Plastic Figures From The Past

05May
by patmcf

Well I’m having a big clear out this year and one of the first to be sorted are these 1/32 scale figures that I purchased as a kid when we arrived in the city (Melbourne) from the country in 1966.  Before this the only way to get figures was from the cereal box and of course they were the worst ones.  Funnily enough they were called OK’s and they had a set of cowboys in them, I can’t remember if there were any Indians, I don’t seem to have any in the old trunk.  My sisters, all older than me had left the farm and gone to boarding school so I was left alone to consume these wretched OK’s. Well I might have been a tiny skinny kid at the age of eight years, but I’m sure Mum was surprised how I quickly I got through a bloody big packet in a week or so!!  If she had taken time to check my twelve plump chooks (hens/fowl) the penny might have dropped!!  The quality wasn’t too bad but I was a kid then in the early 60’s who couldn’t afford to be fussy.  I have found two of the these fellows, I’m not sure if it shows but when one of my aunts gave me a ‘Boys Own’ kind of book with the cartoon of Rin Tin Tin I naturally had to paint them as US cavalry!!  (there are some traces of navy and yellow on them if you can see that). It was going to be another three years before we owned a TV set, and wow was that bloody grand!

Now I have waffled on so much and used up my allocated space I’ll rush through! There are a few modern military guys that really blew me away when I was given them (around the same time as I was struggling with the bloody cereal problem) as a Christmas gift from the big old guy, (can we still call him Santa?) along with a Hornsby train set!! I think this was the first time I did a wee dance!  No not a small dance like our Scottish friends would say but one that all kids do when beside themselves with delight and nearly wet themselves. I’m sure you have all witnessed one at some time or another or did one recently when you received some really fantastic models as a gift from family or friends.  Of course this was done when no one was around!

Well enough said the rest are the ones I purchased in the city and I and a mate used to play with them endlessly, so much so that they were left out in all types of weather and so are pretty brittle now after fifty odd years. I’m sure if they were kept indoors they would still be in good nick!

Well I have given you all an earful so I’ll sign off until I post some of the old 1/72 guys next time.

Keep fit and thanks for checking out my sight as it’s much appreciated, I am trying to be reciprocal!!

Probably the best, I bet they cost more than 10cents .
A nice little working catapult(once upon a time)
The first ones purchased on arrival to the city, 10 cents a pop!
At 10 cents a pop I must have save mum a bit on the dentist bill !!
The not so OK guys !
The Wee dances !
A strange bunch of really bad mounted guys, must have needed a sugar hit!
Note the early conversion form ACW to a Nappy oficer!!
Nice little group of Gurkhas.
Painted When in the UK on the farm in Suffolk!!
KOreans that me and me mate used as Japanese as there were none?

37 thoughts on “Plastic Figures From The Past”

  1. Dave Stone

    What treasures Pat, and cool that you still have them all these years later, sounds like they have many fond memories attached, and thanks for sharing with the rest of us.

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. patmcf

      Yeah mate it was something I have wanted to do for some time as I felt it might be of interest to our younger folk, I have to say say it was possible because Mum kept all my crap I had left behind when I moved out and presented it to me later in life , wow thanks Mum 😅😅

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  2. hexeres

    The ones on the left of your main picture are Britain’s Swoppet knights, some of the most over-engineered toy soldiers ever produced. Each one is made up of a dozen or so parts. They almost never survive completely intact, so you must have looked after them!

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    1. patmcf

      Thanks for that info, as a kid they were great as you say they magic as the visors move up and down and the swords come out of there tin scabbards , brilliant toys for there day. I’m sorry to say they were used and abused in our play all those years ago and remarkably have survived, there are a couple of others that just fell to bits so I didn’t bother showing them as one must respect and honour a fallen knight 😉🤓

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  3. Wudugast

    Oh yeah, miniatures out of cereal packets, I had a few of those back in the early 90s (and like you I ate some terrible junk to get them!).  My mum stopped buying them for me before my teeth fell out – and inadvertently held back my journey into the world of miniatures for about a decade 😅

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    1. patmcf

      😂😂😂I’m kind of glad that I wasn’t the only one caught up with the great cereal con of the last century 😳thank you mate for coming out and standing by me ! Maybe it’s a bit late to sue on them in regards to your teeth ( they could still be witnesses but I’m afraid the chooks have well and truly passed away 😟

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  5. theimperfectmodeller

    A nice bit of nostalgia there Pat, I loved looking at those figures. I recognise some of them as Britain’s and Timpo figures, well that’s what they went by in the UK, I even have some of them still myself. Don’t get rid of them mate, just get buried in a pyramid and take them all with you. That’s my plan!

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    1. patmcf

      😅😅😅Thanks mate that’s good advice I’ll just brush of my stone cutting skills and get started as there is a lot of rocks around us .😉You’re right Britain and Timpo and some odd fellows, I’m going to put the best into the spice jars but I’m not sure if I should touch up the paintwork or leave them as they are, what do 🤔

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  6. Kuribo

    These are really cool minis, Pat. I really like the knights which have some pretty cool designs. Those are some real pieces of history and they’re something to hang onto, if you’ve got the space!

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    1. patmcf

      Thanks mate , I’m going through them and will put the best into the spice jars but I’m not sure about the rest as some are so brittle they need to be handled gently.

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    1. patmcf

      Thanks mate , I’m sure you would have as the company only closed up in the late 70’s and if I recall correctly you were given a big assortment of figures by your Grandma 🤔. I have just finished listening to you and big boy on the last Pod , I’m glad he wasn’t in the capsule when you and the lads had a session 😅😅😅

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  8. Guru PIG

    Great delve into the past, I am glad you shared it. I think we all started with models from cereal boxes. Mine were footballers and was ships (all the same scale) before I was given some swap it cowboys. Alas they were all given away when girls came on to the scene! would have been better giving away the girls!

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    1. patmcf

      😅😅😅, yeah mate I was lucky as mum ( depression kid) was a hoarder and kept everything, you never new what she would present you with when you visited her😳. Gosh I had forgotten about the ships ! I have a few of the early Airfix 1/72 I’ll put up soon , cheers mate 🤓

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      1. redcaer1690

        It’s great to see you kept your early collection! The only figures I have are confined to a cigar box; I may have to start collecting the old minis like Timpo and Britains after your post!

        Liked by 2 people

  10. rantingsfromunder

    Fantastic post Pat! a real trip down memory lane, there were a few there I recognised from my “tin of soldiers”, when I was a lad.

    Perhaps we should have a “post pic’s of your old toy soldiers” week! I’d be up for that.

    Cheers Roger.

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. patmcf

      Thanks Mate , I always wanted to post these old soldiers for not just the older guys and girls but for the young folk to,I just had to find where they were packed away😅😅. That’s a great idea mate as I do like seei

      Thanks mate , I felt you would like it as I recall you mentioned on TIM’s post about having an black knight back in your youth 😉. I think that’s a great idea as I’m sure there would be young and old that would love to see things from the past😃

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. rantingsfromunder

        I’ll mention it in my next post and see if we can get anyone else on board, I think it’ll be a load of fun!

        And yes I did mention, the black knight, I’ll have to see if I’ve still got him (sadly my toy soldiers have been through both my lads hands too, so I’ve no idea what’s left of the stout fellows) 😁

        Cheers Roger.

        Liked by 2 people

  12. John@justneedsvarnish

    Brilliant, Pat! 🙂 Always recognise Timpo figures! The catapult looks like the Britains one – me dad swiped mine to put in his toy soldier collection so it may well still be stashed away somewhere (probably with my Britains ballista)! Otherwise i don’t think any of my toy soldiers have survived sadly!

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. patmcf

      Thanks John , you right about recognising Timpo figures 😀. The catapult was a super present from one of my sisters and I had many a great time bombarding my mates knights . 😅😅

      Liked by 1 person

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  13. Marvin

    Fascinating to see these old guys. I don’t recall any military figures in my cereal packets as a youngster, though I would have loved to get something like that. I remember other things were included in cereals, right inside the bag with all the cereal too. Of course, we’d be foraging around to find it as soon as it was opened. Oh, the disappointment when it was something you’d already got previously!

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    1. patmcf

      😅😅That’s brought back memories 🤓yep after the squabble the not so clean hand would be rummaging around like you said 😂😂😂. If my memory is correct I feel they stopped doing it as it was later seen as a choking hazard 🤨I can’t imagine what child end up eating a small plastic item enclosed in a cellophane bag 🧐especially after seeing the exciting pictures on the box that made one badger your mum to buy the stuff even if it was horrible as was the case for those cowboys 😉

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