B is for Bachmann, Busch and Other Blister Cards

Box ticking some more of the smaller railway figure issuers, it doesn't look like they actually made them, and because they are both blistered I've added a couple of other blister shots including one from Jon Attwood, as we are near the end of these posts for now.

These are the sets I hid in the Sandown Park plunder post the other day, a seller had a mass of N-gauge stuff, obviously an estate-clearing lot, and among them were several sets of figures, of which I grabbed four samples, one each of the two Bachmann's, the Busch and a Hachette (below).

 

A couple of points to note are that Bachmann admit to getting them in Hong Kong, while Busch, not known for figures, being primarily a tree/scenic maker, obviously got hold of some too, but give the impression - by subtle omission - that they are German products! The other point is that while graphics are similar, there is a year or two between the two Bachmann sets, with the green 'Accessories' line one being probably the newer, the blue 'Trains & Buildings' one probably older.

 

The usual scans (of the HO range) from various Walther's catalogues. In recent years Bachmann Europe and/or Bachmann UK have used various figures in HO/OO - also in sets of six - bought-in from Preiser, or even commissioned from them, but by "Recent Years" I realise I am talking about twenty-odd years, and there have been various changes in ownership of different arms of the brand in that time which are not for here, now, but can be looked at another day.

 

The same seller had these HO figures in tow, from Hachette the French-based part-work issuer, and (from the talk of 'Craft knife and scissors' in the instructions) possibly part of a larger building kit, and I think it was from the 'Little Benton Village' part-work? I suspect they are whitemetal, but short of getting them out and scratching one, I can't call it for sure!

 

While Jon sent these shots as part of the wider contributions, a bit too big for HO/OO-gauge related models, we have looked at them before, and this is the one with the bin-man which confused me a few years ago, as a similar chap came with a bit lorry!

C is for Corgi Check-list

Not really a check-list but I wanted to keep the 'C is for C...' thing going for another post. This is very much a work in progress, and no more than an annotated list in numerical order of what a lawyer would call disparagingly; 'manuscript notes'! Basically the list I constructed for myself, to make some sense of the preceding 15 posts as I was sorting them out a year ago and posting the Husky and Hornby stuff.

Feel free to correct or add to it, just bear in mind it will probably be copied, pasted and published for profit by a Canadian plagiarist at some point!

Known List (by me that is!)

2 - Citroen Safari, boat, [approximately 1:76, white or brown polystyrene] - Husky

2 - Citroen Safari, boat, [approximately 1:76, blue polystyrene] - Corgi Junior

GS 2 - Land Rover with Rice's pony trailer and pony, pony/racehorse (blanket version).

GS 3 - Batmobile and Batboat, Batman and Robin figures [scale varies, dense or softish PVC vinyl or polystyrene] - Set shares figures with Batmobile (267), both issued/re-issued in several batches over the years with two variants of figures in different materials, see also; 107 and 267.

GS 4 B1 - Massey Ferguson tractor and hay wagon, dog and two children on hay rick (and - policeman, lead and Alsatian dog?) [45/50mm, dense PVC vinyl, policeman - if included; 40mm, dense or softish PVC vinyl] - scale-up from Husky set 1574, see also; 448.

5B - Jeep, driver figure [1:72/25mm, polyethylene/polypropylene] - Corgi Juniors, same figure as; 76, see also; 2508 and E3029.

GS 5 B1 - Agricultural gift-set, farmhand, various animals and policeman with dog from another set/other sets [40mm, dense or softish PVC vinyl].

GS 7 - Daktari gift set, various figures and animals [35/40mm, dense PVC vinyl] - see also; GS 14.

GS 8 - Lions of Longleat, 2 different lions, park ranger [40mm, dense PVC vinyl].

GS 10 - Marlin Rambler set, canoeist and canoe [approximately 30mm, figure is dense PVC vinyl, canoe is unknown].

010 - Road Maintenance Figures, several road workers, governor and accessories [40mm, polystyrene] often mistaken for Dinky, number shared with Dinky set of the same figures, as I stated in the relevant post - not happy with this listing, but it stays for now, please don't snipe on other sites - just makes you look small - clearly sculpted by Stadden and copied in 25 and 30mm polystyrene and 40mm polyethylene in Hong Kong by Blue Box and Lucky Toys among others.

GS 11 - Title unknown, traffic policeman on podium [40mm, soft PVC vinyl, podium is polystyrene] - figure is scale-up from Husky set 1574.

GS 11 C2 - Game Park, park ranger [40mm, dense PVC vinyl].

GS13 - Fordson Power Major tractor and four-furrow plough [40mm, dense PVC vinyl] - larger green/brown paint driver, see also 67 for smaller version.

GS 13 C1 - Tour de France set, trainer with megaphone [54mm, softish PVC vinyl].

GS 14 - Daktari gift set, various figures and animals [35/40mm, dense PVC vinyl] - see also; GS 7.

15 - Studebaker camera-car, cameraman torso, [approximately 25mm, polystyrene].

19 - Chipperfield's Land Rover with elephant and cage on trailer, elephant [approximately 40mm, dense PVC vinyl] - see also; GS 48 C1 and 6079 kit version).

GS 21 - (Title/contents unknown but included the tiger from the menagerie trailer in 1139) [approximately 30/35mm, dense PVC vinyl] - see also; GS 1139.

GS 23 - Circus Models, 2 giraffe, 2 lions, 2 panda bears, 1 elephant [scale varies, elephant; approximately 40mm, dense PVC vinyl, rest; 25mm'ish, polyethylene] see also; 19, GS30 and 607 (kit version).

24 A1 - Constructor set, milkman/deliveryman [45mm, dense PVC vinyl].

28 - "Sea Spray" Mazda pick-up and dingy on trailer [approximately 25mm boat, polyethylene/polypropylene?].

29 - Corgi Jeep and horse box "Pony Club" set, mounted woman and horse [54mm, polystyrene] - see also; GS 47 B.

GS 30 B1 - Circus Land Rover and cage trailer, 2 polar bears (some sets) or 1 panda and 1 gorilla (other sets), clown with microphone [bears; small, less than 20mm, Gorilla nearer 54mm, both polyethylene, clown; 54mm, dense PVC vinyl] - see also; GS 48 C1.

31 - The 'Riviera' gift set, chap in marine garb [30mm, dense PVC vinyl] - contents same as 104.

33 A1 - Livestock trailer, four calves on base [1:87/HO guage-20mm, dense PVC vinyl] - see also; 2501 A1.

33 A2 - Livestock trailer, four calves on base [1:87/HO guage-20mm, dense PVC vinyl] - see also; 2501 A1.

GS 36 - Tarzan, 2 Tarzan's, boy, Jane and hunter [54mm, dense PVC vinyl].

38 B1 - Gift Set - Mini (car) Camping Set, Figure cooking BBQ and chicken on a spit [40mm, polystyrene with die-cast parts].

GS 40 - 'The Avengers' Steed's Bentley & Emma Peel's Lotus, two figures [30mm, dense PVC vinyl] - see also 00101.

GS 41 B1 - State Landau, HM The Queen, Prince Philip, various postillions, grooms and horses [50mm figures, 54mm horses, polystyrene].

GS 44 A1 - Police Land Rover and Horse Box, mounted policeman and horse [54mm, polystyrene].

GS 45 B1 - Royal Canadian Mounted Police set, mounted RCMP 'Mountie' and horse [54mm, polystyrene].

47 - Fordson tractor and conveyor, small brown driver and sacks [35mm. dense or softer PVC vinyl, sacks are a polystyrene plastic].

GS 47 B - Pony Club set, mounted woman and horse [54mm, polystyrene] - see also; 29.

GS 48 C1 - Circus set, elephant, acrobat, clown with mic, circus horses, clown and monkey, ringmaster, human cannonball, polar bear [horses; approximately 40mm, polyethylene, 2 poses, ringmaster; 54mm, dense PVC vinyl, human cannonball; 45mm, polystyrene, polar bears; small, polyethylene, clown; 54mm, dense PVC vinyl, elephant; approximately 40mm, dense PVC vinyl, acrobat; 54mm, polyethylene (or; soft PVC vinyl?)] - see also; GS 30 B1, 233, 487 A1, 1130 A1, 1163 A1, and 607 (kit version of elephant).

64 - Working Conveyor on Forward-Control Jeep, farm figure, red shirt and sacks [Figure 30mm dense and soft PVC vinyl, sacks are a polystyrene plastic].

67 - Ford 5000 Super Major Tractor, tractor driver [40mm, dense PVC vinyl] - also used on Hover toy tractor from Hong Kong, see also GS 13 for larger version.

67 - Ford 5000 Super Major tractor with scoop/bucket, tractor driver [40mm, dense PVC vinyl] - also used on Hover toy tractor from Hong Kong, smaller yellow/brown paint driver, see also GS 13 for larger version.

76 - Jeep, driver figure [1:72/25mm, polyethylene/polypropylene] - Corgi Juniors, same figure as; 5B, see also; 2508 and E3029.

84 - Scout car, figure with Bren-gun/LMG [1:72/25mm, polyethylene/polypropylene] - Corgi Juniors, see also; E3029.

96 - Field gun, pair of crew  [1:72/25mm, polyethylene/polypropylene] - Corgi Juniors, see also; E3029

00101 - The Avengers Bentley, John Steed figure [50mm, poured white-metal] - see also GS40.

FAO 102 - Chevrolet Impala "Kennel Club", poodle and mutt [approximately 30mm, dense PVC vinyl] - contents the same as 486.

102 - Rice's Pony Trailer (horse box), horse in racing blanket, blanket smooth or textured [25/30mm, polyethylene] - larger version exists unpainted or with stick-on blanket, probably from Hong Kong toy, blankets painted various colours.

104 - 4-bearth cruiser - chap in marine garb [30mm, dense PVC vinyl] - accessories same as GS 31, less water-skier.

107 - The Batman Batboat, Batman and Robin figures [scale varies, dense or softish PVC vinyl or polystyrene] - Set shares figures with Batmobile (267), both issued/re-issued in several batches over the years with two variants of figures in different materials, see also; GS 3.

114 - Wild West Stage Coach, several integral figures, [20mm, polyethylene/polypropylene] - Corgi Juniors, see also E 3122.

122 - Wild West Covered Wagon, two integral figures, [20mm, polyethylene/polypropylene] - Corgi Juniors, see also E 3122.

233 - Circus play set, ringmaster [54mm, dense PVC vinyl] - see also; GS 48 C1.

246 - Chrysler Imperial, seated driver and golf bag [driver; 30/35mm, dense PVC vinyl, bag; scaled larger and die-cast/polyethylene] - bag also issued with and see; 440.

250 - "Kojak" Buick Regal, Kojak figure and torso shooting from window [50mm, dense PVC vinyl] - see also; 290.

254 - Volkswagen Safari Gift Set, rhinoceros [approximately 30/35mm, dense PVC vinyl] - may be typo and never have existed? See; 256.

256 - Volkswagen 1200 in East African Safari trim, rhinoceros [approximately 30/35mm, dense PVC vinyl] - may have been erroneously labelled 254 at some point, see also; 254.

256 - Chitty-chitty Bang-bang, two adults and two children [40mm, dense PVC vinyl] - see also; Husky/Corgi Juniors 1006.

261 - James Bond's Aston Martin D.B.5, Bond and Asian guard from 'The Man with the Golden Gun' scene [1:87/HO gauge/20mm, dense PVC vinyl] - small 'Bond' version in gold, see also; 270 for silver version and 336 (for larger Bond figure).

261 B1 - Spiderbuggy (Jeep), seated Spiderman character [40/45mm, polystyrene].

264 - Incredible Hulk, Hulk figure [largish 54mm, hard polyethylene/polypropylene or polystyrene] - difficult to give a scale to a man who 'grows' when he's angry!

267 - Batmobile, Batman and Robin figures [scale varies, dense or softish PVC vinyl or polystyrene] - Set shares figures with Batboat (107), both issued/re-issued in several batches over the years with two variants of figures in different materials, see also; GS 3.

268 - The Green Hornet "Black Beauty" car, Green Hornet torso [25mm, dense PVC vinyl].

268 - Batman's Batbike, Batman figure and plug-in cape [approximately 54mm, polyethylene or polypropylene).

270 - James Bond's Aston Martin D.B.5, Bond and Asian guard from 'The Man with the Golden Gun' scene [1:87/HO gauge/20mm, dense PVC vinyl] - small 'Bond' version in silver, see also; 261 for gold version and 336 (for larger Bond figure).

277 - Monkeymobile, four Monkey figures, 3 assemblies [35/40mm,  dense PVC vinyl].

290 - "Kojak" Buick Regal, Kojak figure and torso shooting from window [50mm, dense PVC vinyl] - see also; 250.

292 - Starsky and Hutch Ford Torino, Starsky, Hutch and 'perp' [50mm, polystyrene].

302 - Hillman Hunter rallye "London to Sydney", kangaroo [approximately 30/35mm, dense PVC vinyl].

313 - Ford Cortina GXL "Graham Hill", Hill figure with helmet [40mm, dense PVC vinyl].

336 - James Bond Toyota 200GT, Bond firing backwards and slightly larger driver, [30/35mm, dense PVC vinyl] - large 'Bond' version, see both; 261 and 270 (for smaller Bond figure).

342 - Lamborghini 400 GT Mura "Fighting Bull", bull charging [approximately 30/35mm, dense PVC vinyl].

342 - Ford Capri CI5 'The Professionals' Ford Capri, Bodie, Doyle and the other - boss- one [approximately 54mm, dense PVC vinyl].

348 - 'Vagas' Ford Thunderbird, Vagas figure [approximately 54mm, dense PVC vinyl].

381 - Beach Buggy, no figures but included 2 of the surf-boards also used with 485.

403 - Thwaites-Tusker skip/dumper-truck, driver [45mm, soft-to-dense PVC vinyl].

405 - Chevrolet Superior 61 ambulance, stretcher and attendant [approximately 40mm, figure; dense PVC vinyl, stretcher; polystyrene?].

406 C1 - Mercedes-Benz ambulance, stretcher and two attendants [50mm polystyrene].

406 C2 - Falck [as; 406 C1].

413 B1 - Mazda motorway maintenance truck, mechanic [40mm, dense PVC vinyl] - oval-based version of mechanic from; 1501, 1505 and others.

430 (early) - Bermuda Taxi, driver in shorts [20mm, dense PVC vinyl].

430 (late) - Bermuda Taxi, driver in shorts [25mm, soft PVC vinyl].

440 - Ford Consul Cortina estate-car, golfer, golf-bag and caddy/boy [40mm, dense PVC vinyl with die-cast parts) see also; 246.

447 - Ford Thames Ice-Cream van "Walls", seller and boy customer [40mm softish PVC vinyl] - see also 474 A1.

448 - Police Mini Van, policeman, lead and Alsatian dog [40mm, dense or softish PVC vinyl] - scale-up from Husky set 1574, see also; GS 5 B1.

449 - Citroën Safari 1968 Winter Olympics, tobogganist and toboggan [40mm dense PVC vinyl with die-cast toboggan] - see also 475.

461 - Police 'Vigilant' Range Rover, Policeman in reflective orange jacket with signs and cones in crate [40mm, figure; softish PVC vinyl or polyethylene, accessories; all ethylene].

468 - London Transport Routemaster bus, conductress and driver [1:87/HO gauge, dense PVC vinyl] - may be more than 1 version of conductress and driver (2nd versions being softer PVC vinyl, 3rd version polyethylene?).

471 - Mobile Canteen, female attendant [40mm, dense PVC vinyl].

472 - Land Rover Public Address Vehicle, politician with microphone [45mm, dense PVC vinyl], see also GS 48/487 A1 for small version of clown with microphone and GS30 for large version.

474 A1 - Ford Thames Ice-Cream van "Walls" with chimes, seller and boy customer [40mm softish PVC vinyl] - musical version of and see also 447.

475A - Citroën Ski Safari "1964 Olympic Winter Sports", skier [30/35mm, softish PVC vinyl, skis, polyethylene/polypropylene - yellow or red] see also 475B, 499A and 499B

475B - Citroën Ski Safari "Corgi Ski Club", skier [30/35mm, softish PVC vinyl, skis, polyethylene/polypropylene - yellow or red] see also 475A, 499A and 499B

478 - Hydraulic tower-platform, street-lighting engineer [40mm, polyethylene].

479 - Commer van "Samuelson Film Service", Cine-camera, operator, (bicycle and rider?), luggage [30mm, dense PVC vinyl with die-cast parts] - some part-painted examples of the cameraman exist.

482 - Range Rover ambulance, stretcher team and stretcher case [40mm, dense PVC vinyl] - copies in 54mm exist.

484 - Dodge Kew Fargo Life Stock Transporter with Animals, 5 pigs [50/54mm, polyethylene or polypropylene] - usually one large black and three creamy-tan; 1 medium and two small.

485 - Mini Countryman, surfer and surf-board (surfer; 35mm, soft PVC vinyl, board; polyethylene/propylene?].

486 - Chevrolet Impala "Kennel Club", poodle and mutt [approximately 30mm, dense PVC vinyl] - contents the same as FAO 102.

487 A1 - Circus Parade Vehicle (Land Rover), clown and monkey in skirt [45mm, dense PVC vinyl] - also in; GS 48 (small version of clown with microphone, see also GS30 for large version and 472 for politician).

497 - "The Man from UNCLE" Thrushbuster, two hinged shooting figures [approximately 1:87/HO gauge, polystyrene].

499A - Citroen 1968 Winter Olympic Sports, skier and tobogganist [30/35mm, softish PVC vinyl, skis, polyethylene/polypropylene - yellow or red, toboggan, die-cast metal] - see also 475A, 475B and 499B

499B - Citroen 1968 Grenoble, skier and tobogganist [30/35mm, softish PVC vinyl, skis, polyethylene/polypropylene - yellow or red, toboggan, die-cast metal] - see also 475A, 475B and 499A

506 - Hillman Imp Panda Police car, seated policeman [25/35mm, polymer-material unknown].

510 - Citroën DS Paramount "Tour de France", trainer with megaphone [30mm, dense PVC vinyl].

511 - Chipperfield's Performing Poodles, several poodle poses and female performer [30mm, dense PVC vinyl].

513 - Citroën Safari Alpine Rescue Car, rescue team member and St. Bernard dog [40mm, dense PVC vinyl].

607 - Circus Elephant and Transport Cage, elephant [kit vertion of the common PVC version, tan polystyrene] - see also 19, GS23 and GS48 for vinyl/PVC versions.

647 A1 - Buck Rogers Starfighter, Buck Rogers and Twiggi Robot [50mm, polystyrene].

803 - Yellow submarine, paired torsos of The Beatles [ 25/30mm, dense PVC vinyl].

805 - Hardy Boys Rolls Royce, several figures [size/scale varies - drummer 40mm+, singer 35mm, dense PVC vinyl].

811 - James Bond Moon Buggy, seated driver [approximately 25/30mm, polymer-material unknown].

868 - Dylan the Rabbit, Dylan figurine [45/50mm, dense PVC vinyl].

907 A1 - Rocket Launcher (Sd.kfz.251), Soldier/MG gunner, operating MG [30mm, polyethylene/propylene?].

908 A1 - AXM recovery tank, welder, standing soldier and two squatting soldiers [35mm, dense PVC vinyl].

926 A - Jaguar pace-car, winner and co-driver/constructors representative [25mm, dense PVC vinyl] Corgi Rockets.

1001 - James Bond Aston Martin, integral driver and flick-out figure, [20mm, polyethylene/polypropylene] - Husky/Corgi Juniors.

1002 - Batmobile, two figures, [15/20mm, dense PVC vinyl] - Husky/Corgi Juniors, scale-downs of Corgi figures.

1003 - Batboat on Trailer two figures, [15/20mm, dense PVC vinyl] - Husky/Corgi Juniors, scale-downs of Corgi figures.

1004 - Monkeemobile, four figures, [15/20mm, dense PVC vinyl] - Husky/Corgi Juniors.

1005 - Man from U.N.C.L.E. Car, two figures (?) fully enclosed in car, [15/20mm, dense PVC vinyl] - Husky

1006 A1 - Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang, pair of adults, pair of children [1:87/HO gauge, dense PVC vinyl] - Husky Extra, see also; 256 and 1406.

1006 A2 - Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang, pair of adults, pair of children [1:87/HO gauge, dense PVC vinyl] - Corgi Junior, see also; 256 and 1406.

1006 A3 - Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang, pair of adults, pair of children [1:87/HO gauge, dense PVC vinyl] - Wizzwheels, see also; 256 and 1406.

1107 - - Euclid TC12Tractor and Dozer Blade, driver figure [details unknown] - introduced in 1958 (as 1103) and re-released in 1963 with a driver.

1117 - Street sweeper, operator [40mm polystyrene].

1130 A1 - Circus horse van [horses; approximately 40mm, polyethylene] - see also; GS 48 C1.

1139 - Menagerie trailer, tiger [approximately 30/35mm, dense PVC vinyl] - also in; GS 21.

1163 A1 - Human cannonball [45mm, polystyrene] - see also; GS 48 C1.

1164 - Dolphinarium, dolphin trainer (and dolphins?) [30/35mm, polyethylene].

1406 - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, four figures [15/20mm, dense PVC vinyl] - Husky, scale-downs of Corgi figures, see also 256 and 1006.

1501 (early - boxed) - Scale Figures (racing team - pit team) [40mm, polystyrene].

1501 (late - blister card) - Scale Model Figures (racing team - pit team) [40mm, polystyrene].

1502 (early - boxed) - Scale Figures (spectators) [40mm, dense PVC vinyl or polystyrene].

1502 (late - blister card) - Scale Model Figures (spectators) [40mm, dense PVC vinyl or polystyrene].

1503 (early - boxed) - Scale Figures (race officials) [40mm, dense PVC vinyl or polystyrene].

1503 (late - blister card) - Scale Model Figures (race officials) [40mm, dense PVC vinyl or polystyrene].

1504 (early - boxed) - Scale Figures (commentators/media folk) [40mm, dense PVC vinyl or polystyrene].

1504 (late - blister card) - Scale Model Figures (commentators/media folk) [40mm, dense PVC vinyl or polystyrene].

1505 (early - boxed) - Scale Figures (mechanics) [40mm, dense or soft PVC vinyl or silicon rubber or polystyrene].

1505 (late - blister card) - Scale Model Figures (mechanics) [40mm, dense or soft PVC vinyl or silicon rubber or polystyrene].

1571 - Pedestrians [25mm, dense-to-softish PVC vinyl] - Husky.

1572 - Public Works Employees [25mm, dense-to-softish PVC vinyl] - Husky.

1573 - Garage Personnel [25mm, dense-to-softish PVC vinyl] - Husky.

1574 - Public Officers [25mm, dense-to-softish PVC vinyl] - Husky.

2501 A1 - Livestock trailer, four calves on base [1:87/HO guage-20mm, dense PVC vinyl] - See also; 33 A1 and 33 A2.

2503 A1 - Land Rover and horse box, horse [20/25mm, dense PVC vinyl] - Corgi Juniors.

2508 - Field Gun set [1:72/25mm, polyethylene/polypropylene] - Corgi Juniors, see also; 56B, 76, 96 and E3029.

2511 - Army Patrol set [1:72/25mm, polyethylene/polypropylene] - Corgi Juniors, includes; 84.

E3026 - Emergency gift set, pair of Policemen, pair of ambulance men with stretcher case and pair of coastguards (meant to be fire brigade personnel?) [30mm, polyethylene/polypropylene] - Corgi Juniors

E3029 - Military Gift set, 3 pairs of soldiers [1:72/25mm, polyethylene/polypropylene] - Corgi Juniors, see also; 76, 84, 96, this set's remaining stock was re-issued in Chad Valley branded packaging in the mid/late-1990's by Woolworth's PLC.

E 3112 - Wild West Frontier set, 2 prairie-wagons and stage coach with integral horses and figures [no real scale/size, figures approximately 1:87/HO gauge, polyethylene/polypropylene] - Corgi Juniors, see also 122

9004 - 1927 3 Litre Bentley with Bertie Wooster & Jeeves [40mm, dense PVC vinyl] - Corgi 'Classics'.

9011 A1 - Model T Ford, seated male and female [40mm, dense and soft PVC vinyl] - may also have been supplied to Dinky for their 1903 Model T Ford, marked HONG KONG, see also; 9021 - Corgi 'Classics', male driver in boater hat and pink and white lady in bonnet.

9012 A1 - Model T Ford, man using starting handle [40mm, dense PVC vinyl] - Corgi 'Classics'.

9021 A1 - 1910 Daimler, man and woman seated, plus one (? or two?) figure/s from; and see also; 9011/9012 [40mm, dense PVC vinyl] - Corgi 'Classics', green chauffeur, pink and white lady in bonnet, blue girl with boater hat.

TY 88702 - Ted Glen and builders truck, Ted figure [40mm, dense PVC vinyl].

US 95102 US Army Infantry set, six figures [1:64/25mm, softish PVC vinyl].

US 95103 USMC Infantry set, six figures [1:64/25mm, softish PVC vinyl].

Unknown/various sets/codes?

- Traffic policeman [40mm, either a dense PVC vinyl or a softish polyethylene].

- Pink Panther [no real scale, approximately 40mm less tail, dense PVC vinyl].

- Dougal's Magic Roundabout car, Dougal and Brian the Snail [no scale/size].

- Ambulance man [54mm, dense PVC vinyl - orange] - larger version of figure from 482.

- Ambulance man [54mm, dense PVC vinyl - green].

- Policeman with megaphone [50mm, dense PVC vinyl].

- Boat, man and woman [approximately 25/28mm, figures; softish PVC vinyl, boat; polystyrene].

- Fire Engine (Le France?) Several firemen [25mm, dense PVC vinyl].

- Horse in racing blanket [25/30mm, polyethylene] - larger version exists unpainted, probably from Hong Kong toy.

- Mechanic with large spanner [40mm, dense PVC vinyl] - as set 1501 but in reaching man's pose, blue .

- Mechanic with small spanner [40mm, dense PVC vinyl] - as set 1501 but in reaching man's pose, orange.

- Mechanic with large spanner [40mm, dense PVC vinyl] - as set 1501 but in reaching man's pose, turquoise smaller figure.

- Frogman and boat [figure - 40mm, dense PVC vinyl, boat - polyethylene/polypropylene] - Corgi Juniors?

- Racing-car driver [30mm, dense, softish or fully-soft PVC vinyl].

C is for Corgi Civilians

Civilians? How boring! What? I'm forever putting 'civi' stuff up here...they have their place in the oeuvre...and while Corgi were pretty hopeless at military figures compared to Matchbox, when it came to figures in general they are about ten blog-posts in a clear lead! Just about everything other than bog-standard family saloons came with something to add play value.

The larger image shows the Husky / Corgi Juniors rally car winner's with driver and navigator leaning on the bonnet, and are in the same style as the little sets we looked at here, while the larger figure has the distinctive helmet of a real driver; Graham Hill (did he have a whingeing whining blame everyone else before yourself, kind of a son?), from the larger 1:43 range.

Bar-B-Q'ing tonight top left, with one of the earlier figures on the right; changing street-light bulbs from what we now call a cherry-picker, in those days they were called reach-platforms or something. This figure is interesting as it is polyethylene and seem to come from the same stable as the contemporary Spot On range of figures, we've also looked at before.

Below them there is a milkman and cabin-cruiser 'captain' from the 1960's range and two colour variations of the street-sweeper operator from the '70's, he is a tad larger and in a harder polypropylene.

The standard racing driver - like the standard pilots from Airfix and Matchbox - he was reused in more than one model, being fitted to a lot of the racing car and sports tourer models in the early years, and would reappear from time to time. There are subtle differences between both these two. Likewise to the right are the Bermuda tourist Mini-Moke / Taxi driver...I'm not sure if these are two versions of the same vehicle's driver, or if one if (like the Batman & Robin scale downs) a Corgi Juniors figure?

Below them is a female bus conductor in a close 25mm size, I know she is Corgi, but see the next panel (below) for all the 'maybe's'!

The last group are more problematical...I have notes to the effect this set is Corgi AND Dinky. Now, they are definitely in the style of the few other Stadden-designed Dinky figures, also I'm pretty sure I found them in a Corgi capacity when I was preparing these articles over a years ago. That site is now no more, and I can only ask if any one knows for certain...it's likely that they were a Dinky set inherited by Corgi.

Various bus drivers and conductors which may or may not be Corgi (or Dinky, Matchbox, a minor make or a HK something!), can any die-cast collector give definite ID's for any of them.

The accessories were as important as the figures and the two everyone seems to be looking for are the BBQ already show further above and the golf bag shown here with golfer and small-boy caddy. Also pictured here are the ice-cream seller and his customer.

The upper shot is an attempt at a scenic vignette photograph, while below it is one of the most awful toys ever sold in a retail form...

..the backing card is pre-printed with Mr Sheen graphics (a popular UK furniture polish in the 1970's), the packaging contains two clues to brand (Smiley and Roundabout) while almost certainty being neither and the contents cover 20-odd years of Corgi figure 'production' in about four scales and at least three polymers!

I have seen another! Different graphics, different contents.

I would guess that - far worse than being some Hong Kong thing - these were cobbled together from tail-end stock and sold through sea-side kiosks as sand-castle enhancers? Not only that, the boat isn't the Corgi boat, it's the late Cullpitt's from HK copy of the Corgi boat!

One thing is sure, despite these Corgi accessories often fetching a tidy sum on FeeBay, you often see dealers at shows with large quantities of ex-out workers stock, usually of one or two poses, the Detective Ironsides in wheelchair is a common one - seemingly being made in the millions, the tractor drivers are others while the various James Bond figures are common, although the ejector-seat set was sold with spare figures?

What all this hints at or suggests - among other things to be pondered endlessly - is that a single UK importer / jobber (possibly Roundabout Distributors?) was handling the figures of probably several Hong Kong producers both for Corgi and Cullpitt, maybe others and may even have been getting the painting done here?

All-in-all a hideous but interesting addition to the collection, I only wish I'd picked-up the other one when I saw it!

C is for Corgi Civil-Response

When you ring 999 in the UK the nice lady or gent on the other end of the line always says "Do you want the Police, Fire or Ambulance service caller?", so we will look at them in that order...

We've looked at the police several times in recent months - well; going back a year or more (where the hell does it go?!), and the mounted one was in the first Corgi post the other day, The other two - badly sculpted - propylene pairs came with a late Corgi Juniors play set toward the end of Corgi 'proper', there was a third pair in day-glo orange (fire personnel?).

The day-glo traffic cop at the rear came with several vehicles as my brother kept getting him and his set of traffic-cones and folding road signs in a plastic crate - Range Rover, Ford Transit van...and others? He is also designed to match the ambulance crew from the same era (late 1970's-early '80's) shown below.

The firemen came with the superb Corgi No.1143 American La France Aerial Rescue Truck, one of their best sellers despite also being one of the pricier "...wait 'till Christmas..." items in the catalogue!

The US cop is perhaps a Noo Yoiker with that hat, or LAPD? and in the flanking shots both he and a medic type are on the mystery card we will look at again...

A round-up of the stretcher cases and bearers from Corgi over the years. I could spend a while trying to make sense of them but won't for several reasons. Firstly the websites I visited in researching the figures don't always seem to get it right themselves being more interested in the vehicles as stand-alone playthings or mint-boxed investments. Secondly some of these seem to be interchangeable with late Dinky (who were bought by Mettoy) toys, thirdly; I will post a vague list at the end of these Corgi posts; some of the contents were subject to change and finally; some of the items came with more than one vehicle or in more than one set.

The carded example is giving a clue if you know UK domestic brand trade-marks! Note also the scale-down top-right.

The late sets all went with this day-glow set-up, all part of the craze for motorway emergency vehicles as the M3 and M4 started to open up the nation to visiting other bits of itself with a little more ease!

Some being moulded in orange-red vinyl, sometimes painted, the green one is a softer synthetic rubber and is probably another Hong Kong copy. Again there was a smaller-scaled version.

C is for Corgi 'Crocks' - Edwardian Style

A small number of the Corgi range are of what we would call 'old fashioned people' as children, now - of course - I know they are Edwardian - and still not that 'old fashioned' when I was a nipper! As far as I can tell, several of them were also supplied to Dinky...

...of whom the couple in the main picture to the left above are some along with the seated pair to the right in the upper inset. The first couple are very much typical Corgi in a hard'ish PVC, but the other - pinkish - trio, are a very soft, almost silicone-like synthetic rubber. This may be a clue as to which is Corgi and which Dinky?

The other chap is starting a car with a starting handle...who remembers doing that, when I was a kid I well remember starting cars with a starting handle when the starters failed on cold mornings, and as a teenager trying to start a tractor without breaking my arm!!

The other couple; bottom right, are the inimitable Jeeves and his daft charge Bertie Wooster.

The other figures from the range in Edwardian dress ore the characters from the film Chitty-chitty Bang-bang, which was produced in two sizes, the Husky/Corgi Juniors box-size, which in this case is a good OO gauge-compatible 20-odd mm's. The larger Corgi model is around 1:48 (I think Corgi stated 1:43 for their models?) and the children are separate mouldings, rather than a single piece.

The reason they are in the same pose in both sizes is probably down to the licence agreement tying Corgi into the use of a single  recognisable pre-movie press-release image?

And yes...that's a banana...I didn't have a piece of flower-arrangers oasis and couldn't find my pumice-block!!

F is for Feedback - Triang and Husky

The following post is a complete update of the Triang post I published a while ago ago HERE and the Husky article from a few weeks earlier (link below) and is the result of several months of eMail traffic between Bernard Taylor and myself...emailing which it has to be said consisted mostly of me asking questions and Bernard providing the answers! As a result nearly all the images and most of the information in the text has come from Bernard, for which I am very grateful. As a result this as much his post as mine!

Bernard has a range of railway modelling accessories in various scales HERE and while of limited use to Toy Soldier collectors and Historical war gamers, there is a lot of stuff of use to Sci-fi/Car Wars fans, and anyone looking to populate their games or dioramas with civil bits, while one hopes the odd railway modeller visits these pages! So do please give his site a visit, he's contributed quite a lot to these pages in the last few months.

All above images courtesy of Bernard, showing clockwise from top; the Minic Motorways version of the Industrial Workers in their guise as pit crew, the correctly numbered catalogue image - this is an artists impression and shows some figures who were substantially different when they finally got to the retailers, and three more mint sets - again with the correct numbering. Later the combined Tri-Ang-Minic catalogues would have the figure sets photographed in the Minic section.

So where did I go wrong last time! Well the first mistake was one of a fundamental nature, I had taken the set numbers from one of the catalogues in my run, without checking the others, it turns out that those numbers were actually misplaced in most of the catalogues that carry the figures sets, both from the correct catalogue lists and from the numbers actually printed on the sets! I should have spotted that. So - while the numbers in the original article are correct, they are only correct to certain catalogues, not the 'Factory Door' issued products.

Another mistake (and again a pretty fundamental one!) was to assume, that because I'd seen them in Minic Motorway header bags, they must all have been issued thus, and further to assume that the codes would be the same as the Model Land catalogue codes. Assumption is a dangerous game and not something I'm usually that guilty of, luckily this is a blog and we can produce these corrections, updates or additions and anyone can contribute either through the comments section or by emailing me - so the picture grows whole'r!

Here is the correct numbering;

Tri-ang Model Land

RML.70 Pedestrian Figures Set No. 1.

RML.71 Workmen's Figures Set No. 2. ('74' in incorrect catalogues)

RML.72 Children's Figures Set No. 3.

RML.73 Urban Figures Set No. 4.

RML.74 Industrial Workers Figures set No. 5. (issued in blue overalls, '75' in incorrect catalogues)

RML.75 Road Workmen Figures Set No. 6. ('71' in incorrect catalogues)

RML 74 - Industrial Workers [Minic Motorways ref: was M1709]

Mettoy Minic Motorway

M1709 Mechanics/Pit Stop Crew (RML.74 Industrial Workers issued in white overalls)

Bernard has also sent both the images to the left in the above collage, showing the missing dog-handler from the Husky sets we looked at a few weeks ago HERE, along with a comparison with the Triang Model Land one. I have reproduced the comparison from last time and the Corgi version of the dog handler which is larger.

Another problem which had reared it's ugly head also from the Husky post, is the 'other' dustbin man ('refuse operative' in today's lingo). I placed him with the 'pedestrians' set, as I - again - erroneously felt that if some sets had six figures [Public Servants/Officials and Garage Personnel], and another - most obvious - set [Public Workers/Workmen] didn't contain the figure, he must go in the other!

It now looks as if he was a stand alone figure from one of the Husky, Corgi, or even Dinky (?) dustbin lorry models, but Google has not revealed the correct model. This sort of ties-in with the fact that he is far more common than the other figures. The shot of the Pedestrian set is also from Bernard. We need a die-cast expert to knock this one on the head...John!

Finally, between Bernard's picture of the Triang Model Land lollipop-man ('School-crossing patrol person' in today's lingo!), my picture of the Husky one, the original catalogue artwork and a recent feeBay lot with the Mastermodels metal one, we can see how social history is reflected in the change from square hoardings to round 'lollipops' and how much finer the Triang figure is in comparison with the Husky Hong Kong effort.

Also the artwork from the Husky catalogue which also shows the little road-sign set.