Russian Plastic Flat Figures An Appreciation we have been showing over the last few years various Russian Flat Figure Sets. Here in the United States they are looked down due to the infamous comic book ads. You would be offered all these figures for $1.00 or two. When you got them they were flats.
Still as Erwin Sell will show you there is great interest in these figures for people to produce new sets.
Russian Plastic Flat Figures An Appreciation Introduction
Yet as I was born in Socialist-communist regime.The main toy pipe line was from former USSR with cheap toys. The more expensive figures were the East German toys .
From Russia every figure was flat.(few were blow mold odd too ) I never liked them. They were used as target for my toy guns .I ended losing most of them and giving away rest minus few .
While I conserved most my childhood toy soldiers from US, Hong Kong and Spain. So I collect since 14 years old toy soldiers as official hobby with pride.
Russian Plastic Flat Figures An Appreciation Today
Now I had found the flat URSS former figures style a nostalgic way to increase my collection. They will of course have a separated world of their own and their own unique battles .
I had done small review to add all new sets coming out now and minor update.
Please if any Russian collector such as Andre may like correct me feel free. As all information I got it is just by simple research and purchases.
Recently Russian has been producing cheap reissues of old former USSR-Soviet era flat sets. For various reasons they have revived the same style figures production with new conflict sets made by new makers .
I will use eBay samples as easy to find and buy in that way from Russia/Eastern Europe
Sample of reissues old former mold sets made by Plastmaster company today in eBay.
Here is one example from Stad.
In the metal range, there are many sets had been produced in past 5 years. They are far made or zinc and aluminum alloy. The figures are sold both painted and unpainted.
So the popularity on these flat sets figures had increased as the amount makers and sets done increased so much in short time.
Last to add that with these flat and rest regular 2/3 D figures; Russia ,Ukrainian and far east Europe are the faster and more proliferate resent plastic toy soldiers producers in the world .
Ironic here in the states the flat figures sets and even playsets or sold as (“comic books sets”!?) in 50s-60sd were not few .Least done as games else several such armies sets,medieval,Romans ,Custer, pirates AMerican Civil War and American Revolution very large poses set were done.
Also the many premiums figures collections and even Marx early flat army sets .So not quite unpopular I think here either .And these set today are sold or value for good price as collectible.
I myself think the Russian-made 2-dimensional figures are quite neat.
I have several sets of them, including knights, Cossacks, Russian Civil War, Mongols, and Russian medievals.
Granted, you can’t use them very well with 3-D figures, but they are well-sculpted and look great in my glass-covered, framed display boxes. They really are quite artistic in their design.
In a way, they remind me of the punch-out cardboard figures from various “books” when I was growing up in the 50s: they didn’t really set up real well, but the great color & graphics were very appealing.
These Russian-made 2-D figures are quite a bit bigger and fuller than the 2-D American-made flats we used to order from comic books, and are in a much more high-quality soft plastic than our American comic book flats. But today, I like the American-made flats, as well, and have carefully preserved a set of each of them, including Romans, American Revolution, Civil War, and, of course, the original 100 WWII flats that came in that famous “foot locker”.
The Gibbs Custer set, in soft plastic, was a much better set than the comic book flats.
Are the 18th C. infantry and dragoons at 3:30 of this video plastic or metal?
Yes, the Gibbs Custer set was exceptional, and took 2-D plastic figures to a new level.
And that was quite the video. Entertaining all the way through. And it showed exactly how 2-D figures can be well-displayed.
Most or all there in video are metal and made by early russian makers from 50/60s that later made some of the flat sets in plastic…Some flat figures in video are not made in Russia but Germany .
best
Great looking figures, thanks for the video !
Thought the same way Erwin, never liked as a kid ,older now, tastes have changed and now I appreciate the sculpting and uniqueness of them !