope is to attribute a fair few of these to makers and/or named-sets, one day, this isn't that day! So it's just eye candy for now.

 

I have tons of this, lots of it from Chris, Peter, Trevor &etc, tubbed (large scale) or bagged (smallies) by pose, and most of these will be duplicates, but you can see the many variations between them means a few will be the first sample.

 

Strangely, various makers (or issuers) used the same colour schemes - blue/white, red/blue or red/yellow, which I suspect is because lots of smaller makers (sub-pirates, all of them!) in the blocks of the Kowloon Walled City slum (demolished in the 1990's), were being employed to produce all the farm and zoo stuff for repeat orders, for the pocket-money/rack-toy jobbers of the west, a similar situation with all the sub-Giant Wild West, and various generations of 'Army Men'?

 

Differentials include size, base shape/type, base marks, holes or pin-release marks and plastic colour, and they are all copies of other people's sculpts, with the obvious exception of the New Ray 'Country Life' chap holding the lamb-poodle-piglet hybrid! He comes in different colourways too.

 

Again clockwise from the far-left, we have an Airfix motorcycle rider, of whom I still need a few for my fleet of machines, I'll leave the paint (chocolate brown, on chocolate brown?) for now, after the lesson with the bikes! Next to him is a construction-worker/driver, and I think he may be French? He's a hard polystyrene, and well detailed, so I don't think he's Hong Kong, and he may be in a vehicle catalogue somewhere in the archive?

 

The robber is Lledo, the race-horse and jockey will probably be from a board-game, while the seated figure would appear to be from a model railway line/range, but I don't recognise the figure, or the charcoal styrene under the paint?

M is for Martial Military Men of Merit from Marlborough to the Mohicans

"Horse & Musket" cried the war gaming rule books of the 1970's I avidly got out of the library and read without really understanding! And; never that clear to me as a period, as wasn't the late medieval period - horse and musket, wasn't a Rumanian infantry company on the Russian front as good as? A few Zundapp's if they were lucky! But these - here today - are clearly the main men as far as it goes . . . what I mean is they're in the middle . . . no . . . I'm just talking bollocks for an opening paragraph; aren't I?

Let's have a look at 'em:

'The Brits' - Grenadiers in Mitres and Bearskins and some recruits from the Bay City Rollers fan club march stalwartly toward the loss of the 13 colonies! These are late plastic production and you can see the tiredness of the moulds which apparently, ultimately led to the switch to all metal production.

'The Enemy' - Bicorns, Tricorns and something fetching for Ascot from Coco Channel's milliner wander around the Canadian boarder wondering if 14 colonies is likely to prove one too many! I have a shed-load of these spare (tricornes only) if you are 'umming and 'arring over the Napoleonic Highlander swap I'm looking for or the Connoisseur German espontoon bloke; 2-for-1?

The Support came in the form of three gunners and two 'command' types; an officer and drummer.

While with all these posts I've tried to show all the plastic colour variations I have, I'm sure there are at least a few more, they were available in plastic from 1965 until maybe 2005'ish (when the remainder seems to have been wholesaled-off), and apart from the Khaki Infantry (and a few red/blue AWI-Napoleonics and blue/grey ACW), there's very little ruling to what colours are used, with lots of neutral grey and brown, and even the translucent [neutral granule] colours in the Connoisseur range.

The cavalry; because I tend to store mine according to the later, fuller numbering I have the Hussars (P15) with the AWI, but they were originally listed (unnumbered) as Napoleonics and don't really fit the AWI?

Dragoons above and below with the Staff Officer to the top right and a few OBE's which show how the simplicity of all these figures allows them to be painted-up as all sorts. I'm assuming (I'm a great assumer!) that the staff officer is from the armed terrorist insurgency, the white dragoon is French and the red-coat is err . . . a Red Coat!

The last of the Mohicans! They've lasted quite well as it happens! They were seen putting in a quick appearance during the American Civil War, as we saw in the lists yesterday. Is it just me or does the walking guy look as if he's got rabbits ears!

The AWI was the largest range from Spencer Smith, whether or not you include the Connoisseur Range figures, and again one of these put in a brief appearance as a dismounted Cavalryman 90-years later. OBE's at the top, early plastics in the middle ('Khaki Infantry' range's colours) and later Norfolk production at the bottom.

Always look better en mass, not AWI per se, but all toy soldiers!

I haven't done a table for these chaps, I will one day, but this is the last of these posts and the figures are away back into the loft, the articles to the dongles and the driving need to finish 'paperwork' already fading. It would look like the ACW one but slightly longer in the last column, yet easier on the eye!

Listings

Camberley Years

Mid 1970’s Production (approximately 1974)

Standard Range

American War of Independence (suitable for conversion to 7 Years War)

- Bag of 24 Field Officers Mounted

- Bag of 24 Dragoons (4 officers, 20 troopers)

- Bag of 80 Infantry (3 mounted officers, 6 foot officers, 6 drummers, grenadiers and battalion company privates)

- Bag of 30 Artillerymen and 4 Cannon (2 field & 2 howitzers)

- Bag of 4 Cannon (2 field & 2 howitzer)

- Bag of 80 Frontiersmen and Indians (3 types of each)

Early 1980’s Production (approximately 1981?)

Standard Range (1980’s)

American War of Independence (suitable for conversion to 7 Years War)

- Bag of 8 Field Officers Mounted

- Bag of 8 Dragoons (4 officers, 20 troopers)

- Bag of 30 Infantry (3 mounted officers, 6 foot officers, 6 drummers, grenadiers and battalion company privates)

- Bag of 30 Artillerymen and 4 Cannon (2 field & 2 howitzers)

- Bag of 2 Cannon (field)

- Bag of 2 Cannon (howitzer)

- Bag of 30 Frontiersmen and Indians (3 types of each)

Norfolk Years

Plastic Range

American War of Independence

P12 - 30 Infantry Marching (20 Battalion Company privates, 10 Grenadiers)

P13 - 20 Officers and 10 Drummers

P14 - 8 Cavalry Charging/Dragoon Troopers

P15 - 8 Cavalry Charging/Hussars (also suitable as Napoleonic cavalry)

P16 - 8 Mounted Officers (4 Dragoon Officers, 4 Staff Officers)

P17 - 21 Artillerymen

P18 - 2 guns (1 Howitzer, 1 Field-gun)

P19 - 30 Infantry Advancing (10 Grenadiers, 10 Hessians and 10 highlanders)

P20 - 30 Infantry (10 privates advancing, 10 privates marching, 10 Light Infantry)

Plastic Sample Packs (contents differ)

SP1 - Standard - 18th Century (15 foot, 2 mounted, 1 gun)
SP4 - 28mm - American War of Independence (6 foot, Barry Minot designs...metal?)

Other Items

P26 - Naval Cannons (2)

P29 - Horse and Musket Rules 1750-1870 (including ACW demonstration game)

Metal Range

American War of Independence/Severn Years War

A1 - Private Marching

A2 - Private Advancing (7YW)

A3 - Private Advancing (AWI)

A4 - Private Walking at the Ready

A5 - Grenadier Marching

A6 - Grenadier Advancing

A7 - Grenadier Standing Firing

A8 - Light Infantry Advancing

A9 - Hessian Advancing

A10 - Minuteman Advancing

A11 - Highlander Advancing

A12 - Officers Walking (pack of 2)

A13 - Officer with Sword Drawn

A14 - Drummer

A15 - Flag Bearer

A16 - Frontiersman/Militiaman Standing at the Ready

A17 - Frontiersman/Militiaman Kneeling Firing

A18 - Frontiersman/Militiaman Standing Firing

A19 - Frontiersman/Militiaman Advancing

A20 - Indians (pack of 3)

A21 - Militiaman Marching

AA1 - Dragoon Trooper

AA2 - Light Dragoon Trooper

AA3 - Hussar

AA4 - Staff Officer

AA5 - Staff Officer Charging

AR1 - Artillerymen (pack of 3)

AR2 - Howitzer

AR3 - Field-gun

Metal Sample Packs (6 foot, 1 mounted)

SM1 - Standard - 18^th Century

SM2 - American War of Independence

Internet/Metal Years

Standard Range

A1 - Private marching (SYW)

A2 - Private advancing (SYW)

A3 - Grenadier in bearskin marching  

A3a - Grenadier in miter cap marching  

A4 - Minuteman advancing

A5 - Officer walking (pack of 2)

A6 - Officer with sword drawn

A7 - Drummer

A8 - Flag Bearer

A9 - Frontiersman/militiaman standing at the ready

A10 - Frontiersman/militiaman kneeling firing

A11 - Frontiersman/militiaman standing firing

A12 - Frontiersman/militiaman advancing

A13 - Native American Indians (pack of 3)

A14 - Militiaman marching

AA1 - Dragoon trooper

AA2 - Light Dragoon Trooper

AA3 - Hussar

AA4 - Staff officer

AA5 - Staff officer charging

AR1 - Artillerymen (pack of 3)

AR2 - Howitzer

AR3 - Field gun (12-16-lbr. barrel?)

AR3 - Field gun (6-lbr. barrel)

AR4 - Wagon wheels (4)

Eriksson/Tradition Range (sold by agreement with Tradition of Sweden)

Sweden

Swedish Cavalry 1700 – 1750 (Charles XII), charging

34A - Officer, sword forwards

34A1 - Officer, sword upwards

34B1 - Officer, Standard Bearer

34B2 - Officer, Guidon Bearer (pose 1)

34B3 - Officer, Guidon Bearer (pose 2)

34C1 - Trumpeter, trumpet forwards

34C2 - Trumpeter, trumpet backwards (?)

34E1 – Trooper (pose 1)

34E2 - Trooper (pose 2)

34E3 - Trooper (pose 3)

34E4 - Trooper (pose 4)

Swedish Cavalry 1700 – 1750 (Charles XII), marching

55A - Officer

55B1 - Officer, Standard Bearer

55 B2 - Officer, Guidon Bearer

55C - Trumpeter

55D - Kettledrummer

55D1 - Drummer, dragoon

55E1 – Trooper (pose 1)

55E2 – Trooper (pose 2)

55E3 – Trooper (pose 3)

55E4 – Trooper (pose 4)

Swedish Cavalry 1700 – 1750 (Charles XII), standing

31A1   Officer, mounted on lively horse

31A2 - Officer, mounted on slow horse

31B1 - Officer, Standard Bearer mounted on standing horse

31B2 - Officer, Guidon Bearer

31B3 - Officer, Standard Bearer mounted on lively horse

31C2 - Trumpeter, blowing

31C3 - Trumpeter, trumpet down

31D - Kettledrummer

31D1 - Drummer, dragoon

31E1 - Trooper, horse resting on one back leg

31E2 - Trooper, horse with horse down

31E3 - Trooper, horse grazing

31E4 - Trooper horse with all feet on ground

31E5 - Trooper, lively horse

Swedish Infantry 1700 – 1750 (Charles XII), charging

53A1 - Officer with sword

53A2 - Officer with espontoon

53A3 - Flag Bearer

53B - ?

53C - ?

53D - Drummer

53E1 - Musketeer, firing

53E2 - Musketeer, advancing

53E3 - Pikeman (high; against cavalry)

53E4 - Grenadier

53E5 - Grenadier, throwing grenade

53E6 - Musketeer, kneeling

53E7 - Pikeman (low; against infantry)

53U - NCO with halberd

Swedish Infantry 1700 – 1750 (Charles XII), standing

32A - Officer

32B1 - Flag Bearer

32B2 - Flag Bearer

32C - ?

32D - Drummer

32U - NCO

32E1 - Musketeer

32E2 - Musketeer

32E3 - Pikeman

32E4 - Grenadier

Swedish Artillery 1700 – 1750 (Charles XII)

41A - Officer

41B - ?

41C - ?

41D - ?

41E1 - Gunner with match

41E2 - Gunner with rammer

41E3 - Gunner with ball

41E4 - Gunner, aiming

41E5 - Gunner with lever

41E6 - Gunner with powder trowel

41K - Driver

41SHv - Artillery Horse, left

41SHh - Artillery Horse, right

TK1 - Light Artillery gun

TK2 - Heavy Artillery Gun

TK3 - ?

TK4 - Limber

TK5 - Traditional Charles XII gun

Swedish Personalities 1682 – 1718,

31P - Charles XII, mounted

31P1 - ?

31P2 - Charles XII, on foot

B is for Big Buggers Booming Belligerently in the Background

The soundtrack to modern war (or all war once gunpowder enters use) is the artillery, and Spencer Smith had a gun for every occasion, well; they had a gun for each range and a few other bits - as we shall see.

The picture is not as clear as it looks, there are two carriages for the AWI piece and no real clue as to why, the spare wheels, also called 'Limber Wheels' at some time are smaller than either of the gun-wheels, so presumably were intended for grebauvaille-system type limbers, not the full sit-on, storage-box types?

The Naval gun can cross periods as it's a pretty basic model of a weapon whose visual (at this level of detail) appearance changed little for a couple [several?] hundred-years. Then there are the two question marks, one of which appears to be a smaller naval gun calibre, but fits all three mountings, the other is very odd and we'll look at it again from a better angle in a minute.

The contents of a single 'set' to the left with a few colour variants and a made-up gun to the right. The far right cartridge is a mould-purge mix of blue and dark brown, the grey ones come with the black barrels and the brown one is the different carriage with a longer division between the trails - and a bit of 'old school' painting!

Differences between the two versions of the AWI carriage, the grey one appears lighter with more gaps in the 'ladder' between the trails, yet is actually a heavier moulding with deeper trails compared to the brown one.

The grey one is a tad longer too. I think the grey (and blue ones in the other shots) are later versions, with the brown one being a Camberley original and can only guess at why it needed re-tooling or even replacing with a near-duplicate?

With the two barrel types, originally sold in larger quantities with four guns (two field and two howitzers) and 30 crew, by the time I was purchasing these from Peter Johnson (from the ads in Plastic Warrior magazine!), they were sold separately as a pair with one of each barrel - although I dare say if you'd asked for two of the same; you would have got them.

The ACW gun is pretty straightforward as seen here (a crude'ish 'Parrot Rifle'?), but I think the smaller 'naval' barrel may be designed to convert this into a Napoleonic 9-lbr, but as most lists suggest an ACW pair of field-piece and howitzer, with similar pieces in use as Napoleonic artillery it's still not clear [to me].

Speaking of naval guns; 'The Naval Gun' (for which there were never offered sailors or marines?) is a large looking thing from a big ship's main gun-deck, indeed it is the biggest barrel of all the samples in my collection, by quite a margin.

As with the ACW photograph, this represents one complete set from the mid-years, one disassembled, the other ready for action and with both I only got two identical barrels?

So we come to the two question marks, they are definitely Spencer smith, same 30mm+/- size, same chocolate soft ethylene polymer, same drilled-out ends (nice touch) the one on the left could be the ACW/Nappy 'howitzer' or the Nappy 9-lbr conversion of the ACW carriage?

The one on the right could be a 6-lbr, appearing on some early lists? Or something for fitting to a ships deck? Or something missing its carriage? Or something . . . ?

So looking at the line-up again; AWI with a long barreled filed-gun and short barrel which may also be the Napoleonic and/or ACW howitzer barrel

Then the ACW which is also the Mapoleonic carriage, both possibly taking the larger (parrot) gun as a 12-16-lbr, and the smaller question mark as a 6-9-lbr? And/or taking the AWI howitzer barrel - as same?

The naval gun which may take the smaller question mark, the 'spare' or 'limber' wheels, to which were added larger metal ones in the later years and then the question marks themselves, both of which remain questions marks!

This won't help . . .

Listing - Artillery Only

Mid 1970’s Production (approximately 1974)

Standard Range

Napoleonic

- Bag of 4 Cannon (2 field & 2 howitzer)

American War of Independence (suitable for conversion to 7 Years War)

- Bag of 30 Artillerymen and 4 Cannon (2 field & 2 howitzers)

- Bag of 4 Cannon (2 field & 2 howitzer)

American Civil War

- Bag of 30 Artillerymen (officers, buglers and gunners)

Early 1980’s Production (approximately 1981)

Standard Range (1980’s)

Napoleonic

- Bag of 2 Cannon (field)

- Bag of 2 Cannon (howitzer)

American War of Independence (suitable for conversion to 7 Years War)

- Bag of 30 Artillerymen and 4 Cannon (2 field & 2 howitzers)

- Bag of 2 Cannon (field)

- Bag of 2 Cannon (howitzer)

American Civil War

- Bag of 30 Artillerymen (officers, buglers and gunners)

- Bag of 2 Cannon (field)

- Bag of 2 Cannon (howitzer)

Additional Items

- Bag of 2 Naval Cannon (24-lbr.)

- Bag of 2 Cannon (6-lbr.)

The 'Old Rectory' Years (circa 1992)

Plastic Range

American Civil War

P6 - 24 Artillerymen

P7 - 2 Guns (1 each of 2 designs? Can be used as Napoleonic Howitzers and Field-guns)

P10 - 4 limber wheels (all one size, smaller than all gun wheels)

Metal Additions to ACW Range

P11 - 4 Wagon Wheels (2 large, 2 small)

American War of Independence

P17 - 21 Artillerymen

P18 - 2 guns (1 Howitzer, 1 Field-gun)

Napoleonic War

P25 - 2 Guns (6-lbr’s)

Plastic Sample Packs (contents differ)

SP1 - Standard - 18th Century (15 foot, 2 mounted, 1 gun)
SP2 - Standard - Napoleonic (8 foot, 2 mounted, 1 gun)
SP3 - Standard - American Civil War (11 foot, 1 mounted, 1 gun)
Other Items

P26 - Naval Cannons (2)

P28 - ACW Beginners Pack (270 foot, inc. gunners, 66 mounted, 4 guns, rules, some metal)

Metal Range

American War of Independence/Severn Years War

AR1 - Artillerymen (pack of 3)

AR2 - Howitzer

AR3 - Field-gun

American Civil War

CR1 Artilleryman (pack of 3)

CR2 Cannon (duplicates as Napoleonic British 9-lbr.)

Internet Era Plastic/Metal Changeover Years

Standard Range

AR1 - Artillerymen (pack of 3)

AR2 - Howitzer

AR3 - Field gun (12-16-lbr. barrel)

AR3 - Field gun (6-lbr. barrel)

AR4 - Wagon wheels (4)

Civil War Range

CR1 - Artillerymen (pack of 3)

CR2 - Cannon (duplicates as Napoleonic British 9-lbr.)

Current (June 2017)

Spencer Smith 30mm 18th Century Figures

AR1 - Artillerymen (pack of 3)

AR2 - Howitzer

AR3 - Field gun (12-16 pdr barrel)

AR3 - Field gun (6 pdr barrel)

AR4 - Wagon wheels (4)

Spencer Smith 30mm American Civil War Figures

CR1 - Artillerymen (pack of 3)

CR2 - Cannon (duplicates as Nap. Brit. 9 pounder)

Eriksson/Tradition Range (sold by agreement with Tradition of Sweden)

Swedish Artillery 1700 – 1750 (Charles XII)

41A - Officer

41E1 - Gunner with match

41E2 - Gunner with rammer

41E3 - Gunner with ball

41E4 - Gunner, aiming

41E5 - Gunner with lever

41E6 - Gunner with powder trowel

41K - Driver

41SHv - Artillery Horse, left

41SHh - Artillery Horse, right

TK1 - Light Artillery gun

TK2 - Heavy Artillery Gun

TK3 - ?

TK4 - Limber

TK5 - Traditional Charles XII gun

This was found in the Spencer Smith folder while preparing these articles, I don't know where it came from or when (2014?), it could be a feeBay lot, it could be from someone called Clive, it's been cleaned and cropped but if you recognise it and want it removed, it's no problem; just eMail me.

It helps to illustrate how large the guns are in comparison with the figures - useful - as I for some reason decided to divorce all the artillery from the crew-figures in these posts . . . Doh!