Visiting Yesteryear (2 Viewers)

[wadepat]

Gentle Friends,

Here I go again, digging around in the boxes I packed for our move to our new home. As luck would have it, I found another of my older sets. Specifically, the set you will see below is W. Britains set #197, King George V's Own Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army, The Malaun Regiment. The figures are carrying their rifles at the trail.

This set was being manufactured prior to WW II, but was temporarily discontinued in 1941. It was later reissued in 1946 and was continually offered for sale until it was finally deleted in 1959. My particular set is among those that were manufactured during the post war years.

I apologize for the dark photographs. The figures are dark skinned, the uniforms are a dark rifle green, and the lighting for my photography was not ideal.

As with many of my vintage figures, these fellows have a few nicks, but they are survivors from years of childhood play. I hope you enjoy seeing them.

Warmest personal regards,

Pat

 

[wadepat]

Gentle Friends,

If the Gurkhas were not enough, I also found a set of Lancers. These Lancers were produced by Cherilea during the 1950s. They have movable arms. While I am unable to determine if these Lancers were intended to represent a specific group of Lancers, I can tell you that they performed amazingly well in childhood battles.

Warmest personal regards,

Pat

 

[Dickbuttons]

I would like to share some hotos with you that are on my computer. But when I try to attach them I receive a message saying hat they are 1260 x 960 and I have to reduce them manually so they will be sized correctly to fit. Can someone advise me how to reduce in size photos that are already on my computer?

 

[PolarBear]

Gentle Friends,

Here I go again, digging around in the boxes I packed for our move to our new home. As luck would have it, I found another of my older sets. Specifically, the set you will see below is W. Britains set #197, King George V's Own Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army, The Malaun Regiment. The figures are carrying their rifles at the trail.

This set was being manufactured prior to WW II, but was temporarily discontinued in 1941. It was later reissued in 1946 and was continually offered for sale until it was finally deleted in 1959. My particular set is among those that were manufactured during the post war years.

I apologize for the dark photographs. The figures are dark skinned, the uniforms are a dark rifle green, and the lighting for my photography was not ideal.

As with many of my vintage figures, these fellows have a few nicks, but they are survivors from years of childhood play. I hope you enjoy seeing them.

Warmest personal regards,

Pat

Hi Pat

I have the same set which has always been a favorite of mine. Thanks for reminding me about another one of my packed away treasures. Randy

 

[ROAN]

Once again Pat thanks for the photos & commentary on your unique collection-your appreciation for these old figures really shines through!

 

[DMNamiot]

Hi Pat,

As I mentioned last night I really appreciate you posting pictures of you amazing collection I hope others will find them as interesting and fun as I do.

Again Thanks for sharing

All the best

Dave

 

[wadepat]

Gentle Friends,

As I have been unpacking figures, I have uncovered more of the figures that help me experience the joy of yesteryear. The set you see below is W. Britains set #187, Bedouin Arabs on Foot. It is a set with which I fondly remember playing.

According to Opie, The Great Book of Britains:

"These arabs were marching in an uncharacteristically purposeful manner at the slope, so looking like regular infantry in irregular costume. They were supplied in red, blue and yellow robes, assorted, the movable arm carrying a long jezail. The one figure was used for all eight pieces in the set, which remaind in production until 1941, and was revived in 1948. Britains may well have produced the Arabs as a result of intense colonial activity in North Africa with its consequent rivalries among the British, French, Itailians, Turkish, and Germans." (page 154)

As you can see, these Arabs have spent a few nights in the desert sands. I hope you enjoy viewing them.

Warmest personal regards,

Pat

 

[wadepat]

Gentle Friends,

I also wanted to share this set with you. I am uncertain if these figures represent a specific regiment and I am uncertain regarding the manufacturer. Perhaps they are simply generic figures. Nevertheless, I have always enjoyed the charm these figures communicate to me.

If anyone recognizes these little guys, please share the information with me.

Warmest personal regards,

Pat

 

[Leadmen]

Well Pat: More nice figures you keep unpacking. I see you have a nice collection of early Britains.

The last pictures of the line Infantry are JoHillco figures. Officer is J278 and Infantry presenting arms is J279. Both figures valued at eight dollars in O'Brien's 1997 book. John

 

[Gideon]

Great shots Wade!

I am a bit younger - I'm of 1975 vintage.

I was never a big fan of Britains except for the very early oval based pieces - the Boer War, Russo Jappanese - but those were made at the time of the conflicts kind of like current events.

I do really like the composition figures from Elastolin and especially the Krolyn figures Denmark.

 

[wadepat]

Well Pat: More nice figures you keep unpacking. I see you have a nice collection of early Britains.

The last pictures of the line Infantry are JoHillco figures. Officer is J278 and Infantry presenting arms is J279. Both figures valued at eight dollars in O'Brien's 1997 book. John

Hi John,

Thanks for the information! Do you know if the figures represent a specific regiment or are they simply a generic set of figures? Any additional information would be greatly appreciated!

Warmest personal regards,

Pat

 

[Leadmen]

Hi John,

Thanks for the information! Do you know if the figures represent a specific regiment or are they simply a generic set of figures? Any additional information would be greatly appreciated!

Warmest personal regards,

Pat

All I know is they are generic figures unless someone has a JoHillCo list.I don't know if they made sets or bought figures by the piece. J

 

[wadepat]

All I know is they are generic figures unless someone has a JoHillCo list.I don't know if they made sets or bought figures by the piece. J

Hi John,

I thought they were probably a generic set of figures. Whatever the case may be, they were certainly fun for a younster in the 1950s.

Warmest personal regards,

Pat

 

[wadepat]

Gentle Friends,

The unpacking of my collection slowly continues. One of the vintage sets that has recently re-appeared in my collection is Britains Set #147, Zulus. I thought some of you might like to see it.

Opie describes the set as follows: "The set comprised eight figures all in the same basic position of a running warrior, but with three different movable arms - two men with a spear stabbing overarm, two men with a spear held underarm, and four men holding knobkerries. The loin cloths were painted in three different colour schemes of red, blue, and yellow, so that no two figures in the set was exactly the same."

As you can see, the skin color of these figures is painted a glossy black. I have another set of these figures that are still tied in the original box, but the skin color of the boxed figures is a chocolate brown. To date, I have found no reference or seen any pictures of this set in which the skin color is described as brown. If anyone has information regarding the variation in skin color, please share it. It has been a mystery to me for years.

This set has a long history. It was originally introduced by Britains in 1906 with an oval base and continued in the catalog until 1941. It was reissued in 1946 with a square base. My specific set was produced in the early 1950s. I hope you enjoy seeing it.

Warmest personal regards,

Pat

 

[wadepat]

Gentle Friends,

Another set making a recent re-appearance in my collection is Britains Set #202, Togoland Warriors.

I find the set to be very distinctive and, if I may quote once more from Opie:

"There seems to have been no obvious reason why Britains would have anounced the manufacture of this set in 1916. Togoland was taken over from Germany by occupation in 1914 without a struggle, but evidently something brought the warriors to the attention of Britains. They are highly distinctive, with bows and arrows, and it may be that they played a part on the British side in East Africa, where the King's African Rifles also earned their place in the Britains list. They are certainly the 'something different' that all good toy manufacturers like to have on their list each year."

Here, then, is "something different" and I hope you enjoy seeing these very interesting figures.

Warmest personal regards,

Pat

 

[thebritfarmer]

Some more nice figures there Pat. The Togoland Warriors are certainly different. They don't have the play-ability facot that the other Britains had (no moving arms) I wonder how they were received by kids when they were introduced.

Are all the sets you are posting ones you had as a child or are some you have collected as an adult?

 

[wadepat]

Some more nice figures there Pat. The Togoland Warriors are certainly different. They don't have the play-ability facot that the other Britains had (no moving arms) I wonder how they were received by kids when they were introduced.

Are all the sets you are posting ones you had as a child or are some you have collected as an adult?

Hi Britfarmer,

Thanks for your kind comments. The Togoland Warriors are some of my favorites.

In response to your question, all of the sets I have posted on this thread are from my childhood collection. Yes, I played with them, but I did so rather carefully. Fortunately, many of my figures have managed to remain in fairly good condition in spite of being stored for almost 40 years under less than perfect conditions.

Warmest personal regards,

Pat

 

[kilted vampire]

Pat, I think I have sadi it before but those certainly are treasures! If I still had some of the toys from my childhood, I am certain I would have some precious memories of good times and good friends.

 

[Dickbuttons]

There are some people who believe that the only reason some people collect toy soldiers is their atempt to "recapture" their younger years. I don't necessarily subscribe to this theory. But someimes, I do wish that when I was younger, I bought more sets than I did.

 

[wadepat]

Gentle Friends,

I am still busy unpacking and arranging some of my vintage figures. It is a slow, but joyful process as I wander through the days of yesteryear. You would think that by now I would have finished this task, but there are still a few more vintage sets to unpack before I initiate the same process with the newer, more contemporary, figures in my collection.

I thought some of you might like to see W. Britains set #1631, Canada, Governor General's Horse Guards. The set consists of four troopers and an officer on a rearing horse. This set was originally discontinued in 1941, but was reissued in 1946. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Warmest personal regards,

Pat