Remco Gallant Gladiator was a smaller companion ship to the Remco Big Caesar. This battery operated toy was the envy of many boys who got it for Christmas. This toy is still in demand by collectors. Checking on Ebay we found only one listing for a complete Remco Big Caesar. Other sites have the Remco Big Caesar listed as well. the prices range depending on condition from $400.00 to $900.00. People have put up on YouTube videos of the toy in operation. I wonder how many Remco Big Caesars got ruined the ship trying to take it into bath tub or pool
The Remco Gladiator was a smaller version of the Remco Big Caesar. At the moment I can not find if the Remco Gladiator was put out the same year as the Remco Big Caesar or not. The Remco Gallant Gladiator was designed for the child who did not have the room for the larger Remco Big Caesar. The Remco Gallant Gladiator was similar to Big Caesar just having less of everything.
The Remco Big Caesar and Gallant Gladiator is one toy that collectors will take complete or incomplete. They will either repair them with original parts or make new parts to complete the ship. I remember sending one Remco Big Caesar to customer in old Stad list days. It was only the hull still the customer wanted it as he had parts and was building a fleet of Remco Big Caesars!
Our very good friend Greg Liska is one of those people who like to repairs damage or incomplete Remco Big Caesar and Remco Gallant Gladiator ships. Here what he had to say.
The small was not battery operator.Still if u push and roll it,the roars move with mechanism.So I guess was more water proof.
I have just one and like I mention before 3 of larger.
One complete,others missing small parts.
The smaller is harder to find,maybe was not sold that much.
I notice two of my largest have a lot rust coming from bat case section and stain too.So maybe admin was right and some kids try it in water.
The wood paint job looks great and histotical real.The decor and fabric sail too.Great job!
How many jobs at same time you do running in your collection!?WOW!!
In my childhood I knew one guy that had a Big Cesar and he hated it, especially the figures. Because he hated it he never wanted to play with it, so I never got to see it really up close. Today I have no desire whatsoever to own one.
You sure you don’t want one, Ed? There might have been one at the Alamo. We just don’t know…… Seriously, if you don’t do Ancients, I don’t see why you’d want it. I got into Ancients on my last overseas tour when I ran out of other ‘comfort buying’ items. The Big Caesar came to mind right off. I both hate and love the figures. Great sculpts, but really small. I feel I made up for them by converting all those Thomas Toy Romans about 8 months ago. Finding the smaller one was tough. Tougher than I thought it would be and, as it turned out, the Galley was smaller than I thought it would be.
Erwin – I really only do one at a time. Right now, the calendar is empty and I hope it stays that way so there is more battle time with my son. This took very little time since I’d had done this once before with the Big Caesar. Replacing oars and tying the rat rigs are the tough parts. The back cupola was actually made of a container of Christmas candy. Replacement oars are made from coffee stirrers.
OK. So can I send one of mine at a time to have it remodeled!?
I was kidding..!!
I wish I have time but also up here we got 4 month plus of artic weather, no way I can paint, spray paint or even use much strong glue inside with my daughter and 4 leg furry leg that all time sniffing and will start complaining. So I have to use the late spring and summer month and those are busy too in other things plus my other works/business. So I guess mine will be there in the box x long or may be ever.
Looks great ,nice job Greg !
Thanks, Mark. The work went by fast. I hope to use it soon in ‘battle’ against some ancient foe that my son will control.
Greg,
There was two of them at the Alamo, how do you think all those Mexicans got there? I don’t do ancients, pretty much Custer , the Alamo and Fort Apache type stuff. I think one of the turn offs is they are all marching figures, while they look good all set up, then what?
Seriously though I don’t think the Roman Galley’s were at the Alamo or it would have been on my list of things we know for sure.
Talking about water, does any body know if any creek/river ever run near by it !?
I heard it was one, but not find evidence of it in maps or historical source!!
The San Antonio River ran within a stone’s throw of the Missions West walls, then turned just North of it. Today, the storefronts across the plaza from the church and grounds block the river from the church but it is a short walk across the plaza and down the stairs to the River Walk. A side note: the Mayor of San Antonio, who was charged with burial/disposal of the Mexican dead after the battle by Santa Ana claimed there were too many bodies for his people to properly bury so he asked for and received permission to throw them into the River and let them be floated away by the current.
He said there were so many they actually clogged the river. ‘Makes me wonder how many folks were left in San Antonio after the war broke out (I think the population of San Antone, the largest town/city in Texas at the time, was around 5,000 – I think I’m remembering that correctly). At the same time, how many bodies would it have taken to have clogged that river? Granted, even today, after engineers dredged out and straightened it out, the San Antonio River is no great body of water – but it did require a bridge and/or fords to cross back then. Just one of those things that make me go hmmm…
I think the galleys would fit well as amphibious craft the Mexicans used to cross the river in their final assault. It worked for Russell Crowe’s Robin Hood…
Ok, thanks Wayne.
I see it in map ,but was referring to the smaller stream seen in maps, but not too clear
So times painted in blue around the Alamo walls!?;it was a dried creek or else, some old maps show it as Alamo acequia, others not.
Was it flood or not during battle!?I’m wondering if was dried why not trap it some how!?
I’m pretty sure the Mexicans arrived in 3 V W Vans and a Cadillac with a hand drawn Taxi sign on it. From what I understand there was still room, too.
Romans fought in formation. That’s perfect. Not the pell-mell flailing about in the old ‘sword and sandals’ movies. They even had archers. Not an exact quote, but Flavius Josephus wrote: The Romans fight like they were training and train like they are fighting.
Yeah there’s a river right there one of the Major attractions of San Antonio is the river walk it’s less than 1/2 mile from the chapel. All kinds of shops resturants and bars, Andy the owner of Kings X owns a bar on the river walk Mad Dogs.
There was actually an acequia that flowed right through the compound of the Alamo too. Beyond the cattle pen there was a swamp or bog too. Just east of the cattle pen
So there you go. You need one, after all.
The acequia was rather shallow, I don’t think the boat would float. The river wasn’t that deep either at least the part by the river walk. You’d need a John boat or a skiff for the river. One night we stumbled out of Mad Dogs and there in the middle of the river was a blue heron or some wading bird and he hardly got his feet wet.
Man, that list of ‘things we know’ keeps getting longer. It could have been 20 feet deep then. Don’t tell me you haven’t looked that up.
The retored Gallant Gladiator looks great. My brother (1 of 7) got the Big Caesar ship one year for Christmas in the early 60s. The same year two other brothers received the Remco Barracuda submarine and an Aircraft Carrier (Mighty Matilda?), all of which took those large batteries. I remember that the power operations of all of them were soon seen by us as less than useful since there was no real control. We soon hand operated all of them. Kids nowadays would go the opposite way, wanting more automatic features.
Despite their small size, I liked the Romans except 1. they were not in fighting poses and 2. Their spears soon broke off as they were so slender. Later when I got Herald greeks (Which I mistook for Romans) and WOW romans, I really appreciated them and to this day, like ancients more than most periods. I have acquired quite a few of the Remco Romans but no ships… so far.
That Christmas I got the large Blue and Gray Marx set. Still have lots of it.
Brian N
I had the Mighty Matilda and the Whirlybird they were great toys just too big for my playarea I had.
I haven’t looked up how deep the San Antonio River was in 1836. No, I don’t care either. It wasn’t really relevant to the battle. I suppose we could add water, sand and dirt to the list of things we know, huh?
If time and duration of the siege, time and duration of the assault, names of all major maneuver element commanders and most sub-unit commanders, general plan of the assault, exact location of the battle within a 8 digit grid, doesn’t count, then we don’t really need to add topography of the battle site to it, I guess.
Here is a question that I’m sure every Alamo fan could answer. I’m curious about what I believe was a full length Alamo movie that must have come out in the 80’s. It had Brian Keith (I think that’s his name. The guy from ‘Family Affair’) in it. I saw part of it on a bootleg disc in Afghanistan. Somebody had picked it up in a local Haji-shop. I’d love to get a copy just to see the whole thing. What’s it called? When was it done? Is it available?
Wait….maybe it was James Arness? I think he looks like a tougher version of Brian Keith.
Found it. Answered my own question. Never mind.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092527/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_7 The Alamo:Thirteen Days of Glory
How does one re-string the elevator drive spring on a mighty matilda aircraft carrier?