Westerners (1 Viewer)

Those Injuns look fabulous JB, an explosion of color, love it!
Ray
 
hotel3alpha said:
Wow! Absolutely superb...they look brand new.

John from Texas
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Well, pardners, - when you strip off the old layers of paint and grunge, you're left with a casting again. Maybe a fault or two to correct - but when you've finished - that's exactly what you have once again. A new, glossy "Toy Soldier" - or in this case - Native Americans.

And when two guys from Texas tell me that - I think maybe I've got it right!:D

Thanks guys - glad you like 'em. Just about twenty or so cowboys to complete now.....................jb
 
Here are the cowboys I've been working on from my latest "stash". Not quite finished - as they have one more coat of varnish to go on - tomorrow. I might do another pic showing the ones I have already completed when they are finally all done.

At the rear - there are five horses - only one of which currently has a rider. From L to R there are three Benbros - all with inviting western saddles - then two Timpo horses are to the right. Four of these will await riders at some future point.

Foot figures - show eight Britains in front of my new buckboard - including two kneeling cowboys with pistols. Then come seven Crescent boys - including a kneeling two-pistol dude, sporting a new head and hat ( he lost his old one!). Then - in front of my new white Timpo horse - there is a B&T cowboy in white shirt, a Johillco cowboy with a new lassoo (paperclip fix again) - and a strange small cowpoke who defies identification - so far ( may be an early Crescent - from the shape of his neckerchief - which looks the same as the ones I have ID'd). I really enjoyed painting the chaps on the Johillco figure - which were very nicely modelled - under a very nasty original one colour overall paint job. After removing this - the real detail of the original sculpt emerged. Nice!

Lots of these figures have had minor repairs - usually replacing small extremities like pistols etc. Usually, the smaller the part - the more likely they are to have been knocked off by being used - as they were intended at the time - as children's toys.

They will have an easier life now - whilst they are with me.:D

I should be back tomorrow - when they are finally complete - and I'll round up the rest for another pic. So for now - Adios amigos. jb

 
Really like the horses, do not recall seeing a "Benbros" cowboy horse before...not surprising, the only Benbros figures I have is the Robin Hood set.

I can see "Timpo" in the horse on the far right from my Timpo Knight horses, but that pose you have is wonderful...great horse.

I love the lasso cowboy.
 
Ivanhoe said:
Really like the horses, do not recall seeing a "Benbros" cowboy horse before...not surprising, the only Benbros figures I have is the Robin Hood set.

I can see "Timpo" in the horse on the far right from my Timpo Knight horses, but that pose you have is wonderful...great horse.

I love the lasso cowboy.
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I had the book last Xmas " The Great Book of Hollowcast Figures" by Norman Joplin - which is my reference for Cowboys and Native American figures. My three this time - are shown in there - so that's how I know - they aren't marked in any way. They paint up beautifully - and because they are so similar to many other British makers - other figures can be found which fit them, if the original rider has been lost.

My rider on the middle horse (Benbros) was originally from Fylde - and fitted the saddle beautifully - so I gave the horse to him. Note that I have added saddle-bags and a bed roll. The bags came from Whitetower Mminiatures (modern UK TS firm) - and the saddle roll is milliput. His arm/rifle is a Britains copy from Dorset Soldiers - as that was missing when I found him. So.........quite a mixture - but the end result is a nice looking cowboy on a horse again (I think). My others will either await another "find" of a suitable candidate - or just wait outside a saloon tied to a hitching rail. I'm actually looking for a figure to drape over a saddle - so that my Texas Ranger can bring him in - rather like Wm Hockers figures "Wanted dead or Alive".

I'll keep looking - or maybe find enough parts to make one up.....one day!

The Timpo horses are some of my favourites - and often turn up used and abused - without riders. Many of the figures are interchangeable for these - so if you find a Timpo cowboy - chances are he will fit many of their horses. They are quite robust - and easy to repair. Even badly abused examples are useful as donor figures - and legs can be sawn off and used to replace other less broken examples.

IF you start doing this too - don't throw any parts away!!!! They WILL come in handy...........someday:D

The lassoo cowboy is a Crescent - but had lost his lassoo, when found - so that one is made from some copper wire - then painted.

All good fun............. jb:salute::
 
Well howdy again pardners, as I have now given all of them their final coat of varnish ( to protect the paintwork) - here we go with my final pic, for this time - showing all of my completed cowboys for this year. They will be added to my previous efforts - and I must get them all together, at some point - and maybe run them through the collection part of the forum - which may help others in identifying who made what!

Here's the pic below:



And here are my Native Americans again - all on the same page. Adios amigos. jb:D

 
johnnybach said:
The bags came from Whitetower Mminiatures (modern UK TS firm)
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I am familiar with "Whitetower Miniatures", although I only have one of their figures...I picked it up at OTSN, several years ago.

Again, really appreciate you sharing your work.
 
No I have not seen The Lone Ranger and Hopalong Cassidy before...they are great !
Beautiful horses.

Love the Band...cannot quite figure out what the $ on the sign mean.

Thank you
 
Ha-ha! - I thought you maybe didn't know about them.

Whitetower Miniatures is run by Matthew Thair - who is a very nice guy. He sells his products either as painted - or UNPAINTeD castings in kit form - which usually means sticking on arms etc. Then the fun starts - when you can enjoy painting them.

I bought these from him, as unpainted kits - online - and they come in the post (no need to brave the arctic winds!!!)^&grin

If you look through his wares online, you will see "Legends of the West" and also "Western Movie Stars" ( that's where Hoppy and the Lone Ranger live on):D There are lots more that might tickle you there. I also bought the cowboy band there.

The Dodge City Cowboy Band - actually existed. I think the sign that was carried by a member actually existed too - and displayed the fact that the band had been funded by some Cattlemen Society?? Here's a link - for a fun read. There are also lots of pics online if you try Google Images - where you can see that sign again.

https://www.kshs.org/p/kansas-historical-quarterly-the-dodge-city-cowboy-band/13097.

Marvelous thing - the Internet.

All the best - hope that's whetted your appetite..................:D jb


Here's gene Autrey.....................
 
Just Beautiful JB, you have an amazing collection! love the personality figures and so many of the cowboy poses with the big chaps remind me of very early western movies.
Great work, you need to fortify your shelves to avoid disaster!:salute::
Ray
 
nmrocks said:
Just Beautiful JB, you have an amazing collection! love the personality figures and so many of the cowboy poses with the big chaps remind me of very early western movies.
Great work, you need to fortify your shelves to avoid disaster!:salute::
Ray
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Hi Ray. I think a lot of these poses were possibly sculpted some time before the 1950's - when I was still a kid and growing up. No TV in those days - so our favourite pastime and/or treat, was going to the flicks ( movies USA) on a Saturday morning - to watch a matinee performance of "shorts". These were of maybe 20 minutes duration - and showed Tom Mix, Hoppy, Gabby Hayes, Gene Autrey etc............ Many of the cowboys portrayed looke just like some of my guys - BIG hats - and even bigger woolly chaps!!!

Result - when I'm bidding on them - and even better - when successful and I'm restoring/painting them - I'm transported straight back to my Saturday mornings in old Cardiff (South Wales). I had a pal named Billy - who came from the Rhondda Valley ( just up the road a bit) - so we called him "The Rhondda Kid". ^&grin We were all absolutely nuts about westerns - so I guess that's where it comes from.

Glad you like 'em too.

Just missed out on an "Annie Oakley with shotgun" on e-bay. Ho-hum - keep watching, waiting and sniping!!!{sm4} jb!
 
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