Starlux (1 Viewer)

[plasmapulse]

My first experience with prepainted soldiers were the Starlux figures my dad used to bring with him from France (about 1 per year, six in total).

Most of them have been played to rubble but I still have two of them in excellent condition that I have been dusting off today and put on display.

They are crude compared to Historex hard plastic kits (also from france) but very nice nonetheless.

There isn't much info on starlux available on the net, except that they folded several times, the last time in 1997 or 2005, not sure about that.

Is there anyone who collects Starlux and can give some more info?

 

[Gideon]

I don't collect Starlux but I do know a bit about them.

Talk about extensive ranges - theirs was huge - easily the French version of Britians.

I believe they started out with lead or tin figures in the 1950's and shifted to plastics in the 1960's.

Their range was standard 54mm but they also had 1:43 to 1:50th scale range as well.

I have managed to hold on to a trade carton of their 1:50th scale mechanics which go well with my Siku stuff.

I wish I could tell you more - could you ask some more specific questions? They really were a large producer of figurines.

 

[plasmapulse]

They had an "Empire" range in plastic which was about 60/70mm I believe.
I don't know if they had them in 54 mm as well, and I would like to find out about those. The figures I own are the big ones.

 

[maloyalo]

I am not very knowledgable on this company, but thought they were pretty nice & have picked up a few things, here & there the last 20 years

I have some Starlux Knights, Ancients and a few catalogs & flyers. The Knights were divided into 2 levels of quality. The lesser ones were called the 'Choc' series, and usually had simpler poses and only basic painting. The better series was called 'Luxe' and often had more pieces in its constuction and definately better paint jobs. The Luxe figures also often came each in its own box. This range was over 100 figures I believe, but many poses are really the same body and head with different arms, etc.

Their Napoleonic Range was huge & the ones I have seen in person (few) looked like 60-65mm. I have a flyer of the series & there has got to be more then a hundred. I think some of Starlux's best work is in this series.

My favorite is the Roman & Gaul series & they are pretty nicely done.

There's WW2 and modern Troops, western, american civil war, Foriegn Legion and Arabs & quite a few other subjects as well as farm and zoo animals. many of these do not have (in my opinion) very realistic poses and are definately in toy catagory.

There were also boxed sets of various ranges, and large diorama type buildings like castles, farms & car garages. The buildings tended to be of wood and wood products or thick cardboard and reminded me of older castles and such from the 30's & 40's. But that style has come back again, led I think more recently by Papo (again France).

I did not know that they folded, but that explains why I haven't seen them much the last few years. They did have a pretty big resurgance in the late 80's early 90's & you could get a lot more from dealers in those days.

 

[Wraith]

Joachim,

I don't know if you get Plastic Warrior magazine, but there are regularly articles covering these (amongst many other) figures:

www.plasticwarrior.com

Simon

 

[plasmapulse]

No I don't. Thanks for the link.

 

[General Custer]

I'm French, thus I know! This mark exist since the fifties!

Range STARLUX is very wide and very irregular in quality. It goes from the 1/50 (3cm figures to accompany SOLIDO tanks and military vehicles ) at the 1/30 (certain EMPIRE figures measure 70 mm! ) while passing through the farm, wild beasts, the cyclists of the Tour de France etc...

Series as ACW were initially sold in individual boxes and very finely painted, then in bulk with a much more summary completion ... in fact the only and single common point of all the STARLUX is an extremely breakable plastic

 

[plasmapulse]

So it still exists??

 

[General Custer]

No, there is no more production but to my knowledge the moulds still exist, in the city of Périgueux ( in Dordogne, a department in South-West of France)

Edit: found a mail, newstarlux@wanadoo.fr , but dunno if still valid...

 

[eborris]

You can see some additional pictures of their figures at:

http://www.angelfire.com/biz/toysoldierhq/Odd30mm.html

 

[General Custer]

Foot figures are STARLUX, the rest ULTIMATE SOLDIER/21st CENTURY TOYS

They're some others on my site, too.

 

[General Custer]

STARLUX ACW figures are fine and agree well with the REAMSA, look: