US Infantry - Part V

Because Blogger does not allow more than 20 labels in one post I am forced to split the posts with many sets into several posts... This is the last one of the GI series. For now...

Safari 60mm GIs - Part I

This is a pretty nice set all in all. The sculpting detail is good and the poses are well done. The only thing that I think could be done better is the painting. Other than the faces, which are fairly decent, the rest of the figure is barely painted. I think I will need to give them a paint over. Note also the other less common feature of these figures, they come without bases.

 Safari 60mm GIs - Part II

This is a comparison picture next to a 54mm TSSD figure. As you can see, the Safari figures are not too much larger. Keep in mind however that TSSD makes their figures on the larger side of 54mm, with a thick base that makes them even taller.

DGN US Infantry - Part I

The US Infantry seems to be among the best -if not the best- proportioned of all these sets. Again, some of the figures seem to be inspired by Matchbox figures, although they are still originals. 

DGN US Infantry - Part II

These guys do not have the over-sized weapon problem that the other sets do. I particularly like the machine gunner here.

DGN US Infantry - Part III

See the strong resemblance with the Matchbox GIs?

Burger King GIs

Here's a bit of an unusual set. It is modeled after the Toy Story GIs, released in 1995. They are about 65mm tall. If there were a few more poses, it would make a good unit. Given their limited number of poses, they will have to be combined with some 70 mm GIs to give them some support. 

Clairet US Infantry

These GIs are a bit unusual. The poses are decent, although the level of detail is a bit on the low-end of the spectrum, mainly because they only come with weapons and uniforms, but nothing else in terms of extra gear. 

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If you would like to see some painted GIs, click here.

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Here's a post of the GI's breaking out of Normandy.

And here is another post with GIs defending an Italian farmhouse.

Safari - Toy Soldiers

Safari Ltd is an American producer of plastic figures. They got started out of Miami, Florida, although they also have an office in Hong Kong as hinted by the Limited designation. They have been around in business since the early 80s, and their initial focus was on wild life (hence the name), dinosaur and sea life figures. Over time, they have developed a much larger range, although they are still more heavily weighted towards non-military figures such as farm animals, pets, etc. But they do have a few soldier sets such as civil war, knights, pirates, and one set of WWII GIs. They are 60mm+ in size though. While the brand might not be that well known, their packaging method is. This is the company that sells their figures in what they call 'Toobs', which is a cylinder of clear/hard plastic holding about 6-10 figures. The quality and sculpting of their figures is good, so I really hope that we see additional sets being released representing other nationalities and service branches. For now, lets take a look at the GI set that they offer.

Safari 60mm GIs - Part I

This is a pretty nice set all in all. The sculpting detail is good and the poses are well done. The only thing that I think could be done better is the painting. Other than the faces, which are fairly decent, the rest of the figure is barely painted. I think I will need to give them a paint over. Note also the other less common feature of these figures, they come without bases.

Safari 60mm GIs - Part II

This is a comparison picture next to a 54mm TSSD figure. As you can see, the Safari figures are not too much larger. Keep in mind however that TSSD makes their figures on the larger side of 54mm, with a thick base that makes them even taller.

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Introducing the Italian Black Shirts

The Italian Black Shirts or Camicie Nere were the paramilitary branch of of Benito Mussolini's Fascist Party. Their official name was the Voluntary Militia for National Security. They were analogous to the Brown Shirts in Germany -which were actually modeled after the Black Shirts themselves-, providing the necessary muscle to keep Mussolini's political adversaries at bay as well as labor unions representing the interests of factory workers and peasants. They were established shortly after WWI with many former soldiers joining their ranks and Mussolini as their Commander in Chief. Their uniforms were inspired by those of the Arditi, the daring Italian shock troops of WWI. By the time Mussolini came to power in 1922 there were over 200,000 of them. When war broke out, many of them were formed into actual fighting units. Some saw action as early as the Spanish Civil War. Some also fought in the Ethiopian campaign. During WWII they saw heavy fighting in North Africa, where 3 entire divisions were destroyed. They remained an organized group until the armistice of 1943, when the pro-German government in Northern Italy reestablished the remaining members as the Republican National Guard. 

Atlantic Italian Black Shirts - Part I

This is also a hard set to find and unfortunately I only found some of the figures. However I think I got the most representative ones. At center we have Mussolini himself. To the right a standard bearer and to the left a man carrying a bundle of wooden sticks and an ax. This is called a Fasces and it comes from ancient times. The first to use it were apparently the Etruscans and later on the Romans. The ax symbolized the life and death power of the magistrates and the bundle, the strength which can be achieved through unity.  

Atlantic Italian Black Shirts - Part II

A couple more poses. The two bicycle riders are the same pose. On the back of one of the bikes I sat the figure who is supposed to be driving a motorcycle with a side car. He happens to be saluting while driving. The motorcycle as well as one more guy who is riding in the side car are missing from my set. BTW, I find this to be one of the better sculpted Atlantic sets. No awkward poses like those you see in some of the other sets like the British Infantry...

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Remco - Toy Soldiers

Remco was an American Toy firm active in the 40's to 60's. They were apparently based out of New Jersey. They specialized in electronic and remote controlled toys and vehicles, hence the name Remco. They also liked to release toys associated with popular TV shows and music groups. Today that seems common, but I suspect that back then that was quite unique. In 1971 they went bankrupt and were taken over by a firm called Azrak Hamway. In terms of toy soldiers, they are known for one set, which was incidental to their line of electric toys. They are from a 1960's toy series called the Hamilton Invaders, which was inspired by TV shows of the time in which giant bugs invade earth. These soldiers were mankind's defenders against the giant insect invaders, not unlike the guys from 'Starship Troopers' in the 90's.

Remco 'Hamilton Invaders' GIs aka Blue Defenders - Part I

These guys are on the larger side of 60mm. The sculpting is fairly good in terms of the level of detail. The poses are also good for most of them. For instance, of the three in this picture, the two on the right are just fine, but there is something about the officer that feels just a bit off. Maybe it is the position of the left elbow...or maybe I am just too picky.

Remco 'Hamilton Invaders' GIs aka Blue Defenders - Part II

Here are the other 3 poses. Again, some of the poses are better than the others. The grenade man in the middle seems a bit awkward. I do like the detail on the weapons though. At any rate, these guys seem to be something of a collectible because not so many of them were made - they were only released along with those insect playsets. And those bugs are even more of a priced rarity. I recently saw one listed for about 3,000 usd... That's a bit outrageous if you ask me!

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Click here to see a post about other GIs
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And even more GIs
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Introducing the French Navy

The French Navy, aka 'the Royale' was officially established in the early 17th century and was historically locked in a rivalry with the British Royal Navy and also fought some conflicts against the Dutch and the Spanish. At the onset of the Second World War, the French Navy weighed 800,000 tones and was ranked 4th in the world along with the Italian, after the British, American, and Japanese navies. Up to the summer of 1940, it participated in operations against Germany in Norway, the Mediterranean and the Dunkirk evacuation. After the armistice, the British were seriously concerned about the possibility that the French ships might fall in German hands. Many went willingly to the allied side, or were boarded by the British while in port, and later became the Free French Navy. Some did not want to join, particularly those based out of the Senegalese port Dakar, and they remained part of the Vichy forces After a series of ultimatums, the Royal Navy engaged them, sinking several vessels in July of 1940. Over 1200 French sailors died. The Vichy navy remained hostile for the next two years, until November of '42 when seeing the success of Operation Torch -the North African invasion- unfold, they switched sides. The Germans quickly tried to take over the remaining ships at Toulon, but the French sailors scuttled most of them or fled to allied ports. The Free French Navy continued to fight alongside the allies through the Normandy invasion and the landings in southern France. Once the European ports were recaptured by the allies, the French Navy did not see any more significant action. By the end of the war only half of its original tonnage remained. As far as toy soldier figures, Starlux, a French firm has given us a few poses to consider. Let's check them out. 

Starlux French Navy - Part I

A couple of  French sailors. I only have two as I got them from that batch of mixed figures. They are wearing their summer uniforms and the distinctive cap -the 'Bachi' bonnet- with the red decoration on top. The poses are not very exciting, but the figures are still unique as there are no other French Navy sailors that I am aware of.

Starlux French Navy - Part II

OK, so here are a few more poses, but also from Starlux. Most of them are on parade. In this batch you have a couple of high ranking officers. You also have the guy carrying the submg, which he does in a rather elegant manner.

Starlux French Navy - Part III

Then you have a few members of the marching band. Interesting to see that they also played the bag pipe.

Starlux French Navy - Part IV

And a couple more percussion instruments and a horn.

Starlux French Navy - Part V

Now, for these folks you might need to get yourself a warship, as I can definitely picture them on its deck taking care of business. 

Starlux French Navy - Part VI

The two guys in the middle could the the ones watching the parade go by. The man on the left could be an officer on the ship's bridge. And then finally, we have an action pose, although I don't really picture many scenarios in which a navy guy would be using his hand gun.

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