New cowboys and Indians from China
I love finding these little surprises from El Cheapo China because some very strange stuff emerges. These latest figures I picked up from Toy World Wonthaggi on a holiday recently. I bought a stage coach with cowboys riding the horses and Indians attacking. I also bought a set of cowboys and a set of Indians. The stage coach was $14 and the other sets were $5.
These figures don't appear to be copies of European, British or American figures and it is a nice change to not get more clones of Airfix and Britains. The most prominent characteristic of the figures is the prominence of abs! We are talking super defined to the point of genetic engineering! What is really different is that even the cowboys show their abs, via open shirts and jackets. Unusually, the cowboys have darker skin than the Indians. Historically there were black cowboys, although they haven't featured much in Western films until recent years. However, these figures don't have Negroid features but rather sharp European noses.
One cowboy I did like was a mounted cowboy clasping a green bottle. It is probably booze to help with the 'yeehahs'. That is another rare portrayal as the only other examples I can think of are a drink stirrer and the black clad Timpo figure that comes with the train and the medicine wagon.
The stage coach looks good and has opening doors but no seats inside. Spaghetti Western type pics adorn it. The pictures that illustrate the box packaging is very attractive and again features some spaghetti Western type characters and also a Custer's last stand. Hopefully some US cavalry will also be produced.
Some of the Indians seem to have Thor type hammers that are probably meant to be tomahawks. One figure has a sword and shied. it is not even an Aztec type sword so he can't be used as is for that. I have seen this in another set of made in China Indians. maybe he got the sword from a dead cavalryman, not impossible as the Indians did make use of looted weapons although sabre points were generally used on spears. The figure thrusting with spear is a good pose. The most amusing figure has such large abs that they look like breasts but he does not look very female. Perhaps it is a transgender Indian. What is more unfortunate is that this specimen suffers from a leg abnormality with different length legs and a knee bent at an impossible angle.
Below: The kneeling figure's fire arm looks like a seventeenth century one given the weird shape.
These figures don't appear to be copies of European, British or American figures and it is a nice change to not get more clones of Airfix and Britains. The most prominent characteristic of the figures is the prominence of abs! We are talking super defined to the point of genetic engineering! What is really different is that even the cowboys show their abs, via open shirts and jackets. Unusually, the cowboys have darker skin than the Indians. Historically there were black cowboys, although they haven't featured much in Western films until recent years. However, these figures don't have Negroid features but rather sharp European noses.
One cowboy I did like was a mounted cowboy clasping a green bottle. It is probably booze to help with the 'yeehahs'. That is another rare portrayal as the only other examples I can think of are a drink stirrer and the black clad Timpo figure that comes with the train and the medicine wagon.
The stage coach looks good and has opening doors but no seats inside. Spaghetti Western type pics adorn it. The pictures that illustrate the box packaging is very attractive and again features some spaghetti Western type characters and also a Custer's last stand. Hopefully some US cavalry will also be produced.
Some of the Indians seem to have Thor type hammers that are probably meant to be tomahawks. One figure has a sword and shied. it is not even an Aztec type sword so he can't be used as is for that. I have seen this in another set of made in China Indians. maybe he got the sword from a dead cavalryman, not impossible as the Indians did make use of looted weapons although sabre points were generally used on spears. The figure thrusting with spear is a good pose. The most amusing figure has such large abs that they look like breasts but he does not look very female. Perhaps it is a transgender Indian. What is more unfortunate is that this specimen suffers from a leg abnormality with different length legs and a knee bent at an impossible angle.
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