My Franken-Alamo Set-up - Pt 1

I like putting together toy soldier set-ups but every now-&-then they become quite a handful. This was one of them. The space used for this was the same space I used for last year's Christmas layout, battery operated Korean train, the Gettysburg set-up, and more. It measures 44" deep x ca76" wide and is in no way sufficient enough to properly depict the real Alamo compound, which was actually quite large. Of course, the original Marx playsets featured a very small compound because they were meant as a child's playset. But using components from an original Marx set as well as two Marx re-pop sets - along with components from a variety of other manufacturers - allowed me to cobble together a reasonable toy resemblance to the original compound.

Sooo, what is it we have here? I first used the original Marx Chapel as well as several original Marx walls. In order to make a bigger compound, additional walls from the re-pop (Marx Toys Corp from 1995) were used. As an homage to the original Marx playset I put the "Davy Crockett At The Alamo" gate on the west wall (that's the wall in the very front that you're looking at in the main photo). Of course it doesn't belong there because entry into the compund was managed by a port cochere' in the south wall. For that I used a second Marx "Davy Crockett At The Alamo" gate. I cobbled together a Long Barracks in the upper left (the north east corner) using extra wall sections. There are two foam gun ramps from an early Classic Toys Soldiers (CTS) playset and a foam repaired north wall from The Hobby Bunker (The real Alamo had a breach in its north wall which had been hastily repaired prior to the siege). Figures are Marx re-pop, CTS, BMC/Americana, Wm Britains, and Britains DSG.There's only three cannons in the compound and one used by Mexican artillerymen. Depending on which account or which drwaing you're looking at the compound had anywhere from13-15 cannons. I don't know how many the Mexican army employed.

I culled this drawing of the Alamo compound from Pinterest. It's about as good as any and while some details may differ from drawing to drawing that you come across, the basics are there.

My set-up as it looked on 12 Mar 2021

Jim Bowie's Last Stand is represented here in the Long Barracks, but in truth he was in his quarters next to the port cochere' on the south wall.

Notice the well near the Long Barracks

Hand made Adobe Hut For My Alamo Set-up

I just happened to spot this handmade tin adobe hut on fleaBay and snatched it up. It's perfect for Alamo set-ups like mine which are primarily tin (vs. the foam walls and buildings that are currently the rage). The eBay seller is Peter Wassmiller (seller name: 'homemadetoys') and I've featured some his works before here on the blog. The house is formed and painted tin with paper photo overlays to provide the detail. I have to touch up a few spots with glue but overall it's an excellent addition to my Alamo collection. The tin structure measures 7 1/2" (19.05cm) W x 3 3/4" (9.52cm) D x 3 3/4" (9.52cm) H. Right now, I'm using this as Bowie's quarters next to the south wall gate with another one coming which I may use as the Trevino house on the west wall. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

Nichols Dyna-MITE Derringer with Original Box

I'm not through with Alamo postings by any means but while we're on the subject of the Old West, let's look at a couple of other toys. Here's a nice cap gun made by Nichols: the Dyna-MITE derringer. These were fun to have as kids playing Old West or Cowboys and Indians because you could hide them in your pocket and surprise your opponents just when they thought your were disarmed - but you only get one shot! LOL Enjoy! Opa Fritz

 

Paragon Alamo Defenders Batch #9 Set #00209

Here's another header bag of Paragon Alamo figures in gray and tan. There's simply a dearth of defender sculpts to be had out there and these figures from Paragon are filling the bill nicely. This particular set has twocompleted finished figures and the rest have plug-in heads and arms. I just don't have time at the moment to do complete photo essays on the figures but hopefully I can get to it sometime this year! :-)  Enjoy! Opa Fritz 

Paragon Alamo Mexican Soldiers Set #00213

I've been so immersed in toys of the past that a lot of new companies have started up that I've had no clue about. One of these is Paragon who has a series of Alamo related figures with some unusual features like swappable heads, hands, and arms. Swappable parts is not a new concept of course but hasn't been a staple of Little Green Army Men for some time. The sculpts are essentially 54mm but are - what's the right word? - 'clunkier', than what we're used to with Marx or BMC type figures. These match up well with Conte sculpting though and for me I don't care because quite frankly, it's tough trying to flesh out an Alamo scene with the relatively few sculpts that have dominated the market for so long. 

This set was kind of important to me in that it had several ladders and ladder climbers - a pose of which there is little variety in the toy world. Paragon offers quite a few sets and I've only gotten a couple to-date, so without furhter ado here's my set of Alamo Mexican Soldiers. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

Twelve figures

Four different style heads (18 heads total)

Three right hands holding pistols

Three left hands holding pistols

Three right arms holding swords

Three left arms holding swords

Three axes

Three pick-axes

There's enough extra parts for battlefield carnage and debris

Here's a few of the poses available with the various head/arm parts. The biggest shortcomings to this set are:

-That guy holding the pick-axe. The holes in the hands don't line up so that it's impossible to just slide the axe in stratight

-The ladders are so crooked they don't sit square on the surface

-The ladder climbers do not stay on the ladders well enough without gluing them. Their hands are designed to slip over the the top rung but the sculpting isn't good enough for them to actually get a good grip. There's a peg on one of the rungs that fits into a hole in the bottom of the right shoe but it's not at all a tight enough fit for the foot to stay in place.

Four different heads are included