S is for Show Report - Sort of!

I don't really do show photo-reports anymore, I've a few left in the queue, going back to 2013 or something, but really a bunch of shots of trays of stuff you saw if you were there and can't do anything about if you weren't? And who wants to be reminded of things they might have missed? I know some people do gush over such stuff, but if you follow their comments, they gush about everything!

However, I do still shoot stuff which is interesting or unusual, or way beyond my budget! And here are a few bits I shot on Mercator Tradeing's stall at last- September 2021's Sandown Park toy fair, but had to leave where they sat.

Airfix 'Rocket Car' racer; there's a spring missing, with which you compress the 'engine' with the wire appliance, like an old starter-handle! And off it goes! I assume it would have been available in various colours/colourways?

Toydell; one of the less common early British composition brands, and clearly aiming at the tourist market, so most survivors will be found abroad (?). They were about 4-inches, so quite big boys, for display rather than play, but as they are closer to chalkware than a more-robust compo', you wouldn't want to play with them, or be able to for long, before they fell apart!

 

These were rather lovely survivors of a bygone age, they are trays of Penny Toys of the sort a street-trader would have carried on the street with him, dispensing one figure for one penny! Interesting to see that a few of them have a basic paint-job rather than the all-over gold or silver commonly associated with the type. And I think Adrian said they were actually Britains' own cheapies? If that's wrong; it's my bad!

These could be that milk-powder based polymer, 'casin', or they could be an 'ivorene' cellulose/celluloid type material, and while I suspect Portuguese in origin, they could be from southern France or Spain, or somewhere else entirely? Rather nice and clearly re-based in the past, they might have been removed from a vanity-unit mirror, clock or other piece of fancy furniture?

In a similar vein, comes this vignette of William Tell and his son, obviously missing a separate crossbow, and all the comments on the material of the rural couple, apply equally here. I'm not sure if it's meant to be a letter-opener or a bookmark, but favour the former myself, the bladed-base being a more solid chunk of phenolic or urea-formaldehyde type plastic

While from the 'It's Not Rare It's Mass-produced Plastic' department comes this shop-stock box of F.G. Taylor & Sons farmers, in mint condition. I think I have the figure in a dark-brown as well, but I might be confusing it with another model in the range. We will see them all when I get round to the A-Z page entry!

R is for Robin's Roustabout Rebels - Part 2 - The Figures

I also grouped the earlier post's figures by character/thematically, for closer comparisons, and this post is the result of those shots, in the course of preparing this pair of articles, they all got put away and taken out again several times, and one of the archers has migrated to another set!

Robin Hood's above and Will Scarlet's below, along with the guy I used to think was falling or sitting, but who I can only picture hiding in a tree now! The guy middle-bottom is an unnamed character - one of the Merry Men - but could pass for Robin or Will!

Now, there is no discernible difference between the two smaller Will's, and in the course of taking these mages I came to the conclusion I'd had the Down Under version all along, which means I need to find a Canada one at some point, just to satisfy myself as to their differences/similarities, as all the other figures do have clear differences between the sculpts and I believe the Canada issue is an unnamed figure?

The Maid Marion/ian's; Marx's 'ian is Rubenesque sexy in a Viking-court sort of get-up, the antipodean 'ion is a bit Hippy-chick sexy in plain Anglo-Saxon villager's garb, the Canadian 'ian sculpt looks like a rather dry Mother Superior or a 'Flanders mare' in full Norman aristocratic finery and Robin would be a fool to get involved with her, she's just gonna' whine alot!

'The Tuck'; my kind of priest - a godless one! I prefer the Marx sculpt, if he's got a staff he can get fightey-bitey, but the smaller ones have him holding a scroll or torch/brazier - it's not clear? This is the other pose (after the archer, if mine are of different sources) which has little change beyond base markings between Australian and Canadian issues - the Canada one is better detailed/etched and slightly taller maybe?

The two sheriffs' (Nott's & Darby!) and tree-climber/falling guy again! He's actually the most dynamic pose of all four sets (I haven't shown/got the other Marx set), but this may have meant he was a bugger to manufacture - lots of weird undercuts, not in the pose per se, but in relation to the layout of the other cavities/rest of the tool?

Little John; the difference between the two smaller ones is clear here with heaver sculpting of the thin parts obvious, while the dagger on the Canadian chap is longer. Neatly; both/all three issuers have gone with a taller sculpt for the man whose name was a play on his notable height, he's half-a-head above Robin and has a good [scale] six-inches on everyone else.

Alan-a-Dale/Minstrel, a close-up of the base marking differences, the 'Canada' sculpt is on the right. I find red plastic a bugger to shoot (so don't know why I concentrated on this one!) but with a black & white filter and some stopping-down it seems to show what's needed. The unnamed 'minstrel' could used as/taken to be the Coeur de Lion's lover; Blondel?

Much the Miller; I seem to remember him from childhood stories, although Marx haven't named theirs, they all share the same hood and similar kilt/surcoat tails, so they were all watching each-other or the Saturday-matinee's for their fashion leads, rather than historical sources, although they can all be painted-up for medieval armies!

Down Under this one's Will Stutley, another one I recall from tales told to me as a child, or read in comics, elsewhere he's the anonymous 'signaller'! One of the missing Marx versions has the green guy shouting with cupped-hand and no stowed-bow!

♪♫♪ Stick-fighting Maaaaaaaaaaaaan! ♫♪♪ The best candidate for converting/repainting to court jester or fool!

The other three! Australia/New Zealand give them all names, Canada doesn't bother, but they still make-up the numbers. The rock guy needs a siege-engine, but there are plenty around to chose from, and Will Stutley would make a good No. 1 to this chap's No. 2. While you can never have enough medieval archers, for Crecy, Agincourt or the other one where we gave Frenchie a good spanking!

Done did!

The lack of available information on the 50mm set from Down Under leaves questions still outstanding, for someone to follow-up, somewhere, sometime;

• ·         Which cereal were they issued with?
• ·         Were they Australian or New Zealand-issued, first?
• ·         Who made/manufactured them?
• ·         Did Canada issue a license or are they pirates
• ·         Was there a Sherriff or 'tree-hugger'!?

And - to be honest similar questions remain over the 50mm 'Canada' figures!

Many thanks again to Glenn Sibbald for revealing the antipodean versions and donating a set to the blog - New to Hobby/Internet - cheers Glenn!

R is for Robin's Roustabout Rebels - Part 1 - Sets

I think (with the pink guitarist) we've looked at all the stuff in Glenn's excellent parcel from New Zealand, bar one item . . . it is that item, kindly donated to the blog by Glenn we're looking at in the next two posts.

And . . . Glenn lives literally yards from the epicenter of the horrendous atrocity which struck Christchurch the other day, so please spare a though for him and his neighbours, as I don't think anyone expected the 21st century to visit the fair lands of 'The Shire', so soon, or so violently.

I did cover this topic back nearer the start of the blog due to a lucky find of the smaller figures from Canada, and the larger figures being in the 'Big Purchase' or a tubbed PW Show purchase, I can't now remember - which are mostly the Ri-Toys re-issue figures also supplied to Marksmen.

At the time, I told the story as it was presented elsewhere on the Wibbly Wobbly Way, but the story seems to have changed once or twice since then, and still doesn't seem to be set in stone, so we'll ramble though it and each can draw his own conclusions!

The total extent of my sample with the previously-seen Marx/Rado 60mm's at the top, the new figures from the Antipodes in the middle and the Canada set - also seen previously - below them.

Now a complication in this, is that the Canadian/Southern Cross set/s are based on the Marx 54mm set, of which I have no examples! The 60mm are from Playsets I think (I'm missing all four of the original 'pose variations') while both the smaller sets were issued as Breakfast cereal premiums.

Another complication is that the smaller figures (specifically the Canadian issue) are also credited to Rubenstein, in the 'States, after the Canadians had finished with them (?) but I have never seen them in Rubenstein packaging, nor any empirical evidence for the accreditation, or for the link between Rubenstein and the Tatra 'Soldiers/Warriors of the World/Through the Ages'?

Knowing - as I'm sure by now you do - how much I like my empirical evidence for statements of fact, I'm maintaining a healthy scepticism of the Rubenstein link until I see something more concrete, but it's credible.

However and having said that, my sample - in multi-colours - is supposed to be Rubenstein not Breakfast cereal, which were [apparently] all-green, and an apple green not the jade-green of a couple of mine? Mine are mostly marked 'CANADA' though, which would suggest that even if Rubenstein handled them; they handled them as a wholesale jobber (Erwin's "...so called joggers"!) or a contractor, not as a manufacturer/mould-tool holder.

Or it means the apple-green ones are Kellogg's US Suger-smacks (and/or Rubenstein) while the multiple coloured ones are Canadian Kellogg's? Kent Sprecher's site says unmarked are from Canada and marked ('CANADA') are from the USA, but doesn't mention the unmarked Aussie/NZ ones? But then there are other colours, and I've seen half-and-half apple-green/orange-brown lots/sets being offered which seem to have come together?

Upon posting this - it's changes again! Colours are less of a 'set-in-stone' now and apparently the Canada-marked are Canada-issued, the opposite of two years ago . . . like I said, draw your own conclusions it'll likely have changed again in two years time!

The Marx/Rado-Ri Toys/Marksmen set, from the top-left to the bottom-right;

• ·         Robin Hood
• ·         An unnamed 'Merry-Man'
• ·         Main Marian
• ·         Friar Tuck
• ·         Sheriff of Nottingham
• ·         Little John . . .
• ·         . . . and three more unnamed Merry Men.

I am missing the four 'adjusted poses' from the original 60mm set which are on Kent Specher's site here (just over half-way down the page), but my 'guy blowing horn' seems to be my only Marx original - the more astute of you will have noticed he had some 'work-done' half-way through preparing the articles - he's as brittle as hell!

The Rubenstein-via-Canada-whoever set was a fourteen count - with the missing archer now in the Antipodean line-up below (see note on next post), these are the slightly finer-detailed of the two sets, but really only noticeable in the thickness of weapon-handles/bow-strings and other thin elements.

Base markings are on one or two circular depressions and are also reading from top-left to bottom-right are thus;

• ·         Canada / Robin Hood
• ·         Maid Marian Canada (single ring)
• ·         Friar Tuck / Canada
• ·         Canada / Sheriff of Nottingham
• ·         Little John / Canada
• ·         Minstrel / Canada
• ·         [large release-pin mark but no text]
• ·         Canada / [blank]
• ·         [blank] / Canada
• ·         Canada / [blank]
• ·         [blank] / Canada
• ·         [blank] / Canada
• ·         [blank] / Canada 
• [other 'Will Scarlet' archer unknown]

The new kids on the block! An apparent set of twelve poses; the Canadian 'Nottingham has seemingly gone 'walkabout' (with a teenage Jenny Agutter?. . . Who wouldn't?) along with the falling-back/sitting guy, who Glenn suggested might be hiding in a tree, which I thought was a lovely idea. Glenn hasn't seen them Down Under and I don't know if the two were part of that issue?

Again - left-to-right, top-to-bottom

• ·         Robin Hood
• ·         Maid Marion
• ·         Little John
• ·         Will Scarlet
• ·         Alan-a-Dale
• ·         Friar Tuck
• ·         Much the Miller
• ·         Will Stutley
• ·         Derwent
• ·         Quentin
• ·         Timothy
• ·         Archer

They are all named with the exception of 'Archer', understanding - of course - that the modern surname (much encountered in Borsetshire!) is based on the old occupational title!

One should also note that while the Canadian set carries a scaled-down version of the Marx 54mm Main Marian (as the whole set is copied from the Marx 54mm set), the Australian/New Zealand issue uses a new pose as Marion - which I've seen credited to the Marx 60mm 'Richard Green' TV tie-in set's version, but she seems to be actually a wholly new sculpt.

The Ri-Toys packaging; Marksmen used a variety of their own header cards and the guys who ruined the market by going direct to Ri-Toys (Rado Industries would only sell in large quantities) sold loose. Note the additional colours (over my sample) of red, blue and white figures. They only seem to have carried the nine poses, not the 'conversions', so a separate tool for the other four?

I can't find anything on the Australian/New Zealand end, or - at least - not on-line; there's nothing on Astronit and nothing on Crater Critters, so I'm assuming we have Mr. Sibbald to thank for bringing them to us as 'new to hobby' or 'new to Internet'. Cheers Glenn!

L is for Loxley; Robin of Loxley

These are the Marx figures in both sizes, side-by-side, while I say 'Marx', my 54mm are all the later Rubinstein issue of the 'Canada' marked cereal premiums, believed to be copies of the Marx set.

The Robin Hood figures are the two in the middle, the blue figure being Will Scarlet and the left hand figure - although looking like a vague scale-up of the 54mm Robin - has no name, so should be a 'man-at-arms' or Merry Man!

March 2019 - It looks as if the blue [marked] Will is actually an Australian or New Zealand cereal premium, not the Canadian/Rubenstein figure I though he was! Updates with that new set from Aus/NZ here and here now

Little John and Friar Tuck are represented in both sets , I prefer the 60mm example as the 54 mil one is not fat enough! Come-on guys...he needs another couple of stone before you can put 'Friar Tuck' on the base!

The Sheriff - bad at being good, good at being bad! And Mr Loxley's paramour; Maid Marian, although the suspicion is - she was no 'maid'; snuggling up in the woods with a sweaty hero? Please!

The only other figure in either set to have a title is the 'Minstrel' (technically 'Alan a'Dale') from the 54mm set, a useful pose for many a 54mm medieval project, not least King Richard's boyfriend (Blondel) hanging around outside castles!

Merry men including two horn blowers, there is a pairing between the two sets up to this point, and while they are never the same some are quite close, Maid Marion for instance and the sculpting is similar enough to suggest the same sculptor, but a few years apart as while he has returned to the old set for inspiration, there is an improved skill shown in the smaller set best seen in the better animation of the figures...

...and the extra four poses. No equivalents for these four were to be found in the larger set. I tend to think of the falling pose an an alternative Robin.

Missing as named characters are Much (the Miller's son) and Nazir/Azeem (the modern PC additions) for the good guys and Guy of Gisborne for the baddies.