Action Transfers on Plastic, Plaster and Cut-Out Cardboard Models

In the late 70s, Letraset Consumer Products came up with some wacky stuff.

You can imagine Letraset having meetings to discuss where transfers could possibly be applied other than paper; in fact, you don't have to make it up — the history of Letraset is full of botched attempts to print images on industrially-produced plastic & metal, & these meetings are extensively referred-to in John Chudley's "Letraset: a Lesson in Growth". Letraset were very keen not to be seen as a "one-trick pony", hence their purchasing of often wildly inappropriate companies — such as Stanley Gibbons.

Chudley had left by 1973, but the problem (such as it was) still remained.
The best solution picked by the Consumer Products Division was:

Plaster.

We know of one product which applied transfers to vacuum-formed plastic, & two which applied transfers to cardboard cut-out models, but plaster was the clear winner, with well over a dozen products reiterating the basic concept of making simple plaster moulds & then slapping transfers onto the finished surface.

Letraset called their plaster "Mix'n Mould", & their PVA "Glaze'n Glue Too". Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Of course, the Consumer Products Division did turn out products which didn't use transfers at all, & I even have some of those to show you… later (acrylic may be involved… & lots & lots of string).

But on this page we'll show you two of these transfer-related products in detail, while the others need pages of their own — so those other sets just get a quick preview here, along with the appropriate links to speed you on your way.

Thelwell Pony Plaques —&— Walt Disney TV Casting are the lucky winners to appear on this page!

For the rest, these links take you to the previews on THIS page, & from there you can find links to their more detailed coverage.

Plaster ("Mix'n Mould"):

Thelwell Pony Plaques →
Walt Disney TV Casting →
Sarah Kay Oval Domes →
The Art Miniatures Series →
Discover Decoupage →

Cardboard Cut-Out Models:

Sarah Kay Playhouse →
Galactic Star Base →

Vacuum-formed Plastic:

3-D Double Doodles Intergalactic Action →

Without Transfers:

Cold Enamelling — Cameo Casting — Metal Casting →

Thelwell Pony Plaques [1978]

Norman Thelwell was a popular cartoonist for Punch, who subsequently had a great deal of success with a range of graphic books. One of his main areas of interest was pony riding, & you can see how this would make an appealing topic for transfer sets aimed at girls.

There were three transfer products featuring Thelwell artwork: Thelwell Pony Tales, Thelwell Fun Doodles & these Thelwell Pony Plaques.

For the transfer-free Thelwell Stationery range, see the Letraset Stationery page.

Thomas Salter 1981 trade catalogue

Photo by Triplica.com

Curses — I've just noticed that the spectacular "Rub Down Stick" mentioned on the box isn't clearly visible in my photo. Never mind; it's just a standard wooden ice cream stick — & you can see one in the catalogue photo above.

And no — I'm not opening the packet of plaster to see if it still works!

The transfers for this very simple moulding kit were re-purposed from the Decor-Craft range, serial number 27.01.154. Here they are reprinted as L81/4, & on further reprinting, L90/2.

(L90/7 to L90/10 were the Sarah Kay Action Transfers Playhouse.)

There were two Decor-Craft sheets featuring Thelwell characters that we know of (& we've had a pretty thorough investigation of Decor-Craft sheets by now). Stay tuned, because the characters reprinted here represent half of one of these two sheets.

On second thoughts, stay untuned — because on reflection the lower two figures look slightly too downbeat for a second Pony Plaques set…

The other, earlier Decor-Craft sheet is also perhaps slightly unsuited for plaster casts, & the figures too large:

The address given is "Letraset Consumer Products Ltd. Woodside Road, Glenrothes, Fife, Scotland."
Which is, of course, Thomas Salter's address…

If you'd like to see loads more Thelwell, you're in luck! You can visit…

• The Thelwell Page →

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Walt Disney TV Casting

"Cast two T.V. Screens and make your pictures with Action Transfers"

Photos by Triplica.com

The plastic mould is clearly the same as for the Pony Plaques (above), but this time it's the more rectangular mould which you're supposed to use, rather than the oval. Coincidence? Or… sinister conspiracy? — You be the Judge.

Alas, my set came with only one transfer sheet, L71/1, & at first I thought this was normal.

Luckily, a bit of research — & alex-mua-91 was able to provide a photo of the second sheet, L81/5:

Original photo courtesy of alex-mua-91

I imagine the curious overlap of figures between the two sheets is designed to make it appear that each 'screen' represents the same scene, but at different times: day & night.

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