I loved Jungle and zoo toy sets when I was a kid. Daktari die-cats and annuals and Woobinda annuals and carded plastic zoo animals were big with little Woodsy.
I always have a look now and then for these type of toys especially old Hong Kong blister cards. I just like to see them.
Here's a couple I've seen of late.
This set has the iconic yaying gorilla that I adored as a young Kong fan.
The only picture I've ever seen of the Tarzan carded set by Lone Star is on the cover of the excellent Plastic Warrior magazine from the UK as featured on their own webpage of back issues [ issue 118, 2007 ]
Having just read my own copy, its a crouching chimp that appeared in the set rather than a gorilla although its hard to see in the picture.
The warrior looks like the one in the Phantom set!
Were they for you?
I always have a look now and then for these type of toys especially old Hong Kong blister cards. I just like to see them.
Here's a couple I've seen of late.
This set has the iconic yaying gorilla that I adored as a young Kong fan.
These funny zoo animals have been seen on Moonbase before.
And check out this neat Jungle Adventure set in a box with those yaying Kongs. Not sure of the make.
An interesting set crossing over into super hero action figure territory is Larami's The Phantom Jungle Play Set, a set I've liked since first coming across it in one of my old toy reference books despite the jungle warrior being out of step with society now.
There can't be many Phantom figures.
This Argentinian Tarzan reminded me of the ridiculously rare Lone Star Tarzan set.
Also the Phantom figure above as its the same pose!
The only picture I've ever seen of the Tarzan carded set by Lone Star is on the cover of the excellent Plastic Warrior magazine from the UK as featured on their own webpage of back issues [ issue 118, 2007 ]
Having just read my own copy, its a crouching chimp that appeared in the set rather than a gorilla although its hard to see in the picture.
The warrior looks like the one in the Phantom set!
Its so rare it even generated a googlewack - just one single result on Google! See below [just seen that I even got the mag's name wrong! Doh!].
Anyone got one of these sets or anything similar?
If you click on the link for Stad's Stuff Plastic Warrior magazine talk about this rare set in more detail including the crouching chimp figure.
This is a cool and colourful summer time post, Woodsy! You've discovered some beautifully rare and diverse nuggets of HK plastic :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Tone. I like this kind of plastic stuff. The more I look at the 3 figures I reckon that the Phantom and Tarzan are the same basic figure!
DeleteMust admit I didn't spot that, Woodsy. But now that you've mentioned it, I do see what you mean. Certainly looks like it could be?
ReplyDeleteI am sure I had the Tarzan figure in the 1970s, almost certainly a Hong Kong version. Mine was not part of a set, but sold loose from a large box mostly containing various animals. Alas, I converted mine into a Zulu warrior - a very early attempt at figure conversion. He was the only suitable figure I had, as everyone else was wearing clothes. I think there was an article on modelling Zulus in Military Modelling magazine that I followed for this, about 1974/75 ? I agree that the Phantom figure looks like Tarzan painted purple.
ReplyDeleteGlad you agree about the Phantom and Tarzan Paul. i thought I might be seeing things. Your Zulu sounds like an interesting reshaping. I had a couple of Military Modelling mags and an annual. All containing Samurai models, my teenage obsession! The figure from old zoo sets that has faired the test of tome is the standing Gorilla. Even my 3 year old Grandson has one now!
DeleteThe last time I went through my figure box, most of the additions had come off Tarzan due to the difficulty of gluing anything to a soft plastic figure. There was also a Samurai article in Airfix Magazine Annual 4, a 54mm figure conversion (hard plastic) from a 42nd Highlander (Black Watch Regiment). I was never into Samurai or martial arts, although I do remember Kung Fu on TV, and a (Japanese ?) series about a Samurai in the 1960s, it might actually have been called Samurai but I can not recall exactly.
ReplyDeleteI may have that samurai article Paul. The one I'm thinking of is a Ronin attack. I may have blogged it one year. I don't recall the Samurai TV program in the 60's. There was Shogun in the Seventies and the brilliant Water Margin from China.
DeleteThe article in Airfix Magazine Annual 4 was a single figure conversion, charging, with sword raised. Three pages. There is a small colour photo of the model on the cover, below the new 1:24 scale Harrier jump-jet kit. All the early Airfix Annuals were hardbacks (only the last two were paperbacks), while the Military Modelling Annuals had light card covers, and tended to fall apart.
ReplyDeleteOn searching, I came across a Wikipedia entry for a Japanese TV series from the 1960s, which I think is the one I dimly remember. The Samurai (1962-65) was shown in New Zealand and Australia, where is was popular, but not widely seen elsewhere. Perhaps it did not screen in Britain. I really do not remember much about it. It must have been set a few hundred years ago, and he seemed to be on his own ? Perhaps like many American Westerns, with a lone hero. I do remember swords, but that is about it. I also remember Shogun in the 1970s, with Dr Kildare. Not familiar with Water Margin. Plenty of Martial Arts in Xena - Warrior Princess, if that counts.
Sorry, did it again, left my name off the above reply.
ReplyDeleteI will check out The Samurai TV series Paul. Thanks.
DeleteI have a Tarzan figure that looks exactly like the one in the picture with the text "ridiculously rare Lone Star Tarzan set", except the skin seems darker brownon my figure. So I'm curious to how much it is worth.. or if it could be a copy... anybody knows?
ReplyDeleteHi, I don't get into values sorry but maybe you could connect with other plastic figure enthusiasts on something like the Plastic Warrior FB page? https://www.facebook.com/PlasticWarrior/?locale=en_GB
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