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Enlarged Cloned Soldiers

In this hobby, it is common to see cloned figures. They are not just copies, but a peculiar cheap way of copying better miniatures. Clones are normally distinguished by being smaller and less-detailed than the originals. So it was with some surprise that we discovered these enlarged clones in a Target store. They run between 60 and 65mm tall, and are copies of oft-cloned figures of Desert Storm troops and the ubiquitous Airfix & Matchbox paratrooper clones. Imperial sold sets like this in 50 / 54mm in the 1990s.

While there are many who favor 54mm - 1/32 scale for hobby figures, toy soldiers were never so precise. American-made figures ranged from 54mm to 75mm, with 60mm - 2 1/2" - 1/29 being very common. Auburn, Ideal and early Marx ran large, for instance.

The figures show here have good details and would be considered decent, if larger, copies.

The tan soldiers are recent 60 - 65mm variants of those which appeared in 54mm size during the early 1990s, They were called "Desert Storm" soldiers. The green 54mm figure is from another set, and is placed to illustrate the size difference.

"Two-gun" soldier and GI with radio and Mac-10 machine pistol. The original 54mm figures had a few additional poses, including one firing an M203 grenade launcher.

The 65mm figures were also available in green.

Here you see the size difference. These are rare because clones are usually shrunk, not expanded.

These are expanded clones of the oft-copied Airfix and Matchbox paratrooper figures.

One man has some type of submachine gun, the other an M-60 light machine gun.

Clones of US paratroopers: rifleman and bazooka man.

Clone of Airfix British paratrooper throwing grenade, and U.S. paratrooper with .30 caliber machine gun. Though he is in many sets sold as U.S. troops, the Airfix paratrooper is very british. Note elongated ammo pouches on belt, square canteen, short boots and Sten submachine gun. The U.S. figure is reminiscent of a style of machine-gunners made by U.S.toy companies in the 1930s.

Another cloned British paratrooper. This one has an Enfield rifle.

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The tan soldiers are recent 60 - 65mm variants of those which appeared in 54mm size during the early 1990s, They were called "Desert Storm" soldiers. The green 54mm figure is from another set, and is placed to illustrate the size difference.	"Two-gun" soldier and GI with radio and Mac-10 machine pistol. The original 54mm figures had a few additional poses, including one firing an M203 grenade launcher.
The 65mm figures were also available in green.	Here you see the size difference. These are rare because clones are usually shrunk, not expanded.
These are expanded clones of the oft-copied Airfix and Matchbox paratrooper figures.	One man has some type of submachine gun, the other an M-60 light machine gun.
	Clones of US paratroopers: rifleman and bazooka man.
Clone of Airfix British paratrooper throwing grenade, and U.S. paratrooper with .30 caliber machine gun. Though he is in many sets sold as U.S. troops, the Airfix paratrooper is very british. Note elongated ammo pouches on belt, square canteen, short boots and Sten submachine gun. The U.S. figure is reminiscent of a style of machine-gunners made by U.S.toy companies in the 1930s.	Another cloned British paratrooper. This one has an Enfield rifle.