Flamethrower & Predictor

First up, the flame thrower. As a small boy I loved playing with matches and setting small fires; fortunately, I didn't burn down the shed. I had a Lon Star Africa Corps flamethrower I always thought very cool - sounds contradictory, I know.

Actually, flame throwers were among the nastiest of weapons, burning foes to death. The wielders captured were not always treated with the principles of the Geneva Convention. Also, you did not want to be close to a flame thrower if the user got shot.

Among my recent old metal acquisitions was this hollow-cast flamethrower. His head was broken off and the end of the flamer missing. There was a large hole in his back eliminating one side of the flamer fuel cylinder.

Below: The head has been re-attached with wire and Super Glue with a generous portion of Baking Soda, also used as filler. A hole was drilled in the hand to allow a piece of wire, Putty was used to reconstruct the cylinder, fairly easy and also to make a nozzle on the wire extension. I did not have a visual reference for the figure and was tempted to add a putty stream of fire as with the lone Star plastic figure. I will paint over the new parts and over bare metal. Generally, when a figure needs this much repair I have no qualms about repainting. However, I'll probably keep to the simple original paint scheme.

At first, I thought this was a Timpo figure but I could not find a reference to such a figure and there are no markings on the figure. Is any reader able to inform us as to the maker?

  I had a gander at Andrew Rose's 'The Collector's All Color Guide to Toy Soldiers' and found the reference to the 'radio'. It is called a 'predictor' and was a computer which predicted, for gunners, the position of enemy aircraft. It is also meant to sit on the stand.

  There is the searchlight again. I keep thinking, as it has a real globe, it should light up but I don't see where wires would attach so it must be just imagine it. Frank Perry's First or Second Book of Wargaming has some rules for night fighting and searchlights.