Military Die Cast Cars Part #1 MATCHBOX

Military Die Cast Vehicles Part #1 

Matchbox

Ever since I was a younger I have always collected Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars. I suppose this is largely due to the fact that my Dad collected them from the 1960's onward. I did enjoy collecting all different types of Hot Wheels growing up, but I had the strongest affinity towards military Hot Wheels and military Matchbox Die Cast vehicles. In the 90's there were plenty of different types of military die casts available including: tanks, trucks, jeeps, helicopters and much more. I still have most of the military die cast vehciles that I received mainly as gifts from my parents, but I have also recently found vintage Lesney Matchbox and older Hot wheels from the 70's at thrift stores.

Matchbox Lesney Superfast Armored Jeep (#38) from 1976

I found this jeep at the thrift store last year (2012) in a bag with other lesser desirable Hot Wheels. It was missing the cannon at first, but I still loved it. It was also in amazing condition considering it was from 1976. Earlier this year I found the same jeep again at the same thrift store. That time the jeep was really beat up, but it had the cannon. I added the cannon to the nicer jeep, and made it an amazing addition to my collection. 

  

Matchbox Lesney  Super Fast Armored Personnel Carrier (#54) from 1976

Another addition from the thrift store. It is  just as great condition as the jeep, and is from the same year.

Matchbox Star Collection M.A.S.H. 4077's Jeep From 1997

The M.A.S.H. Jeep isn't as vintage as the previous two but still just as cool. it is also a thrift store find, and in great condition.  I love collecting TV/Movie related Die Cast cars so it was a double bonus find.

Those were some recent finds, now onto my childhood collection....

Matchbox Military 5 Pack, Green/Brown Camouflage on tan. 



Looks like the large missile, and the Helicopter's windshield is missing from this set.








Matchbox Military 5 Pack Jungle Attack Set 1997-99

The Jungle Attack set has a few of the same vehicles previously featured set, with 2 differences. It comes with the van and the Abrams tank instead of the armored car and the jeep.  This set is complete with everything it came with.


Matchbox Military Tan (Late 90's)

I'm not sure if I got these in a 5 pack or not, because I have 2 humvees. The Humvee and the Helicopter are the same molds as the other 5 packs featured. The new molds are the missile launcher and the Bradley tank. 

Matchbox Military Green 
 
These were from single packs
Matchbox Military Desert Camoflauge

From Single Packs in the 90s
Military Chopper #46

Matchbox #70 1995 Weasel 

Although many of the molds are the same, the 1990's were a prime time for collecting Matchbox military vehicles. The different styles and paint jobs make it worth it to collect them all.

Panosh Combat Commandos

Panosh Combat Commandos

The 1980's were a prime era for military action figures. Although G.I. Joes were the most popular, there were also some awesome obscure lines that I remember from my childhood. Mattel GUTS which I featured before  was one of them

Another awesome assortment of military mini figures is the COMBAT COMMANDOS line by panosh place. When I was younger I obviously didn't know who made them, but my brothers and I had quite a few of them, but they are mostly all lost. I did, however, keep two of them, but I did not know where they were stored. As the years went by, I thought about them from time to time, and always wondered who made them and how I could get some more. For a time I thought that they were Soma military figures and even bought some on eBay. After receiving the Soma figures however, I realized they weren't the figures I was looking for, because they didn't swivel at the waist, and they were flexible rubber. The figures I was thinking of were harder plastic.

  Soma Rubber Military Figures

 

Last Easter while at my parents house I was searching through my boxes and came across the two that I had saved from a possible tragic demise of adolescent destruction. I quickly learned that Panosh place made them and they had a date stamp of 1987.

Childhood Combat Commandos

Once I had a manufacturer name and date. I searched on google and there was actually hardly any information on these little guys. I also  searched eBay for some more, but for several months I couldn't find any auctions worth buying. (some were quite expensive for very few figures.) Then last summer I hit a jackpot, because there was a seller on eBay with 2 seperate auctions. He had one auction with new carded 2 packs and another with an open 2 pack with the backer card. I had the highest bid on both and scored. The packaging is awesome, and now I have plenty for my collection. These have hardly shown up on eBay since then, and I doubt they will pop up often.

Combat Commandos on the card

Released from their plastic prison

rr

All of them together

 

Overall these figures are fantastic pieces of nostalgia, but kids these days would mostly be bored by them because they don't "do anything".

DFC Fantasy Figures and Playsets

DFC FANTASY FIGURES and PLAYSETS

One year during middle school, I had a very memorable gift for Christmas. Instead of buying presents for us kids, one of my grandparents took us to the store and let us pick a few things out. I don't remember most of the toys I grabbed, but there is one thing in particular that has stood out in my mind for years. That year I remember choosing some plastic wizards and monsters, in a bag similar to a bag of plastic army men. In the bag were gargoyles, snakes, and a couple of wizards. They quickly became some of my favorites in my collection. In late childhood years, the wizards especially, served as the magical forces among my plastic soldiers and waged battle with imaginary force fields and elemental powers.

As the years went I lost a few here and there, and broke a couple of them. It wasnt until recently that  I started to wonder who made those figures and how could I get more of them. Then last year I saw a picture of one of the wizards in a collection of a fellow member of an action figure online forum. He informed me where these awesome figures from my childhood came from. They were originally made in 1981 by a company called Dimensions For Children, or DFC for short. The original molds of the figures came with amazing playsets, many which I wish I had as a kid. The figures I got for Christmas as a kid were remolds made 10 years or so after the originals. Because there is so little information on these great figures, I will feature the molds that I have plus some of the original playsets.

The bag That I chose so long ago looked like one these:

Villains

Heroes

 

The next several pictures feature the original playsets from 1981. Most of these pics I snagged off of Ebay as I do not have any of these.

Giant Castle

I just recently saw this on Ebay.  I have never seen it before.

Front of box.

 

Instructions

 

 In the action figure world, DFC is widely known for making the Dragonriders of the Styx line. Not the related to the band Styx in any way.

Dragonriders Of The Styx

Demons of Castelon

The only picture Ive ever seen of this was on Ebay.

Tower Of the Night

(sorry for the picture quality)

Forest of Doom

 

 

Fires of Shandaar

It also seems appropriate to feature the individual figures as well. 

The Villains

Gargoyles or Demons

 

      The bag I got came with plenty of these guys with the axes. I always called them Gargoyles.

 These are from my childhood collection 

More Gargoyles/Demons with different weapons.

     

      I only have one of these guys with the sword and furry pants, and one of the pirate type cutlass.

 These are from my childhood collection

    Different colors of Gargoyles/Demons.

    

     I had two of the Green ones, but they are both broken.

These are also from my childhood collection.
More Gargoyle/Demons

 

Giant and a red Gargoyle/Demon

The Ogre is missing his stand, the Gargoyle is in excellent condition. Both are from trades from an action figure forum members.
Giant with a stand

Maroon Giant

Comparison of Giants

Ogre With Sword

Faceless Naga 

Faceless Naga and the Wizards.

 

If you notice other sets of DFC figures, the Naga have faces, and the wizards have a star instead of a ball on the end of their wands.

Last but not least...

Fires of Shandaar Flameman/Lavaman

 
The Flameman was the hardest to find for a decent price online

Collection of my Childhood DFC figures (except the ogre)

One day earlier this year I stopped by a local thrift store on a whim before class one day. They had these for .95 cents. Amazing thrift store score. Once I take individual pictures of the heroes Ill feature them here. 





 

These pictures feature both heroes and villains. An Ogre with its stand, two pigs/orcs, a viking with a mace and three heroes with axes and one with a sword and a shield.

Heroes

 

Wizards

Newer Wizard

 

Fires Of Shandaar Wizard (1981)

Comparison of a 1981 Fires of Shandaar Wizard with the 90's mold. 

Another Wizard

Knight with Sword #1

Knight with Sword #2

 

Archer

Knight with Axe #1

 

Knight with Axe #2

 

Viking with Mace #1