Big John Cannon has just bought a ranch in Arizona, which his brother Buck (an ex-Confederate soldier) is looking after. He arrives with his wife and son, Blue Boy. His wife just has time to name the ranch the High Chaparral, after a local plant, before being killed in an Apache attack. The Indians also steal all his cattle.
He goes to Mexican rancher Don Sabastian Montoya to buy replacements. Don Sabastian agrees, but only if Big John will marry his daughter Victoria, whom he wants to get rid of, and no one else will marry her (very similar to The Onedin Line, where James could only buy the ship he wanted to start his own shipping line, if he also married an unwanted daughter). Big John needs the cattle, and agrees. Victoria's brother, Manolito, is sent along to keep an eye on things.
The series tended to centre around the mis-adventures of Manolito, Uncle Buck, and Blue Boy. It seemed to do well internationally, and certainly screened in Britain and New Zealand. There was a fair amount of merchandising for the show.
One of these items was a set of small HO & OO, or 1/76th, scale soft plastic figures by Airfix. Actually, this was their existing Cowboys set (S7, with 42 pieces) from 1961, with some of the original figures deleted, and replaced with the five main characters from the TV series.
The title of this set is The High Chaparral, number S38. The box art is very good, and shows John Cannon on horseback, with a rifle. Manolito, also on a horse, is aiming a pistol. Uncle Buck is standing, about to draw his revolver. None of these actually match what is in the box.
The back of the end-opening box does correctly show the figures, and names them. It also says From the BBC:TV series, although this was merely the British TV station that played the series, not the original maker of the show. There is also a copyright notice in the lower right hand corner for Xanadu Production Inc.
The set was first shown in the 7th Edition Airfix Catalogue (1970). The artwork was clearly only a mock-up, as it featured a photograph from the show, not the usual Airfix painting. It was also listed under the number S7, which was the same as the original Cowboys set.
Oddly, the Catalogues always described the set as High Chaparral Cowboys, but the boxes always used the TV series title The High Chaparral.
The 8th Edition Catalogue showed the real box, and the new number S38, which was also used in the 9th Catalogue. The 10th Edition Catalogue (printed January 1973) changed the number yet again, to 01738-1. The set was last shown in the 12th Edition (printed January 1975).
From MOS6510 Models, a look at the 7th Edition Catalogue.
The set was briefly mentioned in the News From Airfix section of Airfix Magazine, January 1971, which would have been published in late 1970. The retail price of the set on its release was 2/11 (two shillings and eleven pence - I am not sure exactly what that was in New Pence, about 15p ?).
This is not a set I had when I was a boy. In fact, I never saw this set in New Zealand, only in the Airfix Catalogue. I picked this box up, second-hand, in the 1990s, for $2 NZ.
Big John Cannon is holding a rifle, and has his arm around his wife Victoria (he obviously does not want to lose another wife) - this being a double figure; her brother Manolito; John's son Blue Boy; and his brother, known as Uncle Buck. The rest of the figures are generic cowboys and outlaws in various poses, both on foot and mounted.
The boxes say 42 Scale Pieces, which includes human figures, horses, and their bases. My set is moulded in a reddish-brown colour, but it was also made in cream, and a much darker chocolate brown.
Most references refer to early boxes saying 42 pieces, and later boxes saying 41 pieces. Most boxes I found on Worthpoint show 42 Scale Pieces, with the old Airfix banner logo, and the number S38 - this is the box I have. The boxes that have 41 Scale Pieces all seem to have the early Airfix logo on the box top, with the later, circular Airfix logo on the sides and rear, and the number 01738-1.
Plastic Soldier Review is a site devoted to small scale plastic figures, including the Airfix High Chaparral set. Their example is moulded in cream coloured plastic.
Four photographs, all mine.
Did you like the High Chaparral?
Paul Adams from New Zealand
