Hong Kong Roman Variations Erwin Sell, Erwin is sharing with us some variations of Roman figures. These sets have some interesting poses instead of the standard copy poses. The photos are from Erwin’s collection or he has permission from the seller.
Hong Kong Roman Variations Erwin Sell First Set
The first set has rare variations of Herald/Britain Trojans and a (Reamsa /Herald hybrid mounted pose?). They are all mix in one set. The set has seven figures five different.
The first one is based on the Britains Herald Trojan standing with sword and shield. Instead of a sword he now has a spear. Also the plume has been taken off the helmet. The next figure is copied from Britains Herald bow man. The copy has the bow removed and a sword placed in his right hand, In his left hand has a knife. The plume has been reduced.
The third and fourth poses are based on the Britains Herald Trojan poses with the sword and shield. The changes are plumes are removed. Also the figure on left has his right arm back. The swords also may be different.
The fifth figure which is the mounted figure is a based on a Reamsa figure. It is interesting that they did not copy the Britains mounted pose.
The figure on the right is 60 mm scale ROJAS and MALARET Carthaginian officer (Hannibal) pose. Erwin used it as comparsion. Most of the figures are 56 to 58mm.
Hong Kong Roman Variations Erwin Sell Set Two
The second set is a more common set seen from Hong Kong. Four of the figures are copies of the Marx Warriors of the World. The other two figures are copies of the Crescent Romans.
Hong Kong Roman Variations Erwin Sell Set Three
The final piece is a Roman chariot. This is an interesting set. The chariot and figure are copies of the Thomas Toy Roman and chariot. The horses are copies of the Lido western horses. They still have saddles on!
Admin Note: Small Scale World recently showed an unpainted version of this chariot.
Minor rectification the R&M figure is Roman officer first made for famous Game playset of Battle of Metaurus-1961 .It represent either Claudius Nero or Marcus Livius .Distinctive way in two games series edition .Later used as Scipio Africanus for second Playset of battle of ZAMA-1962 .I have the full playset figures set of both armies with elephants and will some day sent to admin with same work i post in other blogs already .
The Company ROJAS Y MALARET from Spain did also Battle of Little big horn-1962 50/52 mm scale of what i have all figures poses as well ,not box.
Interesting these games/playset one of few as far I know British( Waddington-company copied later used poses figures first licensed and then cloned or else.1964
They only copied the BLBH as far i know.
Elastolin did copied a playset/Game of LBH but with their own 45 mm US cavalry figures and only copied-cloned the Elephant for Ancient game playset and use their own 45 mm romans figures instead minos rider pient in two side armies colors instead.
The elephant is true in scale with rider shooting arrows.
The HK Chariot is not mine is shared w permission from other seller in ebay ,but interesting as is a mint version of alike chariot I post INCLUDED with rare playset castle here before on this link.
http://www.stadsstuff.com/?p=5613
Note that roman soldier in Chariot has a shield contrary to TUDOR pose.
This pose with SHIELD is the same one Kent has as Unknown for long in his website ,I do not know if is still listed.
The loose pose is often found at shows or flea market,least by me three times .
best..
This is what the Boardgame Geek site has to say about the Little Big Horn game:
“It was published by Rojas y Malaret in Spain, as the 3rd game in the GBM series at the end of 1952. The game was licenced and published by Hausser (Germany) in 1963. Later, the Waddington’s Games, Inc. (UK) version in 1964 and the Capiépa (France) version in 1965 could be non-authorized versions.”
Brian that is incorrect .Not idea where that Boardgame Geek made that up year production from but is not correct at all.
Sorry an entire work had been done in Spain and also there is a museum dedicated to it with full pictures and entire blog made by actual artist who made the cases along other toy soldier collector and gamer friend of mine as well
In 2014 entire exposition was made and Artist Rai Ferrer was present as honor invited guest
The First game In Rojas And Malaret come in 1961.
Here is a simple reduced words of post i made with entire history (by the way extracting information with” full permit” of owner that did great work and i sent email permission letters to admin blogger where i post too not long ago using my collection pictures plus some from him and others from other friend of mine personal collection
In order from official Spaniards historians of Board games.
The first set was done by Rojas and M=(Eduardo Rojas y Rai Ferrer.) in Spain in 1961
Ferrer was the painter artist/painter for the illustrations in all boxes for “Rojas and Malaret”
He did the 4 games illustration art of the cases and the additional set x the games series too
The Games BOX set done in order were.
Battle of Metauros-1961(with one elephant)-54/60 mm scale
Battle of Zama-1962 (with two elephants) and first pose of Carthaginian cavalry-54/60 mm scale was made x this second battle Game set.
Battle of Little big horn-1962 with 50/52 mm scale figures
Battle of Alamein-II.-Made in 1966 with 20 mm scale or HO (figures poses are a bit similar but not same as those first series done in the HO scale of Airfix.
Tanks were Sherman and Panthers-Panzer V.
With Hurricane and F190 planes plus cannons,mines and banners.Not quite historical for germans as Panthers never saw action in africa.
Also produced were Battle additional cases that carry extra figures same poses to increase the war -battle games of each of 3 battles big game done least.
No data is know of additional extra cases for last set/game.(battle of Alamein)
A projected (Battle of Troy was designed and figures cast) no release or commercialization is known about of this .So apparently was canceled!?
Now to be surprise and because the popularity the four TOY battles games were incredible copied by three countries using different figures in some and copies in others.
Main reason most be the lack of amount sets versus demand by Rojas to import to so many countries that force these others made their own or else…
International later copies made.
From UK 1964-(Waddington) that release (Battle of little big horn in 1964)using SAME SPANISH FIGURES WITH LICENSE AND LATER WITH NEW 40/45 mm scale figures designed by them but very direct copies of Spaniards products in all poses. Minor difference been in the more flat or less elevated base of the figures.
From Germany 1963/64 -Housser-Elastolin-Did Battle of Zama and Metauros using Elastolin 40/45 Romans figures and copied only the Rojas Elephant DIRECT-MADE
And also the (Battle of Little Big Horn)-1964 too ,this time using their own range of 40/45 mm US cavalry and two new redesigned figures later-1966
From France 1965-(CAPIEPA)-Did the (Battle of Littler Big Horn)Using same British made figures very alike in 40/45 mm too. Illustration was done in France but base in the original mother Spaniard made BOX.
CAPIEDA had the Spaniard license not Uk even so it used the British figures that were pretty much copies of original spaniards poses indeed.
Interesting facts.
The original Spaniards Elephants were done in grey and white colors base founded plastic with paint detail over. Not other color had been confirmed yet.
Recently two blacks elephants were sold in tow different lots ,it cause an entire surprise as no body know if were sold as addition in those colors or else.
The Carthaginian figures(blue/green crest-helmet) represent the multinational Carthaginian army in every pose.
Iberian,Macedonia, numidian, Carthaginian,Gauls soldiers.
The characters poses such generals and principes were not sold individuals or in additional cases ,only in the big game play set box.
Carthaginian pose cavalry is the hardest pose to find because only one was in the ZAMA battle set and none in Metauros firs set .The addition cases bring 3 mounted Carthaginians but not many sold.
The spaniard work and history of games had been also confirmed and register with patent data in Spain web site as well.
Above data is part of my work full post in French and italian blog as way to spread information.Links to Spaniards blog ,museums and data had been added too as well there.
Best regards
Yes I thought 1952 seemed a bit early too, maybe it’s a typo and they meant 1962, I still have the boxed set of BLBH I got as a kid and it says in the paperwork copyright 1964, but I don’t think it was issued and distributed in England until a bit later as I remember it being a tie in with the Custer TV show which was a big hit over here and didn’t come out until 1967. Did you get the Waddingtons set in the USA?
The 40mm figures are great, it’s a pity they didn’t copy other ranges from other periods in that size.
The Waddingtons i got from Australian seller .
The R&M i got plenty loose in separated years from Spain all with many Elephants.
Comansi did a game(LBH)I have it too complete in box ; using a very rare and unique Custer pose that x some reason many like to mix with ROJAS and Malaret game set confusing many as to think is RM pose.
Comansi rest figures were 8 soldiers and 8 indians of same 2series poses 70 mm made in 45 mm approx on 16 poses plus Custer
I had post then too in other blogs.Only other difference is COMANSI made set with one gatling gun for the US cavalry .The game come in 1976 and was short released tilL 1978.
The 45 mm COMANSI figures were later sold in bags and with a fort but the pose of CUSTER never reissued again.
The R&M first set Battle of Metauros -1961 was based in film Hannibal 1959 that was release in Spain in 1960 because of doubling issues as film original was in italian and dubbed to english .In it actor Victor Mature representing Hannibal was used for original game box illustration .But later cases because of license issue was reissued without his face.
Plastic production or soft plastic polyethylene type was not start to be used in Spain on toy figures makers till 1957/1958 with Reamsa being first using it immediately followed by most .Previews to that most figures were either hard plastic, stiff- baquelita or the rubber(become hard rubber later) .
According what I been reading in books and blogs the 1964 release first games from UK were with issues momentary because first edition were trying to use same figures made in Spain but eventually Waddingtons made their own almost identical pose copies .Rojas and Malaret was too small for such demand from others in production .So that is why Waddingtons and Elastolin manage doing their own version.They paid copyrights for titles and games rules first only.
You can read part of it in the spaniard web site as well .
Yes i’m wonder why they did not continued and even why the Alamein Game was not done with least 40/45 mm figures instead the smaller HO too.Apparently they were very popular
They have a museum dedicated to the Little Big Horn war game?
Not
To war games toys and Rojas and Malaret. That was first European firm using Figures plastic in 1/32 scale approx for then.
Before that in 1944 Spain did using composition figures in that scale the first games too.
Included are the LBH sets of course.
Best
Oh, okay.
Thanks for sharing these wonderful pictures of the Romans. I had set 2 & the chariot as a boy but they are long gone from my collection. Lots of fun to see them again.
Nice Figures !