That Palitoy Action Man Lancers cap I found yesterday ( thanks for ID 'ing it Paul) .....
reminded me of an officer I once found at a German flea market and blogged about 13 years ago.
The new cap would have sat well on this fellow, albeit a cheapo I think. The uniform was by Schildkrot.
The officer has flown along with his She-Ras.
Looking up Schildkrot Action Team I thought my old man was this from their Soldiers of the World range. It looks like the Lancers cap I got yesterday but the uniform is different to the above.
Is this Schildkrot figure a Lancer?
As it turns out my old officer should have had a cap more like the Foreign Legion.
Oddly enough, all the Schildkrot figures I've seen online today have the same cheapo looking doll so maybe my original assessment was wrong.
He's Schildkrot too!
What do you think? Have you any Action Team? Is their figure a Lancer? What did I get 13 years ago?
Morning Woodsy,
ReplyDeleteyour figure is the Französischer Offizier, indeed made by Schildkröt of Germany.
Other than the provenance of a flea market in Germany, the cheap figure would identify it as such. The same uniform was issued by Polistil in Italy who sold it with regular licensed GI Joe figures. As an aside, his grenadier shoulder tabs would indicate he's in the infantry.
Schildkröt made celluloid doils and puppets long before Hasbro came along, so I think they saw licensed Action Man uniforms as a way to sell their cheap figures in a lot of different variations. Or it could be they did two lines - one with regular GI Joe figures and one for the static doll collectors using their cheap figures. Both appear in searches.
The figure at right in the auction picture you found is indeed the Lancers officer, repurposed as a UN Peacekeeping Force Commander by adding a red armband marked "UN" as a quick fix. :)
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-1970-french-officer-outfit-1837290873
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-gi-joe-action-team-french-218411933
https://www.ebay.com/itm/187287057218
Best -- Paul V
Fascinating Paul. Thanks. You really know your Schildkrot. I really like the cheapo figure and the classy uniforms combo, especially that dolls of the world set with the UN 'Lancer' .the link you provided is interesting, it suggests the French Officer uniform was taken out of its packaging and put on a 'ken'. And back in 2013, you commented fully on the French Officer's insignia and rank. Thanks again!
DeleteHeh, so I did! Just found it again - completely forgotten.
DeleteI didn't really know Schildkröt until this morning tbh. Ran into a (German) wikipedia page about them and various dolls and figures on various auction pages.
As a tiny update - I think that UN armband really should've been white instead of red. :)
Best -- Paul V
Great stuff Paul. Next time I'm in Germany I'll keep my eye out for Schildkrot figures at the boot sales.
DeleteHi Woodsy, sorry to disappoint but those are not She-Ra figures. they are Moth Lady and Rubee from the Galoob line 'Golden Girl and the Guardians of the Gemstones' dating from 1985. Mrs Cloudbase had most of them at the time as part of her doll collecting. the also had good and evil horses and chariots and a castle playset as well as separate clothing sets for the dolls. The Bird man is a Palace Guard figure from the 'Blackstar' line(also Galoob but two years earlier than Golden Girl) hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteFascinating stuff Steve. Thanks. Does Mrs. Cloudbase - love that name! - still collect dolls?
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