23 January 2012

Argo Toy Soldier with RPG

Made of Soft Plastic - 30mm Tall - Marked 'Argo 7'

11 comments:

Hugh Walter said...

I have a small number of these, there are two or three GI's and another figure like yours, but standing with an M60 and a bow (for arrows!), I think they are meant to be RAMBO, but have yet to find some on the card/in the bag to confirm?

M-7 said...

Yeah I've seen a few similar ones on ebay - but not the one with a bow.
I agree they're quite Ramboish.
I remember seeing and ad (I think I have it but who knows where??!!)
If I remember right it had a play map some figures and some diecst vehicles??? If I find anything else out I'll let you know.
BTW are yours marked Argo also - can't seem to find much about that company.

Hugh Walter said...

Yes they are...and no; I can't find out anything else about the company either!!

There was a company called Argo in the 1950's but they were a US dimestore producer selling through Loeser's in New York.

But in my A-Z there is an empty file named;

ARCO - Arcotoys - See also 'Mattel'

then in the book manuscript there's;

ARCO/Arcotoys/Mattel, Hong Kong/China / USA, See also; Mattel
40mm rigid polyethylene/polypropylene (?) figures bagged as rack-toys
Product listing
- Vietnam US Recon

but under Mattel there's nothing in either resorce?

Whether your Argo and my Arco are the same company? Anyway; at some point I must have found something linking the two, and with Mattel being the 'big buyer' shifting carded (?) sets with Arco on!

H

M-7 said...

Hey - here's an update
while trolling about the Toy Soldier HQ site I found theis
'ARCO - Giant reorganized and changed their name in the mid to late 1960s. using initials of family members they became ARCO.'
and it has a listing for a 'ARCO farm header card bag'.
I don't know where he got the info - havn't heard about it before...

Hugh Walter said...

Yeah! I noticed he's changed the header for his Giant page to "GIANT (ARCO)..." but I know of no connection other than this farm set, but I have all sorts of sets with Giant stuff in which were simply re-bagging or re-carding of Giant or ex-Giant product or mouldings. I'd love to know the names of this family...that give A.R.C. and O? And where the information is documented???

Hugh Walter said...

There was already (in the 1970's) a company in New York called Arco;

http://www.bookfinder.com/author/new-york-arco-publishing-company/

...so unless this new source is suggesting that as well as changing their name Giant also got out of toys altogether, I suspect the new info is a bit of a red herring or dead-end?

M-7 said...

I think you're right there is no connections to Giant (at least that I've seen)..
I have some arco toys
mostly their noah's ark pieces - 2 h70's hong kong type animals in a header card
they were notorious for their star wars nock-offs - SPACE WAR
http://www.toymania.com/334archives/spacewar/index.htm
a arco - mattel line called 'Other World"
with bendy rubbery figures and monsters
http://actionfiguresca.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Cartoons&action=print&thread=186
I have also seen a arco cataloge put out by mattel in the late 70's early 80's..
I seen other HK/ARCO toys on ebay
but nothing that looks like a GIANT type toy
-michael

Anonymous said...

I had some of these, exactly the same but moulded in black plastic.
They were sold in a pack with:

2 vehicles
something like a missile launcher and a Jeep with a Mg on the back.

2 copy of the same plastic terrain about 1'x1' 30cmx30cm

1 plastic bridge to fix between the 2 terrain pieces

1 plastic observing tower

I hope someone could be interested in such infos

Brandon H (facebook friend) said...

I have same figures in green and need some more info like when they were made and who thay are ect...?

M-7 said...

All I can say is they're probably made in China - I'm guessing the mid 1990's.
Some are saying that Arco was founded by the people that ran the Giant plastic figure franchise and were bought out by Mattel.
Weather Argo-Arco are related is unknown.

Anonymous said...

Got these figures but 3 inches/ 8 cm in a bag. Made in Argentina, manufactured by Miluplast S.A.C.I. /Users/hectorghiretti/Desktop/DSC01365.JPG