I'm seeing whAt I think are Lancer's caps everywhere now I've got one!
Here's one on eBay without it's insignia but no mention is made of the cap in the listing, so is it a Lancer's?
It's worn by a non-Action Man on an Action Man motorbike, which itself is rather nice.
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In another shot the cap is placed with an incomplete Action Man and a uniform.
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The Man is armless, the description is capless.
"POLICE MOTORCYCLE & DEAD ARMLESS ACTION MAN 1964 by PALITOY embossed (out of action ie dead ideal for diorama piece) & Action man Cavalry HORSE & unbranded SCOUT CAR & 21st Century American AIRBORNE Paratrooper action figure complete all limbs attached and robust & A small arms kit (MNIB) to construct a machine gun."
A Lancer's cap?
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By way of a postscript, I found a cheapo Action Man clone in a drawer and he kindly modelled my new Lancer's/ Officers cap for me!
It's a vintage Action Man officer's cap, Woodsy. It was typically issued with Talking Commanders from early '70s onwards. It was also included with the Colditz Escape Officer outfit and the British Officer uniform. It invariably came with the Lancer cap badge, except for a much later version which had the SAS badge.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tone. Paul V mentioned the Colditz Escape Officer too. I must look that one up.
DeleteSo, if that cap came " invariably with the Lancer badge", then this cap must be a remould!
DeleteIt's odd it doesn't have any insignia.
Maybe it's a later issue or a bootleg?
Why would Palitoy go to all the trouble of retooling a cap?
On a similar track, I'm designing the RAF uniforms for my puppet film characters. I'm taking a lot of care to ensure they are not accurate depictions, that might offend real participants or their descendants.
-Also I just discovered the RAF charges a license fee to reproduce their uniforms, so that's another reason for my backyard production to go the fantasy route!
Maybe Palitoy had licensing problems?
Maybe the badge has simply fallen off this cap?
DeleteYou're right Woodsy. It is indeed an AM Lancer cap and the badge has come off. The badge is a separate plated plastic part with a pin holding it to the cap. On the cap worn by the paratrooper on the bike you can see the hole for the pin.
DeleteColditz set here btw: https://www.actionmanhq.co.uk/action-man-equipment/escape-from-colditz/index.php
Best -- Paul V
Aw, cheers Paul. That Colditz set is stunning, thanks for that. So many items, maps and everything. A brilliant set. That Action Man site is really brilliant. The set cover reminds me of the Colditz board game I've found and sold a couple of times. For some reason the Lancer's cap makes me think of Richard Attenborough's officer in the film The Great Escape.
DeleteInteresting that about RAF fees Looey.
ReplyDeleteThe practice of toys requiring a license to use a life-size design started in the 80s (or so says google AI which backs up what I recall seeing). Back in the day toys were seen as free advertising for, say, a car manufacturer. I imagine the practice started with film merchandising (a certain Keith Shackleton springs to mind though I imagine Hollywood thought of it first) and others realised they could earn extra money on their products/image/brand without much additional effort.
DeleteBest -- Paul V
Great insights Paul. Yes, Keith Shackleton and C21, what a string of licences they issued and had! There's a long list of them somewhere.
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