A seaside gift shop was the source of 6 boxes of these figures at 50p a box. The flimsy boxes have a curious ‘military’ land mine or Lewis Gun magazine look to them.
They are China copies of BMC US Marines from WW2 with a few of their Japanese lying down figures thrown in.
These figures will probably not end up khaki or green; I shall see what they look like in more colourful Imagi-nations garb. Redcoats? Blue coats? Army Red, Army Blue. With all the haversack, entrenching tools and ammunition pouches they could make interesting steampunked 19th century figures.
At the time of buying I had no idea whose figures they were or how old they were.
Like many pound store figures, they are of Chinese manufacture.
Subsequent web research shows these Dan Hai Military Assault figures are China copies of US Marines made by the US firm of BMC for their Iwo Jima set, a playset not available in the shops in the UK.
https://victorybuy.com/collections/bmc-toys/era_world-war-2
The original figures were produced for BMC Toys, founded by Bill McMaster in 1991. Bill passed away in 2014 but the line is to be produced again in the USA by Victorybuy.com
I sometimes wonder whether ‘pirate’ or pound store copy figures do the original manufacturers out of sales or a living?
To be fair, many of them are fairly distorted compared to the originals and some of these originals are no longer available such as the Matchbox figures (and for many years Airfix). It’s almost like buying a jumble of second hand figures.
I think pound store figures are pitched at a different ‘pocket money’ market from those who will spend the amount that the venerable Airfix figures now cost for example, new or vintage.
A useful set of figures and overall £3 well spent for 6 boxes at 50p each. This amounted to 144 figures for £3, on average 24 figures a box and each costing around tuppence (2p). A high street coffee is sometimes more expensive than this whole haul!
Posted by Man of TIN.
Pound Store Plastic Warriors 