and see
Airplanes on the main Comet/AUTHENTICAST page.
Comet Metal Products Co., Inc.
AUTHENTICAST
(Logos from 1945 Catalog)
(Logos from 1945 Catalog)
[Logos from Comet Gaeltacht Industries (Irish) sets - see below]
Comet Authenticast ODD LOT!,
with Gaeltacht (Irish) sets
A gentleman who's not even a collector inherited an odd lot of Comet
Authenticast items, namely two 1:108 tanks, eight 1:432 airplanes, thirteeen 1:1,250 ships
(one of which may not even be Authenticast), and six sets of Gaeltacht 54mm HE soldiers (and a
farm set). In addition, although they don't appear to be Comet AUTHENTICAST items, he
also got forty loose 54mm soldiers (and a few large-scale aircraft parts) that are solid-cast
and bear no maker's mark (but I'll show them here anyway, referencing them elsewhere on my site
as appropriate).
(22 Oct 08)
So, we have tanks, planes (and parts), ships, and soldiers (sets and loose) and let's see them
in that order.
The two 1:109 tanks are decidedly strange; they are either unfinished or have been stripped to
bare metal; the first (left) is marked "BRITISH Mk. III" but is actually a #5005
"Valentine Infantry Tank, Mark V" and the second is marked "COMET PZKW I" and is the #5101
German "PzK{pf}w I Light Tank":
(cropped from 21 Oct 2008 photo by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed picture for larger image]
Next, we'll look at the 1:432 (1" = 36') planes; they are also odd in that they are unpainted
and do NOT show Comet or AUTHENTICAST, although they mostly SEEM to match the catalog cuts:
(cropped from 21 Oct 2008 photo by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed picture for larger image]
O. K.; these are from top left to bottom right, as marked:
TOP ROW - JU90 T 5/43 - SHORT STIRLING 1/43
CENTER ROW - DO217 F 3/43 - U.S. B26 3/43 - - - J-2F-4 5/43
BOTTOM ROW - - - MACCHI C200 2/43 - SM 79 B 5/43 - P38 4/43
These are, more fully, the German Junkers Ju90, the British Short Stirling, the German Dornier
Do217, the U.S. B-26 Martin Marauder, the U.S. Grumman J2F-4 Duck, the Italian Maachi C200, the
Italian Savoia-Marchetti 79, and the U.S. Lockheed P-38 Lightning. Some of these are a
bit odd, other than being unpainted; the Maachi C200 has a hole though the center for hanging
from a thread, as noted in the catalog, but the others do not, and the Grumman J-2F-4 is
missing its upper wing - here these two are up close:.
(cropped from 21 Oct 2008 photos by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed pictures for larger images]
Most of these have their casting flash intact; the Maachi is immaculate.
While we're on aircraft, here are the miscellaneous large-scale parts (my guesses) - a
bomb-cum-wingtank-cum-Zeppelin (upside-down, in that case), a large air-cooled machine
gun, a medium water-cooled machine gun, and an early aerial bomb:
(cropped from 21 Oct 2008 photo by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed picture for larger image]
Now, let us turn to the 1:1,250 ship models; one picture shows major U.S. ships:
(cropped from 21 Oct 2008 photo by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed picture for larger image]
Unfortunately, I forgot to note which was which or to jot down their markings; the big carrier
at the top is definitely the Saratoga and the auxiliary at the bottom is a Cimarron class fleet
replenishment oiler. The cruiser above the oiler lost its port catapault but it was in
the box.
The second picture shows three Japanese destroyers (the top two are duplicates), all of which
are missing their deck details, and an unidentified and unmarked fleet submarine which I doubt
is a Comet AUTHENTICAST model:
(cropped from 21 Oct 2008 photo by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed picture for larger image]
The masts on the sub were stuck in by the owner; we don't know which should be where.
[Logos from Comet Gaeltacht Industries (Irish) sets
Here are the pièces de résistance, the six Irish-made Comet Gaeltacht Industries boxed 54mm
soldier (and farm) sets! The outer label and inner packing sheet logos are repeated above.
First, a typical box cover and the six end labels:
(cropped from 21 Oct 2008 photo by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed picture for larger image]
The labels read Top down):
FRENCH FOREIGHN LEGIONNAIRES - 1940 - 1025 {?}
SWEDISH HORSEGUARD - ??? - 19?? - 2206
U.S. INF. WITH BAZOOKA - 1946 - 2605 {?}
U.S. INF. MARCHING - 1946 - 2643
U.S. INF. CHARGING - 194? - 2660
FARM SET NO. 1 - 4500
[I have to verify some of the missing information.]
The logo reads: Comet Gaeltacht Industries, Made in Ireland.
The label reads:
HISTORY IN MINIATURES
by
TRADE MARK
Authenticast
Comet Gaeltacht Industries
MADE IN IRELAND
The soldier sets follow:
(cropped from 21 Oct 2008 photos by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed pictures for larger images]
FRENCH FOREIGHN LEGIONNAIRES - 1940 - 1025 {?} /
SWEDISH HORSEGUARD - ??? - 19?? - 2206
U.S. INF. WITH BAZOOKA - 1946 - 2605 {?}
(cropped from 21 Oct 2008 photos by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed pictures for larger images]
U.S. INF. MARCHING - 1946 / 2643 | U.S. INF. CHARGING - 194? / 2660
These 54mm soldiers were designed by Holger Eriksson, whose initials appear on the bases of
most of the figures; these sample images show, left, a base rubber-stamped "EIRE" over
the HE, the same base under different illumination showing the cast-in "HE", and another
base with a much clearer "HE":
(cropped from 21 Oct 2008 photos by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed pictures for larger images]
Lastly, we come to the "FARM SET NO. 1 - 4500":
(cropped from 21 Oct 2008 photos by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed picture for larger image]
Much more on Eriksson and Comet's Irish and South African suppliers can be found on
Comet AUTHENTICAST page 3. "Gaeltacht" means those districts in Ireland where
the Irish language is predominant.
Finally, we have the loose 54mm soldiers, of no known origin. As noted above, they all
are solid-cast, unlike Britains, Ltd./W(m). Britains miniatures which are hollow-cast,
presumably to save on the cost of lead and on shipping weight. They sure LOOK like
Britains to my untutored eye, though. The groupings which follow are "somewhat" arbitrary;
I placed the pieces together by looks - old-style uniforms, Colonials, "exotic" uniforms,
Brits/U.S. marchers and prone, German/Italian?/ANZAC?/gas mask, and Brits/U.S. advancing.
Old-Style Uniforms (left) and Colonials (right):
(cropped from 21 Oct 2008 photos by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed pictures for larger images]
"Exotic" Uniforms (left) and Brits/U.S. Marchers and Prone (right):
(cropped from 21 Oct 2008 photos by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed pictures for larger images]
German/Italian?/ANZAC?/Gas Mask (left) and Brits/U.S. Advancing (right):
(cropped from 21 Oct 2008 photos by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed pictures for larger images]
In case you're not convinced that these are, in fact, 54mm figures, here's that same image with
a figure lying down on a metric rule:
(cropped from 21 Oct 2008 photo by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed picture for larger image]
Also as noted previously, there are no markings under the bases and most show evidence of
having been glued down on some board:
(cropped from 21 Oct 2008 photo by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed picture for larger image]
Hopefuly, more knowledgeble collectors than I will come forward (or I'll seek them out) to
identify the dubious identifications above.
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