Saturday, November 21, 2015

Comic Book Toy Soldiers: Lucky Toys 104 King's Knights Set

This is another post detailing some of the comic book toy soldiers that were available long ago. Well, maybe not THAT long ago. I have to say that I never saw these ads in the comics I was buying:


They were made by the same people who made the flat Lucky 204 Revolutionary War Soldier Set and the Lucky flat Romans. These figures are similar in that the foot soldiers are a larger size than the cavalry. Here's the original box that also served as the mailer:






As you can see it is very similar to the box the 132 Roman Soldiers were packaged in. Once opened the contents were jumbled together:


The ad says you receive the following:

4 Kings on Horseback
12 Knights in armor on horseback with pikes
12 knights on horseback with banners
4 Buglers afoot
12 Knights on horseback with battle axes
20 Foot soldiers with Maces and side swords
20 Foot soldiers with swords and shields
20 Foot soldiers with long bows

The soldiers were divided equally into black and white pieces. Unlike the Roman set, there are no catapults or devices to knock them down. The set I possess is made of a very hard plastic, the detail is crisp and only some of the mounted knights' "pikes" have been damaged by handling over time. Also my set is incomplete, it is missing a few figures.

The 4 kings:

12 Knights in armor on Horseback with pikes (lances)
12 Knights on horseback with Banners
4 Buglers afoot
12 Knights on horseback with battle axes
20 Foot soldiers with Maces and side swords
20 Foot soldiers with swords and shields
20 Foot soldiers with long bows
All set up they look impressive:

As for the scale, the foot soldiers are the same size as the flat Romans, just over an inch and a half tall and too large to fit in with smaller plastics. The cavalry is the same size as the Roman cavalry and a suitable fit with modern 1/72 figures, albeit rather thin. Here's a picture showing the size differences between Airfix and Strelets 1/72 figures and these:
These figures are very nice, they have flat bases but they are susceptible to sudden domino like collapses if the table they are on is bumped.

15 comments:

  1. The ads were in comics I had, much time spent dreaming but I never had money to buy. Thanks for the post.

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  2. By the time I started buying comics, chocolate bars and comics were four for a dollar. The flat soldiers were no longer available, only the fully round soft plastic sets and the Helen of Toy games.

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  3. I remember these adverts well from the 1960's, the comics were available in England but not the toy soldiers, and we were all desperate to get them, especially the Revolutionary War set. The trouble was we couldn't get US$ because Exchange Control Regulations were still in place, you had to make an application to the Bank of England to buy any foreign currency.

    Also we all assumed them to be fully round 54mm figures like we were used to. I first saw them in the plastic as an adult collector and have to say I was more than a little disappointed, although they do have a certain charm, if I'd received them as a ten year old the fall out would have been tantrumatic!

    Best wishes, Brian

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  4. Hello Brian. For me, in Canada, it was a case of my letters and postal money orders being returned. I was too late to the party as it were, but eventually I did get the "Task Force" game from Helen of Toy.

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  5. Plastic flats, I did not every know such things existed. Most interesting post, thanks.

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  6. New to me, must've read the wrong comics! Fascinating stuff.

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  7. Reminds me a lot of souvenirs...great!

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  8. I have this full set complete with the original box but can't find what it's worth.

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    Replies
    1. Keep looking on eBay. I've never seen a full set. Partial sets are around $36? So a full set might be double that or more. Whatever the market will bear. Good luck!

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  9. I still have my set although the box is quite faded. I used to mow yards and throw newspapers for money, so I was able to buy the 104 Kings Knights circa 1963
    Steven Smith

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  10. Hang onto them! Beyond their sentimental value, they might be worth a bit one day.

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  11. When was this set invented?

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    Replies
    1. I’m not sure. Speculation on my part, but they are very similar to the flat Roman set, so I imagine they are about the same age, early 1960’s? I think a comic book collector might know more about the ads and their appearance.

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    2. I own this game does someone want

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    3. Hello Naomi.

      I would suggest you put the set for sale online, like eBay, and make yourself $50 bucks or more.
      Just be sure to post some pictures of the toys and an inventory of how many there are.
      As for price, if the set is complete and in good shape you could make far more than $50. Good Luck!

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