The Missing Piece In The PMD Jigsaw

Props (as I believe young folk say) to Paul from Oz for sending me these PMD hoplites, the only figures from the range I didn't have. As you can see they display the same slightly fey Up Pompeii* styling of the other Greek figures from PMD. I'm not quite sure why they are cocking their hips in quite such a manner though that and the position of the right arm suggests they maybe about to enter a Disco Inferno. Hmm come to think of it The Hot Gates does sound like a New York club c.1975. 

*A 1970s BBC TV comedy series starring camp comedian Frankie Howerd and based on A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum only without the songs.

Love Rhompia

 

The PMD Thracian peltast. He's more or less identical in costume and pose to the Minifigs PBs version, suggesting that WRG's Punic Wars book had an influence in Northamptonshire as well as Hampshire. I think I've now posted photos of all the PMD ancient range with the exception of the hoplite - the only one of the figures I don't own a sample of. If you have one and can't stand to be parted from it, send me a picture and I'll post it here.

Handbags at 20 Paces

If there was a prize for the least military looking ancient figures ever made these little fellows would surely be in the top ten. They are the "missing" Phoenix Model Developments Greek slinger (code AW8)  mentioned in an earlier post. Previously Rob from Garrison described one of the PMD figures as "elfin" and there's certainly something rather Charles Hawtrey-like about these chaps.

Licence to Sling

The PMD Persian slinger. The sling has been removed perhaps because he had been ear-marked to crew the Hinton Hunt Persian chariot. He's in the same garb as the Cardaces spearmen that featured earlier.

I mentioned in the previous post that the designer Steve Farmer worked at Mettoy. Quite a few of the other Les Higgins/PMD designers did too, including Tim Richards (who did a fair few of the Napoleonics) and Higgins himself. I believe Les may have been responsible for the James Bond figure that accompanied the original Corgi 007 Aston Martin.

PMD Ancients Listing

 

 

Contrary to what I said earlier on this blog, the designer of this range of figures is known (and I should have been aware of it since I was the one who interviewed Tim Richards). His name was Steve Farmer and he worked for Mettoy designing the figures that went alongside the Corgi range of model vehicles. The Ancient range was released in 1973. I believe there may also have been a Greek slinger and if I can find the box the figure I’m thinking of is in I’ll tell you for certain.

 

The Ancient World (500-320 BC)

AW/1 Greek javelinman [this figure is actually a spear armed hoplite]
AW/2 Greek warrior with short sword [Hoplite with cloak]
AW/3 Thracian Peltast [with oval “thureos” shield and rhomphaia]
AW/4 Cretan archer
AW/5 Greek cavalryman with sword
AW/6 Persian archer
AW/7 Persian infantryman (Cardaces)
AW/8 Persian slinger (Confusingly some PMD greek slingers - see later post - I have also have the code AW/8 on the base)
AW/9 Persian Anatolian spearman
AW/10 Dahae horse archer
(Javelins and spears were not included with packs)

 

 

 

Photos shows AW/5. His sword has been cut away, presumably to replace it with a javelin.

That'll Be The Dahae

Another Phoenix Model Developments ancient figure - the Dahae horse archer. He's very similar in costume and pose to the Minifigs PB version. The horse is the standard Higgins design, more or less the ECW horse with the pistol holsters removed.

By The Time I Get To Phoenix

I've previously featured pictures of a couple of the old Phoenix Model Developments ancient range - the Greek officer and the Anatolian Guard Spearman (the latter had stepped straight off the pages of Funcken). Here are a few photos of the Infantry of the Cardaces.

PMD was the name of the company that began life as Les Higgins Miniatures. The rebranding occurred after Higgins died. Most of the later ranges were designed by either Tim Richards - who also did a lot of the Phoenix Follies 54mm stuff - and Higgins' business partner Brian Marlow. However the ancient range was designed by somebody else - Marlow couldn't recall hs name and Tim Richards was similarly vague, venturing that "He lived in Norfolk". Whoever the designer was they are nice figures if a little prone to a certain Hincliffe-esque gibbon-arm.

Thoroughbred Norse

Old John has just discovered this ultra-rare Les Higgins 20mm Viking. What a fine specimen he is. I wonder if there were other figures in the range....

Les Greeks

I like Les Higgins figures so much I bought the company (well part of it anyway - Old John from 20mm Nostalgia Revival, Richard at Vintage20Mil and a few others were involved too). While Higgins' specialism was the English Civil War and Marlburian period he did design a small range of 30mm Ancient figures. An example is the Greek officer on the right above. I think he has one of the best faces I've seen on a small scale figure.

After Higgins died his firm was renamed Phoenix Model Developments. PMD did a small range of 25mm figures. I posted a picture of the Anatolian Guard Spearman earlier. Above is the Greek officer (the shield pattern is copied from Saxtorph). As you can see the 25mm figure and the 30mm figure are more or less the same height - Higgins erred on the smaller side when interpreting scale, the opposite of modern designers who seem to think 28mm means "at least 35mm". Note also that Les' figure actually has a human neck and hands that aren't the size of shovels.