TOY SOLDIERS Of course there were probably hundreds of manufactures of toy soldiers in the1970s, but one of the absolute best and most remembers is the Britain’s Deetail make. They happened to be made in England by a Mr Britain; hence the name, but they were a global hit. Because the production of these toy soldiers was done with PVC, it was much easier to make them do something, by moving arms and legs and sometimes even the heads too. So they were no longer static rock like soldiers, they were able to better interact with your imagination and of course they looked so much better too. The appeal here is universal, as it covered World War Two with soldiers from Germany, USA and of course Japan too. These would come with extras like Jeeps, Anti-Aircraft Guns, Cars and boats as well as portable guns, so it was no wonder the imagination of the 70s kids were working overtime on these bendable toys. For me I much preferred the older era soldiers from the days of the Knights and Robin Hood, or even the Cowboys and Indians that came with horses and rafts. I dont remember any of my soldiers being scalped though. The colours were no more than four to each item, and of course they all had plastic bases, to cut down on cost and weight. Also it was more fun to see them fall over without being shot. Just a point to remember, it was not just soldiers made by the company, but also animals too. Although I do not think they were as exciting as having an army to command. By 1976 the colours and the mouldings were so advanced, that the characters could hold a gun and something else at the same time. PLANET OF THE APES Of course TV had a huge influence on us kids in the 1970s, and when Plant of the Apes was shown in the sixties, it was only a matter of time for the TV series to be launched. This followed the five big screen films, the last being in 1973. Loved it “God what have we done?” that line from Charlton Heston. With the TV series came the toys and we could all enjoy it again. So in 1974 along came the Planet of the Apes figures made by Mego in the States, but I am not really sure if that the name I remember for us teenagers in the UK. We had all the main characters like Galen, Alan Virdon, Burke, General Urko, and General Ursus. If I can remember well enough we even had some of the horses that the Apes rode when collecting us poor humans, I know it was not real, but it was great to have those toys on the carpet and lose yourself into the Planet of the Apes. I think my favourite was Dr Zais, he was the ape scientist type with a white costume, who knew all about us humans, but never let it go public. So when I say favourite, I should say he got thrown around the room a few times. The models were about 8” high and bendable in places, just as well as trying to get them on a horse would have been a problem. But it was not just the toys. We all remember getting the Ape masks and going round school thinking it was really cool with the guns and walking like the gorillas. It was easy for many companies to cash in on the 70s ape masks, as did we really care if it had a Plane of the Apes logo on 1t? Nope, we just ripped the packaging off and ran into the kitchen as an ape to scare mum. She never was that scared, after all she was with dad.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Dec 2013 05:00:00 +0000
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