"Exotically Continental - Roco Minitanks" Topic

Cool!

Do you remember…?

From here
link

Armand

I have a good number of those in a box somewhere in my storage unit!

Happy days, long ago.
I would have bought more but the manufacturer only used the "moulds" one or two days a year.

Along with Airfix figures the base of my original gaming force. There are still quite a few halftracks and soft skins soldiering on in my armies.

Hard to find a good selection, but ROCO always did find a spot in our WWII games. The dreaded SPAA 88mm was overrepresented and HO T-34s often substituted for BTs (small compared to the 1/72 kits).

My "gateway" hobby shop (which, amazingly, is still operating kitkraft.com ) had a display case usually used for watches right by the front door. It was entirely devoted to ROCOs. You could press "forward" and "back" buttons to rotate the display. I'll never forget it!

OH YEAH !!!! Had so many of them !!!

Yes, I still have many of these ROCO vehicles (not in great shape)in a box. Used to spend all my paper route money buying them from the local hobby shop in the early 1970s.

Fond memories indeed. Thank you Armand.

Ah, yes, I still have a box of vehicles in dubious shape stashed away. Good memories of great battles both inside and out in the sand in back. <Sigh>

Grelber

My "gateway" hobby shop (which, amazingly, is still operating kitkraft.com ) had a display case usually used for watches right by the front door. It was entirely devoted to ROCOs. You could press "forward" and "back" buttons to rotate the display. I'll never forget it!

OMG Jeff! Kitkraft!!! I practically grew up in that place! Every Saturday, standing almost in a trance over that bloody display case, rotating it back and fourth, back and fourth trying to decide (until I was admonished not to because it rocked the trays the models were displayed on).

And then all the Airfix infantry on the front wall along the windows (right behind you from the case), and all the models down the side wall (cars, then airplanes, then ships, then finally tanks).

When were you there? Did you go to Walter Reed or Colfax?

Oy, a set of synapses that have not fired for quite a few years…

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)

We had a hobby store called "Captain Jinks" that carried the Roco line. My friends and I used to go there and then race each other to see who could get in the door first. Alas, all sold off a long time ago.

No mention my friend.

Armand

It was always hit and miss as to what could be found – I wanted WWII, my local shop was full of Cold War.

Now I'd love to have that USSR Rocket Tank & Rocket.

I still have thousands of them and love each and every one of them. They are the staple of my wargame collection. I would gladly double my collection tomorrow if I could afford it. I bought some less than two months ago.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog

link

I had a few – did not like the scale difference even as a kid – but I enjoyed them.

Thanks for the nostalgia fix.

A votre service mon ami!.

Armand

Had a few of those. Can't remember if any are still hanging about.

I do know that most of the series that were available at the time went into detailing the original Battlestar Galactica mini.

I don't think I ever saw those in the UK shops I would get my Airfix figures from. Look at those prices! One of the more innocent uses for a time machine would be going back and snagging the figures, kits and books that you never did as a kid!

Gary

But that's back when 17p really WAS 17p.

I used to get metal 25mm figures for 9p. The same figures today are ~£2.

ROCO were always "a bit pricey" to someone on pocket money only, Airfix were cheaper.

Thanks!.

Armand

OMG Jeff! Kitkraft!!! I practically grew up in that place! Every Saturday, standing almost in a trance over that bloody display case, rotating it back and fourth, back and fourth trying to decide (until I was admonished not to because it rocked the trays the models were displayed on).

And then all the Airfix infantry on the front wall along the windows (right behind you from the case), and all the models down the side wall (cars, then airplanes, then ships, then finally tanks).

When were you there? Did you go to Walter Reed or Colfax?

Oy, a set of synapses that have not fired for quite a few years…

That's great! Those Airfix boxes are the reason I collect miniature soldiers to this day. I went to Carpenter Ave. School (practically across Ventura Blvd.), Walter Reed and North Hollywood High, class of '80.

I have very fond memories of both Roco and Airfix. Used to get them at Clancy's Drugs in Edina Mn and Gagers. Clancy's had a huge, or so it seemed to a 12 year old boy, toy and hobby section in the basement with railroad and slot car accessories and all sorts of model kits and Airfix soldiers and kits. Anyone out there remember either?

(smile)

Armand

Nostaligic… yes. For much of my WWII gaming I still use 1/87 equipment with my 20mm figures, and many of them are Roco.

That's great! Those Airfix boxes are the reason I collect miniature soldiers to this day. I went to Carpenter Ave. School (practically across Ventura Blvd.), Walter Reed and North Hollywood High, class of '80.

Oh fer the luv of …

I went to Carpenter Avenue, starting before the built the blacktop playground. The kindergarten classrooms were separated by an ivy -covered wash from the rest of the school, with a fenced bridge so the students could cross. That was all gone by the time I entered 3rd grade (blacktopped over when I was in 1st and 2nd grades).

I went to Walter Reed, and graduated North Hollywood in the class of 1977! Were you in the music program at either (band or singing groups)?

I had kind of graduated on to Valley Plaza Hobby and was wargaming with GHQ micro-armor and WRG's Armor and Infantry rules by the time you got to Reed.

Now I got to go find some old yearbooks…

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)

Good memories!…

Armand

I first noticed these in the Operation Warboard book, which I read in about 1980, where the authors freely intermixed the two scales, 1/76 and 1/87. They never really registered with me back in the day – for pocket money, you could buy Airfix, plus you got to build those as well.

Last time I looked, a few years ago, these were going for something like £12.00 GBP a pop. I concluded that if I wanted a retro scale I would probably go for 1/32, because you can get Monogram tanks and CTS Airfix repop readymades for much the same money….

I remember staring and day-dreaming many a time as a boy, at the Roco Minitanks display in Henry Bodenstedt's, Continental Hobbies shops in Freehold and Adelphia. My father was good friends with Henry. When my old man was in a good mood I would be told to pick out a box of Airfix figures and later,if I wanted, Matchbox or Atlantics. I loved those figurines for years. The Roco's were well beyond my reach. I did get some hand me downs when I was a little older and the vehicles got replaced with 1/72nd or 1/76th scale models from other manufacturers. I remember the ridiculously tiny, cast hull Sherman tanks :) Although I really liked the T-34s. Rocos Jeeps and Dragon Wagon were really nice also.

I used to sell Minitanks, and they were a pain. Everyone wanted the Shermans and Tigers, but the stupid factory had no idea what was popular. They would produce X number of one kit for a while, then switch to producing the same number of some other kit, disregarding the fact that some models were far more popular than others.