Johillco Spaceman

[Phil R]

I just added this Johillco spaceman to my Johillco/Cherilea collection. I made some custom backs for the earlier figures I bought.

[Tinman]

Very cool Phil, I have to add some of these to my collection some day...they're not getting any cheaper or easier to find.

[John McDonald]

I have been collecting Cherilea and Johillco lead space figures, and I have never seen two of the 3 figures bottom left. If ever interested in selling or trading, please let me know, thanks, JOHN

[Brian..]

It's very difficult to be sure what is a genuine original figure, but the golden rule is to look for the signs of a hollow cast figure, not a  solid metal one. The robot is particularly easy to copy and there are many fakes out there.  Hollow cast requires a hole for the excess lead to be poured out of the model before it sets. Sometimes paint obscures the hole. 

 

At various English toy shows I've seen metal recreations of the Johillco and Cherilea figures. Of course they can't reproduce the hollow cast (not yet, at least) so it's possible to distinguish. Some of these are exceptionally good castings. These figures are very high quality, often better than the originals. Originals were painted by families on a piece work basis, so mum, dad and the kids would sit around the kitchen table applying the paint according to their various skill levels. it's sometimes slapdash, but it's usually done with confidence and in one pass. Anything overworked is often the sign of a fake or a repaint.

 

Modern versions often have richer, finer paint finishes. 

 

Various poses can easily be faked - an arm moved, a weapon relocated to a different pose. Once the master has been made the copies multiply. Some dealers do this openly and honestly, selling figures as "Cherilea style". Once they're on the market things get difficult. It's a minefield. 

 

 

 

COPY:

 

 

 

 

THREE COPIES: (the rocket is genuine, though)

 

 

 

COPY:

 

THREE COPIES: