Britains African Black Rhino charging

So beautiful photos of an very nice model !

Chris Sweetman wrote:

Roger wrote:

Pictures are brilliant, of course! Though, I want to point that the fact that we barely see the paws of this model, contributes also to a more realistic look. Maybe that's the least appealing part of this great sculpt. Have they painted it in a subtle different way and it would look real.

Many thanks Rogério. Regarding the actual figure one must remember that at the time it was produced the advanced painting techniques that are available today were in their infancy. Plus this was only a toy for children to play with and never meant to be an item for collectors.

When I see this rhino and other late issue Britains I just wonder why they put the effort in with the definition of the animal's muscles, skin wrinkles, even the ribs in this particular figure. All this plus the animated pose that captures the essence of the animal just perfectly.

I am aware of it, actually I wanted to highlight the quality of the sculpts of Britains models and not the limitations in terms of painting. I am a huge fan of Britains sculpts, the Indian rhino or a few elephants, are among my favourite figures of ever. I am sure that if Britains models were painted according with modern standards, more people would appreciate them these days.
Talking about painting, it is also a pleasure to see how good is the painting condition on your models, most of mine are almost paintless, my giraffe looks like a ghost.

Great photos. The African guide in the first post is very rare! I know you collect vintage car models too, Chris: Do you also have the Landrover (and isn’t there a Western tourist too)?

This brings back memories. I had this as a child. In Arizona, there was a toy store chain (probably more than just AZ), called KB Toys & Hobbies. They sold Britains individually. Because of the cost (compared to bag sets of animals), I only had three: this black rhino, the crocodile with the movable jaw, and the tiger. I never knew the company but since joining this forum I learned it.

costicuba wrote:

So beautiful photos of an very nice model !

widukind wrote:

Thanks to you both

Roger wrote:

Chris Sweetman wrote:

Roger wrote:

Pictures are brilliant, of course! Though, I want to point that the fact that we barely see the paws of this model, contributes also to a more realistic look. Maybe that's the least appealing part of this great sculpt. Have they painted it in a subtle different way and it would look real.

Many thanks Rogério. Regarding the actual figure one must remember that at the time it was produced the advanced painting techniques that are available today were in their infancy. Plus this was only a toy for children to play with and never meant to be an item for collectors.

When I see this rhino and other late issue Britains I just wonder why they put the effort in with the definition of the animal's muscles, skin wrinkles, even the ribs in this particular figure. All this plus the animated pose that captures the essence of the animal just perfectly.

I am aware of it, actually I wanted to highlight the quality of the sculpts of Britains models and not the limitations in terms of painting. I am a huge fan of Britains sculpts, the Indian rhino or a few elephants, are among my favourite figures of ever. I am sure that if Britains models were painted according with modern standards, more people would appreciate them these days.
Talking about painting, it is also a pleasure to see how good is the painting condition on your models, most of mine are almost paintless, my giraffe looks like a ghost.

Hi Rogério

That's another issue with the vintage toy animals flaky paint. Fortunately, paint has greatly improved since the 1950's and has a much better chance to stick to the model. This is aided by using PVC plastic and PVC paint that chemically bond together so chipped paintwork is largely a thing of the past.

rogerpgvg wrote:

Great photos. The African guide in the first post is very rare! I know you collect vintage car models too, Chris: Do you also have the Landrover (and isn’t there a Western tourist too)?

Thanks Roger. Yes, I have the LWB Safari Land-Rover which came with the Native Guide and photographer in a safari suit. I will post images of this group soon.

In the late 1990's I found some Native Guides in a toy shop. They were placed in a Britains point of sale box alongside soldiers. I managed to buy a few at a fraction of the price they go for from toy figure dealers.

bmathison1972 wrote:

This brings back memories. I had this as a child. In Arizona, there was a toy store chain (probably more than just AZ), called KB Toys & Hobbies. They sold Britains individually. Because of the cost (compared to bag sets of animals), I only had three: this black rhino, the crocodile with the movable jaw, and the tiger. I never knew the company but since joining this forum I learned it.

Great that these images bring back memories of childhood. Prices of Britains were high due to the painting but this was how they became popular in the UK and it looks like across the globe too. Glad that STS has brought you information about this company.