I just managed to get my filthy little variant obsessed hands on one of the SAS divers with the rounded feet MOC. I'm at work, so cant post pics yet, but it's interesting me to say the least. I'd sort of concluded that the variant was from the same school as the later harder plastic figs with better moulded hands such as dufus Shads etc, but this is seemingly not the case.
The MOC one I have just received (thanks Lewis!) is on a very early card, with the Commander Mail Away offer, and also has an insert in the bubble that fits behind the figure to hold it steady in the bubble (like modern figures have) similar to some that Star Wars figures had. Also, the bubble looks to have been sealed on differently and it shows "P2" lightly impressed on the bottom of the bubble where it was pressed on upon sealing. The hanging eyelet is also different to the norm with perforations along the bottom edge of it, which is different to most.
Not sure what all of this alludes to, but I just found it intersting! I'll post some pics up later on so folks can see what I'm rambling on about in my variant obsessed ways!
Alte Volat
"BFTB Elite??? Moi??? Ooooooo, Missus - Titter ye not!"
Yeah, I assumed that the rounded boot version was a later release too, I just surmised that it may of had something to do with Palitoys injection moulds wearing out & a simpler design being produced.
I wonder if any or other divers can be found with this boot variation?
Right, this may well get a bit geeky - you have been warned!
Just finished checking and I have three moc's like sas diver with tray insert - him, z force radio op, and a chopper. All have inserts, perforated hanging eyelets, and commander mail away offers. When I checked further they have an 82/83 copyright and were made in hong kong. The "normal" footed divers were made in the uk. So I checked further....
Seems to me that these may have been a few sample ones done in hong kong. All earlier ones were made in uk. Then we get these few, with purely English language, made in hong kong, and then, once we get to multi lingual cards, the majority seem to be made in hong kong. Which I was guessing explained it....
.... Until I looked at the enemy! A good few of the solely English language commander mail away ones are showing "made in maccau". No there seem to be, just the enemy. All of which are single language, commander mail aways. But then once we get to the skeletrons mail aways they are all either made in uk (mostly single language ones) or made in hong kong (foreign, dual language and att german ones). Then there are some later ones which have made in hong kong crossed out, and made in uk printed above it! Now wasn't there something in the 80's about limiting or taxing imports?
So here's my theory - as we approached the end of the commander mail away offer, pslitoy were looking to push af into Europe, but couldn't keep ip with production at their plant in Leicester. So they outsourced some to try manufacturers abroad. Some went to hong kong (af) and some went to maccau (ain't that the noise a parrot makes???). With the big sales push that saw skeletron mail away maccau was dropped in favour of hong kong, with some still being done in Leicester,where production continued, including all multi language. I don't think I have any single uk language skrltron offer ones made outside the uk. Once series 3 came about, alas everything seems to have switched to hong kong.
And I've just checked all my q divers - all have toes, no round feet.
Geek out over. I thank you.
Alte Volat
"BFTB Elite??? Moi??? Ooooooo, Missus - Titter ye not!"
Just typed all that on my iPhone, and now it won't let me edit it! It's meant to say with skrltron mail away "all multi lingual being in hong kong", not "uk". But i can't edit it on my phone!
Alte Volat
"BFTB Elite??? Moi??? Ooooooo, Missus - Titter ye not!"
Oh, forgot to add - all three with the tray inserts have a cross cross pattern where they are sealed to the card, and seem loads better sealed too. All also have a faint imprinted "p1" or "p2" beneath the bubble at the very bottom.
Alte Volat
"BFTB Elite??? Moi??? Ooooooo, Missus - Titter ye not!"
LDR wrote:Damn! Another rare variation ive sold without knowing.
lol.
Glad its gone to a loving home Steve (you big geek)
lewis
At least I didn't open this one mate! And I'm not sure "rare" is a fair summation! I think only collector in the world who'd notice or be arsed about it is me!!
Alte Volat
"BFTB Elite??? Moi??? Ooooooo, Missus - Titter ye not!"
variant was from the same school as the later harder plastic figs with better moulded hands such as dufus Shads etc, but this is seemingly not the case.
or other divers can be found with this boot variation?
Geek...... actually that's a fair summation. Have you floated this past Dave?
