G is for German Rack Toys

We looked at bigger than HO/OO railway figures from Leyla right back at the start of the Blog; just shy of nine-years ago, now we're going to look at smaller than HO/OO from the same maker! I can only presume they are aimed at TT-gauge layouts, which were always more popular on the continent than here in the UK, and particularly so on the other side of the wire.

Sharing poses with the larger set we looked at back when, the newspaper-seller is also harking back to Leyla's 45mm pre-war O-gauge composition range

 

Heavily copied (I have three or four types of these as piracies in storage) by Hong Kong and - possibly - somewhere like Spain; there are good quality copies with neater bases, here we see some HK copies along with a set of three full flats (the Leyla are semi-flat) heading toward N-gauge, which look like margarine premiums but are I expect from a set of railway accessories or even a kit, given the plain white styrene?

The railway staffer/postal worker with trolley also looks like the sort of thing you find in some margarine, laundry-powder or coffee-premium sets, but again seems not to be; having a factory-looking paint-job, but him and the three white ones are still in the unknown 'pile'.

 

With the older (to the collection and judging by the packaging) set in storage I had to do this by eye/memory, so it's an approximation only, but it's about right! An Airfix platform figure would come between the two, but that only gives me a reason to return to them for better comparisons one day, we will return to them!

S is for Schäferei, Schafe, Shepherd, Sheepdog and Sheep!

No, not Brexiteers, real sheep, with a natural right to behave like sheep! Baaaarrrrr! Trumpton for El Pres'! If he does win, we will at least know we're in the end game, and the death of hope can really gather pace as the fascist sharks circle the tank that has you, me and a crack in it! Still . . . I digress, back to toys . . .

The Preiser 'season' has become alternating wagons/people/wagons posts because of these chaps. I was just going to do the long overdue wagon posts and thank Gary Worsfold for them, but though, "Ooh, I could use the on-line catalogue images to show some of the wagons missing from the photograph-able line-up?", only to find that Preiser had added a dinky little shepherd's hut on wheels to the range recently. So; a shepherds post became inevitable, and lead - through the contents of both boxes and the catalogue - to the full season!

Starting with a comparison shot we've got the standard Merten 'six figure' box on the left and all sorts on the right. The Hong Kong stuff (copied from Marx) is best suited to 28mm role play/gaming than HO/OO railway layouts

Preiser painted their three sheep poses while Merten just gave you 18 poses and changed the plastic colour occasionally! Airfix delivered three slightly larger (OO - 1:76th'ish) sculpts; quite a flock, and they would all go together in a sheep market or show setting as different breeds, the Airfix passing for Merinos.

You can add Merit (OO and N gauge compatible) and Britains Lilliput (the same two poses, the former plastic copies of the latter), Bachmann and/or Revell (?) and possibly a Crescent pose (?), they did a goat! Additionally; Preiser are starting to introduce new sculpts based on the old Elastolin moulds they inherited - although they're supposed to have the Merten moulds somewhere, too?

Box/catalogue art and the current budget-paint catalogue image for Preiser, they are phasing-in a third (of three) shepherd, slightly different from the ex-Elastolin sculpt.

I used to think the above shot shows the new sculpts, there's not much in it, the surface detail is a little better and some configurations are issued with a ram, missing for the last 40/50-odd years, but I think it's a reversed image of the old ones!

Below is a big question mark we'll be looking at fully in a separate post in a day or two, but some sets of what used to be 327 have a single set of sheep, but the dogs and shepherds from two 'six-figure' sets as shown here, however I have two sets without the extra's and . . . well, we'll look at it later!

I'm missing a prone painted eepie-deep, but these are loose scraping from more than one set anyway! Merten above: they're not such good sheep, sculpt-wise, but there's so many poses and I think they're better-animated!

To the right is the new shepherd's van, which comes - here - as a kit, but is also available as a made-up model in more than one set. I think it's looking ripe for conversion to a WWII Soviet cooks trailer/field kitchen? Or a junior staff-officer's towed office? Now that the Eastern Europeans are issuing all those fantasy sets in 1:76/72, it could be all sorts of things - Halfling's caravan, Dwarves' mobile-forge, Wizard's spell-lab . . . all sorts

Three of the sets with the new sculpts, there seem to be about 5 poses of sheep, a (new?) dog and the third shepherd moulding. In the budget-paint range's bulk set you aren't given any prone animals!

Merten had two sculpts and the one from the woodsmen set is the better both having more detail under the splodges of paint Merten can suffer from and also the slightly more generic clothing allowing him to herd his sheep pretty-much anywhere in Europe, with any genre of locomotive running in the foreground.

The TT-gauge figure here is the other (second issued?) sculpt from Preiser, with N and Z gauges getting the older one from the HO range. Not the TT set has a ram and the new sculpts, N gets the old sculpts, Z has simplified micro-blobs.

The larger-scales show clearly both newer sculpts, the one (left, broader hat-brim) ex-Elastolin, the other (right, narrower brim) all new?

Two unpainted sets, one from the bulk sets issued by Preiser (on the right) in the same 'pure' white polystyrene of Airfix's 'multipose' which glues so easily and cleanly with liquid-poly, the more translucent or 'wishy-washy' set on the left was part of the multi-coloured batch of unknown destination/use we looked at in the long post the other day.

Known Listing (incomplete):

Merten

? - O Gauge (different sculpts?)
891 - Woodsmen, Forester and Shepherd - HO Gauge
2403 - Shepherd and 18 Sheep - HO Gauge
2403a-d - 4 Sheep - HO Gauge
2403e-i - 5 Sheep - HO Gauge
2403j-m - 4 Sheep - HO Gauge
2403n-r - 5 Sheep - HO Gauge
T891 - Woodsmen, Forester and Shepherd, TT Gauge
N2403 - Shepherd and Sheep, N Gauge
Z891 - Foresters and Shepherd, Z Gauge

Preiser
45116 - Shepherd and farmer lighting pipe (new sculpt) - 1:22.5th Scale
47056 - Ram bleating (new sculpt) - 1:24th Scale
47057 - 3 Sheep (1x3 poses, new sculpts) - 1:24th Scale
47062 - Shepherd's dog (new sculpt) - 1:24th Scale
47100 - Shepherd (new sculpt) - 1:24th Scale
65325 - Sheppard with Sheep (new sculpts with ram), 7 standing, 1 lying plus dog - 1:43rd Scale
160 - Sheppard with flock of 6 - 2 each (old sculpt) and dog - HO Gauge
161 - 15 Sheep, 5 each (old sculpt) of 3 poses - HO Gauge
327 - Larger set of unpainted figures and accessories also containing the contents of a 160 - HO Gauge
4160 - Sheppard with flock of 6 - 2 each (old sculpt, basic paint) and dog - HO Gauge
4161 - 15 Sheep, 5 each (old sculpt, basic paint) of 3 poses - HO Gauge
13003 - Shepherd with Flock, shepherd‘s van, rack wagon and 24 fence elements, each 44 mm long, approximately 80 (new sculpt) pieces - HO Gauge
14160 - As 160 - HO Gauge
14161 - As 161, but 9 each of two (new sculpt) standing poses - HO Gauge
14411 - 60 sheep, 30 each of two (old sculpt) standing poses - HO Gauge
16327 - As 327 - HO Gauge
17601 - Sheppard's van - HO Gauge
75020 - Sheppard with Sheep (new sculpt), 7 standing, 1 lying plus dog - TT gauge
79000 - Railway personnel, passengers, passers-by, workers, animals - bulk unpainted set includes shepherd, dog and double-count of standing sheep (old sculpt) - N Gauge
79160 - Shepherd with flock - including dog and double count of standing sheep (old sculpt) - N Gauge
79252 - Flock of 60 sheep, 10 lying (old sculpt) - N Gauge
88577 - Sheppard with flock of 6 - 2 each of three poses (old sculpt) and dog - Z Gauge (also included in bulk unpainted figures set 88500)

This is how common TT-gauge is in the land of Microsoft...

 

Where's the offensive TET-gauge or the Pharaohs TUT-gauge?

I is for Interim

Tonight's post looks at the stuff that carried both Hornby and Tri-Ang names, or the more esoteric bits and some odds that are not figural at all! When the two companies came together, it was the 'true' Hornby that suffered, with most of its range being dropped. Triang had 'new tech.' plastic rolling stock with a high degree of detailing, free-flowing wheels etc..And, while Hornby had started to move into plastics, both with figures and rolling stock, there was too much lumpen heavy-metal and tin still in the range, so it went!

These were the figures that 'replaced' the crystal boxes of Hornby, being already in the Triang oeuvre. Issued as painted or unpainted 'budget' sets in white, cream, or pink styrene in the case of the passengers and dinning car sets and white, cream, navy and blue-black for the train crew set, they are not that bad, looking a bit wooden though compared to the fluid movement and grace of the Hornby oppo's.

At one point painted passengers seem to have been glued to platform sets in the factory, but that may be a false conclusion based on my constantly finding them like that, any train fan know for certain? The contents of the Dinning-car set seem to be a bit of a movable feast, with three, four or five figures, sometimes one of each, sometimes one missing and/or [another pose] doubled-up. The seated train-driver in the crew set is similar but not the same as the chap we'll look at now below.

These run through from before the Hornby buy-out to the present day, have carried several codes, came with numerous steam locomotives (under the individual loco code), and in the last 30-odd years (of a +50-year reign) have usually been accompanied by some accessories, which vary according to the set or accompanying loco, but include some or all of: Brake Hoses, Lanterns (and 'Lantern Plates'?), Fire-box tools etc...

They have been packaged in tissue-paper, waxed-paper or cellophane envelopes, cellophane, heat-sealed or self-seal/click-shut polyethylene bags and carded blisters and have also been painted (earlier) and unpainted (later) in blue-black styrene and straight black. As a result they are impossible to fully itemise as a definitive list! The seated figure is- as I said - slightly different from the one in the stand alone crew set above and the two figures bottom left at the front are both, with the loco accessory on the left and the train crew set figure on the right.

On to other things...among the earlier experiments with plastic that Hornby were stating to explore as they (or their parent group) went under, were the horses - above left - for the horse-box wagons. Showing the O gauge one in a neutral grey and the OO gauge pair next to him, these were also included in road transport horse-box models from Dinky and Dinky-Dublo.

To the right of the horses is another long-lasting set of platform fittings and equipment that I think is still in the catalogue (occasionally?), early ones have a full Triang marking and code in/on the underside of the bigger pieces, the modern ones (paler green) are unmarked.

Below them is a really nice clip-together fence system marked Tri-ang, which I assume to be from the Model-Land range? Mine must be slightly lacking as I can't get it to make a prefect oblong! The shot bottom right is of a piece from the TT range, a cattle-loading dock, which makes a fine sheep-loading dock in HO/ or OO!

Can anyone help with this wheelbarrow? It's not the same as the Merit one, it's not Preiser or Merten, I'd love a name for it if anyone recognises it. It may be from a kit (Revell/Bachmann?) as there is clearly a wheel missing but no sign of glue, nor any locking mechanism for a free-runner?

Finally, the 'problem' figures...they're big, at about 27/29mm, they have a hollow base with an 00X code and 'ENGLAND' in raised lettering. I have only found 3 figures in 40-odd years, and only the two poses. I was finally told last weekend, that they 'may' be a last-minute Hornby thing, and while two separate sets of model railway dealers told me - they all made clear it was a very tentative identification.

If it is correct, that leaves two possibilities, one; that they are part of a larger set that replaced the 'crystal-box' set, or two; that the picture shows a complete 'pair' of train crew? Does anybody have any other idea or definitive proof either way? I used to think they might be Playcraft, but I learnt years ago that they imported the French Jouef figure sets.

 

2023 - These are now known to be Crescent Toys, issued with a set of Mazac/Zamak die-cast scenic accessories in HO-OO gauge-compatible size, probably as a seasonal ('for Christmas') gift-box, with thanks to Jon Attwood for the missing poses, see Crescent Tag.

R is for Railway figures

Returning to the Trojan article that launched this group of 8 posts, we find that the figures I believe to be the civilians from the Trojan Catalogue that’s been doing the rounds for a while now, are based on the Britains Lilliput series, itself probably produced/certainly marketed by W.Horton and also supplied to Trix, who drilled the bases and fixed them to their wooden station accessories (probably also - actually - made by W.Horton).

Top Left shows the same picture already seen in the Trojan Article, to the right is a ticket-issuer or platform vendor (?), the chap on the right has clearly been painted as a vendor of something rather than a member of Railway Staff.

Below them is the full range as I know it, the man at the back right is showing the hole used to fix him to a Trix platform. I’m not 100% sure about all the cargo, most is Britains/Horton/Trix, but some of the barrels may well be Wardie/Mastermodels, as might the small box on top of the two bigger ones? The trolleys; both powered and trailing, are marked ‘Trix’ and may well have been exclusive to them, although the powered trolley is listed in the Lilliput range (LB/549). Of interest is that Airfix (most pirated of companies after Britains), did themselves pirate the large box (Britains; No.LB/546 Large Packing Case) for their HO/OO strongpoint/outpost Playset type kits!

The last image is possibly the most interesting; as it shows the figures I used to think were the Trojan ones, even though they were hard styrene plastic, until I found an early Merit box with the same mouldings, it then transpired that they were ex-Wardie ‘Mastermodels’ moulds, which we now know emigrated to Merit upon the demise of the former. However by the time that had all come to light, the soft-plastic one had turned up and he took the mantle of ‘possibly Tiny Trojan’!

Mastermodels by Wardie have also been looked at in this series of articles and should be the next but one down the page, although - like the Hornby family (see note in the ‘Initial Article’ 3 posts above) - there is a lot more to the Wardie/Mastermodels, Merit/Model Scene, Peco/Guagemaster, Slater’s/Wills story than I’m ready [can be arsed] to cover here.

The Britains/Horton/Trix passengers/civilians with colour variations, again the Trojan photograph is re-produced bottom left. Bottom right shows another Trix mounting hole, and it’s interesting to note that some out-workers painted the woman with handbag as sometimes looking to the side, sometimes; looking forwards. The Golfer however has a pigs snout and can only be painted looking sideways, this WAS the era of ‘Animal Farm’!

To prove the necessity of my stressing that the identification of the Trojan civilians is still very tentative or conjectural, here are some other figures that contend for the title. Top left are some soft plastic/polyethylene figures based upon, but not the same as; the Wardie/Mastermodels set of stevedores (57), while to the right is a hard styrene better quality copy of one of the plank-carriers from the same set. Hammond states that there was plastic production at some point from B.J.Ward/Wardie, but the Brookes (who have done most of the work on the subject) don’t mention it, so it could be that the figure on the right is a late Mastermodels issue, and the figures on the left are just piracies? But…either could be the true Trojan figure/s?

Below them are the early Merit figures again, now; usually the Merit figures from Wardie are taken from the same moulds (the Merit ‘Remote Control Driving Test’ game playing pieces for instance), but these are clearly more of a piracy thing, the cut of the waistcoat of the porter carrying luggage makes a good comparison. Merit did copy a lot, so it may be that these were copied before the ex-Wardie people carried the moulds over to Merit as they went bust, which is one version of the tale…

Bottom is the replacement Merit set with both Merit and the current/late (?) Model Scene packaging, note; Model Scene issue/issued theirs without bases.

The Salisbury Station unit from Trix, probably made by W.Horton who also supplied 54mm scenics to Britains who made the Lilliput range of OO gauge figures that Trix used on their TT gauge Railway sets…clear?!